Stringfellows closes!

by Rosa Fri Jul 14, 2006 23:12

Stringfellows has closed
Stringfellows lapdancing club on Parnell Street has closed down only five months after it opened. The club cited a lack of business for its closure. Local residents opposed the club from the beginning. Now hopefully all of the other lapdancing clubs which exploit women will also close!

by kbranno Sat Jul 15, 2006 13:08

There is much more murkier establishments in Dublin than Stringfellows. There is no back room in Stingfellows where you can go and praticually rape some scared Eastren European. This is ridicilous closing Stringfellows. There is obviously (though this may reflect badly on Humanity in general) going to be lap dancing establishments in a city like Dublin. The above board one's like Stringfellows are not the one's that need to be closed.

by Gerri Sat Jul 15, 2006 14:37

And there was me thinking it was just the Legion of Mary and perhaps Germaine Greer who objected to Stringfellows!

Exploitation....? Oh please. The only people exploited by Stringfellows were the men who paid ridiculously high prices for the drinks (circa 7 euro for a pint of Guinness) and even more ridiculous prices for watching women dance.

At the end of the day, everyone involved is a consenting adult. Does anyone seriously favour legislation that would outlaw clubs like these? (other than the Legion of Mary...)

by ronnie Sat Jul 15, 2006 16:30

Yes ,there are many prudish Indymedia people who go along with the Legion of Mary and Youth Defence on this issue. These people think that women do not have the right to be strippers and men have no right to get ripped off by watching them. They consider themselves spokespersons for womens rights but certainly do not believe that women should have the right to wear veils. They're an odd bunch alright.

by Barry Sat Jul 15, 2006 20:27

My sympathy was for the local residents who didnt want this ponces seedy establishment on their doorstep in a residential area .
Their protest action seems to have paid off . Good for them .

by Shipsea Sat Jul 15, 2006 20:55

Consenting adults in the privacy of their own homes is one thing, but setting out to make a profit out of men leering at naked women is disgusting. Looks like the 'customers' had more sense any way. To the people who say 'prudes' etc, would you want your partner, daughter, mother to strip for money? Would you be happy to see them in that degrading situation? Would you want your sons or your father to spend their time paying to watch? You can bet your last dollar that Stringfellow would not want his mother/daughter/partner to strip in public. These establishments make sex-objects out of women and complete idiots out of the men who pay to watch them.

by Gerri Sat Jul 15, 2006 21:00

Dear Barry

I really don't know how you can call Parnell Street a residential area. The last time I was in the vicinity it looked like a combination of commercial and residential to me. I didn't see the residents protesting when the Ilac centre opened or the cinema!

Besides, it appeared to be a minority of residents who objected to Stringfellows, mostly older women and a couple of older men (possibly hoping for a free look at the lapdancers?!) who were seen to be holding protests regularly outside.

I would hazard a guess that the reason Stringfellows closed was nothing to do with the protesters, more to do with the lack of interest due to the extremely high prices of drink as well as the high prices for watching attractive women dance. It is naive in the extreme to imagine that had Stringfellows been making a profit, that a few protesters would have caused its closure.

Almost as naive as imagining the women working in Stringfellows were victims of exploitation!

by k Sun Jul 16, 2006 01:38

Women were being exploited - instead of sex being a natural, beautiful, and FREE thing, it is turned into yet another commodity in our lives, something to be bought, traded, served with drinks, FUCK THAT SHIT. The residents were right to protest - a cinema is a resource in a community that doesnt involve alcohol and exploitation, that's why the residents werent protesting outside the opening of that. And the women dancing there were "self employed", i.e. members of the precariat - no guaranteed nightly wage, no union, no employment protection, etc - and if that isnt exploitation then what is??

Good riddance to this place, anyone who thinks that strip clubs are somehow an emancipation of women's sexuality is living in a fantasy land.

by Gerri Sun Jul 16, 2006 05:34

So Stringfellows on Parnell St was the first example of sex turned into a commodity in Ireland...? Before Stringfellows sex was a 'natural,beautiful and FREE thing? Ok...

And a cinema is a 'resource in a community'? Eh no...the primary purpose of multinational owned cinemas such as the one on Parnell St is to make a profit...just like Stringfellows. And by the way, alcohol is freely available in said cinema, although I'm not sure why you brought this up, perhaps you are against it as well. Unsure if you have actually been to the cinema anytime recently by your comments, but if you have you may have noticed that there are quite a few naked and semi naked women in films shown in cinemas. Some are of the opinion that these women are there for the sexual titillation of men. No doubt others believe that these women are victims of exploitation.

I take your point about no union etc, but somehow I think these women earn a hell of a lot more than say the average industrial worker in any given week. Besides, if a lack of union and employment protection bugs you so, why not go protest outside Mc Donalds? Incidentally, sex workers in Australia have set up their own union. Hopefully sex workers in other countries will follow suite.

