Siptu members and Luas drivers at the Luas Red Cow Depot in February

In a week of outrage over a Gerry Adams tweet and lack of solidarity with Luas drivers, the author asks:

What are ye like?

Frilly Keane writes:

So tell us…

When did we turn into uptight intolerant moanie and whatever the collective noun for pain in the hole is? I’ll just put Proctalgia Fugaxies out there to try on. If it fits keep it.

I know it’s the ‘ism-age, and the risk of an allegation of sexism, racism, ageism, flatulism, whatever BadAtMeme is ‘ism coming from all our encounters and exchanges is high.

But I wonder if we’ve allowed ourselves get too fenced in by these imposed standards, and not just in the work place but in everyday life.

Day’cent manners worked for years for anyone that bothered to learn them, keep them on after they left their Mammy, and even shared them and then went to the trouble to hand them down.

I was at a conference last week, in the bar, having the craic, and one of the ould’lads (and a known shit-stirrer) said “it can’t be much of a hotel if they serve pints to ladies.” Well the spell of silence that descended could have been measured for humidity.

I didn’t even get the opportunity to laugh it off with a let’s go somewhere where he can get a pint of rockshandy in comfort before his prayers.

You know the type; the youngest in the group, passed a few exams and thinks they’re a hero, knows everything, and expects to be your boss before you retire. The kind that wears skinny pants to work. Let’s call her Anne.

Well Anne just exploded with an amped up indignation that was so contrived and fake that if you could visualise it, it would look like a Quentin Tarantino trailer. And for no reason other than just to gain attention. Is this the best use of outrage? To actually make yourself the lasting impression?

I’d hang out with Anne, just for the craic like and see who she falls out with next, but would I engage her, recommend her, or even work with? Never. That temperament is too risky and high maintenance.

If there was one thing the Paddies would have been renowned for it was our ability to see the funny side of anything. Even funerals. But lately, and I’m beginning to look at the WebSummit Population for spreading this btw, instead of someone, usually the usual oddball, taking offence or issue, there’s a parade of ye.

Ur’Jurry cracked a joke over the weekend, and entirely in context, and it was funny. Be honest, it was. But got a bigger kick out’ve the outrage. It was a basic well-worn gag that was presented with context; a Sunday night tweet from his own front room and not the White House briefing room.

What are ye like…

I’m actually disappointed Jurry backtracked and apologised; I’d’ve stood over it meself, it was a weekend quip FFS, not a policy decision or a manifesto entry. And to be fair, I’ve said worse about the Kerry lads and they don’t start crying and mobilising the HashTag Protesters.

And ye all were, Sunday night, Monday morning, Tuesday morning and still all posting yere insult (like I said, I blame the WebSummitteers.) Calm the cheezuz down FFS. It must have hit serious knobs if Mick Flavin gets his nib out.

Ye nearly wet yereselves when Tuesday brings another Luas stoppage, and yere all at it again, it’s like ye just can’t help it. Ye were all over it like it was another Bank Holiday.

It’s an official dispute, and the stoppages are day long and not Months. Would ye just get over yerselves and go back to revalue yere maintenance specs. Seriously, they’re unmanageable.

Anyone remember the 5 month Postal Strike back in the day? (I do ‘cause I was hard done by with the lack of Confirmation cards, the sealed ones) the Dunnes Strike over the South African oranges, ESB on off on off, even the Banks.

When the buses were out one time, the army came in, and there was murder. People would actually continue walking rather than get on the free truck into town.

I come from a house where you NEVER cross a picket, whether you agree with the grievance or not.

My late aunt was very prominent in the Fordss ’68 strike and did not budge despite severe and criminal harassment from the Irish in Dagenham/ Romford at the time, and my Nanna wouldn’t have given a tinker’s curse (her words) where her oranges came from.

But by Christ anyone she saw crossing that picket on Patrick Street would’ve known all about it, even from the No.8 stop at the Savoy. And as for the time the Army lads came around to collect the bins …. Let’s just they were lucky she was too house-proud to let anyone see the potty she kept under the bed, and if my mother didn’t step in the oul’divil would have had a taxi taking her rubbish up to the dump.

I bring this up now, not for a reminiscent voyage, but because the overwhelming lack of regard for the Picket and the Luas workers is uncalled for, and in my opinion obscene.

If you are not directly involved in this dispute, then why discuss the pay-rates or the education or the qualifications of a worker. It’s an official dispute. Mocking these workers in the manner that Broadsheet has hosted here is nothing short of providing Scab labour for Transdev.

Lemme tell ye sum’ting lads, unless it’s your job to know or your livelihood/ business, other peoples pay and conditions of employment shouldn’t be any of your business. If you think they are, then post up your own payslips.

I’m not a trade unionist by the way, and the only Labour candidates I’ve ever voted for were the Uptons. I have been caught up in a few strikes and work-to-rules that caused mayhem for me personally and professionally, but sur’ that’s the way it goes. Or that’s the way it should go.

The poor me Mummy whinging around the time of the Teachers’ one day strikes was worse than a 6 year old’s birthday party.

The right to strike is sacred, it goes back centuries, and crossing a picket line was one time seen as an act of disloyalty to your colleagues, comrades and community. When did that change?

Solidarity with colleagues, comrades and your community cannot be an occasional or seasonal concept. In fact showing Solidarity only when you feel like or when it suits you sounds like a very Thatcherite ethos to me.

Have we got so precious about out lifestyles and our own self-interest that we’ve forgotten the PAYE protests, the Tractors, the laundry workers strikes, the Vita Cortex workers or the Suffragette movement?

Or have we turned into spoilt uninterested brats who’ll only get exercised if the wiffy gets cut?

So tell me. When did ye turn into the uptight frigid fragile high maintenance former WebSummitteers?

Frilly Out.

Frilly keane’s column appears here every Friday. Follow Frilly on Twitter: @frillykeane