Michael McDowell Retires from public life

Seth Brundle

Wishbone Ash wrote:

They will be able to travel to Leinster house on a scooter.

She is already n her way...

Trotter wrote:

So.. who can do a better job than him in Justice??

Is there an obvious FF'er who can take on the crime lords?

Martin Cullen.
He was crap in environment and transport so maybe third time lucky?

nesf

chump wrote:

People have lost the plot if that can't see that it is important to have people like McDowell in politics.

I couldn't agree more. I'm not at all surprised by the reaction on this thread but it says a lot more about certain posters than it does about McDowell in my honest opinion.

Trotter

kbannon wrote:

Martin Cullen.
He was crap in environment and transport so maybe third time lucky?

I didnt say he was any good as a minister or not, I just said he'd got a serious vote, and a possible 2 extra TDs with him.

AidoCQS

BigTommyBomb wrote:

Thats the problem with politics. Its a popularity contest. People with vision need not apply and the country is poorer for it. Its all about voting for the man that will get the potholes done at the end of the road rather than looking at the overall national picture.

I would agree with that, I dont want to get into it again, but for me the defining issue in this election is whether FF has a mandate to give away public lands and taxes to promote the further privatization of the health service. Now would you say hoe many people voted...

Because he/she lives up the road...
Because my people have always voted (Party name here)...
Because he/she looks cute...

And how many people voted on specific issues? I wonder if this system is designed to cope with the challenges ahead

jos28

"Originally Posted by Trotter
So.. who can do a better job than him in Justice??

Is there an obvious FF'er who can take on the crime lords?"

The way things are lining up at the moment, I bet Tony Gregory is writing his shopping list as we speak. I would give the Justice portfolio to him. I reckon he would sort out the Crime lords.

bright

BigTommyBomb wrote:

Thats the problem with politics. Its a popularity contest. People with vision need not apply and the country is poorer for it. Its all about voting for the man that will get the potholes done at the end of the road rather than looking at the overall national picture.

well said, i couldn't agree more. while I was admittedly a big mcDowell fan, i still feel that the loss of higgins at the other end of the spectrum was a loss too.a loss for a democratic sysytem of proportional representation that actually works

Wishbone Ash

bright wrote:

i still feel that the loss of higgins at the other end of the spectrum was a loss too.

Hear, hear. I'll miss his wit and turn of phrase in the Dáil.

Seth Brundle

Trotter wrote:

I didnt say he was any good as a minister or not, I just said he'd got a serious vote, and a possible 2 extra TDs with him.

I didn't suggest that you said anything. I just answered your question!

MisterAnarchy

jos28 wrote:

"Originally Posted by Trotter
So.. who can do a better job than him in Justice??

Is there an obvious FF'er who can take on the crime lords?"

The way things are lining up at the moment, I bet Tony Gregory is writing his shopping list as we speak. I would give the Justice portfolio to him. I reckon he would sort out the Crime lords.

Gregory is a great politician.
I doubt he'd bed in with FF though .
He gave a great speech at the budget in Dec.
I like his enthuaism,honesty and ideas.

simu

I'm not a big PD fan but politics will be more boring without him.

Trotter

kbannon wrote:

I didn't suggest that you said anything. I just answered your question!

I actually think he's doing a decent job on transport overall in the country. I do see the problems that are in Dublin, and they need a lot of work. Cullen is not as bad as people say. Electronic Voting was well underway when he arrived in the job and he's started a lot of transport projects in the time he's been in transport.

I think he's getting no favours from planning interests in Dublin and with a little time, the problems there will start to diminish. I dont underestimate the scale of the problem in Dublin but Cullen inherited a right mess.

There's been a witch hunt against Cullen since he came across from the PDs and stepped on the toes of a lot of FFers when jumping over them on the ladder to junior ministry and ministers jobs.

jos28

MisterAnarchy wrote:

Gregory is a great politician.
I doubt he'd bed in with FF though .
He gave a great speech at the budget in Dec.
I like his enthuaism,honesty and ideas.

There IS a Gregory deal ahead. He is due another one after 25 years. I can feel it in me waters. !

McSpud

McDowell will be a lose to the Dail just like Joe Higgins on the other side.

solas

Trotter wrote:

So.. who can do a better job than him in Justice??

Gerry Adams

Raiser

My skin finally stopped crawling earlier tonight when IT made ITS announcement, it was a strange sensation - that of eventually not having ones hide sit askew on the spine after so many years of protracted suffering.

