Santa to present 'bad" TDs with coal
national |
politics / elections |
news report 
Thursday December 21, 2006 14:05
by Limerick Post
THE Union of Students in Ireland (USI) will tomorrow picket TDs outside the Dáil in a Christmas-themed rally against the under-funding of Third Level education.
THE Union of Students in Ireland (USI) will tomorrow picket TDs outside the Dáil in a Christmas-themed rally against the under-funding of Third Level education.
Members of the Union revealed that the students will be led in the demonstration by a costumed Santa Claus - the alter ego of USI President Colm Hamrogue - who will present 'naughty' TDs with coal.
USI President Colm Hamrogue said: "As the traditional Christmas reward for 'naughty behaviour', coal is 'just deserts' for TDs’ neglect of students on low and moderate incomes.
The protest will be accompanied by a letter-writing campaign marking the 12 Days of Christmas.
"Every TD will soon receive a series of 12 letters from the Union. The letters encourage TDs to reflect on 12 serious hardships caused by under-funding.
"This Christmas, struggling students have enlisted Santa’s support to illustrate their anger at TDs’ failure to allocate adequate support to young people in education and the facilities they need." continued Mr. Hamrogue.
"We decided on coal as the most appropriate Christmas gift for Santa to give to TDs because of issues like the Registration Fee, inadequate grants and ramshackle student accommodation.
USI Education Officer Bernadette Farrell said: "Santa is angry in part because student grants are woefully inadequate. This leaves students on moderate incomes pauperised in many respects – or prevented from going to college in the first place.
"We urge TDs to use the 12 Days of Christmas to review and revise their policies, by increasing the grant, abolishing fees for part-time students, and legislating for childcare facilities in every college.”
The USI added that the TDs are expected to maintain a low profile, but would still be presented with coal symbolically in the event of their absence from the protest site.
Comments (7 of 7)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Where to start-
1. How are we looking at photographs of an event which is supposed to be happening tomorrow? Is this a press release for something which has already taken place? Why is there no mention in the event listings?
2. If the stunt is planned for tomorrow, you should know that every Friday, the Houses of the Oireachtas are empty as there are no debates scheduled. TD's are very rarely to be found in Leinster House on a normal Friday. On the last Friday before Christmas, there certainly won't be many-if any-TD's there.
3. There is an illegal war being prosecuted with the willing compliance of the Irish government. A shackled prisoner was witnessed being transported through Shannon by a cleaner earlier this year, the first eye-witness account of the use of Irish sovereign territory for rendition flights. Meanwhile the country's natural resources are being handed over to multi-nationals by a corrupt administration, prepared to attack and brutalise anyone who protests. Evidence of this corruption, moral as well as financial, is everywhere. This year we have seen evidence of institutional racism, deaths in police custody, misinformation, the redistribution of wealth from the poor to the well-off through SSIA's, as well as a host of other issues which show a state fast losing any claim to be a representative, democratic republic. And what do the Union of Students protest about? Their own members' financial situation.
4. You probably mean "just desserts''.
I could go on...
"Amnesty International and other human rights organizations, including the North American Free Speech Association, accuse North Korea of having one of the worst human rights records of any nation, severely restricting most freedoms, including freedom of speech and freedom of movement, both inside the country and abroad. The State of World Liberty Index ranks North Korea last out of 159 countries in terms of citizens' freedom. North Korean exiles have testified as to the existence of detention camps with an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 inmates, and have reported torture, starvation, rape, murder and forced labour. Japanese television aired what it said was footage of a prison camp. In some of the camps, US officials and former inmates say the annual mortality rate approaches 20% to 25%. An estimated two million civilians have been killed by the government. A former prison guard and army intelligence officer said that in one camp, chemical weapons were tested on prisoners in a gas chamber. According to a former prisoner, pregnant women inside the camps are often forced to have abortions or the newborn child is killed. The people of North Korea have also been implicated in terrorist attacks in South Korea, (Wahn Kihl 1983: 106) as well as assassinations of dissidents in nearby states."
.....and yet many people protest over one mad despot invading another mad despot's country via Shannon.
Hypocrite!
Today, Colm Hamroge is "protesting" outside the Dail. How long will it be until we see him on the other side of the gates in a suit? At least Tony Mc Donnell (sp?) made an effort and occupied the department, while Colm prances around trying to get his name and face in the paper.
At Congess in March delegates voted to make this year a campaigning year. What happened to that, or was it just another pathetic attempt to fool students for another year?
If these students had any kind of knowledge at all they would know that it is not coal but a bag of soot that is the traditional present from Santa for misbehaviour. Coal is actually useful.
"At Congess in March delegates voted to make this year a campaigning year. What happened to that, or was it just another pathetic attempt to fool students for another year?"
they always do
So where's the naughty and nice list? Which parties and their representatives (not to mention independents) are and are not on the list?
You probably mean "deserts."
I could go on...
http://www.snopes.com/language/notthink/deserts.htm
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