Blurred Keys

Image from ireland.com’s "weather camera" vie blogspot.com

- Introduction with back-story
- March route security
- Delusional and confusing reactions and analyzes

Security, or the lack of, is something RTE have being touching on since yesterday; of the Irish blogs we’ve read had little or nothing…

Introduction with back-story
First, a half-decent introduction with back-story – another way many blogs have failed. The riot on Saturday in Dublin was a reaction to the “Love Ulster” protest. According to the organisers the “Love Ulster” demonstration was to protest and highlight over victims of the IRA, and celebrate ‘protestant culture’ (on the Last Word radio show last week, another protestants, who was opposed to the march, said such a culture was not common among all Irish protestants). The culture they spoke of is more likely a Unionist or Loyalist one, or even an Orange Order one.

The problem even the law-abiding opposition had with the “Love Ulster” protest was that it was the Orange Order using a victims group as a front in a provocative march. One of the main provocative parts talked about on the radio was that it started close to the offices of Sinn Féin; and it was too much for some that it would have passed the Garden of Remembrance, and the GPO using “Ireland’s main street”.   

March route security
Dublin City Council “had no regrets” says RTE’s 6 O’clock news, apparently they done their best to secure O’Connell Street (ie nothing extra), and the police say they weren’t expecting so much hostility. The council and the police should be ashamed of them selves.

With out thinking about it too much, Blurred Keys was thinking the clash would happen closer to Parnell Square. The ill-secure building site that still is O’Connell Street was perfect for the thugs.   

From the video footage, it looks like Dublin City Council did nothing new to secure the renovation works on the street. A mixture of the low and tall light fence-type barriers was a joke – both flimsy and possibly easy to knock over with just two adult males. Compare such the outer rings, the ‘steel rings’, of outdoor events, and the first two were hopeless. Transferring the building materials to one tighter protected point could have helped minimised the damage to the police and others, and the surrounding buildings.

Police planning was another farce. Saying they weren’t expecting so much hostility is bizarre. Many law-abiding and never-would-attend-a-protest type people were opposed to the “Love Ulster” march because of the Orange Order’s involvement. How exactly did they think dissident republicans and the associated thugs would react? A grouping that is considered enough of a threat to the state to be a main reason to continue the draconian Offences Against the State Act is somehow less likely then a bunch of Mayday protesters to start a violent riot. 

Delusional and confusing reactions and analyzes
Disillusioned Lefty paints a rather delusional view that has the potential to misinform readers, “If not Sinn Féin itself, then its support base in the Republic is made-up of a bunch of nasty, drunken scumbags” the blog reads, some Flickr tags also list Sinn Féin. The view is ill informed – the crowd and more importantly those who acted in violent were, if the police can be trusted, mainly made up of dissident republicans, not merely republicans, namely those who would be linked to ‘Republican Sinn Féin’, not Sinn Féin.

Meanwhile, there’s been a complete over and confused reaction to the long term effects the riot will have on Dublin’s image worldwide – the rugby fans interviewed by RTE didn’t care, even a couple who were in a bar which was in the area said it’s not the worst place to be trapped in. Generally, people understand that riots are isolated events that normally don’t have poplar support. Or maybe, that’s wrong, maybe it will add to some people confusion that the north and the Republic are the same in terms of marchs and the surrounding violence? The image problem, if any, would really effect the north, adding to some peoples’ genuine fears and others list of excuses to stall the peace process.   

If my experience away from the world of the internet was anything to go by, for the majority of the population, radio excelled (Today FM here, in Dublin a number of people online have said Newstalk done the same) while TV was lacking and slow in its reaction. Sky News had poor coverage, while Blurred Keys was on my late lunch sometime after the riot stated. They were going into long in-depth analyzes of the large bank robbery a few days ago in the UK, with little or no new info, while what was a breaking story, and what Sky is supposedly good at, was being ignored – guess the riot was a local story for the local people?

Blurred Keys thinks unprovoked attacks on anyone is easily wrong and condemnable, same goes any journalist, including Charlie Bird. The attack on him was disgraceful, but Bird’s reaction to the attack adds to the strange commentary. He said his attackers knew who he was, and he was surprised by the attack. How out of touch can one journalist be? Pkellypr.com calls Bird “Ireland’s figurehead journalist”, the fact is Bird can be seen as not just part of “establishment journalism” but also part of “the establishment” it self. How does he think thugs of dissident republicans would react to such a person? Maybe after an attack it is inappropriate to bring such disillusionment into commentary, but stating such is important. His comments rank alongside Marie Antoinette “If the people have no bread, let them eat cake” – so out of touch with a groups’ thinking and situation, although in this case as smaller group. I don’t agree with and can’t speak for the republicans, never mind about the dissidents, but commenting this much is needed when “the establishment” is so out of touch with them.

