It’s good to have a press call out populism and incompetence. The alternative is Trump And Brexit.
The IRA questions will keep on haunting SF until they put them to bed in a simple way. They rankle with SF supporters because they know they have traction.
I’d suspect lads like Eoin O’Broin etc hate having to come out and defend the indefensible at times. Mary Lou categorically failed to do so last night.
Apart from an honourable few the Irish media are complicit in establishment corruption and incompetence.
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It’s secret
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Official Ireland will convince Paddy over the coming days that he doesn’t really want change that much
I’d rather stick my tool under the grill than watch a “spin room” programme.
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I put a lot more traction in actions as opposed to words. Everyone knows manifestos are not worth a fuck. Look Leo would do great at a toastmasters event. He is a master debater but beyond that he is useless and weak. Micheal Martin is even more useless and was part of a government that brought the IMF to Ireland. They have proven track records of incompetence. When you look behind them at their potential and incumbent ministers there is even less confidence there. You probably pay tax at marginal rate of 49.7% on your earnings. Do you feel you are getting a good return on your investment? Do you think multinationals and banks should pay their fair share?
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Whatever about playing it safe, she should have been quicker and smarter with come backs to the pointless cheap shots. She came back at Leo after his embarrassing North tirade, but she could have been much better here and buried him… His party partitioned the country and ignored the north for 100 years - and when he he had a chance to talk to May about these issues, he was more concerned with his socks.
I’d imagine that some people who would have held their nose and voted SF won’t do so after this media backlash. But the backlash has come very late and I’d imagine a large part of the SF voting electorate don’t watch debates or read the IT or the Indo.
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They need to get Matt Carthy front line and centre of the party in my opinion and not some outpost in Europe. He is no good to SF over there. He was on a united Ireland debate on Matt Cooper yesterday and was outstanding and schooled the other participants.
Who the Fuck reads either of those embarrassingly biased rags?
He shouted too much.
General election postponed in Carlow/Kilkenny in 1948 due to sudden death of Eamonn Coogan TD (FG) and father of Tim Pat Coogan. He’d been dismissed as Asst. Gárdai Commissioner in 1936 but deemed suitable Dáil material. The more things change they more they remain the same. Of course @Fran knew all this but failed to alert us.
Ned was head of the Oriel House Gang and shot Sean Lemass’s brother.
I do.
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Sacked as Garda commissioner? What did he do, ride the bishop’s lover?
As a committed barstool republican I was disappointed by MLMD’s performance. I don’t know how these debates translate to votes though and whether people generally have made their mind up at this stage of a campaign, or whether they would be unaffected by it either way.
I don’t think Martin reading out sections of his manifesto every time he spoke was impressive. Varadkar was strongest, albeit I get irked when the Taoiseach uses the standard of services in the north as a vehicle to attack SF when he should be pressing his british counterpart for more funding to improve services there. He has spoken about not leaving the north behind before.
I didn’t think it was a “gotcha” moment when he said there’s more suicide in the north. Sure the place is half full of bitter orange bastards and there’s going to be all manner of post conflict post-traumatic stress issues too. It might play well for FG voters as a back in your box type reply to SF, but it’s probably no consolation to people relying on services here.
For example, there’s no childhood and adolescent mental health services in Wexford. There’s an empty purpose built premises with unfilled posts - no counsellors, therapists, consultants were hired and suicidal teens are often sent to A&E in Waterford.
Varadkar did have a few well placed barbs and, while MLMD had a few well rehearsed digs in other debates, she wasn’t good at responding last night. She missed a few open goals. For example, Martin saying FF have checked SF’s figures carefully was a huge invite to say…a pity you didn’t check your own before bankrupting the country.
The botched response on the Dobbo interview and last night to the Paul Quinn murder has potential to turn some voters away from SF. I did say earlier in the campaign my sense was that it was all a bit 2011 presidential election and people were more concerned about the future and the state of Ireland than the Ra, but this has been handled very poorly.
This post has actually been more rambling than MLMD last night (cc @tallback).
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The Constitution is very specific on the timeframe for dissolution of parliament and reconvening after a general election. I’d imagine the last thing the late Miss Skehan (may she Rest In Peace) would have wanted was to cause a constitutional crisis.
What Muldoon in Tipperary came up with the idea of postponing the vote there for three weeks?
Carthy is standing in Cavan/Monaghan to replace the retiring veteran chap with the Irish name I can’t spell. They hope to bring in a second seat here with Pauline Tully.