I’ve been a little busy with both work and alcohol lately so thought I’d finally getting out to posting some thoughts on the report released earlier this week:
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[]The opposition are pathetic. Fuck all condemnation, leaving it to the media to do their work. Enda Kenny has said precious little - probably afraid of Lowry’s report to come
[]What a spineless fucker Conor Lenihan is. He was on Prime Time the night the report came out and wouldn’t even condemn Haughey for stealing a hundred grand from his father’s liver transplant fund.
[]I can’t belive more is not being made of Bertie’s transgressions. Our former minister for finance has previously explained his lack of proper records of his cash around the time of his divorce by claiming he kept money under his bed and not in a bank account. Now we find out he was signing blank cheques. And now he’s Taoiseach. Christ we’re stupid.
[]I really think in any other country in the world the government would have been thrown out of office long ago for these antics. In Ireland Fianna Fil are trying to resist calls for the report to be debated in the Dil. 5 years, millions of euro, finally a report and the government don’t want to discuss the results. Pricks.
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I’m taking a break from the seasonal festivities tonight so what better to do than join this debate. My responses to your points are initially in CAPS before I continue on in lower case!
Also, there’s Nally getting away with what I would consider to be cold-blooded murder. All these myths in the media about him living in fear and being harassed - it has been confirmed that he had been robbed once ever before. He was just an unstable old fool who shot a man, beat a man and then killed a man.
Then there was a nurse, Noreen Mulholland, who received a 10 year suspended sentence after being found guilty of assaulting and poisoning two old hospital patients, one of whom died. How the fook can you get away without spending time for this?
As a country we are seeing scandal after scandal in the political arena. I also can’t believe we are being so accepting of the very worrying decisions being made in our courts also, two of which I have highlighted above.
Like I said before; if you accept it then nothing will change. The question is who the fook do I vote for to try to ensure change comes about?
Frankly, the only things keeping me in this country are the hurling and football seasons coming up on the horizon.
I’ve changed your post colour to yellow in my reply Bandage - just to help us along here.
Anyway to address your points.
The key to a valuable vote in the next election is to get independents and smaller parties elected in my opinion. For example despite all the protestations in the media to the contrary the most likely coalition outcome at the moment is Fianna Fil - Labour (probably without Rabbitte). There is the possibility that if the Green Party do well they might be involved. If they even got one useful portfolio in cabinet (environment or transport) then they could invoke a lot of change. The opposition are terribly weak as a FG/Lab grouping and it is horrible to see how much Labour have watered down their roots. So the key for me is to the balance of power to Socialists, independents, Green Party etc. The more disparate voices you get in parliament the better in my opinion.
A fool of the highest order. It says it all about this country that a guy like that could prove himself to be a sneering, incompetent, racists gobshite without the guts to stand up for his dead father and yet he gets elected year after year. As you say he must be truly thick to have never made a success of himself because he has all the blood credentials.
Bertie would be sacked from any finance position in the private sector for his past transgressions but we still vote for him. Unbelieveable. Really unbelievable.
Reiterating my first point here about getting the smaller parties into the balance of power. Failing that we’ve already outsourced much of our foreign and economic policy to the US so they may be a better “strategic fit” than the UK - maybe we could suggest joint custody?
The cases you’ve talked about, the racism I hear from time to time in public and from certain people in work, the sheer acceptance of corruption in business and politics makes me sick of this place. I bought the Gama DVD from the Socialist Party a couple of months ago (might have mentioned this before) and watching it and thinking about the Irish Ferries issue and all the other abuses of the underprivileged by the privileged and I get fucking enraged. A joke of a health system, the biggest gap between the rich and the poor in any developed country outside the US and we bleat on and on about never having it so good…
I may also have made this point before but even look at Britain for an example. We have the utter dross that is the Labour Party at the moment. Watered down in pursuit of power and the middle ground and it’s shameful. Yet you still get dissident voices in parliament. Galloway had to leave the party but high profile politicians like Tony Benn, Robin Cook etc. standing up for themselves in parliament and voting against their party. That never happens in the Dil to our eternal shame.
