Let's talk about the idea of a Fine Gael/Labour coalition

Riddle101

Now let me get one thing straight. I am in no way advocating that I support Fine Gael/Labour.

I read a lot about how Fianna Fail are really going under right now and i'm thinking, well since everyone seems to have a problem who else can they vote for. Sinn Fein? They still hold this Republican idiology that i find is outdated and the idea of them being in power kind've scares me because they could cause Ireland worse trouble with the mouths. Socialists? Ha, give me a break, they're like the red headed step child of Irish politics, nobody cares about them, they like SF focus mainly on areas that are rather deprived because it's were most of the republican and working class people live so it's easy to manipulate persuade them plus they're communists. Which leads me to the two best candidates that go against FF, Fine Gael and Labour.

Now i know they have flaws, i'm not a fan of Enda Kenny and they're pro Lisbon BUT would they really be any bad then FF. I mean look who we have in government
Mary Harney- Words cannot describe how much i loathe her right now, she is a complete jackass. Sometimes i think the only reason she has held on to her position as Health Minister is because nobody else wants the job because of the bad PR, and since Harney has no PR at all, it's easy for her because she's used to the bad press, not to mention she's a good fall man to take the bullet.

Brian Lenihan- I won't ridicule the guy for the recession because he didn't cause it but what exactly is he good for. To me Lenihan is just a yes man who supports FF no matter what so Cowen proberly thinks it's best to have his closest allies.

Mary Coughlan- She's the Tainiste yet it looks like Harney is the one pulling the ropes. Couglan's not a great speaker and one thing about bad speakers si, is that they are bad at making people feel confident about thing such as the future. When i see Mary talk, i think oh god we're all going to die because she talks like a robot who has been programmed to support FF

But like i'm said, i'm neutral and don't want to come off as biased. Enda Kenny is a jackass as well and also talks like a robot. Also Fianna Fail have managed to see Ireland through it's most prosperous periods, even if we are in a recession now. For some reason I think Bertie was a good Taoiseach. Of course he wasn't the greatest what with Corruptin charges, but i felt Bertie was better organisaed then the clown who's running it now and i think Brian Cowen was better when he was the Minister for Finance.

Anyway I want to hear your thoughts on the matter

DadaKopf

Since the calamitous Mullingar Accord, Labour is keeping its options open. However, with FG lurching to the right and Lab lurching to the left, their policies are diverging so much that I can't see them getting off with each other without losing major public support among voters.

This said (and many forsee a FF/Lab coalition), I can't see a general election announced until the local elections, the EuroParl elections and the Lisbon referendum are done and dusted. This raises the problem of plebicite fatigue, which complicates things tactically. This is a long time in politics, so anything could happen. Certainly, as things are now, a FG/Lab coalition would be extremely unstable. But, as you say, what's the alternative?

The_Minister

Riddle101 wrote: »

Sometimes i think the only reason she has held on to her position as Health Minister is because nobody else wants the job because of the bad PR, and since Harney has no PR at all, it's easy for her because she's used to the bad press, not to mention she's a good fall man to take the bullet.

Her approval ratings used to be over 70%. She had great PR and was well respected.

Then she went to health.

albert-bundy

I would rather have Daniel o donnell that end-run kenny and pat the baker

WexfordMusings

Firstly, lets remember Eamon Gilmores most prophetic words in his address at the conference a couple of weeks ago - We are neither FF nor FG.

Truer words could not be spoken at the moment, with both FF & FG after holding their interviews to select the candidates for election next year - i ask you what is democratic about that. Both of them are advocating cuts, cuts and what else was it, oh yes cuts.

I think the idealogy at the present time differs so much between FG & Labour, it would be hard to see then agreeing. I suppose if you have 2 groups at the negotiating table looking for completly different things, then maybe the middle ground would be agreed, but that may not be right either.

Wih the way Enda is ranting on all the time, I'm getting a bit fed up of him. Lers exclude Pat Rabitte for the moment - he aint the leader of the party - who would you prefer as the next taoiseach - Enda or Eamonn?

As for other capable Labour people we have of course Brendan Howlin, Joan Burton (would be a fantastic Senior Minister) and on the Fg side, I have huge respect for Richard Bruton who i think should be the next leader of FG before the next general election whenever that would be. As to the coalition, i suppose one will happen at the next election, FF will be out, the Greens have turned yellaaa so you have Labour andd FG left...

zootroid

albert-bundy wrote: »

I would rather have Daniel o donnell that end-run kenny and pat the baker

Care to elaborate?

jmayo

The_Minister wrote: »

Her approval ratings used to be over 70%. She had great PR and was well respected.

Then she went to health.

ah yes those were the days she was in Enterprise and over in the States getting her hair done thanks to the taxpayer.
Oh and I nearly forgot her hubby to be chairman at Fás n'est pas ?

Darragh29

Just like Brian Cowen isn't credible as a Taoiseach, Eamon Gilmore is even less credible. Can you really see Eamon Gilmore taking a chainsaw to public sector headcount???

Badabing

You do realise that Joan Burton would be Finance minister in a fg/lab goverment. Be careful what you wish for.

Colonel Sanders

Badabing wrote: »

You do realise that Joan Burton would be Finance minister in a fg/lab goverment. Be careful what you wish for.

Have you told Richard Bruton this?

turgon

Badabing wrote: »

You do realise that Joan Burton would be Finance minister in a fg/lab goverment. Be careful what you wish for.

I think it would be richard bruton.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

The_Minister

turgon wrote: »

I think it would be richard bruton.

I'm not so sure.

In the last FG-Lab coalition, Labour got the position of Minister for Finance. They don't have the same massive number of seats that they had then, but it is unlikely that they would settle for less, since they wouldn't want to be seen as stepping down or being out-bargained.

Tbh, I think Richard Bruton ever being Finance Minister is unlikely at best (but not impossible).

Riddle101

donegalfella wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

The only real way to win in Irish politics is to either A:Get a massive number of votes that outnumber everyone else or B: Go into a Coalition, now i think for the sake of it neither FG or Labour would have chance at getting into position themselves by getting massive numbers of votes, not while FF are in a coalition with Green and to some previsously the PDs. So i think a coalition is the only way they can get into power, unless one of them allies with FF but i don't think that's possible. Then again FF and Greens have dropped in the support polls so is it possible at the moment to secure enough votes to get into power?

Frankie Lee

donegalfella wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Very true.

I think it has been shown on finance policy that the two partys are a long way apart with FG subscribing to the reduction of wages and a focus on competiveness. This policy could lead to deflation.
Labour are subscribing to spending there way out of the recession which could end up bankrupting the country.

Fianna Fail are somewhere in the middle but do seem to be taking good advice from David McWilliams and altough this mess is mostly there doing they seem our best option to manage the economy.

P. Breathnach

Frankie Lee wrote: »

Fianna Fail ... seem our best option to manage the economy.

Words fail me.

Frankie Lee

Its a sad state of affairs but unfortunately there is no viable alternative.

Bottle_of_Smoke

The_Minister wrote: »

I'm not so sure.

In the last FG-Lab coalition, Labour got the position of Minister for Finance. They don't have the same massive number of seats that they had then, but it is unlikely that they would settle for less, since they wouldn't want to be seen as stepping down or being out-bargained.

I think they'd take an alternative. The last coalition was quite a while ago and Richard Bruton is probably the most popular politician in Ireland. Labour would be seen as petty if they forced the issue.

The_Minister

Tbh, I can see them arguing for what they did last time - a rotating Taoiseach- and settling for Min for Finance.