Latest news with #elitism
Irish Times
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Defence Forces' members criticise ‘elitist' and ‘archaic' behaviour by some senior officers
A 42-year veteran of the Irish naval service who previously described some senior officers as acting like they're in the 'British Raj' says it is clear from speaking to Defence Forces members this week that an 'elitist' mindset remains for many senior military figures. 'It originated a long time ago, and it is demeaning,' said Ken Holland, speaking at the annual conference of the Permanent Defence Forces Other Ranks Representative Association (PDForra). 'There's an elitism there among some. And you don't make any friends by saying it or sticking your head above the parapet,' said Mr Holland. He said many members were expected to wait hand on foot like servants for senior officers in aristocratic fashion, cleaning officers' toilets and cabins and providing them with silver service at mealtimes. READ MORE It was a particular issue for senior officers who had trained in the UK, according to Mr Holland, as they had 'learned some of their ways'. 'Those [officers], they do demean, and I saw it myself. People felt devalued. People just felt like there was a divide there, and it was there,' he said. Members in attendance at the conference appeared to agree, with a motion passed seeking to 'cease the practice of our members catering to the needs of commissioned officers during meal times to reflect a modern Defence Forces'. Introducing the motion – the third such one in the last five years – a delegate told of the rigorous training that one must go through as a member of the Defence Forces: 'Why is it that these people, trained in logistics from the beginning of their careers, end up spending most of their time cleaning private cabins and toilets of commissioned officers, running around the ship to figure out their meal preferences and setting up the officers' mess table to a standard that could rival any hotel?' The delegate spoke of a buzzer next to the officers' dining table that they could press to summon someone for their every whim during mealtimes. 'This, to me, is like calling someone like a dog,' the delegate said. 'It's not often used, to my knowledge. But, in my opinion, the fact that it exists is a disgrace. 'I've heard many speeches up here today about the Defence Forces moving into a modern Defence Forces. How can we call it a modern Defence Forces, or even a modern navy, when this archaic behaviour still exists?' When the speaker concluded, attendees erupted in loud applause. Another member at the conference said they had experienced demeaning demands from officers to heat their butter so it could be spread, along with shining their cutlery and fetching napkins. Mr Holland, who retired three years ago, said it was clear from members' continued frustration that not much had changed in terms of affording them the dignity they deserve. He said the applause received by speakers on the issue 'just goes to show that those same people are having those same issues now', he told The Irish Times. 'I'm disappointed that in 2025 these practices are still ongoing'. A spokesperson for the Defence Forces said it did not condone any demeaning behaviour by personnel in the execution of their duties. 'We encourage any issues of this nature to be brought to the interim grievance manager, the new independent complaints process, for resolution by an external panel of HR professionals.' The spokesperson added the duties of logistics staff on-board naval ships include 'general cleanliness of tableware and cutlery as well as the cabin and ablutions, as per the captain's standing orders'. 'A ship at sea is the epitome of teamwork in a harsh and challenging environment. The Defence Forces values the service of all of its personnel no matter how they serve the State,' the spokesperson said. Along with the motion to stop personnel catering to senior officers at mealtimes, just under 70 other motions, primarily related to pay and benefits, were passed by delegates. These, according to outgoing PDForra president Mark Keane, represent the multipronged approach the body is taking to tackle corrosive retention issues, as the private sector poaches crucial personnel from their ranks. 'We have recruitment measures, we now want retention measures,' he said before the closure of the three-day conference at the Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney, Co Kerry on Thursday. 'Whether it's an independent pay review for highly-skilled personnel, whether it's the duty payments announced in a review that was contained in the Fine Gael manifesto but never made it into the programme for government.'
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Rivals star Danny Dyer insists 'elitist' critics would never mock his accent if he was black
Cockney star Danny Dyer, who can count kings and counsellors among his ancestors, claims 'elitist' critics wouldn't mock his accent if he was a black actor. The former EastEnders favourite reveals on Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4 today how one sneering review of his work was even written in a Cockney accent. He says: 'I felt like, 'why would that be allowed?' Because if I was a black actor you certainly wouldn't do it in a Jamaican accent. I've had some awful reviews about me.' The 47-year-old father of three from Custom House in London's East End believes that coming from a working-class background has prevented him from being regarded as a serious actor. 'I think I've done some good work over the years but I've never really been acknowledged,' he says. 'There's a bit of elitism in our industry. I'm incredibly working-class and proud of my roots. 'I don't work for critics in a sense, but the one that did do me was, 'The biggest plot twist about Rivals is that Danny Dyer can act.' And I thought, 'wow'. In a way it's a compliment, but at the same time, not really.' An early mentor to Dyer was the Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter, who took the then 22-year-old actor under his wing. Dyer appeared in three plays by the writer, who also had working-class East London origins. 'I used to stay at his house in Notting Hill and he would buy me a six-pack of lager and he would drink his wine and we'd just talk,' he says. 'I felt safe with him. He wanted me to be a theatre animal.' When Pinter died in 2008, Dyer says he went into a 'spiral of madness'. 'The guilt at not being around him any more. I was a bit of a lost soul I think and again, angry at the world,' he added. In 2013, Dyer joined the cast of EastEnders for an eight-year run as Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter, but his struggles with fame led to excessive drinking and drug-taking which affected his career and relationships. He went into rehab in South Africa in 2017 to deal with his emotions. He reveals he was close to quitting the facility until a letter from home made him reflect on the pain he'd caused his family. 'I had a moment where my ego started to rise again and I'd had enough,' he says. 'Then they read a letter out from my daughter, my Dani, and it made me sit back down in that seat pretty lively.' Now he fears toxic masculinity and the difficulty many men have in talking about emotional issues is harming a generation. He says: 'We've got a lot of lost young men out there at the moment that don't quite know how to behave and are frightened and we need to stop it. 'Toxic masculinity is a thing, but it's not necessarily because you're a male, it's because you're not a very nice human being.' The actor, who earned praise for his role as wealthy electronics businessman Freddie Jones in the hit show Rivals, believes men could help themselves by discussing their feelings with friends. While the main storyline follows tense rivalry between polo-loving lothario Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), fans watching have been quick to point out Danny's 'fantastic' contribution One of Dyer's most famous roles before Eastenders was a football hooligan in gangster film The Football Factory 'Men need to open up a bit more,' he says. 'We need to talk to each other. I envy women that can gossip and talk about stuff. We certainly shouldn't bottle stuff up. 'It's okay to be masculine and it's okay to not be that in touch with your feelings but be able to speak about it when you're playing pool or sitting in a car.'
