Dempsey in 'nanny state' showdown on drink-driving limits

**Lionel Ritchie** · 22/10/2009, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by kingdom hoop

I wouldn't favour a reduction to 20mg. It seems* I'd likely still pass a test at 50mg after two pints, so my initial resistance to the proposal has weakened. The average man, drinking at an average pace, could still consume two pints. And the average woman, drinking at an average pace, can have two glasses of wine. I think that's a fair and responsible limit for fair and responsible people.

*Based on a handy individualised blood-alcohol calculator at the following address ~~(which has a rogue comma to avoid the foot.ie language censor) - www.rup,issed.com.~~ - http://url.ie/2oog.
Cheers dahamsta, I've learned something new today.

Just tried it there. Inputted a saturday night scenario which is approx 8 x pints of 4.2% beer. Consumption commenced at 9pm and nearly 16 hours has elapsed. ...Told me I'd still need to Get a Taxi.

Reduced it to 7 pints and it claimed I was feeling a bit tipsy.
Reduced it to 6 pints and it said I was "not even mellow" (which I assume means stone cold sober.)

**dahamsta** · 22/10/2009, 11:56 AM

8 pints? Wuss.

**pineapple stu** · 22/10/2009, 12:06 PM

Think that's bad? It tells me that after 8 pints over six hours, I "should be unconscious by now"

**John83** · 22/10/2009, 12:13 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Think that's bad? It tells me that after 8 pints over six hours, I "should be unconscious by now"

It equates shortarse with lightweight.

**osarusan** · 23/10/2009, 9:00 AM

Michael Healy-Rae gave a display of consummate skill on how to portray yourself as an idiot on Prime Time last night. Tried to argue with doctors about alcohol inhibiting ability to drive, and argued that most of the accidents involving drink-driving took place on primary roads, not the muddy boreens his constituents drive home on after a few pints.

**Ringo** · 23/10/2009, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by osarusan

Michael Healy-Rae gave a display of consummate skill on how to portray yourself as an idiot on Prime Time last night. Tried to argue with doctors about alcohol inhibiting ability to drive, and argued that most of the accidents involving drink-driving took place on primary roads, not the muddy boreens his constituents drive home on after a few pints.

In fairness to him, no one else had the balls to go on an argue the case. I did think he's trying to out gombeen his father

**Lionel Ritchie** · 23/10/2009, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by osarusan

Michael Healy-Rae gave a display of consummate skill on how to portray yourself as an idiot on Prime Time last night. Tried to argue with doctors about alcohol inhibiting ability to drive, and argued that most of the accidents involving drink-driving took place on primary roads, not the muddy boreens his constituents drive home on after a few pints.

Charming. I missed him as I opted for question time so as to watch an English pig-ignorant imbecile stutter through sh*te rather than avail of the home grown variety.

**osarusan** · 23/10/2009, 2:35 PM

Originally Posted by Ringo

In fairness to him, no one else had the balls to go on an argue the case.

True. Even Miriam complimented him on that. All these other backbenchers knew that their arguments wouldn't hold water.

Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie

Charming. I missed him as I opted for question time so as to watch an English pig-ignorant imbecile stutter through sh*te rather than avail of the home grown variety.

Griffin came across woefully badly I thought. Although it was a real lynch mob out for him, and I thought Dimbleby didn't moderate very well.

**SligoBrewer** · 24/10/2009, 12:33 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Surely the point is that idiots don't get their test?

There are at least ten times the amounts of "idiots" driving with little pink pieces of paper than there are "idiots" driving with green ones.

**Razors left peg** · 25/10/2009, 10:43 AM

there is a question I always wondered about and this seems to be the right thread to ask it on. If I had 8 pints on a night out, by what time the next day would I be legal to drive if I had stopped drinking at midnight

**John83** · 25/10/2009, 2:58 PM

Originally Posted by Razors left peg

there is a question I always wondered about and this seems to be the right thread to ask it on. If I had 8 pints on a night out, by what time the next day would I be legal to drive if I had stopped drinking at midnight

There are rules of thumb, but the truth is, it depends on a whole pile of things - when you started drinking those eight pints, your size and your metabolism being the big ones.

Originally Posted by SligoBrewer

There are at least ten times the amounts of "idiots" driving with little pink pieces of paper than there are "idiots" driving with green ones.

