Prime Time Tonight

Chardee MacDennis

Miriam is a joke, how anyone thinks she can host a debate is ridiculous. she is like a primary school teacher.

Brian Hayes hiding behind her is hilarious "who's in charge here Miriam?". what a tool!

anyway both have some valid points but in fairness I'd listen to O'Dea ahead of Hayes, and he surprisingly comes across better.

Villain

Willie O'Dea is just shouting Hayes down, Miriam has no control at all.

TheVan

Quite frankly, I'm shocked at how bad Brian Hayes is.

In fact, this is turning me against FG.....he seems to be spouting a party line but the party line doesn't seem to have anything original in it.

If Willie O'Dea is kicking your ass in a debate, you know you're in trouble!

Also that crime report annoyed me. The reporter finished by effectively presenting his solution which was just a random sentence full of election speak. He tried to make it sound like no party had seen the obvious.

Villain

Tony Gregory was making a good point that its not all about numbers when it comes to Garda numbers, there is no point having 2000 extra gardai and not having any extra on the streets.

bemmet

Wow ,hayes was awful.
Looks like FG handlers need to hide these people or the electorate might find out the cabinet is bare.

Thought Howlin and bruton were also atrocious last night on prime time.Mind you gormley of the greens did acquit himself well .Seems to have really improved in his point making and considered responses.

Marshy

bemmet wrote:

Mind you gormley of the greens did acquit himself well .Seems to have really improved in his point making and considered responses.

I always thought he was good. The greens have some good speakers IMO. Eamon Ryan is always very composed also.

Jackz

Did Miriam think it was was going to come to slaps, holding on to Willy O' Dea's arm?

Hayes was absolutely brutal!

TheVan

I could be corrected on this but as far as I know the FF/PD government are currently trying to "civilianise" the Gardaí to free Gardaí up for on-the-street patrols.

This coupled with the fact that the 2000 Gardaí target will be reached by year's end seems to have made most of Hayes' arguments redundant.

Not saying that the government have a perfect record on crime, just that FG need to pick their battles.

And not send out Brian Hayes...jesus....

Chardee MacDennis

at the end it was brilliant, O'Dea was saying that they were developing the technology to block and trace these mobiles in prisons, hayes replies with 'you've had ten years to do it' what is he on about?

Villain

Well actually he is correct, that technology has existed for years and is widely available and used in most US jails.

DeepBlue

Call_me_al wrote:

Miriam is a joke, how anyone thinks she can host a debate is ridiculous. she is like a primary school teacher.

Miriam just doesn't seem to have the gravitas needed for the flagship current affairs show. Neither does Mark Little really. The likes of Brian Farrell, John Bowman etc set the standard really.

bemmet wrote:

Wow ,hayes was awful.
Looks like FG handlers need to hide these people or the electorate might find out the cabinet is bare.

Thought Howlin and bruton were also atrocious last night on prime time.

Hayes has been performing poorly anytime he's been on TV during the election campaign. I don't think I'd give him a vote if he was a candidate in my area.

I think you'll find it was Questions and Answers they were on and I couldn't see any sign of this atrociousness of which you speak.
There's a reason why Bruton is put on practically every show by FG - it's because he's a consistently good performer who's well liked by the public. Howlin is usually a good performer on TV as well although he does seem a little ring rusty of late.

Jonny Arson

O'Dea and Hayes were poor, neither of them presented anything definitive that would make you feel confident that either side can tackle crime effectively. Both of them full of sh!te. O'Callaghan should have knocked O'Dea out after his schoolboy ranting. Gregory was the only one came out well after tonight.

ArthurDent

Jonny Arson wrote:

O'Dea and Hayes were poor, neither of them presented anything definitive that would make you feel confident that either side can tackle crime effectively. Both of them full of sh!te. O'Callaghan should have knocked O'Dea out after his schoolboy ranting. Gregory was the only one came out well after tonight.

Agree, thought they were like two bold school boys. BTW is it standard FF policy to mispronounce Fine Gael? It seems to be and tends to drive FG'ers nuts.

Jackz

" O'Callaghan should have knocked O'Dea out after his schoolboy ranting"

Wow!

FG lied about crime figures! I'm suprised they sent a representitive at all! I'm glad they did.

Jonny Arson

Jackz wrote:

" O'Callaghan should have knocked O'Dea out after his schoolboy ranting"

Wow!

FG lied about crime figures! I'm suprised they sent a representitive at all! I'm glad they did.

A FFer criticising someone else over making up lies? I've seen it all now.

delta_bravo

ArthurDent wrote:

Agree, thought they were like two bold school boys. BTW is it standard FF policy to mispronounce Fine Gael? It seems to be and tends to drive FG'ers nuts.

I think its probably to annoy them but the only people ive heard pronouncing it that way are from Limerick and Kerry so maybe its an accent thing.

