Relaxation of Restrictions, Part XII *Read OP For Mod Warnings*

Only last week our blabbering, incoherent, mumbling buffoon of a Taoiseach said this shyt would be going on well into next year, make no mistake about it.

This weekend said eejit is pictured at an All Ireland Final surrounded by five times the capacity of the Point Depot. While he would argue all these 40,000 were outdoors and the Point is indoors, 98% of these people mingled in pubs or very tightly outdoors, a good percent of them rammed on to bollix to social distancing coaches, buses and trains to get there.

He cops serious flak for his attendance while gigs etc remain shut.

Today, his health minister pledges that all restrictions will be gone by Christmas, at the latest.

The most negative man in Ireland, a man who has refused to give even a sliver of positivity in the entire 18 months, who only knows words like cautious, and concerned, and crucial, then slides in and says it should be well before Christmas. He's saying today Electric Picnic should be allowed go ahead- WTF was he a month ago when it was being cancelled? (note- I'm not going myself)

None of these three men have even once given an indication that our lives would ever return to exactly how they were prior to March 2020- today two of them tried outdoing each other saying, from my reading, as early as October, no later than Christmas. I nearly thought one of them might use those verboten of words in Ireland, Freedom Day, such was their fervour.

What exactly is going on here? Have the government's social media monitors noticed some sort of furious uptick of comments by normal people who aren't on some lunatic register of Gemma O'Doherty types?

We have went from not an ounce of positivity given since, I'd say, August 2020, to a **** firesale of it since this morning. It reminds me of the Arab Spring, where after protestors shut these countries down the terrified government started cancelling states of emergencies and handing out freedoms like snuff at a wake (or sniff at a wedding, to give it a more modern relevant adoption).

What exactly has spooked these negative bastards in the last....7 hours.....to bring all this about?

Well, health minister Simon Harris said in April 2020 that pubs wouldn't return to full regular service until a vaccine had been distributed.

The generally accepted timeline for this in April 2020 was between three years and never. Yes, never. Many experts pointed out how there's no vaccine for ebola, HIV, Marburg et al and developing one for this was not a given.

The UK, by contrast, gave dates, in line with vaccination percentages, around February. With Freedom Day scheduled for June, then cancelled briefly.

When the UK was giving dates for Freedom Day our government refused to say when we might be able to go and buy a new pair of socks.

The difference and treatment of the public is staggering.

bUt l0nG C0v1d!!!!!!!

I keep saying, the protection mandate keeps changing

March 2020- we need to shut down society to prevent hospitals collapsing. Fair enough

Summer 2020- the hospitals won't collapse but the elderly and vulnrable are still in danger. Fair enough

March 2020- the elderly are all double jabbed but the virus poses a serious risk to everyone else. Hmm. that's a bit of a departure from what we already know.

Summer 2021- the Delta variant is of severe risk to people as young as 40 who have only had one jab. Ehhhh you're pushing it now lads

July/ 2021- the Delta variant is of severe risk of causing Long Covid and even death in teenagers and children. We are putting the lives of teenage bar staff at risk by re opening pubs. No, now you can phuck right off now with this.

August 2021- nearly there, just offer your children up for vaccines despite pretty much no other country doing it and children being of little to no risk of having a serious bout of Covid. This was when we truly entered the dark side- gambling children won't get ill or die off a vaccine over a virus we categorically know will not kill them.

The world seems to have collectively forgotten that having a weeks or even months long hangover after a bout of any virus, but winter flu being the most common, is not anything unheard of or particularly rare. Also, as a condition that relies almost entirely on self reporting and often doesn't manifest itself in anything physically visible to a doctor (vomiting, bleeding, diahorrea etc) it leaves it right open to abuse for people who are after a myriad of things- sympathy, attention and, most importantly, extended leave from work on benefits.

Long Covid does exist, but it is a- nothing new to suffer a long hangover from a virus, and b- almost certainly exaggerated in terms of amount of people catching it.

I wonder has this sudden sea change come about because they got advanced notice that the North is on the brink of a full re opening?

The gap between Northern pubs re opening and ours was bad enough, but the idea that people living in North Louth/ Donegal being able to go to nightclubs in Newry/ Derry and get a taxi home, but not be allowed to listen to live music in their local pub the following day, may have stretched the logic defying levels to a scale that even these clowns couldn't justify any longer.

Either way something bizarre is afoot- Micheal Martin effectively said last week that nightclubs, large gigs and pubs that operate as pubs were not going to be a reality until next Spring. Tony Holohan has now hinted that he believes it may be possible by October or November, Stephen Donnelly has claimed Christmas is the worst case scenario.

There has neither been a collapse in cases, a surge in vaccinations or any other shifting metric to explain why they have suddenly come out with this mere days after Micheal Martin wrote this winter off.

The only realistic reason is they have read the room regarding how the public can't fathom how this brain donor of a Taoiseach can attend a 40,000 person match while banning any other type of large gathering.