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Replying To FullOfPorter:  "If you are worried about that then you should be terrified of your phone. The social media companies know more about you and your personal details, which they trade for money, than the government. At least the government is some ways held accountable. Who is overseeing all the data that is being gathered on you through your phone on a daily basis?"
Exactly some people put their entire lives up on social media. Also if you carry a smartphone (almost everyone) then you can be tracked.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11841 - 18/12/2025 14:10:08    2648771

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Replying To Viking66:  "Wasnt it the right wingers pushing the vaccines? FFG."
There was all kinds pushing the vaccines from Hollywood types to former Presidents but the Left pushed Mandates or forced people to get them.

SouthGalway (Galway) - Posts: 140 - 18/12/2025 14:21:42    2648772

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Replying To SouthGalway:  "There was all kinds pushing the vaccines from Hollywood types to former Presidents but the Left pushed Mandates or forced people to get them."
With respect, I think Viking is talking about what happened in our own country, not yours.

Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1977 - 18/12/2025 18:48:59    2648785

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Replying To TheFlaker:  "There's a few on here."
And some very mediocre amateur detectives

jm25 (Galway) - Posts: 1845 - 18/12/2025 18:49:23    2648786

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Replying To SouthGalway:  "There was all kinds pushing the vaccines from Hollywood types to former Presidents but the Left pushed Mandates or forced people to get them."
We had a right wing government that time

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17839 - 18/12/2025 18:53:33    2648788

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "I don't know what FFG are anymore and I couldn't care less, SF are a lost cause,
far as I can see we are governed by Brussels anyway, what we have in the Dail are like a County Council of old. If they are not lefties they are for sure woke."
FF are not socialists and havent been since maybe the 1950s. FG never were. So no, they arent left wing parties. Not sure what exactly woke means, not sure people who describe themselves as woke, or others who describe other people as woke, know any better than I do either.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17839 - 18/12/2025 18:56:59    2648789

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Replying To Seanfan:  "Most of those against vaccines were extreme right conspiracy theorists.
Did they ever hear of polio, smallpox, measles..... ?"
They probably believe God wouldn't inflict those diseases on themselves....

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17839 - 18/12/2025 18:59:01    2648790

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Replying To updwell:  "Didn't thousands of healthy people die of Covid, I personally knew some who died- never sick before getting Covid but because it didn't affect you it was over played. All these amateur experts on vaccines living online knew way more than experts in the field who have studied this their whole adult lives. I work with an anti-vax religious guy who spent a month in ICU with a ' heavy flu' in his opinion who was lucky to survive. Wake up and just look at the facts and evidence staring you in the face but no conspiracy theorists know more than than the rest of us."
Thousands die of the flu every year. Tens of thousands die of sepsis every year. Plenty of healthy people who got the covid vaccine died with covid also. I personally knew several.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17839 - 18/12/2025 19:01:08    2648791

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That TirChonaill lad must be buddies with the Irish Partriot from his own parish. Everyone middle or left of middle is woke bla bla bla. It's actually gas that they spend more time whinging about all aspects of life but they call everyone a woke leftie.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8682 - 18/12/2025 19:43:18    2648795

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Replying To Viking66:  "FF are not socialists and havent been since maybe the 1950s. FG never were. So no, they arent left wing parties. Not sure what exactly woke means, not sure people who describe themselves as woke, or others who describe other people as woke, know any better than I do either."
Me either I'm still waiting for someone to give me clear definition on what woke is?

If your not woke are you asleep?

jm25 (Galway) - Posts: 1845 - 18/12/2025 20:33:58    2648800

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Replying To updwell:  "Didn't thousands of healthy people die of Covid, I personally knew some who died- never sick before getting Covid but because it didn't affect you it was over played. All these amateur experts on vaccines living online knew way more than experts in the field who have studied this their whole adult lives. I work with an anti-vax religious guy who spent a month in ICU with a ' heavy flu' in his opinion who was lucky to survive. Wake up and just look at the facts and evidence staring you in the face but no conspiracy theorists know more than than the rest of us."
Did thousands of healthy people die of COVID? The median age was 84 in Ireland and deaths were recorded as COVID if there was a positive test. I personally know somebody who was in organ failure for about 18 months and got COVID while in hospital. His death was recorded as a COVID death and his children went nuts.

Health outcomes for COVID are roughly the same as the flu according to the stats.

Granted people with underlying conditions did get extremely ill but those are outliers.

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 4088 - 18/12/2025 21:35:26    2648805

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Replying To yew_tree:  "Exactly some people put their entire lives up on social media. Also if you carry a smartphone (almost everyone) then you can be tracked."
Exactly another way you are tracked is the loyalty cards all the different shops and supermarkets have they known all about your spending habits and what you buy

minor77 (Galway) - Posts: 294 - 18/12/2025 21:50:45    2648807

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Replying To Viking66:  "We had a right wing government that time"
Right Wing government in Ireland? Compared to what? North Korea? I think the best you could do is say they may have been slightly conservative.

