Rural Ireland Says Enough

crowsnightmare

www.risecampaign.ie need as many signatures as possible & there is a protest in Waterford at the Green Party conference on Sat 27th. It's time for all sports people to come together on this one or there will be no country sports left for future generations if Gormley & his crew get their way. please sign petition, also on FB. thanks

marlin vs

I'll be there.

daveob007

done it also

bunny shooter

Signed and am currently collecting signatures and hope to attend rally

No6

Ruby Walsh mentioned it today in a pre Cheltenham Interview in the Irish Times.

marlin vs

This really need's to be supported by as many as possible,it'll be our turn next, they won't stop at stag-hunting.

Sparks

I do wish they'd widen their target a bit to not just take in the greens, but also the power behind the greens. Last I checked, it wasn't a green who banned an entire shooting sport...

marlin vs

Sparks wrote: »

I do wish they'd widen their target a bit to not just take in the greens, but also the power behind the greens. Last I checked, it wasn't a green who banned an entire shooting sport...

True, but hopefully this is only the start.

CJhaughey

Sparks wrote: »

I do wish they'd widen their target a bit to not just take in the greens, but also the power behind the greens. Last I checked, it wasn't a green who banned an entire shooting sport...

I agree, but the GP have a whole section in their manifesto that is dedicated to anti field sports.
The FF party just say nothing and then stab you in the back ala Ahern.

oldzed

Well guys , who is travelling in the morning??

Traumadoc

I will go down to it.

marlin vs

I'll be there ,but it's handy for me as I live in Waterford,there's selectronic signs up coming into Waterford from every side, the're expecting major traffic delay's, I hope it's well attended.

Traumadoc

Great turnout, great weather.

Carpenter

Done

Sparks

Video of one of the speechs at the RISE meeting:

http://qik.com/video/5709348

And photos:

http://twitpic.com/1b8xw1
http://twitpic.com/1b8usd
http://twitpic.com/1b9eh6
http://twitpic.com/1b9ge1
http://twitpic.com/1b9ff1
(all photos from Gavin Sheridan)


Looks like something around a thousand people or so.

Sparks

More video :
http://qik.com/video/5709348

It wasn't me!

This was getting news coverage on the radio when I was driving into college. Hopefully it has some effect now.

Sparks

I dunno IWM.
There's a thousand people there, out of 200,000.
And everyone remembers how the anti-Iraq-war protests (which were tens if not hundreds of millions, worldwide) didn't change anything.
And you can even hear it in that video - lots of making fun of the greens, near-apologising for Fianna Fail at one point, but no suggested course of action beyond "lets vote them out when they next ask us to vote".
It's good to have the protest, it drives up the visibility in the media, and that alone makes it worthwhile - I just wouldn't expect that the protest will change anything (at least not by itself).
Think marathon, not sprint!

It wasn't me!

Sparks wrote: »

I dunno IWM.
There's a thousand people there, out of 200,000.
And everyone remembers how the anti-Iraq-war protests (which were tens if not hundreds of millions, worldwide) didn't change anything.
And you can even hear it in that video - lots of making fun of the greens, near-apologising for Fianna Fail at one point, but no suggested course of action beyond "lets vote them out when they next ask us to vote".
It's good to have the protest, it drives up the visibility in the media, and that alone makes it worthwhile - I just wouldn't expect that the protest will change anything (at least not by itself).
Think marathon, not sprint!

I'm more thinking:

Here's an opportunity for a publicly visible group of shooting and rural people to be seen as an example. If there are a thousand people there, and faces can be seen, then there are many, many friends and colleagues and family members out there looking on, thinking, "I didn't know Derek was involved in shooting and such." It's an opportunity, if it's articulate, well-presented and generally an elegant display, to have a lot of people go "I know that bloke; he's a nice fella. Into shooting eh? Must have a chat with him about that sometime." It just seems like a glorious PR opportunity, if politically toothless.

Sparks

It wasn't me! wrote: »

It just seems like a glorious PR opportunity, if politically toothless.

That's what I was trying to say

It wasn't me!

Sparks wrote: »

That's what I was trying to say

Oh, then we're in complete agreement.

johngalway

I had prior commitments today so couldn't go. On my way home I was listening to Newstalk, they put the number at 5,000?

Birdnuts

Can I just clarify something - What field sports are the GP proposing to ban exactly?? ie. What is in the bill as opposed to the hysterical rantings evident on the recent PK frontline programme??.:)

bunny shooter

Birdnuts wrote: »

Can I just clarify something - What field sports are the GP proposing to ban exactly?? ie. What is in the bill as opposed to the hysterical rantings evident on the recent PK frontline programme??.:)

Best thing for you to do is look on their/your website most of us here have

http://www.greenparty.ie/en/policies/animal_welfare/animal_welfare_policy

I shoot & fish and I see this attempt to ban the Ward Union Hunt as the beginning of the end of my way of life.

I do not agree with their type of hunting BUT in my opinion each to their own and I will support them as it's their legal form of hunting today and mine tommorrow !

Birdnuts

bunny shooter wrote: »

Best thing for you to do is look on their/your website most of us here have

http://www.greenparty.ie/en/policies/animal_welfare/animal_welfare_policy

I shoot & fish and I see this attempt to ban the Ward Union Hunt as the beginning of the end of my way of life.

I do not agree with their type of hunting BUT in my opinion each to their own and I will support them as it's their legal form of hunting today and mine tommorrow !

I don't think you have anything to worry about given Gormley's statement tonight and the fact that the GP won't be around in any viable form after the next election which is not far away in any case;)

greenpeter

Green party convention trough earth hour, lights on all over the shop:rolleyes:


Didn't make it today but looked like there was a good turn out, fair play to all who went.

bunny shooter

Birdnuts wrote: »

I don't think you have anything to worry about given Gormley's statement tonight

Do you seriously believe what he says ? He can/will change his mind in 10 minutes depending on what suits him :rolleyes:

Birdnuts wrote: »

and the fact that the GP won't be around in any viable form after the next election which is not far away in any case;)

Hopefully they will be purged from Irish politics soon and their bedfellows Fianna Fail with them

This feeble attempt to appease the people actually living in rural Ireland that he and his party have alienated and upset is too little too late IMO :mad:

Birdnuts

bunny shooter wrote: »

their bedfellows Fianna Fail with them

That we can both agree on;)

bunny shooter

Birdnuts wrote: »

That we can both agree on;)

Until recently I was a staunch FF supporter and never will be again !!!

They are just a bit too right wing for me

marlin vs

What a turn-out! I was surprised to see so many people to turn up, my anxiety about the march was put to bed, I met so many people from so many different counties today, I have to say fair play to all that came.

oldzed

I was in the crowd today and it was a great march , I hope it is the start of something good . I have a hoarse throat from shouting at a hotel but it sure feels good . Rise estimated the crowd at 5000 but the gardai estimated it at around 8000 , if I can figure out how to add a few photos I will stick them up later .There was a great cross section of the community from falconers ,shooters , pony clubs , hunts , coursing, fishing, stalkers etc etc. Gavin duffy from dragons den gave a great speech he is a brilliant orator and I hope to here more from him in the future.there were people there from as far away as monaghan .tyrone , galway and god knows where else . I found it a truly uplifting experience and for once feel like there is hope for the future. I finished off the day with a march in clonmel to save our local hospital . I have never marched against anything before in my life but I think I will be getting the hang of it . by the way the counter protest consisted of a total 4 people hiding behind a banner grumbling about bloodsports and as usual they had as much or more radio coverage as the 8000 rise supporters ,ZED , ps well done to everyone who went I recognised quite a few heads there today