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Predictions for Cabinet reshuffle

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13

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    #62
    ninty9er
    Registered Users Posts: 9,366 ✭✭✭ninty9er


    ArthurDent wrote: »
    hopefully - bye bye Mary - don't let the door hit you on the @rse on the way out
    ArthurDent wrote: »
    hopefully - bye bye Mary - don't let the door hit you on the @rse on the way out

    The promotion of Barry Andrews to Superjunior Minister for Children would seem to suggest this is on the cards. There's no love lost between Mary and Cowen, I do like her though.

    Tough Politicians (Harney being a prime example) are rarely popular, but history judges them in a different light;)

    Hanafin is popular amongst the grassroots though.


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    #63
    ArthurDent
    Closed Accounts Posts: 915 ✭✭✭ArthurDent


    ninty9er wrote: »
    The promotion of Barry Andrews to Superjunior Minister for Children would seem to suggest this is on the cards. There's no love lost between Mary and Cowen, I do like her though.

    Tough Politicians (Harney being a prime example) are rarely popular, but history judges them in a different light;)

    Hanafin is popular amongst the grassroots though.

    yeah not so popular with parents and others trying to give kids the schools they deserve though....


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    #64
    trishasaffron
    Registered Users Posts: 922 ✭✭✭trishasaffron


    I can't say I've ever been v impressed with her performances and now she's tanaiste and Min ET&E. Can anyone (outside Donegal) explain what her capabilities are?


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    #65
    Buffygirl
    Registered Users Posts: 3 ✭Buffygirl


    No can't say either tbh. I am so surprised at her appointment. She's just incredibly bizzare as a choice that I'm dumbfounded. I would have thought that Martin would have bagged that but certainly not her.


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    #66
    nhughes100
    Closed Accounts Posts: 845 ✭✭✭nhughes100


    ninty9er wrote: »
    Yes...yes indeed there is. I believe Conor Lenihan will be directing that conversation at Mary Coughlan.

    Anyone with an ounce of sense would have known to keep their mouth shut, something Conor and FF in general aren't quite so good at. Was Conor given the gift of clairvoyance? Seriously 99r why are u defending this idiot, he can only do your party damage.

    Few surprises allright, Hanafin did not look happy up in the Aras getting her seal, very limp handshake and we get the first lie of the Cowan era - New chief whip states that Hanafin was not demoted but a sideways move. Yeah the dole is much more important then kids in rat infested portacabins.

    Didn't expect Lenihan to go to Finance as he's only in the door with Justice. Boy did Micheal Martin land on his feet, everyone thought he'd get Finance but he gets the handy foreign afairs portfolio.

    Big jump for Batt O'Keefe, apparantly he did great work in the national drugs strategy - news to me. I've worked in education for 10 years and been through several ministers, not very much has changed for the better.

    As for Harney, Cowan should have fired her, he doesn't need the PD's(all two of them) so get her out of there. Unless of course he doesn't want FF getting the flack for the crappy health service.

    So odd to see Cowan smiling so much yesterday, I bet his jaws hurt today.


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    #67
    dodgyme
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,581 ✭✭✭dodgyme


    DaveMcG wrote: »
    Also surprised to see Mary Coughlan become Tánaiste. .

    very strange alright. :rolleyes:


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    #68
    trishasaffron
    Registered Users Posts: 922 ✭✭✭trishasaffron


    Boy did Micheal Martin land on his feet, everyone thought he'd get Finance but he gets the handy foreign afairs portfolio.



    I wouldn't think MM is happy at all. Unless a Minister has done Finance he won't be leader - this was probably MM's best chance to advance and while FA might be a nice job it is not seen as a stepping stone to taoiseach so I'd say Martin is gutted.


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    #69
    nhughes100
    Closed Accounts Posts: 845 ✭✭✭nhughes100


    Yeah but I'd say in the current climate he's happy enough to be in FA. The way Lenihan is being promoted I'd say Michael has given up the idea of being Taoiseach for a while yet.


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    #70
    DeirdreD
    Closed Accounts Posts: 44 ✭DeirdreD


    Buffygirl wrote: »
    No can't say either tbh. I am so surprised at her appointment. She's just incredibly bizzare as a choice that I'm dumbfounded. I would have thought that Martin would have bagged that but certainly not her.

    Yeah coughlan in charge of trade and enterprise, how ironic, esp when in agriculture she oversaw the ending of the sugar and beet industry in Ireland which now leaves us more dependednt on other countries than ever before for food...... cant wait to see teh mess she makes now!


