Mattie McGrath: Demands action on ticket touting, event reopenings
Mattie McGrath spoke in support of new ticketing measures, calling the initiative long overdue and necessary to curb ticket touting. He pressed the minister on when the legislation will be signed into law and implemented and urged a swift return to sporting and music events so people can "live again".
Support for ticketing legislation
McGrath thanked the minister and supporters and described the proposal as a good, long-overdue initiative. He said there must be control of tickets to stop what he called "blackmail", noting the pressure placed on families and fans trying to secure seats.
Question to the minister
He asked the minister directly when the bill will be signed into law and when it will be implemented, acknowledging the minister might not be able to reply during the remarks. The request for a timetable was presented as urgent, tied to the need to resume large public events.
Reopening sporting and music events
The speaker linked the ticketing measures to a broader push to get people back to sport and concerts. He emphasised the role of musicians in imparting culture and heritage and said reopening events would let people enjoy entertainment and communal life again after lockdown.
Public impact and imagery
McGrath recalled his own experience of securing a ticket and contrasted it with many who are forced into difficult options. He used vivid imagery - comparing people's eagerness to leave lockdown to young calves bursting out into a field - to underline public impatience and the social importance of reopening events.
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Thank you and thank the Minister and I too want to be so serious, thanks for everybody involved, this is long overdue but it is a good initiative and badly wanting and we need to have control of tickets and it's obnoxious to see that blackmail really, you know, especially if you have kids or very interested in the team or whatever and families have been put under huge pressure to try and get tickets any which way and I never, I've thankfully bought a ticket out but many people are forced to have to do it so it's good legislation because you know, and I want to ask the Minister, maybe he can't reply, when exactly is it going to be signed into law and when will it be implemented and we need to get people back to sporting and people back to enjoy the music and the musicians allow it to impart their wonderful culture and heritage and wonderful entertainment and people to receive it and enjoy it and let the people live again, not have them, you know, frightened and cowering in fear, get them out and enjoy society and concerts and they are not quite a lot of Shinji people to pace them andavat them to have something like that, people are waiting and eager to bolt out of the lockdown and out of their house, like young calves, you know that, left out of a field, and left out into a field from the shed they go wild for a while, not wild really wild but they want to get out, how about fwinspear, go arma agut. What's more?
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