Eamon O'Cuiv abandons stall on William Street, Galway after lively debate with activists and members

galway | miscellaneous | news report Friday October 02, 2009 16:31 by Shane F - Socialist Party

'You just want to bamboozle us... it means nothing. At the end of the day, this country was riding high and you lot just frittered away our money. The money that was made by the people of this country

Eamon O'Cuiv's plans to shake babies and kiss hands the day before the Lisbon poll came undone following spirited debate with members of the public and anti-Lisbon campaigners.

Members of the public vent their anger at Minister O'Cuiv

Eamon O'Cuiv's plans to shake babies and kiss hands the day before the Lisbon poll came undone following spirited debate with members of the public and anti-Lisbon campaigners.

The Socialist Party, the Galway no to Lisbon group and Irish Friends of Palestine against Lisbon had a stall each on Galway's main pedestrian thoroughfare Shop Street /William Street compared to only one stall calling for a yes vote belonging to Generation Yes (IBEC youth) when O'Cuiv and a small number of his supporters set up shop on the Eyre Square end of William Street away from the rest of the action.

Tommy on the IFPAL stall spotted O'Cuiv and informed the other activists. Forces were mustered and we went to greet the eminent minister and ask him some friendly questions about the Lisbon treaty and NAMA. O'Cuiv proved himself to be a slippery sort and a master of dodging questions and changing the subject. He didn't really answer any questions put to him and resorted to discussing technicalities and mentioning previous unrelated referenda.

On NAMA he claimed that it would not cost the taxpayer anything and instead claimed Fianna Fail were interested in breaking the cosy relationship between the banks and builders!

A small crowd gathered and a middle aged couple who were less than impressed with the ministers views on NAMA and evasion of questions and entered into what can be described as a lively debate. The gentleman called for the bankers to be locked up and the lady said her daughter who is a hospital worker who was now bring home five hundred Euro a month less than previous due to cuts and levies.

The minister accused the couple of being ill informed when they again stated that the taxpayer would pay for NAMA saying 'You're wrong and you should inform yourself.' in what can be described as a condescending manner.

When the FAS board was mentioned the minister tried to claim it had nothing to do with the government and the lady replied, 'You just want to bamboozle us... it means nothing. At the end of the day, this country was riding high and you lot just frittered away our money. The money that was made by the people of this country.'

The couple then walked off and the minister and his entourage, sensing that the crowd and the mood was against them started to pack up while an elderly lady tried to engage the minister accusing him of abandoning the elderly. The minister then used his you are wrong spiel a bit more before moving off down the street. He was followed by an array of anti-Lisbon activists who chanted 'No means no' and 'No to NAMA, No to Lisbon.' The minister and his entourage slunk down a side street having spent no more than fifteen or twenty minutes on their stall.

Video footage courtesy of Tommy is embedded below.