SouthGalway (Galway) - Posts: 140 - 18/12/2025 23:47:59    2648813

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Replying To Viking66:  "FF are not socialists and havent been since maybe the 1950s. FG never were. So no, they arent left wing parties. Not sure what exactly woke means, not sure people who describe themselves as woke, or others who describe other people as woke, know any better than I do either."
FF and FG seem to hover around the middle depending on the topic or which way the wind is blowing. I agree they aren't left wing overall. The term woke is thrown around the last few years quite a bit and seems to describe those that think there are 100 genders, men should be in women's sports, unlimited immigration from anywhere and everywhere, etc. I really don't know who coined that term.

SouthGalway (Galway) - Posts: 140 - 18/12/2025 23:56:51    2648814

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Replying To updwell:  "Didn't thousands of healthy people die of Covid, I personally knew some who died- never sick before getting Covid but because it didn't affect you it was over played. All these amateur experts on vaccines living online knew way more than experts in the field who have studied this their whole adult lives. I work with an anti-vax religious guy who spent a month in ICU with a ' heavy flu' in his opinion who was lucky to survive. Wake up and just look at the facts and evidence staring you in the face but no conspiracy theorists know more than than the rest of us."
Lots of people die every year. No more died during the Great Panic than at any other time. Overwhelmingly older people who were kept locked up in nursing homes which the "scientists" claimed was best thing for them!

I never mentioned vaccines by the way. Didn't take them for reasons of not trusting the State and others pushing them and by looking at the evidence that was staring at you as much as me regarding the hysteria.

Most people rightly feel that they were taken for fools now because they did what they were told. I didn't, and never have done.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3879 - 19/12/2025 06:52:18    2648816

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Replying To BarneyGrant:  "Lots of people die every year. No more died during the Great Panic than at any other time. Overwhelmingly older people who were kept locked up in nursing homes which the "scientists" claimed was best thing for them!

I never mentioned vaccines by the way. Didn't take them for reasons of not trusting the State and others pushing them and by looking at the evidence that was staring at you as much as me regarding the hysteria.

Most people rightly feel that they were taken for fools now because they did what they were told. I didn't, and never have done."
Not being funny but what scientists said to put people in nursing homes? They are a social construct with people in them for various reasons, usually because family are unable to give around the clock care. Surely they could not have been all sent "home" as an alternative when the pandemic broke out?

Definitely there was too much caution and restrictions as the pandemic progressed when it became obvious that some sort of herd immunity was developing and the virus was becoming less dangerous. But that strain at the beginning was very bad and a complete unknown. It's very easy in hindsight to say we should have let it rip through the population. Like in fairness, as much as I can't stand FFFG, the last thing they wanted to do was lockdowns as it was not popular. Remember the Covid Christmas when they were desperate for people to get back to some sort of normality against a lot of the advice. I think the government were like a rabbit in headlights and were trying implement what experts were saying, a lot of which was based on the precautionary principle, but also not completely shut down everything.

It was a panic because people who work in the area are very aware of the potential for an extremely contagious microorganism to come along and the effect it could have on global health. So the initial response I think was not perfect but was justified. It was drawn out way too long though and that had more to do with our hospital system being a complete shambles and unable to cater for a bad flu season never mind anything else and the government trying to manage that through restrictions.

FullOfPorter (Roscommon) - Posts: 519 - 19/12/2025 10:37:37    2648827

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Replying To jm25:  "Me either I'm still waiting for someone to give me clear definition on what woke is?

If your not woke are you asleep?"
That must be it :-D

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17839 - 19/12/2025 12:22:40    2648837

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Replying To SouthGalway:  "
Replying To Viking66:  "We had a right wing government that time<i></i>"</div>Right Wing government in Ireland? Compared to what? North Korea? I think the best you could do is say they may have been slightly conservative."
Right wing economic policies stem from a belief that the market should decide. Government intervention should be kept to a minimum. Laissez faire.
Now have a good look at our government's policies on the economy, health, housing, etc. Since the 90s especially. The private sector has been driving almost everything here.
Now check out our Gini Coefficient. This is a measure of wealth distribution in a country.
Now make up your own mind.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17839 - 19/12/2025 12:29:30    2648838

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Replying To SouthGalway:  "FF and FG seem to hover around the middle depending on the topic or which way the wind is blowing. I agree they aren't left wing overall. The term woke is thrown around the last few years quite a bit and seems to describe those that think there are 100 genders, men should be in women's sports, unlimited immigration from anywhere and everywhere, etc. I really don't know who coined that term."
I'm a small c conservative. Guess that means I'm asleep so :-D

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17839 - 19/12/2025 12:30:36    2648839

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My memory of the pandemic was that there were a lot of people dying, not just in Ireland but all across the Continent. I particularly remember some harrowing reports from Bergamo in Italy. It was like a dystopian scene.
I am open to contradiction on this, if anyone has reliable facts, but I don't think it is true to say that "No more died during the Great Panic than at any other time"

If this all was some great scare tactic, what exactly was to be gained from it? Plus, it would have taken a huge concerted effort from a host of different countries all across the world to perpetuate the great lie..

Politicians do what they do, but I would trust the scientists. Have they dedicated their lives and professional careers for the craic just? It's hardly some mad coincidence that life expectancy has risen so much. If it wasn't for safe and efective vaccination, honestly where would we be?

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 10167 - 19/12/2025 13:16:53    2648846

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