CIAN NIHILL'Ssideways look at Election 2011
Not a smoulder of support for ‘miscategorised ’smoker
EVERY INTEREST group is trying to make its issue a priority in this general election. One group, however, has already given up on achieving that goal.
Forest Éireann is campaigning for smokers to be given more rights but according to spokesman John Mallon, from Cork, it hasn’t been very successful so far. “I’m an honest man and to tell the truth there hasn’t been any national uprising in support,” he said.
Forest Éireann is appealing to whoever forms the next government to soften the smoking ban and recognise the rights of adults who choose to smoke.
“We all know people who smoke and they don’t have two heads and a long smelly tail,” said Mr Mallon, who also called the labelling of people as “smokers” as “miscategorisation”.
“I smoke but I’m not just a smoker. I’m a father and a husband – smoking has been denormalised to an extreme extent in this society,” he said.
Quote of the day: Ivor Callely
"I was subjected to an hysterical and vitriolic campaign by the media and others"
Senator Ivor Callely, in a letter to his constituents, explaining why he decided not to contest the election
Gilmore displays sound judgment as website opts for personal touch
IT PROBABLY wasn't the most entertaining evening of Eamon Gilmore's life when he sat down in an eerily-lit room to record the 30,000 personal messages now available on his party's website.
Fortunately for him, he didn't have to actually record 30,000 separate clips but did have to read "Hi (insert name) I'm Eamon Gilmore" about 150 times, along with statements on numerous topics to make as many videos as was feasible seem personal.
The public can log on to the Labour website, type in their name, select a topic and constituency and get a video that seems as if it was especially made just for them from the party leader.
Through different combinations of the three options, Labour reckons there are up to 30,000 different videos to be watched.
Making about 500 hours of footage, it is kind of like Labour's version of a DVD box set -
The Eamon Gilmore Show.
Election online the best bits from Youtube
Young Fine Gael in Wexford are showing just how "down with the kids" they are - or are not - with this election rap for Liam Twomey, the Fine Gael candidate.
tinyurl.com/683jc35
A talk from political activist and MIT lecturer Noam Chomsky is cleverly used to show the empty meaning behind many of the election slogans being used by the various parties.
tinyurl.com/4caupmh
Online: irishtimes.com/election2011
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