Martin Ferris arrested on suspicion of drink driving

Liam Byrne

Erm - like Ministers for Finance signing blank cheques ?

Anyways, I was thinking....isn't it the case that Ferris & Co don't recognise our state or our law enforcement (well, they do probably do "recognise" them when they're in the sights of a rifle, but they don't acknowledge their state-given legitimacy), so they're probably not breaking any of what they view as "laws".

A bit like the guys who robbed the Northern Bank didn't commit a "crime" :rolleyes:

Villain

Should have known better than to try and drive after having 2 pints, although having worked in a bar for 8 years in this state I know a lot of people do it on a daily basis, at least he came out and said that people shouldn't drink drive not like the FF Councillor earlier in the year!

mike65

Whats the status of this saga? Is he going to get 'done' or not?

Mike.

gandalf

It was a FG Councillor I believe and he lost the whip because of it.

Villain

Sorry Gandalf you are correct it was a FG concillor although I think I remember others from FF and FG agreeing with what he was saying i.e. rural people driving home after 4 pints isn't that bad and they were very much against Garda checks the next morning.

My point was simply that Ferris at least looks to be against drink driving even though that may just be to save face now.

gandalf

You're against drink driving when you don't do it. Ferris is just paying lip service because its what is expected by the media. This won't effect his election chances at all, as stated down there it will probably enhance it, a very sad reflection on Irish society and standards.

nacho libre

gandalf wrote:

You're against drink driving when you don't do it. Ferris is just paying lip service because its what is expected by the media. This won't effect his election chances at all, as stated down there it will probably enhance it, a very sad reflection on Irish society and standards.

Exactly. He is like a child caught misbehaving- it's only an act of contrition. If you abhor drink driving you simply don't do it. Some people also think the law doesn't apply to them.

Villain

gandalf wrote:

This won't effect his election chances at all, as stated down there it will probably enhance it, a very sad reflection on Irish society and standards.

Probably true, a bit like Bertie's rating after his performance with Dobson on six-one.

E92

gandalf wrote:

This won't effect his election chances at all, as stated down there it will probably enhance it, a very sad reflection on Irish society and standards.

I totally agree with you,as Garret Fitzgearld said(well words to the effect) at the time of the Bertiegate controversy,''there are no standards in Irish politics because the Irish people have no standards''. I mean where else in the world would the support of a party whose leader did what Bertie said he did go up by 8%? In any other country he'd be gone and FFs support would go down(though of course it has thankfully gone down subsequent to this whole affair).

Unpossible

ArthurF wrote:

I still cant get my head around the the fact that the good people of Kerry might vote for Ferris in the first place

From what I remember he was known for getting things done and he was known for "helping" clean up the streets. 5 years ago he was charged with some vigilante charge, but people seemed to support his little group. I was told he cleaned up certain areas of Tralee, and in a town like Tralee where we see crime ever increasing that kind of thing strikes a cord with us.

Didn't somebody on this board also mention in the past that its Sinn Fein's grass root politics thats gaining votes for them? They always seem pro-active in Tralee anyway.

FTA69

I still cant get my head around the the fact that the good people of Kerry might vote for Ferris in the first place

Perhaps they agree with him. Mad isn't it?

murphaph

FTA69 wrote:

Perhaps they agree with him. Mad isn't it?

Well, yes. He did fail (along with his daughter) to condemn the men who murdered Det. Garda McCabe and attempted to murder his colleague Det. Garda Ben O'Sullivan. That's a pretty mad thing to do when you wish to represent your constituents in the government of this state. If his constituents have such little regard for the Gardai, perhaps they should be denied any policing in North Kerry

LordSutch

Didnt Martin Ferris profess to be an ex member of the Provisional IRA? and wasnt Martin Ferris also charged with Gun Running & being a member of said Terrorist group?

And people vote for Him :mad:

I still cant believe that anybody would actually Vote for a member (ex member) of a Terrorist organisation (even if they have stopped killing people), thats my opinion and I am sticking to it.

nacho libre

ArthurF wrote:

Didnt Martin Ferris profess to be an ex member of the Provisional IRA? and wasnt Martin Ferris also charged with Gun Running & being a member of said Terrorist group?

