The forum would die if lads werenât logging in to whinge about Clare & Tubs & the gang every night.
I have come to the conclusion these new variants are nothing to be worried about.
Its the same as saying thereâs a load of variants of potatoes like Rooster, Golden Wonder, Kerr Pink and Wexford.
Theyâre all just spuds.
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Great stuff. We can all sleep a little sounder in our beds tonight now 
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News organisations in Ireland have reported the public health advice at length, exposed conspiracy theories and highlighted hypocrisies.
But there is a very thin line being walked between faithfully reporting the official messages and allowing those who make such massive decisions to become demi-gods.
It is easy to see why the âgreen jerseyâ is important at a time of national crisis. We were never âall in it togetherâ but with so much death and despair, the need to create a sense of solidarity was real.
However, some in positions of power seem to believe that asking hard questions or adopting critical thinking to a scenario can be harmful to the national effort. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just look at how Brexit was reported by many UK media outlets.
Last year, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) expressed concern that the pandemic was being used by some as âan excuse to muzzle the pressâ.
âEmbarrassing questions or demands for accountability sometimes result in fines, police investigations and the expulsion of foreign correspondents," Stefan Schennach, general rapporteur on media freedom, said.
Thankfully we have no such restrictions in this country but a strange thing did happen at the bi-weekly press briefing of the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) on Monday evening. After our health chiefs took their seats in the press centre at the Health Department, but before the live broadcast began, a press officer told journalists not to ask questions unrelated to Covid-19.
That might not seem like a big deal but actually it is. It has long been accepted by politicians and public figures that journalists are entitled to ask off-topic questions at such briefings, particularly on the ânews of the dayâ.
It is not a quantum leap to assume this âbanâ on difficult questions was a response to the Irish Independent using Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohanâs appearance at last weekâs press conference to ask about the CervicalCheck scandal.
A day after the country saw Lynsey Bennett crying on the steps of the Four Courts, the man in charge of strategic leadership of our health services declined to apologise for her situation but did express âhuge regretâ. It was a reasonable question asked in a firm but polite manner.
Ms Bennett has herself expressed disappointment that nobody has accepted liability for the missed opportunities in her case. âThe magic words seem to be âdeep regretâ and I find it kind of funny, because growing up for me âsorryâ was the word you were supposed to say and explain why youâre saying sorry,â she said.
The media canât take credit for bringing the CervicalCheck story to light. That was down to one woman â Vicky Phelan. But journalism does have a duty to take up the baton and act as a voice for the underdog. We have the privilege of getting into close quarters with powerful people who are mostly out of reach for ordinary citizens.
To not ask Mr Holohan about Ms Bennettâs case would be a dereliction of the often quoted principle that journalists should âcomfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortableâ.
There was one other public example of officials using the pandemic to try gag journalists last August when a press officer tried to shut down reporters asking Health Minister Stephen Donnelly about Golfgate.
But behind the scenes, attempts have been made to reduce transparency and protect the messaging too. In the early Covid days, the Government tried to limit press conferences to just a tiny number of news organisations, using social distancing as an excuse. This was fiercely resisted and a workable arrangement was reached.
At another point, national media organisations threatened to boycott a Garda briefing after a small number of outlets were initially handpicked for an invitation. The Health Department says it sought to restrict the lines of questioning on Monday as members of the public watch Nphet briefings to get âdirect access to Covid-19 information from public health officialsâ.
âMembers of the media are of course welcome to ask non-Covid-19 queries once the public broadcast of the briefing has ended, or submit their queries to the Departmentâs Press Office for response on any other topic related to the work of the Department,â a spokesperson said.
But thatâs not how it works. Journalists must be allowed to chase stories that will challenge, provoke and hold power to account in public and in the public interest.
Nobody who can influence our lives as dramatically as those at the top of the Health Department can expect to operate in a controlled environment, and every now and then show up for softball interviews on The Late Late Show.
And when this is over, they should be prepared for heavy questioning on why the health service was such a mess in the first place.
Because if journalists stop asking questions, we will cease to exist and who would that benefit?
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The Limerick lads would keep it going.
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The CC issue and NPHET refusing to endorse Zero Covid appears to have turned a few off the Cardinal and crew.
Part scientist, part philosopher, part roaster.
Iâm afraid journalists ceased to exist some time ago, 95% of the journalists in this country could probably be replaced by content producing bots at this stage. âTop 5 twitter reactions to something that wasnât even news in the first placeâ
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Zero-COVID is very definitely the approach favoured by the woke crew on Twitter.
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Wokeness is used as an insult, but itâs something everyone should aspire to be. Iâve made many questionable posts in the past - made fun of women playing sport, said people from Offaly were inbred and so on. But I am woke and proud now. I want to be honest, true, sensitive to othersâ feelings, an advocate for minorities and the oppressed, and a shining example to my children. We should all embrace it. Itâs usually those that are angry and lost that use the term âwokeâ as a put down. We should equally welcome them into our warm embrace. Being woke in a zero covid world is the way forward.
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No
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A lot still sick in icu lads.
Iâm woke now. It absolves me of everything questionable I may have posted on here.
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Iâve filed these cunts away in the same box the Brezzie Anxiety symptoms.
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Tread carefully Will. Covid will eat you for breakfast.
I know you are frustrated and hurting in a practically empty airport, where once it hummed with noise and life.
But please maintain your composure for another 21 months or so. Time will pass quicker than you imagine.
Youâll be carrying out dozens of daily invasive body searches in immigration interrogation rooms off the main arrival hall, and your life will be meaningful again.
I am with you.
I am composed mate.
And I donât do invasive searches. If your real passport is up your hole, that is none of my business
He went to cheltenham
I believe youre mixing him up with John Duggan