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Our petition is still running on the side if anyonne cares to add their name. Tom Watson Labour MP for West Bromwich East gave us a plug. Quiet an interesting blogger by the way.
Post a comment below:
techPresident – The Future of Campaign Technology: The Ground Game
Irish Parties looking at learning online and database lessons from Obama could do worse than bear this post in mind. Almost as soon as the election is over, improvements and evolution are making some parts redundant and others essential. Get your campaign an i-phone for everyone? Might be better than printing flyers, it goes to show how parties, if they take it seriously, need to keep ahead of the wave - not just follow.
Colman at the EuroTrib give his reasoning on why Lisbon is dead. The Government's incapable handling of the budget cuts are the nail in the coffin.
Fine Gael’s Leo Varadkar offers his view on how the SBP Opinion Poll would translate in an election.
Think tank: Time for democracy to click into place
Dan Sullivan gets himself into The Sunday Times, calling for the internet to connect citizens to a more meaningful democracy. Its an argument I agree with wholeheartedly myself. Have a read and let him know what you think.
Colm Burke MEP reckons that we need to get honest and tell people we will be holding a second Lisbon Vote in Oct 2009 with protocols desigend to secure a yes vote.
Tom’s feud with Guido Fawkes is worth keeping an eye on. There were a couple of posts on 11th February that give the flavour of it.
Simon, I’m not going to sign the petition. Mainly because of the linkage it creates between members of the Dail and school children, I mean what next you’ll be expecting members of the Dail to have done their homework, speak only when spoken to, not to engage in bullying each other and to not ask for more pocket money when they’ve spent all theirs on sweets.
Even out the children link (you still haven’t explained here by the way why schools should drug test children. Where the money will come, what happens if they refuse the test, what if they fail the test, will it be on permenant record. Where are the studies that show it works in the states etc etc. ) do you not think we should high the highest standards for TD’s. I mean it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that they are on something. Look at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6035951.stm
Also If McDowell had proposed this. And it was McDowell’s mug that Bifsniff guys put on it. Would you be the same.
I have already replied to an earlier post on this issue.
Whilst the welfare of school children is very important, the Main Issue is that Politicians take the Drug Test.
Mr. Bertie Ahern is fond of saying that he has nothing to hide and that politicians, in the main, are honest people.
Fine. So they should have no problem submitting to a Drug Test.
And, while the taking of drugs gives an insight to aspects of the character of politicians, it is of far more importance that they are seen to be Honest.
To this end, all politicians, including aspiring ones, should be required, by Law, to take a Polygraph Test and state that they have never taken cash; loans; benefits-in-kind; concessions; appointments to State Boards or similar; intervened in prosecutions or have done anything that might be regarded as the use of office and influence to benefit themselves.
They should also submit to a Polygraph Test and state that they have never been, at any time, a member of any illegal organisation; terrorist group; internationally proscribed organisation; or similar.
Members of the IRA have sworn under Oath, that they are not members of that organisation.
As murderers and criminals, an IRA activist is unlikely to regard the Bible, upon which they swear, as being of any serious relevance in a Court of Law.
The only legal sanction is the offence of perjury - and to the extent that the membership cannot be proven, an Oath is meaningless.
IT HAS TO BE A POLYGRAPH TEST.
And Bertie should set the ball rolling by taking one immediately.
After all, he said that he has nothing to hide.
PROVE IT.
Simon, leaving school out of it for a moment do you believe that parents can have their children tested for drugs?
Why not leave out the entire issue of school children; their parents and concentrate on the Politicians?
After all, the title of the blog is “Drug Test Dail Eireann”.
These school children will soon be adults; they will have a vote; they may have put their past indiscretions behind them***.
In contradistinction, we have had dishonest politicians, on the take, since the inception of the State.
That is why the electorate must demand the highest standards from their Politicians; honesty; probity; competence; intelligence; common sense and commitment (not just to their constituents or party politics - or to Marxist theories)- real commitment to the needs of the electorate and their children.
And, by extension, honest; clean; caring politicians will deal with drug problems.
A politician, as I have said on previous occasions, when confronted with an awkward question, will always lie.
Because he cannot change the truth!
Therefore, the introduction of a Polygraph Test is vital, especially in the area of membership of the IRA - and other terrorist organisations - and the taking of Bribes, which has corrupted Fiann Fail politicians - and tainted our country’s reputation - for far too long.
***
(It may suit the UK media to carry out a witch hunt against David Cameron, for his “spliff” indiscretions, at Eton 20+plus years ago, but the real question that must be asked of politicians refer to the Now).
Have any of you bloggers opinions on the Polygraph Test?
Of course they can Dan provided they don’t beat the kid up to get it. In my piece I even linked to a website selling home testing kits. They already can do this in the privacy of their own homes. That is an entirely different thing all together. The parents can decided what best way to deal with the consequences of the results. Once it is in schools. The consequences are out of the parents hands.
Well I think membership of the IRA is fairly well known for instance Martin Ferris and De Rosa will admit it. Gerry himself is not in the Dail so we will never know. But Martin McGuinness admits it as well. So I am not sure we would find out anything surprising. But you never know.
As for polygraph tests. I don’t know. I am not sure about the accurcies of such tests. They are not admissible in court as far as I am aware. Unlike drug testing.
However, the idea is the parents w/should be aware of the potential consequences of a positive test before giving permission to the school to do the test. Part of the problem is that the kids can be using drugs during breaks at school (a spliff with lunch makes the food so much tastier!) and so the parents aren’t going to be seeing any off behaviour.
In the mornings the main problem is hangovers.
McGuinness has denied that he is still an active member of the IRA, so has Adams.
If Polygraph Testing is not admissible in a Court of Law, then the Law should be changed. That is what Politicians are paid for.
ACTION - NOT EMPTY SOUND BITES.
However, my point was that Politicians should submit to a Polygraph Test. It need not be in a Court of Law. They might even take the test on RTE!
The reason for polygraphs not been admissable in court is that they are not accurate enough. they can give a false positive of negative. If you are a calm enough person you can lie your way through a test and pass it.
A polygraph is rather easy to beat if you know what you’re doing, and rather easy to fail if the interviewer doesn’t know what they’re doing, or if you a really nervous person.
For instance, if Richard Bruton was asked ‘Have you ever used drugs?’ and he had, but wanted to lie, he could simply think of another question, say, ‘Did you brush your teeth this morning?’ and answer that that question.
This is a very silly thread.
The thread was lost because the water was muddied by an over-emphasis on the effects on school children.
The issue remains.
Should politicians be accountable?
If they have nothing to hide, they should be asked to take a Polygraph Test.
The Test should embrace all issues of concern to the electorate.
It has been established - both in the revelations during the extended Tribunals, but also in the recent Bertiegate farce; the corruption of Haughey; Burke; Lawlor; the Flynns & other politicians - that transparency is not a response about “climbing every tree” in his efforts to uncover Ray Burke’s lies & deceptions, but provable compliance to best standards and clarity concerning membership of terrorist organisations, such as the IRA.
Nothing less should be acceptable.