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    #71
    ninty9er
    Registered Users Posts: 9,366 ✭✭✭ninty9er


    nhughes100 wrote: »
    As for Harney, Cowan should have fired her, he doesn't need the PD's(all two of them) so get her out of there. Unless of course he doesn't want FF getting the flack for the crappy health service.

    Harney is probably the best minister for health this country will ever see. If there were 300,000 people living in Castlebar I'd have no problem with it being a centre of excellence, but it's a sleepy little county town in the west. Irish people need to get over this irrational belief that for the peanuts they pay in tax they are entitled to the best of everything within 5 minutes walk from their home.

    History will judge Mary Harney very well and I'd hate to see any u-turns in health to stop us getting to a point where we have a health service to rival Cuba.


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    #72
    oscarBravo
    Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 28,804 Mod ✭✭✭✭oscarBravo


    ninty9er wrote: »
    If there were 300,000 people living in Castlebar I'd have no problem with it being a centre of excellence, but it's a sleepy little county town in the west. Irish people need to get over this irrational belief that for the peanuts they pay in tax they are entitled to the best of everything within 5 minutes walk from their home.
    How about decent healthcare within an hour's drive, on half-decent roads? I don't think the good people of Letterkenny would consider a drive to Galway for cancer care a "5 minute walk".


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    #73
    Mr.Micro
    Registered Users Posts: 5,336 ✭✭✭Mr.Micro


    Mary Harney probably has the most difficult job of all the Ministeries, and sacking her would have made a difficult transition period for the Health service even more difficult. Local cancer treatment centres are not viable in Ireland because they cannot be funded or staffed by expertise so why drain the health budget ? Centres of excellence are the best way forward and the only way forward for the limited budget and available cancer experts in Ireland, so Cowan made the right decision to keep Mary IMO.


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    #74
    nhughes100
    Closed Accounts Posts: 845 ✭✭✭nhughes100


    I know a guy who broke his leg, he went 5 mins down the road to the sleepy little county town of Mullingar and was told to go to the other sleepy little town of Tullamore as they don't deal with leg breaks in Mullingar - Too sleepy. Now Mullingar to Tullamore ain't a bad drive on a good day but it's a long fkn way with a broken leg and would be longer driving from Letterkenny to Galway and back again after chemotherapy.

    I think 99r should change that line to read" Mary Harney is probably the best health minister to happen to Fianna Fail" As for your peanuts in tax comment......


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    #75
    dodgyme
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,581 ✭✭✭dodgyme


    ninty9er wrote: »
    Harney is probably the best minister for health this country will ever see. ..

    I think it is a tough job she has but this is Ireland and we can hardly trust a government willing to take away a service to provide an apparent better quality of care in the future some where else. The whole idea of private hospitals mushrooming around the place adds to this scepticism on the part of the electorate. On the same note reform do take people who have balls and Mary Harney has these alright.
    ninty9er wrote: »
    Castlebar ..but it's a sleepy little county town in the west..
    You dont know castlebar very well then. It is the county town serving the 3rd largest county in ireland. And it is not a sleepy little country town. It holds all the administrative offices for the county and even has a 3rd level institute (hardly a sleepy country town). You need to get out more.
    ninty9er wrote: »
    Irish people need to get over this irrational belief that for the peanuts they pay in tax they are entitled to the best of everything within 5 minutes walk from their home...
    Again your making your points in the most inflexible way. The irish have some of the highest sealth taxes in the western world and this helps the cloud out of which we have lower PAYE rates. I have done some work in the gov sector and it is vastly inefficient which is kind of why we need people like Mary Harney able to make tough decisions. Whether you argree with the decisions is another matter.


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    #76
    The_Minister
    Registered Users Posts: 10,255 ✭✭✭✭The_Minister


    dodgyme wrote: »
    very strange alright. :rolleyes:
    Buffygirl wrote: »
    No can't say either tbh. I am so surprised at her appointment. She's just incredibly bizzare as a choice that I'm dumbfounded. I would have thought that Martin would have bagged that but certainly not her.
    trishasaffron wrote: »
    I can't say I've ever been v impressed with her performances and now she's tanaiste and Min ET&E. Can anyone (outside Donegal) explain what her capabilities are?

