All posts by jcjosAdmin

Uncategorized

Ireland’s ProChoice Movement

Leave a comment

Last Tuesday I attended an meeting which was an open discussion on the Prochoice movement and hosted by
RAG in Seomra Spraoi .

The meeting was called having seen the rise in the reaction of people to the posters Youth Defence had paid to have put in on billboards, and on public transport. The facebook page Unlike Youth Defence, I trust women to decide their lives for themselves. had gathered over a 1,000 likes and with the protest being planned for the next day, it seem that the posters have had a galvanising on people who consider themselves pro-choice.

Many of those who are shocked at the posters and tactics being used are young men and women who were only kids or not even born when we had the 1992 abortion referendum in this country and are looking for away to have their voice heard.

The pro choice position has never had the same united front or rallying point as the pro life position,
never ran the same rallys and workshop and passed on how to campaign the meeting was I think a starting point for that to change.

invite

The meeting was posted in a invite only event on FB and a friend of mine who was invited, invited me a few hours before the meeting was due to kick off. It’s been a long time from when I was last in a room of a group of people who were pro choice and coming together to talk about that topic. It’s easily been 16 years and back then it was a WRAC meeting of mostly Women’s Rights Officers hosted in what was the USI offices off Aston quay.

In total there were over 40 people at the meeting, only 10 of them were men, the demographic was mostly young women in their 20s, which was good to see. Some were there as members of groups,
RAG, ActiononX, Lashback, Choice Ireland, UCD ProChoice, TCD Gender Equality, WSM, Grrrl Germs, Rabble, All Ireland Rally for Choice and Unlike Youth Defence, I trust women to decide their lives for themselves (linkspam for all these groups will be at the end of the post) and several people who are not party of any group but who want to take part in making sure pro choice voices are heard.

It was wonderful to be in a room with so many people who are passionate about a woman’s right to choose and who are or who are becoming activists. Out of the discussions there was the clear need to do something to counteract the pressure which pro life groups are putting one people and the government in the run up to the expert group which was set up to look at how legislation can be put in place 20 years after the X case.

bickies
There were also biscuits.

It is wonderful to the enthusiasm and the drive to get actions started. The internet gives a level of communication and connectedness which pro choice people didn’t have back in 1992. A way to get the work out and to rally people.

The demo which happened the next day out side Lenister house was due to just two young women who decided that ‘something’ had to be done and used the resources they had available at their finger tips, to bring people together. Their willingness to stand up and to take the time to make posters resulted in over 300 prochoice people protesting. I have never been in or seen such a large gathering of pro choice people in Ireland, it was refreshing.

rally

Most of the people I know are pro choice, but quietly so, they don’t feel the need to bang a drum about it or else they are aware that, there are people who will call them baby murders and cause a scene. Which is one of the tactics pro life groups have used in the past. Just as the taboo about abortion has to be broken, so has the taboo about being pro choice.

If you are prochoice and want to become actively involved in some of the actions demos which are going to be happening between now and the 28th September (international abortion rights day) then keep an eye on the newly formed Irish Abortion Network’s pages.

https://www.facebook.com/IrishChoiceNetwork
https://twitter.com/IrishChoiceNet
https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/103499200601550354933/

The Irish Choice Network was one of the things which came out of the meeting, the aim of it is to connect pro choice groups and people across the country. Want to get a group of people together to plan an action or if you have something planned and want more people to know about it and take part, then that is what the Irish Choice Network is for. I for one am looking forward to what Ireland’s pro choice movement will do next.

Link SPam.

RAG : https://www.facebook.com/ragdublin http://ragdublin.blogspot.ie/
ActiononX: https://www.facebook.com/actiononx2012
Lashback: http://www.myspace.com/lashbackdublin
Choice Ireland: http://www.choiceireland.org/
UCD ProChoice: https://www.facebook.com/pages/UCD-Pro-Choice-Society/119514614775123
TCD Gender Equality: http://www.trinitysocieties.ie/society/47/gender-equality-society
WSM,
Grrrl Germs: https://www.facebook.com/GrrrlGerms
Rabble: http://rabble.ie/
All Ireland Rally for Choice: https://www.facebook.com/IrelandForChoice
Unlike Youth Defence, I trust women to decide their lives for themselves : https://www.facebook.com/notalwaysabetteroption

Uncategorized

Ponderment

Leave a comment

Yes it has been a long while for when I last posted, life has been busy and I find myself more and more using google +. I won’t be forsaking this place but I am considering splitting it up into different topics instead of it being such a grab bag of topics.

