Minutes from the 29^th of October

PMT – TTHW Ban Facebook on campus

Eimear Spain (2^nd Science) Prop Oisín Collins (Faculty of Life...), Opp

Eimear Spain (2^nd Science), prop

• Students are always on facebook in computer suites, by banning facebook between the hours of 10am and 6pm, same way bebo is banned, and we’ll allievate one of many problems on campus

• Computer suites are for working and not for cruising facebook, if you’ve own your laptop fine otherwise no facebook during peak hours

• Not enough computer suites on campus, resources need to be used efficiently, with us only being weeks away from Christams exams students are in need of computers

Oisín Collins (Faculty of Life, yeah he ACTUALLY said that), opp

• Computers on campus don’t really have a purpose, just there for aesthetic purposes and don’t underestimate the benefits facebook, and farmville, has to agricultural science students and those with no actual real-life friends

• Talented idiot will find a way around the ban or will find another way to waste time and you can’t ban everything. Having a choice is great.

• Communism ftw... Facebook provides an outlet for people to relax and if it’s really a problem just ask students to vacate computers. The fact that using facebook is a problem reflects upon laziness of those students who do nothing.

Beartla de Búrca (Arts Graduate), prop

• Creativity is important, lets show people way around the ban

• Banning facebook can work, we know more know that we did before, so lets create computer death squads (yeah, Oisín took minutes during this part...)

• Must protect the nerds! We need a knowledge economy

Mike Spring (Postgrad in Education), opp

• Bas is pointless, as shown by the Bebo ban which was unenforcable and facebook is harmless

• Ban is inefective and misdirects college resources that are needed elsewhere

• Human interaction; maximise liberty and let students do what they want

Muireann O’Dwyer (Arts graduate), prop

• Facebook benefits from banning it, helping the addicts scale back by banning it

• If we ban it, by the time you check your facebook someone might actually have contacted you next time – gift of self-fulfillment

Niamh McNally (4^th Arts), opp

• Facebook is not just negative, really valuable tool (e.g) networking, career purposes

• Don’t need to ban facebook, just a case of manners

• More friends if they don’t respond

Heber Rowan (4^th Arts), prop

• Class reps have already decided that ban will go ahead so facebook will die...

• People currently don’t take it on themeselves to enforce not-going on facebook

Tony McDonnell (HLM), opp

• Useful for keeping in contact with old school friends, etc.

• If we want a purerly academic system, then ok, but it’s too boring

• The college us trying to make us buy laptops so it can save money

• This is college not school!!

Motion: Defeated

Main Business: TTHB The Current Government Has What It Takes

Fianna Fáil Minister, Eamon Ó Cuív – Propposition

• Ireland is not a world power and does not have world influence so current global financial crisis not Ireland, or Irish government’s fault.

• Current government best placed to deal with problems

• Big banks, which every person has stake in have been bailed out and guaranteed by government, without this credit unions, insurance companies would have collapsed

• National borrowing now under control

• NAMA ensuring those that made foolish decisions being held accountable

• Fine Gael and Labour have no clear plan for future, contradictary and cannot form coherent government

Fine Gael Sentaor, Fidelma Healy-Eames – Opposition

• People of Ireland shown in many polls that they want a change

• Current government does not respect tax payer, not in touch with public, described as “masters of evasion and cover-up”

• Problems with current government – burglary, rape, arson increased, Bat O’Keefe stream lining those with minor learning difficulties, Health service problems, more and more people signing on for dole no sign of job creation

• Stimulus for economy lacking from current government

• FG guarantees recovery in Recovery to Reform document

• Problems with NAMA; no legal guarantees on NAMA and public finances in dire straits thanks to current government

• Government scandals of FÁS and HSE

• Problems of employment facing students, don’t forget rainbow coalition of 1999 strongest ever

Níal Ó Brolacháin, Green Party, Proposition

• Government supposed to deal with situation of day and make hard decisions, dreadful decisions which current government have had to deal with

• NAMA not going to bankrupt the country

• Green party prioritise education as means of getting out of recession and stopped introduction of 3^rd level fees

• Current government has done good things like opening of Western Rail Corridor next week, we’ve the only Green Minister in the world

• Current government can’t just be populist, needs to make unpopular decisions and do what’s best for economy and public finances

• Change in government didn’t fix things in the 80’s, easy to criticise when decisions not being made by you

Com Keavney, Labour County Councillor, Opposition

• Irish people don’t believe current government has what it takes, Fianna Fáil are trying to blame people for situation and manipulating media – accused Ó Cuiv of acting like Nero

• Questioned regulation on banks in past, property bubble was stimulated by Fianna Fáil, they’re responsible for lack of regulation in past

• Current government has squandered resources on things like E-voting, as a result children of the country being put in the poverty trap

• Nama going to fix it all? Just getting big banks off the hook, complete lack of legislation on NAMA

• McCarthy report; 3^rd level fees not in McCarthy report, state assets are going to get sold to cover debts, this includes things like 3^rd level institutions “pathological hatred of the government coming out”

Floor Speeches

Brendán Anraoi MacCabhann (PhD student), Proposition

• FF should take responsibility; US are out of recession why aren’t we?

