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The Week on Twitter | Jill Stein, #Black4Repeal, & Bosco

By Jade Hayden

This week, RTÉ announced plans to outsource all of their kids programming, the repeal campaign held a solidarity rally, and Jill Stein raised millions of dollars for her recount fund. It was also Black Friday, and lots of people got some deals.

#Black4Repeal solidarity rally takes over Rosie Hackett Bridge #repealthe8th

This Friday saw Rosie Hackett bridge occupy a solidarity rally for all women who have restricted access to abortion services. #Black4Repeal encouraged Irish women to wear black and use the hashtag on social media to raise awareness for the millions of women who are being denied basic reproductive rights around the world.

Dublin’s rally called on the government to stop stalling and let the Irish people finally decide whether women should have agency over their own bodies. This year, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that the earliest Ireland could expect a referendum to repeal the 8th amendment would be the end of 2017. This means that thousands more women are going to be forced to travel, forced to suffer through unwanted pregnancies, and forced into situations they simply do not want to be in.

The Black4Repeal rally coincided with the first official day of the Citizens Assembly, which is set to give the government a recommendation on how restrictive Ireland’s abortion laws should be. Last month, one member of the assembly was replaced after it was discovered he was openly pro-choice.

People in Poland, Italy, Mexico, Chile and Brazil also took part in their own rallies.

https://twitter.com/caoimheisme/status/802065451341725696

#JillStein raises over $5m for election recount fund

This week, it was reported that Green Party Presidential candidate Jill Stein was launching a petition to trigger a vote recount in certain states in the US. Stein raised over $5 million in just one week due to a crowd fund campaign. The activist filed the petition after counts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania appeared drastically different than what had originally been anticipated.

Yesterday, Wisconsin officials announced that they would indeed initiate a recount of votes. According to polls carried out by the Associated Press, that recount alone would cost at least half a million dollars.

However, many are skeptical about the amount of money that Stein has asked for. A few days after the crowd fund began, the donation form was updated to say that there was no guarantee that a recount in all three states would happen. The website says that if this could not be achieved, all of the money donated would go to “promote voting system reform.”

Stein has also since raised her goal from $2.5 million to $6-7 million.

https://twitter.com/lanyardigan/status/801633700198879232

#RTÉ announce future outsourcing of all young peoples TV programmes

During the week, RTÉ announced plans to source all of their kids programming from external independent bodies. The decision came after the national broadcaster called a review of all of its services due to financial issues. Reports suggest that Fair City could also be facing the axe from our screens.

The plan has been harshly criticised by TDs, Senators, RTÉ’s trade union group, and everybody who has even a vague memory of sitting around and watching The Den or Bosco or Zig and Zag or the plethoras of other great kids TV RTÉ has produced over the years.

RTÉ management is expected to enter talks with the trade union group soon as it was revealed that they had not been informed of the decision.

#BlackFriday happens, many deals occur

This Friday it was Black Friday which meant that many people got lots of things for cheaper than they would have gotten them originally because it was Black Friday. Those people also tweeted about getting those slightly cheaper things and for that reason Black Friday trended on Twitter all day.

Lots of people also tweeted about not being able to avail of these cheap things because they were busy or broke or doing something else that didn’t involve Black Friday. We were expected to feel very sorry for these people because capitalism.

https://twitter.com/m1ndspeak5truth/status/802160080418390020

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Jade Hayden 144 posts 0 comments

Jade Hayden has an MA in journalism, a degree in English, and a house rabbit who sleeps in her bed sometimes. You'll often find her wearing glasses, fixing her fringe, and complaining about the amount of time she spends on public transport. Jade is also the editor of HeadStuff's topical section, and she'd love if you sent your submissions over to [email protected].

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