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

So people livelihoods for a few weeks is more important than kids education for a few weeks. (I know most people see the closing time for pubs and think it only effects drinkers, never thinking about the employee's)

But if you decide to close schools, so people can go drinking, what message does that send? Also, those kids parents need to be taking time off work to mind them. Not everyone can't work from home and even those that could, can't work while trying to educate and look after their kids.

We weren't allowed travel by plane until July 19th or eat indoors until August. Festivals were never allowed despite the young being vaccinated *and* not being at risk.

We got vaccinated and now boosted and we're locked down both summer and winter here.

Will there be a level 5 lockdown post Christmas?

Also I am hesitant about getting the booster jab if another vaccine specifically tweaked to protect against Omicron is already being developed and is likely to be deployed within months.

Those restrictions in the Netherlands are pretty tough...I could imagine the reaction here if they shut down non essential retail in the run up to Christmas!

I see Nolan and Colm Henry are quoted in the Independent this morning making more "scary" predictions of the hospitals potentially being overwhelmed in weeks and a "senior government source" saying that more that more restrictions may need to be agreed before the end of the year.

Few things here..

- Congrats to everyone who predicted this weeks and months ago, not that it was much of a stretch. It's December 2020 all over again. The latest (ridiculous) restrictions haven't even kicked in yet, and the media are already preparing the country for the next phase : the full return of lockdowns in January.

- Why is Nolan making "dire" predictions again anyway in the press? Weren't his band of fortune tellers (with the associated accuracy and reliability that comes with that sort) supposed to be staying out of the media?

- Why is whatever regulator not getting involved here in what is blatant scaremongering and rampant speculation in a top headline pushed out to people (if you have notifications on) at 7am on a Sunday morning? There's no problem decrying "fake news" when the speculation is in a media outlet they don't like, but if it's in the Independent or Irish Times it's grand eh?

So what have we learned?

- Vaccines and boosters are apparently pointless. They make no difference to the national "strategy" (and I use that term loosely) for dealing with Covid nor how those who've gotten them can live their lives vs anyone who hasn't.

- Despite supposed annoyance in Government over NPHET's grandstanding in the media and trying to force the Cabinet's hand in advance of decisions, nothing has changed - which also lends credence to the suggestions here that it's all just a carefully choreographed PR game by both to manipulate the population and absolve both sides of responsibility.

- The "emergency" powers that were yet again rubber stamped for extension until April will be fully utilised when Micheal appears before New Year's eve to bounce the country into full restrictions/lockdown - again!

- None of this is a surprise of course. Anyone who has been following this for the last 18 months without the hysteria and some knowledge of the personalities involved will have seen this coming as I said earlier. The next phase of course will be the fearful/compliant taking to social media to defend the decision because "de variant" and attacking anyone with a hint of objectivity on the subject. It's so predictable - or if you prefer a Battlestar Galactica quote : "all of this has happened before, and it will happen again!"

Personally, my only question to the audience is this...

At what point will we say enough is enough and demand our country and more importantly our lives and freedoms back? Will we have to wait until everyone loses their jobs or has a breakdown (not an exaggeration - the mental health effects of all this are huge) or has a close family member that has suffered these things before they start asking questions?

Covid simply is not the deadly rampant killer it was (reasonably at the time) feared to be in March 2020. It's potentially dangerous to the elderly, the infirm, and the immunocompromised (but even then it's far from a certain death sentence), but the overwhelming majority of people in this country are at little to no risk from it as has been evidenced by the numbers - and that's before the effects of the vaccinations are included!

How long are we going to allow the failings of the HSE and those running it to be used to dictate and restrict social behaviour in this country - because that's what is happening here. The hospitals are ALWAYS "on the verge of collapse" at this time of year, and no amount of money seems able to fix that (because this is Ireland - institutionally inept, wasteful and unaccountable to the public).

Basically folks.. How much is enough? How much longer are you prepared to live like this? Years? Decades? Because that's the road we're sleepwalking ourselves down, where any minor illness or "threat" can be used to strip freedoms and public discourse overnight.

30/40 years ago we would have smugly attacked regimes in the East for this stuff. Now we're not just embracing it ourselves, we're cheering it on!

Nolan’s appearance in the media is in defence of the models, which, surprise surprise, are not getting the acclaim he feels they deserve. What has become apparent in the face of Omicron is that the tools cupboard is absolutely threadbare. Once it was vaccines that were going to solve the problem, now it looks like there is absolutely nothing apart from just boosting until pharma makes better vaccines.  I wouldn't pay too much heed to Henry and the CMO, we have got to the point where we no longer listen to any of them.  I don't think there is the same fear of COVID as there has been even if this continued gloom has affected some people very badly.

Ultimately, it's the lack of a way out that really frustrates people. They can cheerfully predict things that can't be ruled out but there is no sense that they have any other ideas. My own idea, with the season that's in it and the New Year coming, is to vax the world ASAP.   I'd also like to see the same kind of money thrown at research into the virus as Project Warp Speed managed.

I agree

It strikes me this is more about your own grievances with him TBH. It has influenced who he is although being a worrywart and incapable of being anyway decisive is more to the fore here.

Agreed, but I think the point may be that Martin's personal loss may be affecting his decision making at policy levels.

A bit like how Holohan's similar tragic loss last year likely affected him/his.

As sad as these events are though, if they are impacting on decisions affecting the entire country then the individuals involved should step aside really.

People are too busy sharing footage of some unwell lad on a Ryanair flight for the purposes of sneering to take their time to read and disseminate that

OK fair enough but this end of year interview happens all of the time with serving Taoiseach a wide range of topics discussed including those of a personal nature. It's not the first time he's discussed this personal Tradegy, it has no bearing on his more recent decisions, which I'm not defending, just unfortunate this particular subject has to be thrown into a Boards discussion particularly with a few days to Christmas.

I'm especially thinking of those on here who may have had a similar tradegy.

Very interesting that that interview comes out the very next day after a controversial decision/speech. An attempt to soften his image?

It's not interesting, it's an annual interview done by serving Taoiseach.