Uncategorized

Mr. Slump is back with a few changes.

Leave a comment

I had noticed the return of the advertising campaign for Knorr quick soups on buses and bus stops. Last time around I wrote about my objections to one of the three images being used in the campaign, you can read it here. I wrote about it, and lodged complaints with the Advertisement Standards authority and directly to Unilever Foods Ireland. I know I wasn’t the only person to so and the campaign was shelved.

It’s back now but they have change the image with the female character.

What it was before.
1

and what it is now.
2

Mr slump is no longer has a hold on the woman and is no longer forcing chocolate into her mouth and she no longer looks so distressed, with her keys in her hand trying to reach the safety of home.

Instead she has the chocolate, so she could still change her mind, but as it’s open that is pretty unlikely. She looks defeated, she has given up on having a an unsuitable snack before she gets home, and we can see Mr Slump blocking the door with his hand and throwing away her keys.

I think the changes are a big improvement, still not wild about the fact the 3 images have the only female portrayed as doing the shopping, would have been nice if that had of been a man with the woman working at the desk but advertising tends to be about generalisations. It was good to see the ads pulled and a more suitable version rendered. Change can happen but we have to agitate and take action.

Activism and Agitation

Feminist Porn

Leave a comment

It’s real, it’s not an oxymoron and it’s not a man saying “I respect you” while cleaning the bathroom with out being asked.

There is so much of this stuff around that there are Annual Feminist Porn Awards. This has been running for the last 7 years, with a range of categories
from Sexiest Straight Film, Hottest Trans Scene/Film, to Most Deliciously Diverse Cast.

What is considered feminist porn?

http://goodforher.com/feminist_porn_awards

What makes a movie a Feminist Porn Award winner?

In order to be considered for a Feminist Porn Award, the movie/short/website/whatever! must meet at least one of the following criteria:

1) A woman had a hand in the production, writing, direction, etc. of the work.

2) It depicts genuine female pleasure

3) It expands the boundaries of sexual representation on film and challenges stereotypes that are often found in mainstream porn.

And of course, it has to be hot!

Overall, Feminist Porn Award winners tend to show movies that consider a female viewer from start to finish. This means that you are more likely to see active desire and consent, real orgasms, and women taking control of their own fantasies (even when that fantasy is to hand over that control).

The nominations are for films and for websites, the list of nominees is pretty long and makes for interesting browsing/research.


http://goodforher.com/fpa_2012_nominees

Uncategorized

Comments policy.

Leave a comment

I’ve not been bothered to have one of these explicitly spelt out, but after a few surges of hits to here and a selection of comments which followed all with in the same day and a very narrow time period and the ping backs have showed me were they came from well.
I am putting one in place.

I had expected there to be rational arguments and a civil discourse even with people who have differing opinions and view to my own. I enjoy discussion and debate.

But I won’t ever be publishing comments which denigrate me. If that is all your are aiming for with your comments then you are wasting your time.

I’ve tracked people back to their place of work, and raised the issue of them breaking their work code of conducts and the companies contract with their ISP due to the nature of comments left here and I’ll do it again.

And as for the clever bunnies who are bouncing via a shell in the Netherlands, those ips are now blocked.

I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, I do expect that disagreement to be expressed in a non dickhead manner. If you can manage that, then jog on.

Uncategorized

Seasons Greetings.

Leave a comment

Today is the in between day, post solstice pre christmas, so I am picking this day to wish all of my friends of what ever creed/path or none, that you have a good next few days no matter where on the planet you are or what the season is.

And I will leave you with the wonderful words of Damien Kelly

“Because you’re great, it bears relatin’
Happy What-You’re-Celebratin’
From me to you, it’s worth restatin’
Happy What-You’re-Celebratin’
Raise a glass, invite your mate in
Whether or not the date’s worth ratin’
Take a break from What-You’re-Hatin’
Happy What-You’re-Celebratin'”

Oh and if you fancy reading more of Damien’s words you can find them here http://www.christmasmacabre.com/christmasmacabre.com.html

Activism and Agitation

Expert group on abortion rights set up.

Leave a comment

Minister sets up expert group on abortion rights
In this section »

DEAGLÁN de BRÉADÚN, Political Correspondent

MEMBERS OF the medical, legal and nursing professions are to sit on a 14-member expert group being set up to address the outcome of last year’s European Court of Human Rights ruling on abortion rights in Ireland.

