Twill be the mother of all battles!

Sierra Oscar

Hehe i just saw this on RTE

Kenny challenges Ahern to debate on crime

The Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, has challenged the Taoiseach to engage in a public debate on crime before the next General Election.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio's This Week, Mr Kenny said the election will be 'the mother and father of all battles' and one he is looking forward to winning.

He said he was committed to the Fine Gael alliance with Labour and possibly the Green Party, but he ruled out seeking the support of Sinn Féin in government.
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Mr Kenny also said that if Fine Gael is elected to government after the next Election, there would be no increase in personal, corporate or capital tax.

He said Fine Gael would also abolish stamp duty up to €450,000 on second-hand homes for first-time buyers.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0121/finegael.html?rss

Do you think this debate will ever happen, or do you think it is just a farce?

The_Minister

It'll never happen. Berties not a good speaker and he knows it.

partholon

i think endas being quite smart here cause bertie will never do it so he's free to call him a coward. bertie knows the more he opens his mouth on a subject the worse he'll do which is why he's worked so hard to get the 3day working week in the dail (thank you labour for that one! :rolleyes: )

that said i would like to see a live debate by all the leaders of the parties on the major issues. be certainly fun to see how it would turn out without the ceann comhairle butting in everytime it gets juicy

course it'll never happen cause that way too much like a democracy

InFront

Would love to see this debate happen, and I think it will. Although Enda kenny is not as charismatic as the bumbling, shoe-staring Taoiseach, he would wipe the floor with him. Debates cannot be won on PR spin, and Kenny has the intelligence and the wit to beat him around the room on most issues.

I thought it was pretty funny in the 2002 election when speaking about a live debate between Noonan and Ahern, some TD said Ahern should stop being adorned by his party like the Emperor of Japan, and just get on with it! Which he did, and lost - will he do it again? I hope so.

mike65

Such a debate would prove sod all, except what we already know. It would be an entirely bogus show with all the usual failings of the format. Something like two mins per side per question, Miriam with her stopwatch, no chance for direct one-on-one debate. Nah forget it!

Mike.

ballooba

I think we badly need at least 6-7 of these before the GE. 1 a month.

It would allow us to avoid all of the "Who is willing to sleep with me?" type stuff from FF and deal with actual policy.

They should involve all the party leaders (and prominent independents for the laugh, Healy-Rae/Lowry/etc.) not just FG and FF.

Joe Higgins Vs. Mickey McD/Bertie would be hilarious.

fly_agaric

the election will be 'the mother and father of all battles'

Almost exactly what Saddam said bfore Gulf War 1. Oh, Enda!:rolleyes:

balloba wrote:

and deal with actual policy

I doubt that would happen somehow. I think such debates probably wouldn't get too far above the level of a slagging match/point scoring on issues not related to party policies.

Thrill

These debates come and go and never amount to anything other than a chance to score some points over a political rival rather than solve the problem at hand.

A debate between Kenny and Bertie would end up being a slagging match imo.