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

No St. Patrick's Day for two years in a row; Last year, at the request of NPHET/Tony Holohan, Gardai set up check points at bus stations and train stations to stop people from going outside the 5km radius.

Making you choose between having your freedom or not over a vaccine, your medical business, which last time I checked was ethically wrong. Possibly legally too but, everyone is afraid to challenge that narrative (Except the people who got caught going outside the 5km. They challenged it and it was rightfully dropped for legal reasons!)

Not allowed go to work. Been made to work from home for 2 years

No music in pubs, bars or venues. Loads of artists, performers and musicians, that the country is renowned for, put out of work and left penniless.

The pub culture, practically destroyed.

Tony Holohan taking to Twitter to pour scorn on those drinking take away drinks on South Williamt St, people who weren't causing trouble, only for the Gardai to arrive over the following days to conduct violent methods and thus attract scummy trouble makers to the area...

Tourist attractions and places of interest around the city, mostly shut down for the majority of the last two years.

The match going GAA experience completely destroyed.

A Government the people never elected running the show, but hiding behind an unelected medical civil servant, with a suspect past, thus basically **** on the idea of a "democracy" we're supposed to have in this country

I mean, would you like me to go on? It's very easy for you because you are allowed in your local pub without a vaccine or pass and you can shoot over the boarder any time you wish for gigs, sessions and meeting up with friends. Unfortunately, your whole "well I'm alright therefore the rest of you should stop complaining" mindset and approach to posting, doesn't work for people who are not in the same boat as you

And according to some if you aren’t enthusiastic about every aspect of the covid theatre (ref Lord Frost on Planet Normal podcast - which is not anti vaxx in case mods take this reference down) you are selfish.

Oh, you as well. Go on, show me where I said that I can go a whole week without being restricted. You can't because I didn't. I do give a ****...but my culture hasn't been destroyed and my way of life hasn't been decimated.

Just to clear up for once and for all what was actually said - someone posted hyperbole stating that restrictions have effected EVERY aspect of our lives. I replied to say that they haven't effected EVERY aspect of our lives and that I could, in fact, go for days without them effecting me in any way. Sin é.

Blatantly ignoring where I mentioned places of interest, eating out, public celebrations, tourism and music and the arts.

OK...Enjoy your next trip over the boarder for pints, where you abandon your own culture

People are afraid to visit relatives out of fear of giving them covid. Elderly are living in more isolation than before because of covid. Social gathering are nothing like before, most are gone.

Ways of life have changed massively for many

Since when is Tony a ‘government figure’?

Government cautiously optimistic - and Tony’s head in the picture. You have to laugh at this stage.

No he mentioned artists performers and musicians - which covers theatre, opera, pantomime, classical music recitals, comedy, street performer festivals

He mentioned sports - GAA but of course all sports are affected. Couldn't even train for a team sport during many highly-restricted periods due to isolation rules.

He mentioned tourism - need I produce a big list of tourist attractions..? No one can start or maintain a tourist business because they never know when they'll have access to customers.

Yes drinking is on the list as well, and why not there's nothing wrong with it. It encompasses a big part of the dating scene, the music scene, the tourist experience, after match drinks or meeting your friends to hang out. Wine and conversation in cocktail bars.

To maintain this nullification we have to swallow all kinds of fudged statistics, rationales for extended closures which make no sense and real economic activity (trade) is replaced with monetary stimulus which while it might not lead to economic collapse is neither harm-less nor preferable.

Many of us remember

What do you mean? They're the gigs I was at last year and the ones I'll be going to this year.

Changed massively? Debatable. Destroyed? No.

Yeah, they're not eradicated. Everything is still ticking away.

Not one. What does it matter? Am I not allowed to travel to gigs now?

Could you consider getting out of your own head for just one second and thinking about how it affects people who are not you personally, before you make sweeping judgments about how everything is grand?

Like, imagine an older couple in a rural village with no car. Maybe they don't drink that much, but they go the local pubs a few times a week, once for dinner, once for a live music show, once for a quiz. Other than that, they don't really go anywhere.

Do you see how their way of life is:

1: Completely **** valid, regardless of condescending pricks on Boards dot ie, and

2: Completely decimated by restrictions.

Like it's bad enough that you pull this **** repeatedly, but then you have the audacity to throw yourself a little pity party and pretend you're being picked on when people point out that you seem to have an inordinate amount of trouble seeing past the end of your own nose or imagining anything outside of your own experience.