    I'm not sure where the surprise is coming from.
    1. She is a country girl, which would appeal to Cowen.
    2. She is a consistant Dail performer, and good public speaker.
    3. She has handled every ministry adroitly, and has been a keen negotiator.
    The Phoainix did a profile on her a while ago, if you look at her record in its entirity, its very good.


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    #77
    The_Minister
    Registered Users Posts: 10,255 ✭✭✭✭The_Minister


    dodgyme wrote: »
    Again your making your points in the most inflexible way. The irish have some of the highest sealth taxes in the western world and this helps the cloud out of which we have lower PAYE rates.
    Please don't use the word "stealth taxes" its just opposition spin. It was a term coined by the Conservative party in 1998.
    Every country in the world has these in one form or another (VAT, Lotto etc), and even taking account of them we still have a lower tax burden then other countries.
    oscarBravo wrote: »
    How about decent healthcare within an hour's drive, on half-decent roads? I don't think the good people of Letterkenny would consider a drive to Galway for cancer care a "5 minute walk".

    This isn't a thread on healthcare, but surely you agree that it is better to trael an hour for treatment to a place which has an estimated 20% better cure rate, raher than travel for 5 minutes. as Harney says "you'll take longer to get there, but you will get better treatment once you get there".
    I'd opt for the better survival rates.


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    #78
    fly_agaric
    Registered Users Posts: 4,921 ✭✭✭fly_agaric


    Mr.Micro wrote: »
    Mary Harney probably has the most difficult job of all the Ministeries, and sacking her would have made a difficult transition period for the Health service even more difficult.

    And far more importantly (IMHO), a FF goldenboy/girl might have been left with the mess. Harney (& the PDs?) (again IMHO) have a use for FF as a lightning rod for any anger over the heath-service.


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    #79
    WoollyRedHat
    Registered Users Posts: 10,462 ✭✭✭✭WoollyRedHat


    ninty9er wrote: »
    Harney is probably the best minister for health this country will ever see. If there were 300,000 people living in Castlebar I'd have no problem with it being a centre of excellence, but it's a sleepy little county town in the west. Irish people need to get over this irrational belief that for the peanuts they pay in tax they are entitled to the best of everything within 5 minutes walk from their home.

    History will judge Mary Harney very well and I'd hate to see any u-turns in health to stop us getting to a point where we have a health service to rival Cuba.

    Really, because I had a feeling all those protestors were secretly shouting for Mary and not against!

    Too many shortcomings in our health system.


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    #80
    trishasaffron
    Registered Users Posts: 922 ✭✭✭trishasaffron


    Brian C took his daddy's seat, Mary Coughlan took her daddy's seat, Brian Lenihan followed his daddy, Mary Hanafin followed her daddy in, Bev has her daddy's seat........eh who have I missed? Oh yeh the new Andrews chap has followed daddy too.


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    #81
    oscarBravo
    Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 28,804 Mod ✭✭✭✭oscarBravo


    The_Minister wrote: »
    This isn't a thread on healthcare, but surely you agree that it is better to trael an hour for treatment to a place which has an estimated 20% better cure rate, raher than travel for 5 minutes. as Harney says "you'll take longer to get there, but you will get better treatment once you get there".
    I'd opt for the better survival rates.
    Me too, but I want to travel by whatever means you're using to get from Letterkenny to Galway in an hour.


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    #82
    The_Minister
    Registered Users Posts: 10,255 ✭✭✭✭The_Minister


    oscarBravo wrote: »
    Me too, but I want to travel by whatever means you're using to get from Letterkenny to Galway in an hour.
    I have to admit I've never made the trip:o

    Can I assume its a lot longer?

    It can't be two long though, if you can go Dublin->North in under 3 hours.


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    #83
    oscarBravo
    Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 28,804 Mod ✭✭✭✭oscarBravo


    The_Minister wrote: »
    Can I assume its a lot longer?
    You can.

    Actually, maybe someone at the HSE should have a look at that map. They don't seem to have when deciding where the centres of excellence should go.


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    #84
    ednwireland
    Registered Users Posts: 14,392 ✭✭✭✭ednwireland


    The_Minister wrote: »
    I have to admit I've never made the trip:o

    Can I assume its a lot longer?

