Ordo Ab Chao

Thats not my point.

My point is that they (the Gardai) expect people to have some awareness (certainly thats what it sounds like with the pedestrain (sp?) campaign they are part of) of other road users. They also expect people not to park, and cause obstruction on roads.

At the height of traffic on a working morning, they flaunt the traffic rules, as apply to themm becuase they can.

They should have parked their fuzz_wagon in a more thoughtful manner, not in a manner that could quiet easily have caused an accident.

I am not a police basher for the sake of it. I am a police basher, because they are supposed to be upholders of the law.

If a normal man on the street drove drunk, the wrong way down a dual-carriage, then I would not bat an eyelid. He is a normal man off the street, nothing special.

If a government official, drove drunk (lemme see, when did that happen recently, eh?), the wrong way down a dual carraige, then he should be fired from government.
He is supposed to uphold the law, make laws that are to keep the normal man inside the law.

He/she is not a normal man anymore. He/she is a person with extreme power, and this power should not be abused.

I think that's the point I was making. That there's a general perception that the police force in Ireland (the gardai) flaunt traffic regulations because they can. However, this perception may or may not be accurate and individual cases are hard to call with the limited information available. We're simply not to know what purpose was served by them parking on the footpath outside their own station. Also, it's the responsibility of the truck driver to ensure that they allow the necessary space and care for all vehicles associated with the emergency services (police, ambulance, fire, coastguard etc.) rather than the other way around. Therefore, it's not fair to say that this particular case was an abuse of power. Now the incident involving Jim McDaid that you're referring to is quite a different kettle-of-fish. That does appear to be a case of a lenient decision for a member of the government which the general public would not benefit from.

Since I posted that, they have been parked there every morning as I pass.

I don't think that there can be that many emergencies that require them to park on the footpath every morning.