Queen/Obama Visit - House Searches

I read somewhere that people living along all routes that will be used as transport routes for the two visitors, have had their houses/apartments/homes et al searched for security reasons and/or the people have been interviewed again for security.

Anyone know if there's any truth to this rumour?

Has your home searched!? Has you been interviewed!?

chin_grin

Getting worried are we? :pac:

FreudianSlippers

chin_grin wrote: »

Getting worried are we? :pac:

I love Queen Obama.

chin_grin

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

I love Queen Obama.

All hail his Royal Vagesty!

FreudianSlippers

I want to see his royalty certificate still.

Pauleta

Nothing is over the top in terms of protecting the security of probably the 2 most well known heads of state on the planet.

minidazzler

Pauleta wrote: »

Nothing is over the top in terms of protecting the security of probably the 2 most well known heads of state on the planet.

Maybe not over the top but illegal....probably.

I know a mate had Gardai call to his door in Mountjoy Square asking the names of everyone living there. He's American and gave his details. But in reality, they are coming to your house, they don't actually have the right to ask who lives their as far as I know.

I doubt houses are being searched though, it would only be a matter of time before they come across someone who tells them to fcuk right off and bring it to the papers.

temply

Deleted User wrote: »

I read somewhere that people living along all routes that will be used as transport routes for the two visitors, have had their houses/apartments/homes et al searched for security reasons and/or the people have been interviewed again for security.

Anyone know if there's any truth to this rumour?

Has your home searched!? Has you been interviewed!?

dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuun:eek:

run the germans are coming!!!!!

doopa

Imagine the bastard child of those two:
Obama Hussein Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Winsor.

The germans and al-Quieda together at last.

temply

doopa wrote: »

Imagine the bastard child of those two:
Obama Hussein Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Winsor.

The germans and al-Quieda together at last.

I hope anne frank has found a good hiding space

naasface

yeah i live on the quays and the guards were up because we're on the top floor took all the details-names,d.o.b + previous addresses phone numbers about 2 wks ago. I wasnt in at the time and i got a phone call from store st. stn asking for the above they also checked roof access

temply

thats for the roof top snipers

dun dun duuuuuuuuun

hahaha dun dun duuuuuuuun...the Queen and Cameron now as well are coming!

Jay D

They were in my friends place but they don't actually search the place. Some questions, brief look and that's it really. Yeah the roof access question was asked as well.

minidazzler

minidazzler wrote: »

Maybe not over the top but illegal....probably.

I know a mate had Gardai call to his door in Mountjoy Square asking the names of everyone living there. He's American and gave his details. But in reality, they are coming to your house, they don't actually have the right to ask who lives their as far as I know.

I doubt houses are being searched though, it would only be a matter of time before they come across someone who tells them to fcuk right off and bring it to the papers.

If I stop you on the street or call to your door I can ask you what I want, however, you don't have to answer the question. If you do then you are being civil. If not, you are being difficult. There are specific laws that allow us to arrest people for the purpose of questioning but thats a different matter.

Oh, it's been in the papers already.

Miguel_Sanchez

minidazzler wrote: »

Maybe not over the top but illegal....probably.

They're getting court orders that ensure you have to give your details. It's not illegal at all.

See Dev's thread about it in the Politics forum: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056264983

FreudianSlippers

Jeff_Lebowski wrote: »

They're getting court orders that ensure you have to give your details. It's not illegal at all.

See Dev's thread about it in the Politics forum: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056264983

They don't even necessarily need a court order, it's contained in Statute in Section 8 of the Data Protection Act 1988 (As Amended)

Processing of personal data in certain cases

8.-Any restrictions in this Act on the processing of personal data do not apply if the processing is-

(a) in the opinion of a member of the Garda Síochána not below the rank of chief
superintendent or an officer of the Permanent Defence Force who holds an army rank not
below that of colonel and is designated by the Minister for Defence under this paragraph,
required for the purpose of safeguarding the security of the State,

(b) required for the purpose of preventing, detecting or investigating offences, apprehending
or prosecuting offenders or assessing or collecting any tax, duty or other moneys owed or
payable to the State, a local authority or a health board, in any case in which the application
of those restrictions would be likely to prejudice any of the matters aforesaid,

(c) required in the interests of protecting the international relations of the State,

(d) required urgently to prevent injury or other damage to the health of a person or serious
loss of or damage to property,

(e) required by or under any enactment or by a rule of law or order of a court,

(f) required for the purposes of obtaining legal advice or for the purposes of, or in the course
of, legal proceedings in which the person making the disclosure is a party or a witness,

(g) [deleted 2003 Act]

(h) made at the request or with the consent of the data subject or a person acting on his behalf.

It's in relation to Section 2A of the 1988 Act (As Amended by the 2003 Act)

Miguel_Sanchez

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

They don't even necessarily need a court order, it's contained in Statute in Section 8 of the Data Protection Act 1988 (As Amended)

I bow to your greater knowledge of the statutes of law (and ability to cut and paste!).