    It can't be two long though, if you can go Dublin->North in under 3 hours.

    its an 45mins from letterkenny to donegal town try getting from inishowen (1.5 hours+) longer from other bits of the county if i remember donegal town to galway took me over three hours last time so the google estimate would be no other traffic on the road

    on another subject no that mary coughlan is tanaiste and minister for trade maybe some of the roads will get fixed and businesses will helped. we are currently getting messed about by the IDA, they really need a good kicking maybe mary coughlan will give it too them

    having been in loais offally this weeked i was amazed at the quality of the roads every village i was in had a big community center so hopefully mary can bring some of that up here.

    i also agree harney should be sacked and think shes the worst thing thats happened to health unfortunately the problem stems back uch further than her reign but i remember is 11 years ago getting great treament for a knee injury much better than anything i got in the uk (having just moved here) i just think its an ideological drive to private health care and no effort iss made to reform public structures because why would you by health insurance if a public system worked ?

    My weather

    https://www.ecowitt.net/home/share?authorize=96CT1F



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    #85
    dodgyme
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,581 ✭✭✭dodgyme


    The_Minister wrote: »
    Please don't use the word "stealth taxes" its just opposition spin. It was a term coined by the Conservative party in 1998...
    I will use what ever term people will understand the quickest to get the point across.
    The_Minister wrote: »
    Every country in the world has these in one form or another...
    That point is completely irrevlevant. It is how these are implemented that is important. The excessive taxes on Debit/Credit cards VRT etc cannot be overlooked in the irish context.
    The_Minister wrote: »
    but surely you agree that it is better to trael an hour for treatment to a place which has an estimated 20% better cure rate, raher than travel for 5 minutes. as Harney says "you'll take longer to get there, but you will get better treatment once you get there".
    I'd opt for the better survival rates.

    If you believe them. With all the scandals in the health services I dont.


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    #86
    dodgyme
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,581 ✭✭✭dodgyme


    The_Minister wrote: »
    I'm not sure where the surprise is coming from.
    1. She is a country girl, which would appeal to Cowen..

    So what. Brian Lenihan represents castleknock so does that work against him?
    the surprise is that there seemed to be other candidates more suited.
    The_Minister wrote: »
    2. She is a consistant Dail performer, and good public speaker.
    .
    The "I am a woman of compassion,.. I dont take threats blah blah" rubbish yesterday was excellent oritory.?


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    #87
    nhughes100
    Closed Accounts Posts: 845 ✭✭✭nhughes100


    This is getting slightly off topic but how the hell is Martin Cullen still there? He'd the look of a dead man walking going up to get his seal of office the other day. I don't know about this geographical spread business, if you're Taoiseach and ultimately responsible for the government then I would think you wouldn't have an incompetant minister just to keep a region happy. Like does Martin Cullen get re-elected just because he's a minister?


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    #88
    guinnessdrinker
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,469 ✭✭✭guinnessdrinker


    oscarBravo wrote: »
    Me too, but I want to travel by whatever means you're using to get from Letterkenny to Galway in an hour.
    The_Minister wrote: »
    Can I assume its a lot longer?

    It can't be two long though, if you can go Dublin->North in under 3 hours.


    Maybe Mary Harney was under the same assumption that it takes an hour to get to each centre of excellence. Unfortunatly not true. Plus the roads are not always the best in parts of North and West Donegal. But yes Dublin to the North is a handy trip of course, the motorway usually helps.

    I don't think anyone can say that Minister for Health is an easy job but I think Cowen should have replaced Harney and given the job to someone else.


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    #89
    El Stuntman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,720 ✭✭✭El Stuntman


    guinnessdrinker wrote: »
    I don't think anyone can say that Minister for Health is an easy job but I think Cowen should have replaced Harney and given the job to someone else.

    who exactly?


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    #90
    guinnessdrinker
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,469 ✭✭✭guinnessdrinker


    Maybe someone like Minister of State, Dr. Jimmy Devins for example could have got promoted. After all, he worked in the health service himself.


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    #91
    El Stuntman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,720 ✭✭✭El Stuntman


    guinnessdrinker wrote: »
    Maybe someone like Minister of State, Dr. Jimmy Devins for example could have got promoted. After all, he worked in the health service himself.

    It would be fairly unprecedented to promote a junior politico to such a senior position. In any case, I don't like the idea of people from 'within the system' becoming Ministers. They come in with ingrained ideas, sympathies and personal relationships.

    I'd far prefer to see capable, analytical, tough-minded people in ministerial roles (unfortunately the kind of people who are attracted to politics generally don't fit this description) - Michael O'Leary springs to mind. He's finishing up at Ryanair in the near future and will need a job - I think he'd be ideal for HSE boss!


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