(One blog entry managing to attack the police, dissident republicans, Unionists, bloggers, and broadcast media – woops)

‘Attack on Westland Row’ was moved to the top, followed by Google News, and Flickr - the rest are random – or in the order from planetoftheblogs.com, irishblogs.ie, and Google News. The media and the bloging world are mixed in the links. NOTE: Links are to sites to the left and right, up and down, what even and other, of this sites views…

Attack on Westland Row
Google News
Flickr
Quality of reporting on the Dublin riots
The Dublin riots from a PR perspective
Laterally Thinking about Yesterday’s Riots
Rioting in Dublin
The Dublin Riots, remixed
Fail to prepare? Prepare to fail
Nassau St / Trinity College
DUP position themselves to isolate Sinn Fein
The Riots and the consequences
Riots in Dublin
A disgrace to their country
The Irish Street (images)
RTE and the Riot
Welcome to Your Capital
Then Came the Looting [a near attack on a bloger]
McDowell says Gardai ‘were unprepared for Dublin riot’
Dublin ‘Love Ulster’ Riots on Flickr Photo Sharing!
El Blogador Poll: The Dublin Riots
LOVE ULSTER
Dublin Scumbags Suck
Video of Dublin Riots
Fume Veil
Images and Report from anti-Orange riot in Dublin earlier this afternoon (IMC)
Musings on yesterdays ‘Love Ulster’ riots
Quality, consumption and citizen journalism
Blogs step up to be counted
Thirteen charged over Dublin riot
Clashes in Dublin over loyalist march
Metroblog - The Dublin Riots…
Just another Day in Dublin
Stupid, stupid garda
Dublin City Riots
Tribalist clouds swamp Republican vision
Two Scenarios
Who Shamed Dublin?
Riots in Dublin
Protestors riot in Dublin over ‘Love Ulster’ parade 
40 arrests as Dublin in flames
Garda say they had no intelligence on riots
Sick of hearing about Charlie Bird
The Dublin Riots: Name And Shame
Riot aftermath (images)
Plan for failure
Love Ulster Parade Met With Hate
I predict a riot
Brilliant link collection from Slugger O’Toole
Some snaps from the ground
The Craic We Had The Day We Died For Ireland
Riots in Dublin
Love Ulster top tag on Flickr
Rerun the "Love Ulster" march
Anti-riot tech: how to put ‘em down
The Riot in Dublin
The Sundays on The Riot
Anti-riot tech: how to put ‘em down
Recap on the Dublin riots
‘Republican’ Riots?
Boggersphere’s first blogstorm
No Love In Dublin
"Republican" Sinn Féin 0 - 1 Loyalists (o.g.)
Quote of the Day

Why…
Jaysus, lads. You can’t be doing that
The Dublin Riot
Three of those arrested aren’t Irish
Todays Dublin Riots
Blogging the riots…
Never Been In A Riot
Must Continue to Consume
Enda’s Speech
Of course we’ll allow you march down a rubble filled street
Love Dublin
Lawless
A picture tells a thousand words…
Filth: The ‘Republican’ Attacks On An Garda Síochána Na hÉireann
Nationalists condemn Dublin rioters…
Mayhem in Dublin
Scumbag Central
Fuck.
I predict a riot… [Well, anyone with half a brain..]
Dublin Riots
My Eye Witness Report from Dublin!
Dublin Riots
They left their barstools to free Ireland!
No Love In Dublin
On the riots
Love Ulster march - now eff off back to Ulster
Marches and Protests
Rioting on O’Connell Street

Opposition spokespersons, Liz McManus, Liam Twomey and Aengus Ó Snodaigh, who each supported the ban on magic mushrooms, do not know of any evidence to suggest "magic" mushrooms are dangerous to public or individual health. They were also unaware of academic studies which conclude that "magic" mushrooms are not dangerous. The majority of politicians – despite being uninformed about magic mushrooms – have supported the stance of Minister for Health, Mary Harney, and the Government, who banned them recently. VillageMagazine.ie

Sinn Féin’s justice spokesperson, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, takes an even more illogical stance then the others, stating "I don’t think that any research would change my mind". Cigarettes (and to a lesser extent, alcohol) should be banned long ago on the same bases as the mushroom ban.

No, there’s actually greater reasons to ban both. What’s that? It’d just be like prohibition in the US? And what do you think has happened to ‘magic’ mushroom sales?

The Phoenix is reporting that the Irish Times is sending Fintan O’Toole off to China, while what the magazine calls “the vaguely pinko hack, chief political correspondent”, Mark Brennock, is taking a new redundancy package.

Phoenix says that Madam Editor, Geraldine Kennedy, tried to exile O’Toole to Beijing for twelve months, but after objections from O’Toole his sentence was reduced to six months.

‘Fit to print?’ in Phoenix makes out this will leave the “paper’s political culture distinctly to the right of centre”. Leaving Madam Editor’s apparent master plan closer to completion.

Separately (I’m not this paranoid…), as pointed out in another blog entry, O’Toole, not one to go soft on the Provos, recently in his IT column proclaimed that the use of Garda McCabe’s killing ten years ago should not be used for political points.

This is nothing but a witch-hunt - the action by Fine Gael in Kerry in an attempt to debase Toireasa Ferris as Mayor of Kerry, was according to reports (the Phoenix, the Irish Times) a ‘sole run’ by one FG councillor, which he denies. The other FG member according to the Phoenix backed the action after the “word came down from Enda Kenny to get behind the motion - the idea was first of Johnny ‘Porridge’ O’Connor, but at this stage was handed to Bobby O’Connell, FG’s lead in the council.

‘Porridge’ has apparently suffered in credibly terms because of all of this and a radio appearance in which “he talked of sinister utterances being made to him in the council chamber but refused to elaborate” according to Phoenix, which added this “has damaged his image as a potential statesman”. All of which may deny FG a seat in Kerry South in the upcoming elections. Meanwhile the magazine points out that Toireasa Ferris is looking a lot better then directly after her Late Late Show appearance.

Fintan O’Toole, not one to go soft on the Provos, recently in his Irish Times column proclaimed that the use of Garda McCabe’s killing ten years ago should not be used for political points in this way, and that McCabe should be allowed to rest in peace. This is added to by adenoidal evidence that people, who usually wouldn’t care one way or another about Sinn Fein, are getting rather fed up of this, the McCartney sisters etc etc.