Not at all, insert mandatory South Park clip
Can you fix the link Duisigh?
I agree the chap was incoherent - but Pat Rabitte lost my sympathy the moment he stuck a forkful of food into his gob.
Even if he didn’t want to engage, he didn’t need to be so aloof.
You can engage with someone open to persuasion, that guy was on the attack and nothing Pat Rabitte said would matter. The protester showed no sense of decorum which would make me believe he’d make little sense of any reply. To sum up, you can’t argue with an angry person, they’ve already made up their mind.
You dont like the system?
Is this the democratic system whereby people put themselves forward for election to office and we like vote for them and stuff?
Perhaps North Korea would be more to your liking. 
Aloof? Politicians are not paid to be abused by headbangers while they are having their lunch.
Its a job. He has a mandate to do that job from the people who elected him. If people dont like the job his is doing they can vote him out at the next election. Thats how it works.
If it was me, I would have told the guy to get fucked after five seconds.
One other thing, betcha 100 quid the fuckers egging him were on the Bertie bandwagon not so long ago. Hypocrites.
Totally agree Rick, some people think that public rep are just punch bags. If they’re not happy with the current state of affairs then get involved to change it.
To quote Churchill, Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others that have been already tried. With that in mind there is no justification on any ground for that protesters uncouth behaviour. Who’d put themselves forward for public office if sleeping and eating were considered secondary to the meandering rantings of individual unhinged voters.
When did we try philosopher-kings?
(Emperor = king) Marcus Aurelius?
Yes, but look how the son turned out. Commodus was not exactly a paragon of civic virtue.
Alexander the Great was tutored by Aristotle to be a philosopher-king straight out of Platos Republic and he promptly went off and conquered most of the known world.
So not a good track record either.
I’d say those examples aren’t probative. Time to give it another try.
So we can modify Churchill’s dictum thusly: Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others save philosopher-kings, which should still be given another chance.
I didn’t say he should engage. Or argue. I said he didn’t have to be so aloof - or to put it more bluntly - he could have refrained from stuffing his face for a minute.
So he had his lunch interrupted. Tough. If that’s the worse thing that happened to him all day I reckon he’ll probably survive.
I’ve been in the exact same position as Pat Rabitte was - being harangued in a restaurant by someone who was deeply upset about a decision made in the workplace. As a private citizen, I am certainly not paid to be abused in public whilst having my lunch.
You can of course tell them to get fucked. Or pretend they’re not there and carry on regardless.
Or you can drop your cutlery, make eye contact, listen and wait for it to blow over.
I wonder would have he had chosen the Marie Antoinette option had he known he was being filmed? As PTG’s clip shows, he’s capable of a bit of righteous anger himself when the cameras are rolling.
He didnt have his lunch “interrupted”, he was verbally assaulted while having his lunch.
If you think that putting up with being shouted at by random headbangers is rightfully part of a TD’s job description you are nuts.
The guy is an elected politician mandated to do the job he is doing by the Irish electorate. If you dont like the job Rabbitte or any TD is doing there are ways and means of appropriately expressing this view. You seem to be declaring open season on politicians whereby they can be abused in public at will.
One of Churchill’s other quotable quotes was:
“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”
I wonder has this “conversation” with the average voter turned Rabbitte off democracy?
I think the fact of the matter is, the Irish public are frustrated that the government is nothing but kite flying at this point.
Not everyone articulate their frustration well, or in a coherent manner. But in some ways at least he vented his anger. At least he registered his unsatisfaction. 99% of others don’t. And its clear many will vote for the same party they voted for last time, knowing there will be no change, but hoping all the same.
It seems the only way people register their satisfaction in Ireland is by leaving.
We have a problem complaining in Ireland. And until that changes, not much here will.
A king with a philosophy? The second world war is littered with the ashes of them. ‘Permanent’ ideology is a bad idea.
Unless, of course, you mean putting Alain de Botton in charge?
Here is a very brief documentary about the Irish ‘democratic’ system:
youtube.com/watch?v=TsnLyHKWtrg
Like North Korea, there is one main party in Ireland, the Fail Gael party. We don’t need to send political dissidents and their families to labour camps here in Ireland. There are far more effective methods of control in place - like the belief we have choice.
So people are taken by knifepoint to vote? The ballot boxes are stuffed and elections rigged? Nope, if the people of Ireland choose to vote for FF/FG time and time again, thats their perogative. At least we have elections!
If you have a problem with that you have a problem with your fellow citizens not “the system”.
Read my post again. We don’t need such methods of violent coercion. People (like you) believe we have a fair system where everyone has a choice.
I wouldn’t necessarily blame the users of the system. A huge chunk of people don’t vote.
(North Korea have elections too BTW)
Next people will say it’s wrong if people address their TDs or Ministers as Gaeilge.
We have a long cultural tradition in this country of incoherent argument and over the top histrionics. To respect this culture we must allow people to live their lives in this way, and to express themselves in accordance with their historical traditions. We have seen this tradition proudly displayed in the halls of Leinster house, not only through sheltered employment in the major parties (e.g. Bertie, Mary C, Gay M) but also among the ranks of the independents (Jackie H. R. being a fine exemplar).
Pat R. may find it unpalateable to eat his dinner after it’s been seasoned with a spray of bile and spit, but he is there as a minister to represent the interests of the country: Catholic, Protestant, and Dissenter; Gay and Straight; Gaelgeoir and Bearlgoireen; Coherent and Muddled.