In theory, the ones with the pink papers are a higher grade of idiot. In practice, well, maybe we need to rethink how we test drivers.

**OneRedArmy** · 27/10/2009, 7:38 AM

If Mattie McGrath's comments weren't so serious they would be hilarious. After his last brush with the law I thought he'd keep a low profile for a while.

40% of the vote in the last election went to a party that selects morons like this to serve the people. Not to mention the other FF TD who is serving a driving ban for drink driving and who has come out against the reduction.

God help us.

**John83** · 27/10/2009, 10:17 AM

What has he said, other than, "I'm agin it."?

**passinginterest** · 27/10/2009, 10:21 AM

I believe he said he thinks having a drink can help nervous drivers to relax!

It would be funny if it wasn't so downright farcical that he's an elected member of the government.

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...d-1924931.html

There's the full story.

**Lionel Ritchie** · 27/10/2009, 11:37 AM

Between the McGraths, O'Keefes, McDaids, Healy-Raes and Co. ...and they're just among the gob****e element ...I dunno -maybe the Churchills and Kiplings were right. We don't deserve independence and aren't fit to administer our own country.

**OneRedArmy** · 27/10/2009, 1:52 PM

FF arguably always have been anti-intellectual. Add in Bertie to your list and Charlie to a lesser extent.

I honestly don't know enough about history to definitively state where this came from, but I would imagine it started out pre-formation of the state as a backlash to the then "West Brit" Trinity intelligensia and representing the interests of working class and rural Ireland.

It of course conveniently ingnores that over history many of the key republican figures in our history were intellectual-types.

Would welcome the view of any Irish history buffs to give their view as to whether the anti-intellectualism has always been part of FF or whether its a recent phenomena?

**SunnySweeney** · 27/10/2009, 2:41 PM

I have noticed that when i play car racing video games that my reaction times lessen dramatically after even half a beer. The response times are just not nearly as sharp.

I am above average build and I drink quite regularly.

I'm getting more conservative as I get older and I think I am in favour on a total ban of driving after drinking (any amount). In my opinion, reaction times and ability to respond quickly after drinking even the smallest amount is just not 100%.

Zero tolerance would get rid of all the ambiguity in the law once and for all.

Every time I hear someone say I'm a big guy, I've got a quick metabolism, high tolerance etc - I just think what a load of rubbish.

**John83** · 27/10/2009, 3:17 PM

Originally Posted by SunnySweeney

...I think I am in favour on a total ban of driving after drinking (any amount). In my opinion, reaction times and ability to respond quickly after drinking even the smallest amount is just not 100%.

Zero tolerance would get rid of all the ambiguity in the law once and for all.

Define zero. If you had a drink last Friday, your blood alcohol level is still (barely) elevated. If you had four last night, your BAC is unquestionably up. I haven't had a drink in over a month, but there's alcohol in my system. Not much, but the body makes a little normally.

If you're a better driver than me - and as I've only driven a car with manual transmission a couple of dozen times since I passed my test last year (and hardly any car at all in the past five months), and my reaction times are probably above the mean, you probably are, then you're probably as safe on the road as me even having drank last night, particularly as I'm a bit tired at the moment.

The real world doesn't like sharp edges.

Every time I hear someone say I'm a big guy, I've got a quick metabolism, high tolerance etc - I just think what a load of rubbish.

People are very good at that sort of thing. Those factors do come into play, but people tend to use them as an excuse.

**SunnySweeney** · 27/10/2009, 6:54 PM

Originally Posted by John83

Define zero. If you had a drink last Friday, your blood alcohol level is still (barely) elevated. If you had four last night, your BAC is unquestionably up. I haven't had a drink in over a month, but there's alcohol in my system. Not much, but the body makes a little normally.

I'm not sure how you'd define 'zero' - maybe less than x parts per thousand, I don't know. I think that they could legislate/allow for minute traces If you drank a couple of days ago.

It's too much of a grey area. The Government should step up and introduce legislation to have a law that anyone driving shouldn't drink at all. I don't have a whole lot of sympathy for people who might get caught with substantive traces in their system the next day. Convict them too.

It's all too much of a grey area - the way to get over that is to drop the allowable concentration to virtually nothing.

People will get over it - the earth will keep spinning - and we'll all be a lot safer.

That TD's comments are outrageous - who elected that moronic buffoon?