- In hindsight, Hitler bequeathed the VW Beetle, what positive token does McDowell leave as he exits in ignomy ?

thebaz

i'm sure a lot of boards users will be sad to see McDowell go, his outlook on crime, republicanism, organised crime seemed a lot less extreme than many here possess -- but he was a man everyone publicly loved to hate -- but i'd say secretly admired -- not popular to admit to -- i wouldn't mind him as my brief

eoghan.geraghty

thebaz wrote:

i'm sure a lot of boards users will be sad to see McDowell go, his outlook on crime, republicanism, organised crime seemed a lot less extreme than many here possess -- but he was a man everyone publicly loved to hate -- but i'd say secretly admired -- not popular to admit to -- i wouldn't mind him as my brief

Can't see him getting a warm welcome back to the bar:p

Buceph

McSpud wrote:

McDowell will be a lose to the Dail just like Joe Higgins on the other side.

There's a level of truth in that, but Higgins was never in a position of power. McDowell as a strong voice would have been fine, but certainly not with the ability to put his ideas in action.

Civilian_Target

Mc Dowell was superb
But he was a poor politician. He lacked tact, he was an easy target for the media, they painted him as evil and destroyed him. He had some fanstastic ideas: he pushed café bars and he stood up to the IRA. He was honest, wholly uncorrupt and moralistic. And his defeat proves you can't afford to be any of them in Irish Politics. I agree with Nesf.

Higgins was also a superb voice, but someone had to make way for Varadkar. Its a shame it was him, but his voter base had mostly moved on...

Seth Brundle

Civilian_Target wrote:

he was an easy target for the media, they painted him as evil and destroyed him.

Like Frank Connolly!

Civilian_Target wrote:

he stood up to the IRA.

how?

Corben Dallas

Good Riddance Michael 'Mullah' McDowell. THE worst Minister of Justice this country has ever had. The most arrogant self serving TD ever to darken the Dail.

Guess nobody really liked yur constant Shinners bashing after all? Leaked one too many Dept of Justice tribunal papers to 'approved' Journalists? Abused one too many legal privileges to suit yur own personal political ambitions?

Guess can can finally start yur own National Socialist Party now.

Achtung Baby!

LOL

Lazare

A sad day for Irish politics.

DublinWriter

MisterAnarchy wrote:

Gregory is a great politician.
I doubt he'd bed in with FF though .

People have such short memories!

keystone

daveirl wrote:

This post has been deleted.

Interest Rate rises have a minimal effect on the markey. When the next Govt is in and the Stamp Duty crap is put to bed finally, you will see the market bounce back and rise steadily.

And I would not put McDowell and vision in the same sentence however I will admit you either love him or hate him.

Wishbone Ash

alanceltic wrote:

A sad day to see the rotweiler go!!! he wasnt perfect but had a spine!

'Spine' - this was the man who would hold a press conference rather than pick up the phone to the Taoiseach! I won't miss his constant appetite for publicity.

Akrasia

Your Man wrote:

id say willy o dea could get a promotion up to justice, especially after his performance in limerick..him or dermot ahern.
As for the pds id say its the end....(hopefully). mary harney will join FF

I dunno if Willie o Dea would be sacrificed like that. He's too big of a vote getter in Limerick.
If he was Minister of Justice the pressure on him to resolve the gang situation in limerick would be enormous and without proper joined up thinking in government regarding social inclusion, poverty reduction, drug rehabilitation and improved social housing as well as better policing, I can't see him making much of a difference.

Seth Brundle

hurdehur wrote:

He decided to land the new prison in the middle of one of the nicest areas of north county Dublin with no regard for the local residents.

He gave even less thought about the taxpayer then!

hurdehur wrote:

Meanwhile, he had no qualms about helping stop an incinerator in his own constituency.

He may have wanted the incinerator stopped but AFAIK he did sweet FA to stop it!

Akrasia

BigTommyBomb wrote:

Thats the problem with politics. Its a popularity contest. People with vision need not apply and the country is poorer for it. Its all about voting for the man that will get the potholes done at the end of the road rather than looking at the overall national picture.

It is and it isn't. Policies and promises come into it as well.

Nobody can deny that Joe Higgins was a very popular politician, but he was defeated because people tried to use their vote tactically to get rid of the FF/PDs (and others believed all the nonsense auction promises of the other parties and candidates)

McDowell lost partially because nobody likes him, and partially because his policies have been a disaster for the country.

chump

keystone wrote:

Interest Rate rises have a minimal effect on the markey. When the next Govt is in and the Stamp Duty crap is put to bed finally, you will see the market bounce back and rise steadily.

can't let this one lie

I suggest you pop over to the Accomodation and Property forum and air those views with your thorough reasonings.
We'll see how long it takes for them to be shot down

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=38

AidoCQS

Civilian_Target wrote:

Mc Dowell was superb
and he stood up to the IRA. ...

I dont agree, there was not a peek out of him untill the Ira handed up their guns and Sinn Feinn were being courted by FF as a possible successor to the PD's