Joan Collins Puts Virus Into Protocol For Ban On Public Notices

dublin | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Tuesday April 03, 2007 09:11

by Seán Ryan

The Protocol for the Posting of Public Notices has been enacted. No more posters on Grafton St., Henry St., or O'Connell St.

Cllr. Joan Collins outside City Hall

Readers will be happy to read that this will be a short article as the whole thing was recorded. I'll just go over the essentials of tonight's (well last night's at this stage) debacle in City Hall, where once and for all, the ban on the publication of public notices was enacted and put in black and white.

Cllr. Dermot Lacey, who has posted many times on Indymedia, expressing his undying fight to champion the rights of free speech and the freedom of association, has kept the flag flying for Labour. He champions these rights as long as citizens don't expect to practice them on, Grafton St., Henry St. or O'Connell St. In fairness to Dermot he proposed that three of the six locations that were to be 'no poster areas' be exempted. However, he felt that a ban on basic democratic rights and principles on the three aforementioned streets, to best serve the common greed.

Loads of folks got their say and most of them congratulated themselves on their addition to democratic principles and the right to protest.

Joan Collins had four amendments for the Protocol. She pointed out to those assembled, that if the Council put aside €3,000 that the insurance needs associated with the dangers of postering would be met. This was rejected. She asked that all six 'no poster areas' be scrapped. This too was rejected. One section of the protocol demanded that a name and an address be printed on each and every poster. Joan asked that this be changed due to possible dangers that might result from an individual having to put his/her name and address on a poster. This was generally accepted and adopted. Joan had a fourth amendment to add and I'll get to that shortly.

The protocol was discussed for around half an hour and it was agreed that concerned parties leave the hall and discuss Labour's and Joan's amendments. The various parties left and returned about twenty minutes later.

After finishing the business at hand, the Council returned to the Protocol. The original Protocol was amended and the Poster Ban enacted.

Just after the ban was enacted, a female councillor whose name I didn't catch, asked if the ban on Grafton St., Henry St., and O'Connell St. included a ban on election posters. This was a dirty trick. You see, the main sustaining argument behind banning postering on the named streets, was that election posters were banned there. The council having enacted its ban, pulled the rug out from under its arguments and said that the ban did not include a ban on election posters. Everyone had a good laugh, and Joan left the hall for a much needed cigarette with myself in pursuit. We went outside the main doors and there I interviewed Joan, hence the background noise (although the sound quality is still pretty good).

Luckily for us, the Council did not have the last laugh and I'm sure that Terry O'Keefe, the law agent for DCC, will kick some smug arses, when he sees what Joan has done to the master plan.

No need for thanks Terry. You're welcome.

Joan's fourth amendment looked so innocent. The folks in the chamber were so sure that Europe wouldn't screw them that they allowed Joan's amendment to pass - some of them even welcomed it. Methinks if Terry listens to the recording, he'll know which plump arses to chew. Bon appetite.

The following words were added to the protocol: "It is Dublin City Councils policy to uphold article 10 of the European Convention on Human rights Act 2003"

Looks very innocent doesn't it. It's a real fuckin' headache for DCC though. It contradicts the whole Protocol. And DCC will find it an addition that is very hard to remove. Once one recognises that a law exists, it is very hard to make it go away.

ECHR Article 10

i. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. This article shall not prevent States from requiring the licensing of broadcasting, television or cinema enterprises.

ii. The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or the rights of others, for preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, or for maintaining the authority and impartiality of the judiciary.

Thanks Joan.

Related links:

Motion on Poster Ban passed at DCC http://www.indymedia.ie/article/76227
DCC Pulls Poster Ban - For Now... http://www.indymedia.ie/article/80028