General Election 2011

Current Affairs
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i like the ming, he seems a grand lad the type to put lads like wtb who spend their lives in universities with fuck all to do but study the amount of bog that will replenish itself in a year back in their box. but apart from that he is decent county council material at best albeit one that has never held down a job of any note in his life, hard to see what he can contribute on a national level really

mick wallace is a curious one that the people of werxford will find hard to justify in time.
i heard a good one about this cunt the other day and how he deals with business debt and id say in time a lot of shit will come out about him. he has many enemies and is galling a lot of people by championing himself as a socialist developer ffs. what a creep though, would paddy kelly or liam carroll get away with it if they dressed like scobes and ran a few cricket teams on a saturday morning? no they wouldnt.

1123

Mick seems have a romantic hero view of himself, Che Guevara as a bulder in a pink tee-shirt :unsure:
He wont last the pace in the Dail.

1124

I fuckin love it. A Wexford man pissing off ye Limerick fooks :lol:
You heard a good one HBV yeah? :rolleyes:

I hope Wallace breaks Willie O’Dea’s fingers going up for the Dàil :clap:

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:clap:

1126

Labour and Fine Gael endorse draft Programme for Government

FINE GAEL AND LABOUR will form the next government, after both parties this evening gave comprehensive backing to the draft Programme for Government agreed between the two parties.
Fine Gael’s parliamentary party gave its unanimous backing to the deal at a meeting this afternoon, while in UCD a Labour conference saw rank and file members vote ”by an overwhelming majority” in favour of the 64-page document, which sets out the coalition government’s proposals for the next five years.
The full document can be downloaded here, and a summary is offered below.

Economy
The Department of Finance will be split into two ministries. One will focus on fiscal planning and the banking sector. The other will focus on public sector reform. Fine Gael is expected to take the former, Labour the latter.
There will be an Economic Council set up which will be established to ensure an equal decision making process between two parties and to determine economic policy.
There is an agreement to reduce the deficit to 3 per cent by 2015 in line with the parameters set down by the EU/IMF bailout.
The first two years’ worth of provisions in the Four Year Plan, set out by the outgoing government to reduce the deficit, will be adhered to.
Jobs
There is a plan to reduce the number of public sector workers by between 18,000 and 21,000 by 2014, and by a further 4,00o thereafter.
A jobs fund will be created within the first 100 days of the new government.
A national development plan will be drawn up for the period 2012-2019.
The state training agency FÁS will be replaced by a National Employment and Entitlements Service.
A commercially financed “New Era” plan will be put in place.

Health
A Universal Health Insurance system will be introduced by 2016.
The HSE will cease to exist over time, and its functions returned to the Department of Health.
Public hospitals will no longer be managed by the HSE; they will be independent, not-for-profit trusts, run by boards.
The VHI will be kept in public ownership and insurers will be obliged to offer the same package of services to all people.

Taxes and welfare
The universal social charge will be reviewed.
A Fiscal Advisory Council will be set up to under take
There is a commitment to not increasing income tax.
There is also a commitment to not decrease social welfare.
There are no plans to change child benefit.
Top marginal rates in income tax will not be increased
There is pledge to “reduce, cap or abolish” property tax reliefs and other tax shelters which benefit those on high income.

Education
Funding for third level education will be examined in a “full review” and a funding mechanism that will not deter access will be found.
There will be a “thorough reform” of the Irish curriculum and the way it is taught, but no specific mention of making it non-compulsory as Fine Gael controversially proposed.

Water
A new state-owned water utility company is to be set up that will takeover from local authorities.
Water meters will be installed in every household in a move to a charging system that is based on use above free allowance

Referenda
The document says there will be a constitutional convention that will review the country’s constitution. The government will “prioritise” referendums on five topics:
Abolition of the Seanad
Reversing the effects of the Abbeylara judgment on the powers of Oireachtas committee investigations
Protecting the right of citizens to “communicate in confidence” with their public representatives
Cutting the salaries of judges in “restricted” circumstances
Children’s rights.

