Opinions are fine if you don’t think
There is a little news item that has been rumbling around for the past few days.
It concerns Catherine Zappone who is an ex-minister for children.
It seems that her pals in gubmint invented a job and a title for her and plonked her into this job with a nice little salary.
What bemuses me is the job itself – “UN Special Envoy on Freedom of Opinion and Expression“.
What the fuck is that about?
Does this mean I have a right to have an opinion? And if I have an opinion I am free to express it. So I’m fine saying that in my opinion that a disproportionate number of violent crimes in Ireland seem to be caused by immigrants? And I am free to express that opinion, as I just have? But then there is a chance a squad car will roll up shortly and arrest me for committing a hate crime as I am apparently anti-immigration and xenophobic and promoting violence against foreigners?
Personally I find that rather confusing. The UN Special Envoy will ensure that I have a freedom to have an opinion and to express it, but the law says I can be arrested for having thoughts and saying or writing them? Opinion and thoughts are different concepts? Expression excludes speaking or writing?
The row concerns whether or not this job creation is cronyism which it undoubtedly is [in my opinion] but I haven’t seen one single query as to what the job entails.
It sounds to me like they are just keeping Zappone’s snout feeding from the tax trough.
But that is just my opinion.
Of course you have the right to your opinions, and to express them.
(The fine print says you can’t hurt anyone’s feelings in doing so.)
If you so desire, you too can have a good job in government; as long as you don’t have an aversion to kissing all the proper asses.
What is even more extraordinary is that she no longer even lives in Ireland. Can everyone who lived in Ireland at some time have a government post?
She is an American living in America. Weird?
No Ian, that would be unfair and therefore not equitable to those that never lived in Ireland.
You may recall the old song ‘Standing on the corner, watching all the girls go by’ – it has a line “Brother, you can’t go to jail for what you’re thinking”. It seems that nowadays simply thinking something can lead you to the dock, whether there’s a UN Special Envoy for it or not.
But in reality, all those created non-roles are just generous sinecures for failed politicians, offering enhanced salaries, unlimited expenses and fabulous travel – in the UK we have the House of Lords for that.
I think I read somewhere that her salary was “commensurate with middle-management levels” whatever the hell that means. Anyway it’s the perks and expenses that make the money.
“whatever the hell that means”
It means you don’t need to know. Actually, not so much you don’t need to know as much as we are afraid to tell you.
Is she expected to protect these freedoms or is her task to reduce them? The job title doesn’t seem to say.
No doubt to protect and foster the freedom to fall in line with approved thought & expression and to identify & eradicate all dissent.
From “Independent,ie
“Cancel this culture of fostering ‘jobs for the girls’
Katherine Zappone offered herself to Simon Coveney as his Special Envoy for Freedom of Opinion and Expression for the Irish Government. I could do this work because unlike Ms Zappone, I accept that freedom of speech and human rights entail all viewpoints, not just the political correct- ness which embraces cancellation culture.
The Irish electorate did not want her to represent us in parliament yet Mr Coveney and his friends reward her with this appointment to be effectively again part of the jobs for the girls club. Shameful trickery.”
Robert Sullivan
Bantry, Co Cork