Noel Dempsey protesting

national | miscellaneous | news report Friday February 21, 2003 15:09 by Thisonethatone - Hooligan dress code

Getting past his goons

If the boys with the Sig Sauers know you are a student, they will not let you in...

The Dempsey road show meetings relating to teachers. is purportedly intended for anyone who wants to go along. I went along, got there early, and was at the front, and asked him two simple questions.

1)Full fees?

2)Why has the Back to Education allowance been cut off for post graduates?

Minister Dempsey is a liar, because he told me that, one, this was not the meeting to discuss this, and two, he did not know the answer to either of those questions.He asked me to leave it until the end, and I could talk to his secretary. I then found out that the NUI Galway student union were outside, only ten of us, but that was alright.

I went out to talk to them, then went back in, then left after half an hour, then one of Dempsey's spooks, would not let me back in then.

I had made the mistake earlier of chatting to friendly with the other cops outside, and that was it.The spook who would not let me back in knew my name, from me yapping too friendly with the other cops.

Dempsey came out, and I managed to tell him that, despite his alleged ignorance of the BTEA cutbacks, his department had actually confirmed it to me. He was all like "I told you to give my secretary you address, and we would write to you...", blah, blah, ballix, and then his bodyguardai, the Ton Ton Macoutes kept, not pushing, but making it difficult for me to get near him to ask him further questions. He yapped then with the student union heads, I took a photo, politley reminding the Macoutes I was not going to include them in the picture.

One of the Macoutes( same guy who knew my name from other cop) took my piece of paper, where I had only written my mobile no (non-reg) and e mail. I began to get nervous, even though I have nought to hide. However, the idea that Special Dicks will run a check on me is creepy. However, I did see the Macoute I gave the bit of paper to hand it straight over to Dempsey's secretary, so I began to get a little less paranoid. The fact that there was a moon out last night, and that I was surrounded by sleazy looking security agents carrying those new sixteen round Sig Sauers made me extremly nervous.

We were politly shown the door,the same spook telling me "Gwan home now and watch yer programme."(Again, I had been yappiing to one Guard and told him I would rather be at home watching the Prime Time special on Dublin's crack heads.)Meanwhile,our more equal than us fellow citizens, the teachers, got to stay for tea and coffee.So much for open government.

So, the trick is, half of ye arrive early, conservativly dressed. try and look like frustrated teachers. Arrive at the meeting half an hour early. Do NOT talk either to his sidekicks in suits,who will be inside the meeting, or the Ton Ton Macoutes(gardai detectives, that is).The suits will tell you not to ask certain questions until the end. I ignored that line of advice.Then they will most likely notify the Macoutes, so their job can be made easier.

Sit in for the whole meeting, and you will be able to chat with him at the end.That is, unless the Macoutes are reading this and are in the process of formulating methods to keep the discontent out.

The other half should do the banner holding and what not. Anyone from Student Unions should get on to the Galway heads. Apparantly, http://www.sin.ie
have a piece realating to our meagre protest last night online now. Good luck with your strategies. Again, remember, no chatting to suits or cops. My mistake, amicable fellow that I am. Learn from that, and work on further methods.Otherwise, with this accountable government of ours, you will be fobbed off.

Good Luck :0)