Jackz

The liars in this election yes! If you believe everything Fg are saying we live in hell on earth. The crime figures lie was blatant scaremongering and we won't be seeing Jim O' Keeffe any time soon. Stick to the plan lads Enda shakes hands Richard Bruton does the talking!

Dave!

Hayes is a candidate in my constituency, but I've never seen him before or heard him speak! FG must have been hiding him until now. I've heard only bad things about him, and people on here have said he's smug, etc., so maybe I had low expectations and that's why I was sort of impressed with him tonight lol

I'm apparantly the only one

Jonny Arson

Jackz wrote:

The liars in this election yes!

In a week where Cowen, Martin and O'Dea have been spouting lies left right and central I find that an absolutely hilarious accusation.

Jackz wrote:

If you believe everything Fg are saying we live in hell on earth.

Oh god, there's nothing more hilarious than a completely deluded Fíanna Failer! So do you believe everything that Fíanna Fail say?

and just for the record, I don't believe everything FG say but regarding overall integrity they piss over FF

Jackz

When did i state that i believe everything FF say?


What lies Jonny "sweeping statement" Arson?

Like Brian Cowan saying the sums don't add up? Fg response: Your Wrong.

Willie O Dea states the FG justice spokesman is misleading the electorate on crime figures. Fg response: O Keeffe disappears makes no more statements and Hayes represents the party on Prime Time in his place.

Micheál Martin says the alternative don't have anything in their plan for government regarding protecting employment, developing skills and research and development. He's right.

I hope in the next 8 days now that Bertie has adequately explained how much the sofa in his front room cost that the electorate will realise the above.

nesf

DeepBlue wrote:

I think you'll find it was Questions and Answers they were on and I couldn't see any sign of this atrociousness of which you speak.
There's a reason why Bruton is put on practically every show by FG - it's because he's a consistently good performer who's well liked by the public. Howlin is usually a good performer on TV as well although he does seem a little ring rusty of late.

Bowman wasn't pulling any punches either which I found highly amusing (improbable... )). Bruton got caught a bit by the whole contract within a contract issue, Howlin was very poor. I thought Bruton and Martin both made good efforts at controlling the debate and trying to pin it down in their territory which was interesting to watch if only from an intellectual perspective. Martin did (I believe) catch Bruton on the issue of him being trotted out constantly to make statements. I agree completely with you above, he is by far in my opinion the best speaker that FG have but it's beginning to look a bit like FG are trying to use him to hide other people from the spotlight. Whether or not they are doing that or simply using their best speaker to be their spokesman is open to debate imho.

Gormley I thought came across well but as was pointed out by Bowman his party is small in the policy debate they won't be arguing from a strong position if they end up in Government. The Irish Times one annoyed me but she's always annoyed me for some reason I can't put my finger on. I found Bruton's comment about anoraks very amusing though, it seemed to upset Bowman a little...

redspider

I watched that debate online afterwards. Well, O'Dea played true to form and I think he was the main culprit in terms of spoiling the debate and shouting in interruptions. Miriam let him get away with too much but did remprimand him quite a bit onceit got out of hand. I thought Deasy's arguments were solid enough. Gregory was himself.

The debate wasn't that useful though overall as it didnt deal with the issues around crime in depth and was an FF v FG shouting match.

Gregory will be elected
O'Dea will be elected
Hayes will also be elected


I would like to see RTE bring in candidates (all of them) from a particular constituency and have a debate, rather than wheel in the 'shoe-ins' and the people that we have already seen on the box time and time again. The more constituencies the better, as that is he choice the people face. Not, O'Dea versus Hayes versus Gregory who are in 3 different constituencies.

redspider

Money Shot

Willie O'Dea has been spouting the same rubbish any time anyone mentions to him that crime could be getting worse. He simply turns into Bertie Ahearn and says 'sure, crime is going up in every other country - you can't expect us to tackle the problem'

This is the essence of why people have gone off Fianna Fail big style. They either 'don't know, don't show or don't care about what goes on in the hood'

From my personal experience, Tony Gregory has done sterling work for the inner city for the best part of two decades now. He would make a wonderful minister for justice, but politics would never allow such an appointment in this country.

raven136

As neither a FF or FG supporter i thought the debate was shocking.Both O Dea and Hayes were dreadful.Hayes hadnt a clue,and when the Fintan O Toole article was brought up he was just full of bluster.Questions and answers wasnt much better.Very poor by all of them

Money Shot

raven136 wrote:

Very poor by all of them

As is their respective response to crime thus far.

I know one thing, Fianna Fail have given us no answers - we need a committed strategy with genuine political will behind it.

I'm not convinced we will get this from FG/Labour either - but as they are the only other option, I suppose they deserve a shot ...