To prove this statement wrong I would need to challenge all the points individually… ie 7 points.

Do you have a preferred layout for ease of proving people wrong?

@Bock… I used your text as an example of what goes on in blogs. If you would like to blog about it, then I say go ahead… fair play to you… good for you… hense my “I agree with blogging and bloggers giving their point of view” statement.

All I’m saying is that you guys are powerful… more powerful than you think (it seems). And I THINK that history has proven that people who do nothing but criticise (as this site suggests it will do) are a bad think, create divisions, bad blood, and general harm (check out barracks latest video). I’m not saying NEVER critise, but devoting a part of yourself to it… well that is very sad

This is not a mathematical proof. This is a discussion.

Link to where bloggers en masse criticised the Groceries Order as you said here:

Much of the media (and bloggers) critisised the groceries order

Or did you just make that up? See, with blogs people will point out you’re talking bollox. See how that works?

1. The example I gave was from the discussion just above… so it does exist… so it is a fact…
2. Simons search of the facts proved my point (though I had heard them discussed on Newstalk a few weeks ago
3. I completely agree with you that points of view are important. I agree with blogging and bloggers giving their point of view. The site you are suggesting however is something else… thats all… This here net is a powerful tool, and should be used in a responsible way

Anyway enough…

Happy Paddys… be good..

Where did most bloggers criticise the groceries order, where did most of the press? Even multiple critical articles in each newspaper does not mean the majority. It means there were critical articles. Points of view on everything are important you know.

I’m sure when you massively generalised bloggers by suggesting they make up facts that you in fact have facts to back that up, right? No blogger worth their salt would write something without having proof and multiple links.

As you blog a bit more you might learn more about the medium you obviously have no clue about but are quite happy to attack. Were you being ironic in acting like the example you gave?

My point is that there is no balance in many ranting blogs (and much mainstream media as well). If this site were created it would get very high ratings, but be unlikely to be fair (as I said, how many blogs ever say positive things).

On the price thing, I think you’ll agree that as they are cereal on accounts for a portion of the final cost of bread… I’d guess less than 10%.

bread up 22%
milk 29%

http://www.cso.ie/releasespublications/documents/prices/current/pic.pdf

Well in fairness with world wide food inflation it is hardly a simple matter to quantify the effect the groceries order had on food prices. You can’t simply say that a price of bread has gone up therefore groceries order was wrong. You would have to factor in the increase in bread in relation to general inflation ceral (as in grain not corn flakes) prices have gone up 67% since Dec 2006. milk 47%. Has milk in the supermarket gone up by 47%?

According to wikipedia… yes then…

The problem I have with the suggestion you have is that it is horribly unfair. Look at the comments people have made in this thread. They are critising the country for arbitrary and random things, not putting together a statement that can be challenged fairly.

Example: “No public transport in most of Ireland, a paralysed health system, our schools owned and run by clergy, no broadband in most of the country, a capital city so bloated it threatens to collapse on itself, house prices so high our children will still be paying when they’re seventy” (sorry don’t mean to single anyone out, just an example)

To prove this statement wrong I would need to challenge all the points individually… ie 7 points. thay is completely unfair.

Next what would annoy me is the lack of accountability. Example: Much of the media (and bloggers) critisised the groceries order, claiming that it created higher food prices overall. They critised the rip-off republic, citing this as another example of government supporting high prices. Now it has been lifted and Irish food prices have increased even more. Are those who lobbied to have it lifted going to be held accountable, even criticised? Surely having been proved wrong their opinion should be ignored… even for a while…

Finally the problem is that it is really just pointing out the irish ability to be negitive. The price of drink in the pub goes up… we complain that it is too high. The price of drink in Tesco goes down… we complain that it is encouraging underage drinking. The price of beer stays the same in a pub… my local… do we all compliment the publican for his good work… I think not. I mean ask yourselves… what percentage of Irish blog posts are positive?

I think that the blog is a fantastic medium for moaning, and that is fine and good. The danger is that if you have one central point for the moaning… it could become a dangerous monster…