Nobody has right to threaten minister or her hubby and kids
THE bomb threats to Justice Minister Helen Mcentee and her young family last week were an absolute disgrace.
Those behind it need to be hunted down, arrested and severely punished for their evil and sinister behaviour.
I’d lock them up for 20 years and make an example of them to all the poisonous, sinister cowards out there who are trying to undermine and threaten the democratic fabric of our country.
I don’t know Ms Mcentee personally and I have often been critical of her performance as a minister.
However, no one has the right to threaten her, her husband and her young children forcing them to have to leave their home at night for their own safety.
There is a nasty smell of hate in the air right across this nation driven by social media. The target is each and every politician and it is wrong.
The level of abuse that our politicians are suffering at the moment across every party is now out of control.
If something urgent is not done about it more and more decent people will be reluctant to put their name forward and stand for election.
We need a new law urgently to stop people holding protests outside the homes of our elected representatives. Over the past decade or so these demonstrations have been carried out by both the left over water charges and the right over immigration.
I remember it was not too long ago there was a protest outside the home of our Taoiseach Simon Harris in Greystones while his young wife was inside and she had to listen to a hail of abuse.
The same thing happened to the Labour TD Ged Nash when he was a minister.
There is a long list of politicians who have been deliberately targeted both on social media and on their doorstep.
The time has come to say enough is enough and we can not let a minority of bitter lunatics dictate how we run our country and intimidate those we elect.
There is not a week goes by now that a member of the Dail or Seanad does not get a death threat.
Each and every one of them has to take their personal security seriously and there is a worry that one of these days a politician will be killed. Every citizen has a right to protest if he or she so wishes.
But you can demonstrate at the department involved, at Leinster House or county council offices but not the homes of elected representatives.
What each individual politician stands for politically has nothing to do with their wives, husbands, partners, children or relatives.
There should be a heavy fine or a one year jail sentence for anyone who has a protest within a 1,000 yards of a politician’s home.
I know there are people out there with huge chips on the shoulder.
They blame the political class for each and every one of their misfortunes in life.
They hold everyone to account except themselves and spend all their time online blaming others.
I said before that X is only a sewer and all the hatred emulates largely from there.
I would criticise the political elite all the time and hold them to account when they don’t deliver.
But I also know we need to defend our political system and protect our elected representatives otherwise no one of any ability will stand for office and our democracy will be damaged.
The one word you keep hearing all the time is the need for change.
Well the way to change things is at the ballot box, no where else.
The last time this country was under threat it was from the Provisional IRA and loyalist paramilitaries.
The lowest point in modern times was the riots on the streets of Dublin last November and the State must ensure this never happens again.
But we must make sure that those who want to use violence against the gardai, our politicians and the State are dealt with severely.
We can’t have the tail wagging the dog.
There is a nasty smell of hate in the air right across this nation