# At least he only hit the nurse instead of pissing in front of her (Ireland) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 8, 2003, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057 "2003-11-08T07:57:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/1 "2003-11-08T07:57:54Z")
According to the Irish justice system, it is a worse crime to urinate in public than it is to drive drunk and hit someone. [Link](http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1073106&issue_id=10001) (free registration required). Since most of you won’t want to register, here is the story. GV Wright, a TD or member of the Irish Parliament (who happens to be a member of the ruling party, Fianna Fáil, as corrupt a bunch of codgers as you’ll ever encounter), was driving drunk a couple months ago and hit a nurse. Fortunately her injuries weren’t serious. Yesterday the judge handed down the sentence, saying that he would have to consider a fine commensurate with ability to pay. Now keep in mind that as a TD Wright’s salary is €70,000 and, as a Fianna Fáil TD you can pretty much bet that he’s getting a _lot_ more money than that from somewhere :rolleyes: so what was his fine? €900. Nine freaking hundred. For hitting someone while driving drunk. Meanwhile, a teenage student who answered nature’s call against a city centre wall at 4 a.m. has just been fined €950 for it. The worst part about this is the absolute lack of outrage it’s causing… because Irish people are used to this type of corruption. Still pisses me off :mad: [sub]€1 = $1.14 U.S.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/2 "2003-11-08T13:20:16Z")
Hmmm, person with connections in the establishment gets light punishment, try replacing the drunk driver with a person of much more common means and I’d be willing to bet the punishment would be far more severe. In this side of the Irish Sea you’d be looking at a minimum 18 month ban and hugely increased insurance costs from then on, and that is just for starters. Work colleague of mine got an £1800 fine and 18 month ban for being over the limit and hitting a bollard, had it been a person he would habe prbably lost his job too, working in a jail. We seem to regularly get magistrates, judges and chief constables caught out and the presiding magistrates seem to take great delight in dishing out maximum penalties and very stern lecutres to such. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/3 "2003-11-08T13:38:35Z")
I’ll also point out that another TD recently did spend a month in jail, for civil disobedience against a regressive tax. He of course was an opposition TD, the lone representative of the Socialist Party in the house. Several prominent Fianna Fáilers called on _him_ to resign :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/4 "2003-11-08T13:49:05Z")
> [@](#): > > **Hmmm, person with connections in the establishment gets light punishment, try replacing the drunk driver with a person of much more common means and I’d be willing to bet the punishment would be far more severe.** Unfortunately this seems to be something of a tradition over here. I had a Fianna Fáiler canvassing my house the other day and I told him to sling his hook. He whined “but the bin tax was Labour’s idea!” I said “I don’t give a bollocks about the bin tax, it’s everything else I care about.” As I slammed the door in his face he was shouting “You’re totally uninformed of the issues”. Fuck them. They’re out next election. I feel bad for having voted for them last time. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/5 "2003-11-08T13:52:09Z")
I was just noticing something interesting too **jjimm** , just on the odd chance GV Wright does resign (which he won’t). Know who the candidate right behind him in the 2002 election was? Clare Daly. (Clare, for the non-Irish residents, is also a member of the Socialist Party, and also spent a month in jail with the TD who I mentioned in my previous post.) ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/6 "2003-11-08T13:56:08Z")
Perhaps that’s one reason the fucker will brazen it out. Fucking cheek of it! ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/7 "2003-11-08T14:03:10Z")
Even FG and Labour will probably refuse to call for his resignation once they figure that out … if they haven’t figured it out already. They probably have and that’s why they’ve been so quiet about it. ---
**Author:** ![bryanmaguire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d07c76/32.png) [@bryanmaguire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bryanmaguire)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/8 "2003-11-08T23:58:43Z")
Not to take away from your OP Ruadh but I believe that her injuries were quite serious. Her leg was broken in 4 places. He also tried to flee the scene but passers-by managed to stop him. He was also banned from driving for two years. Thankfully this is not the end of this matter for Mr Wright. He will be sued in Civil Court by the victim and his insurance company may declare his policy void as he was drunk. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/9 "2003-11-09T00:22:14Z")
unbelievable. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/10 "2003-11-09T00:36:40Z")
Oh, my, my, my. On the positive side of things, Ireland has been dumping FF for one election every decade, and the election for this decade is coming up. ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/11 "2003-11-09T00:54:32Z")
Do you think anyone would care if we plugged all the doors and windows in the Dail and flooded the place while it was in session?? ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/12 "2003-11-09T00:58:56Z")
Jaysus, have I really made 180 posts?? If anyone’d asked I’d have said 20 … ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/13 "2003-11-09T02:58:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bryanmaguire \* > Not to take away from your OP Ruadh but I believe that her injuries were quite serious. Her leg was broken in 4 places. She was interviewed on Live Line(for the non-Irish it’s a radio prog). She is housebound for something like 6 months and because of the nature of the damage she has to regularly get her cast changed due to seepage :eek: She has also been told that there is a slim chance of her losing the leg. > [@](#): > > The worst part about this is the absolute lack of outrage it’s causing… because Irish people are used to this type of corruption. Still pisses me off Unfortunately **ruadh** is quite correct. We’ve had decades of corruption, lies, complicity in protecting the church, police being a law unto themselves and on and on… sigh… 900 fucking Euro and a ban. That’s one of the most lenient rulings I’ve ever heard about in this kind of case. It’s a fucking disgrace. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/14 "2003-11-09T11:56:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yojimbo \* > **She was interviewed on Live Line(for the non-Irish it’s a radio prog). She is housebound for something like 6 months and because of the nature of the damage she has to regularly get her cast changed due to seepage :eek: She has also been told that there is a slim chance of her losing the leg.** I wasn’t aware :eek: That makes the ruling even more shocking. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/15 "2003-11-09T11:59:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobelia Overhill \* > \*\*Do you think anyone would care if we plugged all the doors and windows in the Dail and flooded the place while it was in session?? \*\* _snort_ like that would take care of the Fianna Fáilers. Sure they’re hardly ever even in the bloody chamber. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/16 "2004-01-30T23:31:48Z")
… and this week, a diabetic who went into insulin shock while behind the wheel had his driver’s license revoked for … _the rest of his life_ He’s not a TD, if you hadn’t guessed :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/17 "2004-01-31T04:14:55Z")
Reminiscent of [Bill Jankow](http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-janklow23jan23,1,6328562.story?coll=la-home-nation) in all unpleasant ways. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/18 "2004-01-31T05:53:32Z")
This thread has given me subtle yet fascinating insights into Irish politics. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/19 "2004-01-31T14:24:43Z")
Ireland has nothing on the peoples republic of Massachusetts. Our senior senator left a women DEAD after driving drunk. He received $150.00 fine for leaving the scene of an accident. Nice justice if you can get it!! ---
**Author:** ![county](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@county](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/county)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-he-only-hit-the-nurse-instead-of-pissing-in-front-of-her-ireland/212057/20 "2004-01-31T16:53:30Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] Unfortunately this seems to be something of a tradition over here. Yeah, we get some of that here in Memphis, TN, USA, too.