Protesters seize Brian Walsh's constituence office.

Lapin

Gardaí and Fire Crews at Brian Walsh's office in Bohermore as protesters chain themselves to filing cabinets and climb onto the roof.

Galway Advertiser - Facebook

nuac

I suggest it is anti-democratic to besiege or occupy a public representative's office. His other constituents are entitled to free access withour this nonesense.

snubbleste

The protesters are also citizens that the TD has a mandate to represent.

Fey!

Was this today?

If it's his office that's on Prospect Hill/Bohermore, there were some shenanigans there one evening last week. Loads of people, 3 garda cars and a load of Gardai.

Sponge Bob

Is it Joe McNamara ???

eire.man

talk to Joe!!

MissMoppet

http://www.universitytimes.ie/?p=6997

Story with details.

death1234567

The FEE statement included four demands.

•“An end to all University fees.”

There have always been and will always be university fees. In the middle of the the biggest financial crisis the country has ever faced they want the government to get rid of them. Makes sense.

joeKel73

http://www.thejournal.ie/students-occupy-fine-gael-tds-constituency-office-292957-Nov2011/

c_man

No Christmas exams?

eire.man

c_man wrote: »

No Christmas exams?

there won't be next year if they lie down and just take the sh1t being fed to them by government!!

Red_Wake

Stick it to em Joe!:rolleyes:

_Whimsical_

death1234567 wrote: »

There have always been and will always be university fees. In the middle of the the biggest financial crisis the country has ever faced they want the government to get rid of them. Makes sense.

Agreed! So sick of this argument now. If there had been a little sense brought to bare a few years ago we could've saved an enormous amount of money by not funding the college education of Ireland's richest offspring. The tax payer has coughed up to send the children of every TD, developer, banker etc to 3rd level while so many others struggled to get by even during the good times. Had it been fairly means tested a long time ago we'd be in better shape as a country now. It's such a pity that we are still forking of for the education of people who can't see that we could have a better system for all if those who could genuinely afford to paid for themselves.

antoobrien

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

Agreed! So sick of this argument now. If there had been a little sense brought to bare a few years ago we could've saved an enormous amount of money by not funding the college education of Ireland's richest offspring. The tax payer has coughed up to send the children of every TD, developer, banker etc to 3rd level while so many others struggled to get by even during the good times. Had it been fairly means tested a long time ago we'd be in better shape as a country now. It's such a pity that we are still forking of for the education of people who can't see that we could have a better system for all if those who could genuinely afford to paid for themselves.

So my experience of not being the offspring of a TD developer, banker etc doesn't count? For the record I was in one of the first classes to benefit from free fees and I wouldn't have been able to attend NUIG without it.

Personally I'd rather see funding removed from courses with little prospect of getting jobs - like pretty much anything from the arts faculty

Fuinseog

foto joe wrote: »

http://www.thejournal.ie/students-occupy-fine-gael-tds-constituency-office-292957-Nov2011/

I suspect free education is a thing of the past as the EU is no longer willing to subsidise it. there are other more deserving states. the introduction of fees may mean that students need to go out and get a job. this would negatively impact on their social lives.

ben.schlomo

Fuinseog wrote: »

I suspect free education is a thing of the past as the EU is no longer willing to subsidise it. there are other more deserving states. the introduction of fees may mean that students need to go out and get a job. this would negatively impact on their social lives.

What about the students working more than one job already? A proper means testing system is the only way forward. You cant just blindly hand out grants to one deserving person and not the next which is what happens a lot right now. You also cant just introduce higher fees and also cut grants to those who need them at the same time, people 18 and above now have few opportunities, we shouldn't just close another one.

Mr Trade In

death1234567 wrote: »

There have always been and will always be university fees. In the middle of the the biggest financial crisis the country has ever faced they want the government to get rid of them. Makes sense.

There is a Registration Fee of Upwards of €2000, this protest is on the grounds of this Fee being increased and the possible return of Tution Fees.

Fuinseog

get a student loan and pay it back when you are your millions. its what the americans do

bildo

lol, and what a great governing system America has!
I really cannot compliment its educations system enough... Most democratic, equal and educated country in the world. And this massive personal debt problem is just great, there is no way a system that encourages debt such as that in the states could have and negative consequences whatsoever.