FreudianSlippers

Jeff_Lebowski wrote: »

I bow to your greater knowledge of the statutes of law (and ability to cut and paste!).

Well, I did copy and paste from my own post at least lol.

I suppose though that anyone refusing to give this data in the "secure area" could be subject to a search warrant granted by the Court.

steve9859

It would be ridiculous to have a situation in which there was not a mechanism whereby national security concerns could be put before civil rights for a short period and with court approval. If anything happened to either Liz or Obama it would be a disaster for Ireland.

donegalgirl28

So my mother has her chemotherapy appointment next week, Wed and Thurs, how am I meant to get from Finglas to JAmes's Hospital with all these road closures????? the M50 is closed, Christchurch and James St.

Degsy

donegalgirl28 wrote: »

So my mother has her chemotherapy appointment next week, Wed and Thurs, how am I meant to get from Finglas to JAmes's Hospital with all these road closures????? the M50 is closed, Christchurch and James St.

Because the simple fact is that they dont give a damn about ordinary people..the country wants to be seen to spread its arsecheeks for all these foreign "dignitaries" no matter the cost in discomfiture.

In my job we were told we can take a day's leave..come into work and we might not be let in or sit under a form of "house arrest" untill the visit is over..which could be hours...assuming we can actually get in in the first place.

Closing a bloody motorway that links 1.3 million people..idiocy.

Degsy

steve9859 wrote: »

It would be ridiculous to have a situation in which there was not a mechanism whereby national security concerns could be put before civil rights for a short period and with court approval.

You mean like an Enabling Act?

P_1

donegalgirl28 wrote: »

So my mother has her chemotherapy appointment next week, Wed and Thurs, how am I meant to get from Finglas to JAmes's Hospital with all these road closures????? the M50 is closed, Christchurch and James St.

Christchurch and James St won't be closed (at least I bloody hope they won't) you just won't be able to park on them.

donegalgirl28

There will be temporary closures on the N7/Naas Rd, N4/Lucan Rd, M50 and North and South Quays at various times between 17th and 20th May.

So the south quays are near Christchurch and James St. I can't think of another one to get to get across the water. It's ****ing ridiculous. I had no problems with the queen coming over but I never realised how much was involved. The amount of money that IReland will be losing during those days aswell. Absolutely shocking.

Degsy

donegalgirl28 wrote: »

The amount of money that IReland will be losing during those days aswell. Absolutely shocking.

You may be sure that certain "People" will be profiting from the whole sordid mess..I'm looking at the Gombeens and thier Usual Suspects.

old hippy

The eyes of the world will be upon you; scrub up well & try not to mess it up

Degsy

old hippy wrote: »

The eyes of the world will be upon you; scrub up well & try not to mess it up

Nobody gives a damn..Its like they Eurovision..every country watching is glad they dont have to host it.

FreudianSlippers

donegalgirl28 wrote: »

So my mother has her chemotherapy appointment next week, Wed and Thurs, how am I meant to get from Finglas to JAmes's Hospital with all these road closures????? the M50 is closed, Christchurch and James St.

pithater1 wrote: »

Christchurch and James St won't be closed (at least I bloody hope they won't) you just won't be able to park on them.

donegalgirl28 wrote: »

There will be temporary closures on the N7/Naas Rd, N4/Lucan Rd, M50 and North and South Quays at various times between 17th and 20th May.

So the south quays are near Christchurch and James St. I can't think of another one to get to get across the water. It's ****ing ridiculous. I had no problems with the queen coming over but I never realised how much was involved. The amount of money that IReland will be losing during those days aswell. Absolutely shocking.

pithater1 is correct, Christchurch and James Street will not be closed.

The Quays are also not going to be closed the whole time. They will be periodically closed and Gardaí will put diversions in place. If you're unlucky enough to arrive at a time they are closed, they will tell you exactly how to get your mother to the hospital, just leave yourself plenty of time.

Not taking the piss either, but you don't need to take the M50 to get into town... that's probably the worst way to go IMO. Take this route, I work on Church Street and I know that it will be open and you can avoid the Quays really.

I don't know what you mean about the amount of money we'll be losing? We'll lose nothing. Shops will not be closed, business will see increase, tourism will increase... it's win win for us.
Less than a week of minor inconvenience to boost our economy? Jesus the Joe Duffy crowd will find anything to complain about won't they?:rolleyes:

Degsy

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

business will see increase, tourism will increase...

How do you figure that,exactly?

Are more people going to visit Ireland coz the Queen was here? Will these hugely increased numbers offset the expense we've incurred looking after her welfare?

Tourism will NOt increase because of the queen..tourists who are already here will find themselves,inconvenienced,like the rest of us.

FreudianSlippers

http://www.thepost.ie/story/text/ojgbkfeyql/

A royal opportunity
08 May 2011

Tourism Ireland is hoping that the visits in May of Queen Elizabeth II and Barack Obama will boost Ireland’s profile as a tourist destination, writes Catherine O’Mahony

In his office in Dublin city centre, Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, has a large framed print of a photograph of the visit of England’s King George V to Ireland in the summer of 1911.