• FG + Labour didn’t do right thing during Rainbow Coalition, provided no alternative re: energy

• V. Easy to throw stones from outside, plans promised by opposition unfeasible and they need to own up to that

Martin Collins (HLM), Opposition

• Responsibility needs to be taken, government have shifted blame, delay in action has led to us still being in recession. US out of recession as they took action, delayed action characteristic of this government,

• Coalition between FG and Labour possible despite incoherence shown on their parts, historically shown that coalitions possible, FG and Democratic Left in the past got on for national interest,

• Last year was time for hard decisions, current government not taking action, this government not creating stimulus for condusive environment

Brendan Gallagher, Socailist Party, Spoke on the motion

• Labour want to publicize banks which is bad, NAMA is transfer of wealth to rich but Labour proposition is worse

• Labour and Fine Gael, mutual concern is power will slash and burn jobs, people will finally see Fine Gael no different to Fianna Fail, other side not answer to pro-rich, pro-developers current government, socialism is the only way forward

Muireann O’Dwyer (Arts Graduate), Opposition

• Speakers in proposition very brave for getting up

• Cuts in the budget, questions efficiency of government when we still see pre-fabs in schools, these cuts aren’t brave as not cutting what’s right

• NAMA; most expensive bill EVER!!! Not going to fix the banks, banks getting paid more from loans, no regulations, no legal guarantees, homes could be repossessed

• Iceland model as alternative; cut losses, banks punished and now it’s starting to recover

• Banks crucial in Ireland? Only if regulated, not being done

• Current government not going to mess things up anymore, a 4^th year soc and pol class would be more competent at running the country and she totally agrees with her friends facebook status that said “current government doesn’t have what it takes cause they don’t have what they took in the first place”

Beartla deBúrca (Arts Graduate), Proposition

• FG and Labour didn’t tell us what they were going to do, merely pointed out what he already knew, neither mentioned policies

• We’ll eventually limp out of recession under current government opposition parties are just going to rehash mistakes

Dave Finn (HLM), Opposition

• What are government doing today, US had stimulus plan which has worked but our response? Bailing out banks

• Only growth has been in the dole office, can’t cope with amount of unemployed people

• Irish parties great at talking but as soon as in government, compromise happens

• Why FF and Greens only protecting banks? Why not stimulating jobs? If they are, why not publicising that more? Why are we only talking about NAMA?

Kevin McGole (3^rd Arts), Proposition

• NAMA; can it be trusted?

• Quick reaction of government in setting up NAMA – it took Japan 8 years to recover from recession, Sweden reacted immediately in the 90’s and did better for it

Mike Spring (PostGrad in Education), Opposition

• Good things happened under this government more in spite than as a result of

• Squandered economy

• FF lack of policies have cemented Irish people in economic crisis

• During the good times, government told us we were world power, bad times we’re not a world power

• In Irish society, asylum seekers live like ghosts in something akin to concentration camps (and queue big “ooooh” from the crowd...”, elderly and poor have been left behind, health and education system failing, current system keeping people powerless

• “PD’s Mark 2: The Greens” all in all a big failure

Niamh McNally (4^th Arts), Proposition

• Never trusted government or political parties, opposition haven’t said or promised what she wants to hear

• Current government screwed up health, everything ,spent money on something unimportant, opposition have offered no guidance or promise

• FG; as centrist as Fianna Fail, Labour; no moxy, just like the Greens

• She no longer trusts Irish people as they haven’t stood up and demanded better

• Opposition parties haven’t brought her anything she wants to hear “and I’m not that hard to please”

• Greens need to tell her why they haven’t sold their soul, so she can win her times round...

John Gavin, Postgrad, Opposition

• 30 years since last in LitnDeb, bless...

• Talking around the issues, he’s now a teacher – education problems – huge problems with broadband – plan for that in the future?

• 1998, same promises, same plans for education, why plans different now? Go and make sure broadband is in every home in next 12 months

• HPV vaccine needs to be implemented in next 12 months also

• Irish people accepts standards too low, time for service and delivery and we need to send message from the theatre

Two points of order raised during debate:

Martin Collins, HLM, raised point of order saying disrespectful for audience members to clap over guest speakers, disrespectful to house and to Madame Auditor

Niamh McNally, 4^th Arts, raised a point of order, saying it was will of the house to clap over guest speakers.

Motion put to the floor and it was defeated.