Old Head Protest Taking In the Sun!

by JP Tue Jul 29, 2003 15:12

Why do you have to make the protest sound so aggressive? It was nothing like that. It was an enjoyable and very peaceful gathering, with no belligerence or aggression. Why do the WSM (or maybe it's just this member) have to hype things up and make everything sound fiercely confrontional? It's a misleading image of yesterday's very good protest.

by Andrew Tue Jul 29, 2003 15:18

JP could you explain what on earth you are referring to as 'hyping up the aggression' in the story!?!

Better still why not write up your own version of events and post this to the newswire.

by JP Tue Jul 29, 2003 15:22

This report reeks of belligerence: 'loud', 'stroppy' protesters etc. etc. etc. If Andrew can't see what I'm talking about then Kevin must be a close friend.

by Ray Tue Jul 29, 2003 15:24

Would a 'quiet, meek' demonstration have been better?

by iosaf Tue Jul 29, 2003 15:43

will there be photos of this last one?
sounds great.

by j.p. Tue Jul 29, 2003 19:18

im the jp on the other old head threads,and i promise,on hearing that you got 80 at this protest,that i will attend the next old head demo to see for myself(i live minutes from the old head,but i am also chronically lazy and have not went to one yet.)

by Seáinín Tue Jul 29, 2003 22:41

You say the bulk were from Spain. Doesn't make sense, where were all the aggrieved local residents?

by Badman Wed Jul 30, 2003 00:04

Read it again:

"a contingent of protestors, the bulk of whom hailed from Spain and Catalonia, blocked Mercedes Drive"

getting a bit worried about an influx of inferior foreigners were you?

by mr. aggro Wed Jul 30, 2003 00:25

Shauneen dear boy, it makes perfect sense .... in this age of advanced globalization (note the US spelling) why shouldn't the protestors hail from Spain ?

Surely this is perfectly consistent with the single European market and the principles enshrined in the new draft EU constitution ?

Likewise, if the fancy takes you, you are perfectly free to hop off to Spain at the weekend and protest for more resources to be devoted to maintaining the Basque language ... far better than wasting your time and energy trying to stop the death of the Gaelic tongue .......

That way the efficiency of protests is maximised (note UK spelling for regional flavour) in accordance with the predictions of neo-liberal economic theory as taught at the best universities throughout the civilised world ..... and so everybody wins at the globalisation game ......

Enjoy !

by mr. aggro Wed Jul 30, 2003 00:33

Given the rapid development of the cut-price airline sector in the long run it may well prove to be more economically efficient for locals to withdraw from primary protesting activites and to delegate this to a hired force of cheap protestor labour from abroad which can be air-bussed in by Ryanair as needed .....

That way the locals are freed up to focus on the higher level activities of organising and managing the protest while the cheap imported labour can do the grunt work of shouting and throwing missiles at the police etc.

Make globalization work for YOU too ......

by Seáinín Wed Jul 30, 2003 02:15

This protest was sold to us an act of solidarity with the local people who had used TOHK "for generations".

If none of the locals give a toss then it's a fraud. Those anarchists from Spain should go back to begging on the streets of Barcelona.

This is just another envy driven crack at people who have done well in life. Sad.

by ollie - katalyzer Wed Jul 30, 2003 05:24

Seáinín make a 4 line comment...

next, we'll have in-depth analysis and live reports, and complaints of clogging up the bandwidth....

ah sure its worser you're improvin' Seáinín, me bio

Maith an fear

by badman Wed Jul 30, 2003 18:45

To draw your attention closer:

"A contingent of protestors"

You see the article says that the bulk of the 'contingent' who blocked the road were from Spain. The bulk of the protestors were Irish. I realise that contingent is a tricky word. Just substitute 'bunch' and you may understand.

by Seáinín Thu Jul 31, 2003 02:53

Tell me.

by Jimbo Thu Jul 31, 2003 11:13

There were no more than 15 Spanish/Italians.

by pat c Thu Jul 31, 2003 11:30

How many French were at the "Castlebar Races" in 1798?

by Eamon Thu Jul 31, 2003 11:57

Seanin, like the O'Connor brothers (from Kerry) is hung up on the idea that a large number of the Free the Old Head of Kinsale campaign are not locals (Kinsale town is 8 miles away, by the way - Cork City 26 miles).

What the hell does it matter? The point surely is that these people are standing up for their traditional right of way to walk the Old Head of Kinsale. Do the people of West Clare have the right to block the rest of us (or Spanish tourists, for that matter, from visiting the Cliffs of Moher? Doe the people of North Antrim have the right to block people visiting the Giants Causeway or the Glens because they're not "locals"? No Way!

And the whole thing is a bit rich coming from two Kerrymen and a bunch of millionaire American golfers, most of whom can't play the game properly anyway.

Seanin, I and my family have being going to the Old Head of Kinsale for generations. My grandparents and great grandparents went down there.

by mr. aggro Thu Jul 31, 2003 23:55

The Castlebar Races was a piece of dirty work by a shower of foreigner trouble-makers egging on the humble peace-loving Irish peasantry who wanted nothing more than a quiet life of forelock-tugging and kow-towing before that great Moloch called "The Rights of Property" ....

Too bad Shauneen can't see the parallels .....

by Badman Fri Aug 01, 2003 00:11

why not write your own account of the protest if you disagree with this one? Maybe it's subtle differences in our understanding of adjectives (I think 'stroppy' implies spirit and energy when used about a protest), but I really can't see the sense of agression that you seem to have got from the article.

by Seáinín Fri Aug 01, 2003 03:56

Not serving any cause at all. Just a nice place for juveniles to go to cause trouble.

by pat c Sun Aug 03, 2003 20:06

Thats a terrible thing to say about the French.While there may have beeb some garcon soldiers,General Humbert was no juvenile.

by Seáinín Sun Aug 03, 2003 21:41

between the clownish antics of a few angry youths and what happened in 1798. In an insult to our ancestors, frankly.

by Jim C Fri Aug 08, 2003 16:21

I am over 60 and was at the protest. Am I supposed to be an angry youth? There were people of all ages - from 2 to 80.