Minister for Health James Reilly received approval at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting to establish the group. It will be in place by the end of the year or shortly thereafter and will have six months to deliver a report to Government.

The European Court ruled last December that the State had failed to implement existing rights to lawful abortion where a mother’s life is at risk. The court found the State violated the rights of a woman with cancer who said she was forced to travel abroad to obtain an abortion.

The programme for government pledged to “establish an expert group to address this issue, drawing on appropriate medical and legal expertise with a view to making recommendations to Government”. As required under the procedures of the court, the Government submitted an action plan last June, outlining its intention to set up the expert group.

Also at yesterday’s meeting, Taoiseach Enda Kenny received approval for the establishment of an interdepartmental committee on European engagements as a subcommittee of the Cabinet.

Minister of State for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton is expected to play a prominent role on this committee, which will monitor and co-ordinate the Government’s involvement with EU institutions.

Finally.

Activism and Agitation

Less then 5% of cases sent to the DPP result in a conviction.

Leave a comment

I have known for the years the stats are bad and I have blogged about it before and that even if you do report it to the garda ( and according to the rape cirises network only 10% do go to the gards) that then there is a good chance that after your attacker being brought to the garda station for statements and the file being sent to the Department of Public prosecution they may choose not to take the case but I didn’t know it was as high as 70%.

http://examiner.ie/ireland/crime/dpp-rejects-70-of-sex-crime-referrals-172463.html

DPP rejects 70% of sex crime referrals

By Jennifer Hough

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

AT least 70% of suspects in sex offence cases are not being prosecuted by the Director of Public Prosecutions, figures obtained by the Irish Examiner have revealed.

Statistics provided by the DPP also reveal that, since 2008, there have been just 24 convictions in cases relating to people aged under 18. They were secured from 531 files submitted to the office by gardaí.

So far this year, a high of 179 cases concerning under 18-year-olds, in which there were 201 suspects, were sent to the DPP.

An analysis of the figures from 2008 to October 2011 shows:

* In 2010, 1,254 files with 1,407 suspects were sent to the DPP. No prosecution was directed in 1,002 (70%) of those;

* In 2009, 1,043 files with 1,204 suspects were sent. No prosecution was taken against 883 (73%) suspects;

* In 2008, 962 files with 1,055 suspects were sent. No prosecution was directed in 784 (74%) cases.

To October 2011, gardaí sent 1,083 files concerning 1,213 suspects to the DPP. There was no prosecution taken in relation to 736 suspects. A further 270 are pending.

The figures reveal that conviction rates for serious sex offences in the higher courts are not going up — despite a steady rise in the number of files submitted to the DPP in recent years.

Since 2008, there have been 233 convictions in the Central Criminal Court and Circuit Court. In 443 cases over the same timeframe, “no final outcome” was recorded. There can be several reasons for this, for example, if the gardaí cannot locate the accused, if a case is still pending or if a case is awaiting a re-trial where the jury could not reach a verdict during an earlier trial.

The Rape Crisis Network of Ireland called on the DPP to give victims reasons for not prosecuting a case.

“Very many survivors of sexual violence who take the decision to report the crime to the guards will not have their case prosecuted,” said a network spokesperson.

“For survivors, this can be very difficult to understand and accept.

“We would like to see the DPP extend a pilot project to start giving people reasons for non-prosecution in relation to unlawful killing to include sexual offences.”

The figures show that, in 2010, just 10 convictions were secured in the Central Criminal Court, where 67 people were initially prosecuted. Of the 145 offences tried in the Circuit Court concerning 154 suspects, there were 32 convictions.

Also last year, of 203 suspects in 173 alleged crimes against under 18-year-olds, the DPP did not prosecute 163 (80%) of the suspects.

There was one conviction in the Central Criminal Court, and five in the Circuit Court. One case is still pending direction.

According to the DPP’s office, it receives a file in all detected cases of a sexual nature. Gardaí do not filter “unprosecutable” cases.

For this reason, the office receives a large number of files, some of which are seriously lacking in evidence.

This means they will only bother with cases which they can get a jury to prosecute and given the horrible attitudes to wards sex and women in this country, as over 1/3 of people think the victim is at fault. It means that you have to be a ‘good girl’ and have very little of a sexual history for to have them think it’s not your ‘fault’.

Given that even if the DPP takes your case it can take up to 118 weeks, that’s over two years before it sees the inside of a court room and you have to live with that hanging over you and that’s even harder if the attacker is someone you know which statically is likely.

The system is beyond deeply flawed and needs to change.