And people vote for Him :mad:

I still cant believe that anybody would actually Vote for a member (ex member) of a Terrorist organisation (even if they have stopped killing people), thats my opinion and I am sticking to it.

You may find it hard to believe but it happens in other Countries too.

murphaph

nacho libre wrote:

You may find it hard to believe but it happens in other Countries too.

Ah, that's alright then.

mike65

Talk is that Ferris is under pressure from Labour, so maybe the drink-driving was a stunt!

Mike.

gandalf

mike65 wrote:

Talk is that Ferris is under pressure from Labour, so maybe the drink-driving was a stunt!

Mike.

Yeah but I doubt Dobbo will let him cry his eyes out on the Six o'clock news

mike65

The thing is the Labour candidate has a not-so-secret weapon - a wheelchair. Its a winner I tell you. Ferris will need to come up with something eye-catching.

Mike.

UrbanFox

mike65 wrote:

Talk is that Ferris is under pressure from Labour, so maybe the drink-driving was a stunt!

Mike.

By whom ?

Maybe we should move this to the conspiracy thread

FTA69

He did fail (along with his daughter) to condemn the men who murdered Det. Garda McCabe and attempted to murder his colleague Det. Garda Ben O'Sullivan.

Manslaughter you mean. Ferris was indeed an IRA Volunteer, and he did participate in the political conflict that was ongoing in Ireland. That conflict is now over and whether ye like it or not Ferris has a mandate from those in North Kerry who voted for him in large numbers. I happen to believe he was justified in his previous actions, and there are many in that particular area who would too.

I still cant believe that anybody would actually Vote for a member (ex member) of a Terrorist organisation (even if they have stopped killing people), thats my opinion and I am sticking to it.

Right, so you'll be calling on people to boycott the Labour Party because of Pat Rabbitte and Pronsios De Rossa so?

seamus

FTA69 wrote:

Manslaughter you mean.

Unleashing an AK47 on a vehicle containing two men can't be considered "manslaughter" under any definitions.

Right, so you'll be calling on people to boycott the Labour Party because of Pat Rabbitte and Pronsios De Rossa so?

There's a big difference between being *in* a terrorist organisation, and being in a party linked with said organisation. The only reason Sinn Féin have taken so much slack over it is because no-one was ever convinced that the members of Sinn Féin weren't also members of the IRA.

Dyr

ehh the bould prionsios did time for being in the 'RA back in the day.

Seth Brundle

Wasn't he just interned - jailed without trial?

Ulster9

kbannon wrote:

Wasn't he just interned - jailed without trial?

No he was done for possesion of weapons or explosives.Was in Portlaoise prison.

nacho libre

murphaph wrote:

Ah, that's alright then.

no. not at all murphaph.

My point being i recall *some* forum users, in previous threads, have defended foreign parties, their supporters, and indeed domestic politicans who were once involved in terrorism.

Colonel Sanders

FTA69 wrote:

Manslaughter you mean.

as already posted how can this be classified as manslaughter? Was it not a plea bargain that got them off with only a manslaughter charge and not murder?

seamus

Bambi wrote:

ehh the bould prionsios did time for being in the 'RA back in the day.

Ah ok, didn't know that.

oscarBravo

Colonel Sanders wrote:

Was it not a plea bargain that got them off with only a manslaughter charge and not murder?

Nope, it was witness intimidation.

Villain

oscarBravo wrote:

Nope, it was witness intimidation.

Can you provide evidence of such?

Could we stick to the topic now please??
Actually thats an order.

When are the urine test results due out? It usually takes a week I understand...

murphaph

The saddest thing here is that the people of north Kerry won't dump him out because of this. It's somewhat typical of rural Ireland constituencies.....you cause an afront to society yet get returned with record turnout. Is it a sympathy vote? or perhaps a "stick it to the (Dublin, formerly London) man" vote? When Lawlor was discovered to be the louse he was, the people he'd shafted in West Dublin shafted him back.