Whether working as a sex worker is emancipatory or not is irrelevant. People should have the right to exercise their choice about whether or not to work in the sex industry just as people should have the right to use their services, free of social stigma or harassment from the state or anyone else. You might not approve but once all involved are consenting adults, can't see what the problem is.

by Barry Sun Jul 16, 2006 10:06

Local residents didnt want this ponces crappy establishment on their doorstep nor the perverts it attracted . Nobody wanted to go to it either so it closed - helped in no little way by locals people keeping a picket going .. That place cannot be compared to a cinema but no doubt youll kep insulting our intelligence that its no different . It is completely different . A cinema is a resource enjoyed by all the family . A titty bar is a completely different kettle of fish . All too often its working class areas that get this crap dumped on their doorsteps , not a chance of a rich area allowing this anywhere near them . For once the little people one , the millionaire ponce got the cold shoulder and has to feck off out of it .
Good . Glad . Congratulations to the local residents .

by Gerri Wed Jul 19, 2006 17:23

personally, I think its a good deal - dancing without clothes for people willing to pay for the privilege. I'd consider it myself if they would have me. Better than cleaning the jacks in Stringfellows! But that's entirely a personal opinion...

(I hasten to add that its only a good deal if its strictly no touching, again another personal viewpoint)

Having said that, if somebody wants to work selling sex for money, that's entirely their own business and the same goes for those wishing to buy sex or lap dancing. Once everybody is a consenting adult.

Barry - you seem to think that Parnell Street was singled out for a Stringfellows opening there, due a belief that its alleged working class status would make it somehow easier for this to happen. You also seem to believe that such an establishment would not open in a non working class area. Perhaps you are right, I don't know. However, I think the reason they picked that particular area is due to its commercial status and hoping that punters would flock in. The Legion of Mary types that were seen protesting outside Stringfellows are to be found in all strata of Irish society (unfortunately). I doubt very much if either Parnell street being a 'working class area' or the presence of said protesters influenced the owners of the lapdancing establishment in either their decision to open or shut Stringfellows very much!

by Damien Wed Jul 19, 2006 20:22

1) Its stupid to suggest titty bars open in poor areas.....other city center titty bars are in Templebar and Leeson St. You really think Leeson St is a poor area?

2) Stringfellows was a huge improvement on what was there - A titty bar which was closed down by the Gardai for employing illegal immegrants and rumoured to be a brothel. How come the residents didnt welcome the much cleaner Stringfellows?

3) How come they never protested against the previous establishment?

4) How come they havent been protesting at the sex shops on capel st , the titty bar on mountjoy square or the obvious drug problem on Dominic St ? All which are within a 5 minute walk of Stringfellows.

by titty Wed Jul 19, 2006 23:49

"Its stupid to suggest titty bars open in poor areas"

yeah thats dumb

titty bars open where the tourists are.

in ireland this means where the english stag parties will go.

BRITS OUT!
[/joke]

by Tittilation Thu Jul 20, 2006 10:47

Which was hung with a wide variety of victorian women' underwear.

(I have the pics)

The pub, sadly gone.

These included, open crotch underwear, stays, pre-brassieres, stockings,
basque like corsetry devices, slips, half-slips, bloomers and other unmentionable
things.

Joyce loved women's underwear.

Now we have a situation where internal corsetry of the saline or silicon
variety and perma-tan is exotic and in your face.

Its still corsetry. but the perception of the woman making the money
has changed, somewhat. objectified would not be the word.
She is still private, internal and has a 'real world' life.
The methods of tittilation are changed along with the consumtion ethos.

by Realistic Wed Aug 09, 2006 15:38 sammutjp at onvol dot net

So it seems that there are TWO types of business going on. One is a strip-club in which the ladies are there at their own pleasure and get paid appropiately. (That seems fine to me). The other is a whore-house in which Eastern European girls are exploited and cheated. But for the Christian bastard (i know it coz i live in a damned xian country too) the issue is not whether the girls are cheated or not ..... the Christian snob simply does not want sex business round his corner! Then, what happens kilometres away is simply "too far away to feel concerned with" .... Christians are simply disgusting coz they reason from their bottoms instead of from heads! "FUCK YOU" goes to all Christians ! .... and, mind you, MY sense of morality is by far HIGHER than yours coz i hate ALL forms of cheating !

by Barry Wed Aug 09, 2006 17:43

But if one of those establishments opened on my doorstep id protest and do my best to have it closed down . I fully understand why the Parnell street residents took the decision to protest have the place shut . People have a right to be offended by this type of tacky exploitation on their doorsteps

by OMGWTF Wed Aug 09, 2006 17:45

But there was a strip club there before stringfellows for like 5 years odd and nobody minded--even though it was seedy as

by Barry Wed Aug 09, 2006 17:53

just because the residents didnt feel empowered enough to protest didnt mean they never minded . Its much more likely they were glad to see the back of the other one only to be dismayed to find out that ponce was opening another one .

You arent seriously claiming this was a grudge against the ponce himself ?

by LOL Wed Aug 09, 2006 18:30

I love the last picture in this link, its class

by Barry Wed Aug 09, 2006 22:44

Mary Harney would go anywhere for a free meal