Constitutional reforms
The aformentioned constitutional convention will also consider topics such as:
Same-sex marriage,
Reducing the presidential term from seven to five years
Reducing the voting age,
Removing the provision on blasphemy.
Reducing the number of TDs in line with the April 2011 census.
Ministers’ salaries and severance payments will be cut

Download the full Programme for Government agreed by the parties

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A great bunch of lads.

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It was fucking galling listening to that prick Gay Mitchell on the radio this morning giving out to David Norris about the democratic deficit of universities electing people to the Seanad when the panel system is the biggest stroke of all time. How many years was he in the Dail when he could have enacted changes to the Seanad? FG opposed changes to the Seanad over the years. Then going on about how he wanted to see a FG president in the Aras
so fcuk having the best president so long as he/she’s a blueshirt. What an utter gowl.

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Some reasonable policies in that document though it’s very short on detail, which I suppose it had to be.

Labour look to have negotiated fairly well in fairness to them. Was crucial they got a bit of Finance and they have protection on their key areas. Some of the softer things like Dáil days etc are obvious but should play well with the electorate. FG took such a stance on political reform that it will be interesting to see how much they can deliver. Problem is that reform at local government level is even more important but doesn’t have the same momentum behind it.

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Former Labour, now Independent TD for Dublin West, Patrick Nulty, is to resign from the Dail with immediate effect:

Statement

[I]I am today resigning as TD for Dublin West and will take all the steps necessary to do that immediately this week.

I sent inappropriate messages via facebook. This included inadvertently sending one to a 17 year old woman. To the best of my knowledge I have never met this woman and the message was sent while under the influence of alcohol.

I apologise wholeheartedly to the woman involved and to her family. It was never my intention to upset anyone in this way but it was totally wrong

The message was entirely inappropriate and I take full responsibility for my actions. For this reason I have decided to resign my seat in the Dail. I set myself the highest standards personally and politically. Unfortunately due to personal mistakes I have not met those standards in this matter and I will take responsibility for that. I still believe passionately that Ireland can be a fairer and more just society based on equality and social justice but at the present time I believe to resign is the correct and right course of action.

I would like to extend my deepest thanks and gratitude to all my family, friends and supporters who have given me so much support over the last five years as a public representative. In politics people very often do not take responsibility for their actions. I hope I am doing that. I would further like to apologise to my constituents in Dublin West for my mistake. I hope they will understand my reasons for resigning and accept my apology.

I hope that as I have taken decisive and direct action on this matter my privacy will now be respected in what has been a very difficult decision for me personally.[/I]

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He must have poked loads of women on Facebook.

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[QUOTE=“Sidney, post: 920188, member: 183”]Former Labour, now Independent TD for Dublin West, Patrick Nulty, is to resign from the Dail with immediate effect:

Statement

[I]I am today resigning as TD for Dublin West and will take all the steps necessary to do that immediately this week.

I sent inappropriate messages via facebook. This included inadvertently sending one to a 17 year old woman. To the best of my knowledge I have never met this woman and the message was sent while under the influence of alcohol.

I apologise wholeheartedly to the woman involved and to her family. It was never my intention to upset anyone in this way but it was totally wrong

The message was entirely inappropriate and I take full responsibility for my actions. For this reason I have decided to resign my seat in the Dail. I set myself the highest standards personally and politically. Unfortunately due to personal mistakes I have not met those standards in this matter and I will take responsibility for that. I still believe passionately that Ireland can be a fairer and more just society based on equality and social justice but at the present time I believe to resign is the correct and right course of action.

I would like to extend my deepest thanks and gratitude to all my family, friends and supporters who have given me so much support over the last five years as a public representative. In politics people very often do not take responsibility for their actions. I hope I am doing that. I would further like to apologise to my constituents in Dublin West for my mistake. I hope they will understand my reasons for resigning and accept my apology.

I hope that as I have taken decisive and direct action on this matter my privacy will now be respected in what has been a very difficult decision for me personally.[/I][/QUOTE]

I’m sure his nose was just mistaken for his penis.

1133

bump thread - did the bird who drove her car down the steps of Leinster House five years ago get re-elected?

1134

Yes, Mary Mitchell O’Connell was part of the stellar Fine Gael performance in DĂșn Laoighaire getting returned with her party colleague Maria Bailey to join Ceann Comhairle Sean Barrett who was automatically elected.

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