The print, identical to one Tourism Ireland recently presented as a gift to British prime minister David Cameron, shows thousands of Dubliners lining the streets, and even a smattering of Union flags, as the British royal visit proceeds past Trinity College.

Gibbons - and everyone else seeking a turnaround in Ireland’s tourism fortunes - is hoping Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Ireland will be similarly well received. The queen will be the first British monarch to make an official visit here in 100 years.

The timing is good, coming so soon after the glitzy wedding of Prince William, which attracted huge TV audiences globally. The royal schedule also reads like a checklist of the jewels in the Tourism Ireland crown: the queen will be going to the Guinness Storehouse (Dublin’s most popular tourist attraction), the National Stud in Kildare (perfect for the horsey set), the Rock of Cashel (for splendour and history) and Cork’s Old English Market (an opportunity to showcase Ireland’s food culture).

If Gibbons had designed a promotional stunt targeted at the sort of Britons Ireland most wants to attract (culture vultures and sightseers), he could hardly have done better.

He said more than 500 journalists would accompany the queen, and each would receive media packs containing extensive information about Ireland’s broader appeal as a holiday destination for anyone interested in following up their royal stories with tourism features. The message to be relayed was ‘‘back to basics’’.

‘‘Ireland’s open for business, it is a fun and engaging place to go, it’s good value, and there’s never been a better time to come here," said Gibbons.

In Britain, royal watchers who follow the queen’s progress on ITV and Channel 4 will also see Tourism Ireland’s TV ads, which have been timed to air with news coverage. The Times newspaper will carry a weekend supplement on Ireland and Tourism Ireland has supplied BBC radio with historical material and contacts for coverage of past royal visits.

Journalists will be sent prerecorded broadcast material and a selection of images of the queen’s destinations.

The queen will be followed by an official visit from US President Barack Obama (and his own invariably giant entourage of press) later in May. In the same week, Dublin is also hosting the Uefa Europa League final.

‘‘In terms of timing and of scale, this is a unique opportunity,"‘ said Gibbons. ‘‘From a selfish tourism perspective, this is a chance to tell a new story about Ireland in global markets, a good upbeat story, to a wide variety of audiences."

The past few years have been challenging for Tourism Ireland. After a 2007 peak, which saw nine million overseas visitors arrive here, it’s been a story of gradual decline.

In 2010, 6.6 million overseas visitors came to the island of Ireland, delivering revenue of about €3 billion. The British visitor total was 3.5 million, down from a peak of nearly five million.

The staycation trend in Britain is the biggest single problem for Tourism Ireland, because this market accounts for 50 per cent of tourist numbers and 35 per cent of revenue in a typical year.

Gibbons acknowledged that significant challenges remained, in the shape of fewer flights arriving in Ireland from overseas. While hotel and food prices have come down, there remain other cost issues, such as the high price of petrol, which makes rental car-based holidays less appealing.

Officially, Tourism Ireland is hoping for a 4 per cent lift in visitor numbers this year, marking a welcome return to growth that’s expected to continue into 2012.

The drivers of growth, he believes, will be markets such as Germany, France and the US, where consumer confidence is rising. US visitor numbers to Ireland were first to drop, he pointed out and would be the first to bounce back.

In the past, one million Americans came here each year, but that number has dropped to 900,000.

The last quarter of 2010 already showed a significant improvement, however, with US business up 13 per cent, Canada up 13 per cent and Germany up 3 per cent.

The British market was probably not yet ready to recover, Gibbons said, notwithstanding the impact of the queen’s visit and a 30 per cent increase in marketing investment in Britain this year. In the last quarter of 2010, British visitor numbers fell slightly. Gibbons said this did not undermine the importance of the queen’s visit.

‘‘The big thing is more the legacy this will leave," he said.

‘‘We’ve had so many negative images of Ireland internationally, and I think they have been around for too long. But we’re still the same country. We’re still in the top six holiday destinations for people in France and Germany. And we’re a major must-do destination for many Americans."

Gibbons said Germany, because of its wealth and its people’s enthusiasm for travel, was a significant growth market for Ireland. Ireland gets just 0.5 per cent of German overseas tourism, and the official target for the next four years was to grow this to 1.2 per cent. A large proportion of German visitors here are under 35, so Tourism Ireland has been using Facebook to make contact with them, as well as starting its first ever German TV campaign.

The Tourism Ireland Facebook page has 350,000 fans, and is growing at a rate of around 3,000 a day.

Tourism Ireland is also making efforts to secure more of the Middle Eastern and Chinese markets. ‘‘By 2020, China will be the biggest outbound market in the world," said Gibbons.

‘‘We’re limited here in terms of lack of direct air access, but we’re working on that."

Asked to identify the greatest challenge facing Irish tourism this year and next , Gibbons said air access. While sea access was good, he said the reduction in airline routes operating into Ireland was a problem. The government’s plan to abolish air travel tax was welcome, but a major change was needed from airlines.

This aside, he said he had good hopes for some niche areas, such as business tourism, which was starting to rebound.

‘‘The outlook is getting considerably brighter," he said.