Voipjunkie

murphaph wrote:

The saddest thing here is that the people of north Kerry won't dump him out because of this. It's somewhat typical of rural Ireland constituencies.....you cause an afront to society yet get returned with record turnout. Is it a sympathy vote? or perhaps a "stick it to the (Dublin, formerly London) man" vote? When Lawlor was discovered to be the louse he was, the people he'd shafted in West Dublin shafted him back.

No Lawlor did not stand again how the people of west Dublin would have voted we can only surmise.
But the people of North Dublin did not hold the arms thing against CJH nor have they held anything against young Sean for the misdeeds of his father. It is unfair to suggest that this is only a rural thing it is if anything an anti establishment thing that is probably a hangover from British rule.

marco murphy

Former IRA gun-runner Martin Ferris has been cleared of suspected drink-driving.
A urine sample had proved the North Kerry Sinn Fein TD was under the limit when he was stopped and arrested by gardai last month.

Mr Ferris had consumed three alcoholic drinks before he was stopped at a checkpoint at Ardfert on 22 April.

He failed two breathalyser tests before being taken to Tralee Garda Station where a doctor took a urine sample.

"Obviously I am greatly relieved that the results of my urine test have shown that I was under the limit when I was stopped by Gardai in Ardfert," said Mr Ferris.

"In a statement following my arrest I said I was confident that I was under the limit and that I would never have gotten into my car if I thought there was any chance I was over the limit."

He added that he regretted what had happened and said if he was in the same position again he would not "get behind the wheel".

Mr Ferris was elected to Kerry County Council and Tralee Council in 1999 and to the Irish parliament for Kerry North in 2002.

He was jailed for ten years for his part in an IRA gun-running operation after the Irish Navy intercepted a trawler off the Kerry coast in 1984 with seven tons of weaponry in its hold.

The arms shipment had been smuggled from America across the Atlantic in a fishing boat.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6642849.stm

Dave!

"Former IRA gun-runner Martin Ferris has been cleared of suspected drink-driving."

Jeez...... I think he's some sort of.... elected representative.... thing..... too.

marco murphy

DaveMcG wrote:

"Former IRA gun-runner Martin Ferris has been cleared of suspected drink-driving."

Jeez...... I think he's some sort of.... elected representative.... thing..... too.

The media are surely going to highlight the fact that he was a gun-runner, over the fact that he is an elected representative

mike65

Well he got away with it - his actions that is. That he was'nt done is surely more luck than judgement.

Mike.

Villain

Well I doubt if we will have 5 pages of posts about him being found innocent but hey what can you expect.

Mike65 you are either over or under the limit I really can't see how any Luck can be involved?

mike65

I mean he did'nt know as he turned the key if he was over or under. He took a chance.

Mike.

Villain

Did he really? I think he would have had a fair idea whether he was over the limit or not and if what he said was true about him seeing the garda checkpoint and he got into the car and drove up to the checkpoint I think he must have been fairly sure he was under the limit which he was as proven by the results.

Raskolnikov

murphaph wrote:

The saddest thing here is that the people of north Kerry won't dump him out because of this.

Actually, the saddest thing was that some people on this forum persumed him guilty before he was even proven so.

jhegarty

mike65 wrote:

Well he got away with it - his actions that is. That he was'nt done is surely more luck than judgement.

Mike.

And your lucky your not in jail for murder..... don't let the fact that you never murdered anyone get in the way.....


he didn't do the crime... where is the luck ?

Nevyn

Two drinks should have been enough to put him over the limit.
While his metabolism may have cleared the alchol out of his system there are a lot of people for whom 3 drink even with food would have them well over.

Zombrex

irish1 wrote:

Did he really? I think he would have had a fair idea whether he was over the limit or not

Yes, drunk drivers always know whether they can drive or not :rolleyes:

irish1 wrote:

and if what he said was true about him seeing the garda checkpoint and he got into the car and drove up to the checkpoint I think he must have been fairly sure he was under the limit which he was as proven by the results.

He had had 2 pints and a glass of wine. That would put the vast majority of people over the limit. Which is reflected in the fact that he failed two breath tests on the spot.

He got lucky with the letter of the law, I would imagine his later test was borderline so they had to let him go.

But as for the spirit of the law this was a joke. Anyone who drinks 2 pints and a glass of wine and gets into a car is dangerous.

Closing this now.