Those crazy ****ing Irish!
 

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Since I have, from time to time, got a lot to bitch about concerning my country (mostly with the government) I'm going to use this thread to keep you all current on the latest wacky goings on in Ireland. Some of it will be rants, some will be funny, some may be sad, but it'll all be with a big touch o' the green!

As of now, we had a bus strike for two days, carried deliberately out during a busy bank holiday. The reason for the strike was that Dublin Bus and the Irish Transport Authority want some of the routes currently serviced by the national bus service to be put out to private tender. This could mean a reduction in wages or even layoffs for some drivers, so I'm totally behind them, though it was inconvenient.

The thing is, Dublin Bus and the govt have threatened to sue the NBRU (National Bus and Railworkers' Union) to recoup the losses they say they made over those two days in revenue. Is that mad or what? You go on legitimate strike, we'll sue you for the money you lost us! What a country!

More later....

Serious moment....

We're following a story since yesterday wherein a baby girl, about 36 hours old was found in a (sigh) plastic binbag inside a carrier bag, naked, on a lonely stretch of road, near a gate leading into a field. The only reason she was found was pure chance, as a motorist stopped and happened to notice movement in the grass.

Jesus! I have the utmost sympathy with any girl (I'm assuming we're talking about a teenage or pre-teenage mother here) who finds herself in this position, but surely you would make sure at the least that you leave the baby somewhere she could be found: church, hospital, police station, even some public place like a pub or shopping centre. But at a gate near a field? What must she have been thinking?

It's a horrible situation either way. The only good thing is that the baby is now being cared for and doing okay, but as the mother is unknown, under Irish law the baby can't be adopted legally, so may end up in care until she reaches the age of eighteen. Awfully sad and tragic story.

Why can't the baby be adopted?

If anyone following the story, the baby found abandon in Rathcoole, County Dublin name is Maria.

Baby found abandoned in Dublin could be discharged from hospital shortly - Newstalk

I guess because a parent or guardian has to sign some consent form or whatever. I'm assuming the lawmakers were drunk when they wrote that one up.

So are Irish orphans more ****ed over than your run-of-the-mill orphans?

I honestly don't know why, but yeah I think Batty probably hit it. Another stupid Irish law, yes. Imagine this poor girl will (if the mother is not located) have to spend her formative years in an institution until she turns 18 because her mother was too stupid/scared/selfish to own up and take responsibility for her? I really hope she turns up, otherwise at least two lives are going to be ruined.

And the insanity continues....

We've been seeing a large amount of colleges who are supposed to be teaching English to students who pay for these courses close down almost without any warning. Students are left, having spent often thousands of Euro in advance, with no lessons, no teachers and no way to get their money back. Most can't even get home, as they haven't got the money. What's our government doing about it? Nothing. Not a thing.

Today we learn that one of them has approx 5000 Euro in assets, owes about 30,000, and the students are asking where the **** is all the money we paid? Answer: I expect it's been ****ing robbed by the bastard ex-owners of the colleges.

This is seriously damaging our image abroad. Why can't our govt just undertake to reimburse the students? Even say a million in all would be very little compared to the political capital it would garner, and the repair of our image. I really feel for these people: they'll go home (eventually) with the most damning image of Ireland. It'll also kill tourism from those countries. Lose/lose.

Those crazy drink driving Irish legislators.

Incidentally, do you guys pay for your water? We've just started getting charged, but I wondered if it happens over there in 'Murica?