Concluding with Robin Cook’s resignation speech in two parts because I feel like it:
I remember watching that Robin Cook video on YouTube last year when he died. It’s a fantastic speech and pretty much every single thing he said has come to fruition. You can see how emotional he is and I think it’s Frank Dobson beside him clasping his arm at the end of the speech, another former front bencher who wasn’t afraid to speak his mind on the Iraq issue. You’re absolutely correct - can you imagine anyone in FF having the balls to stand up in the Dail and disagree with the Government on a point of principle?!
I was looking at the Wexford constituency there in the local paper (I think I mentioned before that in 2002 I voted for an Independent candidate, Dr Liam Twomey, who shortly afterwards joined FG, the fook! I was like you mentioned, trying to give the balance of power to the smaller parties and the Independents given my disillusionment with what was going on in the country) and it’s tough trying to figure out what’s best to do this time also. I’d lean towards Brendan Howlin/Labour only for the fact I’m concerned about the Rabbitte/Kenny agreement. I would rather the current incumbents remained in power than there being a FG/Labour coalition with maybe Graham ‘Sure why not?’ Geraghty as Minister for Sport, Culture and Tourism and Dr Liam Twomey being Minister for Health because he’s, you know, a doctor like! I don’t think a FG/Labour/Green (rainbow coalition) will get enough support but a FF/Labour/Green definitely would. I think there are a few really competent people in FF (as opposed to the shambles that is FG) like Brian Cowen, who’s a really smart fooker, and the combination of FF relying on Labour/Greens would ensure more social inclusion in the country and a good diversity within cabinet.
Given this I think the best possible outcome (that has any remote chance of happening) would be a FF/Labour/Green coalition without Rabbitte, like you mentioned above. It would be excellent to get that dangerous bastard McDowell away from the decision making table and Labour and the Greens, depending on how many seats they get and how much pressure they can bring to bear on FF, can hopefully get a few porfolios between them, bring about change in these areas but also keep FF in check generally and play devil’s advocate on every single major decision being taken by the government.
That said I think Labour’s biggest mistake which might prevent the likes of me voting for them is publicly getting into bed with FG.
But like before the Irish public just doesn’t seem to give a shit!
What hope have we got when we turn a blind eye to all this institutionalised corruption and incompetence yet go mental when RTE try to change their weather presenters for younger, sexier models!
Evelyn Cusack and Gerry Fleming must fooking stay!
It’s great to see the government have their priorities in order. I can’t believe they’re pandering to publicans who are upset about mandatory breath testing. Get taxis home you big boggers.
From RTE:
Govt to consider rural pub measures
Minister for Community, Rural, and Gaeltacht Affairs amon Cuv has indicated that the Government is to introduce measures before the general election to counter the demise of rural pubs.
Many publicans in rural areas have indicated that their livelihoods are under threat because of inadequate alternative transport provisions for customers in the wake of the introduction of random breath testing.
Mr Cuv told TG4 last night that the Government has been studying the issue of transport to and from rural pubs in this context.
He said that a solution may involve extending the hours of existing rural transport schemes around the country. He said his Department and the Department of Transport are holding talks on the issue at the moment.
Mr Cuv said that while the decision rests with Minister Martin Cullen, the Government would introduce provisions before the election.
The chairman of the Road Safety Authority has said he has complete sympathy with the plight of rural drinkers in very remote areas, but that people need to come to terms with stricter drink driving laws.
Speaking on RT Radio, Gay Byrne said people needed to amend their ways of life.
I think it’s amazing how much air time these anti random breath testing campaigners are getting. It’s suddenly acceptable to complain about how harsh the law is on people living down the country. And it is tougher to get home from a pub down the country but that’s one of the facts of life about living in the country.
Having said all that I’ve no problem with them extending public transport initiatives - I think they should be far more widespread and comprehensive.
The publicans had it too good for years. Ripping people off and not giving a shit how they got home. If rural publicans want people to drink in their pubs they now going to have to provide a way home for them, fook them, they made a fortune on our backs for years.
Agree with Jack on that one. Publicans seem to think the world owes them a living. They give the designated driver 2 minerals around Christmas and think they are great lads. A mineral costs them about 40 cents to buy. First they were moaning about the smoking ban, now its drink driving. They are just missing the point that people aren’t drinking as much in pubs cos they are sick of being ripped off.