/sarcasm

Danakin

Fuinseog wrote: »

get a student loan and pay it back when you are your millions. its what the americans do

Burdening young people with large debts is an extremely foolish system.

It is also grossly unfair and has restricted the opportunities for further education for many Americans from poorer socio-economic backgrounds as they cannot get access/will never be able to repay those loans.

Also, what happens to those who do not become millionaires?

mikom

Fuinseog wrote: »

get a student loan and pay it back when you are your millions. its what the americans do

Or else join the army and become jolly green giants walking the earth with guns

[ The bird is the word ]

bildo

Danakin wrote: »

Also, what happens to those who do not become millionaires?

Global recession\austerity\present day

Fuinseog

there is no such thing as a free lunch. the days of handouts are over. Irish students are far from impoverished.

Fuinseog

mikom wrote: »

Or else join the army and become jolly green giants walking the earth with guns

[ The bird is the word ]

join the army, good god no. That would be doing something for your country, which is nearly as bad as getting off your ass and getting a job

goat2

foto joe wrote: »

http://www.thejournal.ie/students-occupy-fine-gael-tds-constituency-office-292957-Nov2011/

they have a cold spot up there, are they still there, if so, the wind will bring them down, people are going through hell at the moment, to see the young ones worrying about their future, it is just awful. i do pity them, too many having to take the plane out of here, when they would much rather be here, its so wrong, wrong, wrong, when you see our ex taoiseach,s earning pensions like lottery sums per year, it is all wrong, these retired taoiseach,s could live on a quarter of these sums, all wrong

Fuinseog

Mr Trade In wrote: »

There is a Registration Fee of Upwards of €2000, this protest is on the grounds of this Fee being increased and the possible return of Tution Fees.

boo hoo. Irish whinging is something else. the Irish education system is supposedly a quality education and among the best in the world, or so they tell us.
who is supposed to finance university education the government which has no money or the EU which is apparently not welcome in Ireland?
the latter needs to support poorer EU member states. we cannot milk the EU anymore.

goat2

Fuinseog wrote: »

there is no such thing as a free lunch. the days of handouts are over. Irish students are far from impoverished.

what about the pensions of the retired taoiseach,s, that would put alot of students through college, it is ten thousand a year to stay in college, what bank will loan them fifty thousand euro for the duration of their education, what can they do

Fuinseog

goat2 wrote: »

they have a cold spot up there, are they still there, if so, the wind will bring them down, people are going through hell at the moment, to see the young ones worrying about their future, it is just awful. i do pity them, too many having to take the plane out of here, when they would much rather be here, its so wrong, wrong, wrong, when you see our ex taoiseach,s earning pensions like lottery sums per year, it is all wrong, these retired taoiseach,s could live on a quarter of these sums, all wrong

they could block the chimmney and smoke yer man out

scholar007

nuac wrote: »

I suggest it is anti-democratic to besiege or occupy a public representative's office. His other constituents are entitled to free access withour this nonesense.

Free access for what? Why do people go to politicians offices/clinics? - Is it for strings to be pulled? - Is it to circumvent the systems and staff in the public service? - This whole clientelism really annoys me! :mad:

Newaglish

Fees for those who can afford them, grants for those who can't. Free fees was only ever a gift to middle class families, there was never a documented rise in participation of people from lower income families as a result of the removal of fees in the first place.

I wouldn't have been able to afford fees when I went to college which is why I got a grant to pay for my day-to-day costs and was exempt from paying "registration fees" which any numpty can tell is just another word for tuition fees. Did you really thinks it takes €2,000 in administration costs to register a student?

Fuinseog

goat2 wrote: »

what about the pensions of the retired taoiseach,s, that would put alot of students through college, it is ten thousand a year to stay in college, what bank will loan them fifty thousand euro for the duration of their education, what can they do

bertie should be tarred and feathered, but Irish people could not really care less. there have been massive pay cuts in the past few years and people accept them.
I worked to put myself through college, having to pay rent, food and tuition fees. it meant I had less of a social life, had to take things more seriously, but I got through it.