John McGuinness on the Late Late

CorkFenian

IMO Fianna Fail can't have it both ways..How many times have some of their ministers given impression that they're in opposition..O'Dea, Dempsey,Aherne..Sickening..These front line guys and back benchers had no problems in taking the plaudits for years up to last year...For the back benchers to say that they're in touch with feeling on the ground is really a way of suiting themselves...Far from being a fan of Cowen or FF.But McGuinness should lose the party whip over going on Late Late Show IMO...Anyone remember the hospital consultant being forced not to appear last year??

who_ru

McGuiness may have an axe to grind but he has rightly exposed Coughlin and the senior civil servants for what they are - an obstacle to recovery and the new economy.

his point about dell was spot on- why did coughlin and o' dea go on a pr stunt at the last minute to michael dell to save the limerick jobs when everyone it was all too late. that was merely pandering to the cameras. nothing more.

coughlin is not the only one. cullen should have resigned years ago over the scandal that was the e voting joke. but of course cullen puts cullen first and never the country.

i believe that this is the beginning of the end for cowan and this administration. it's clear as water they have lost the people's confidence - frustration is everywhere - Aheren & Cowan poured petrol all over the fire that was the property market when this policy lead to us becoming the most uncompetitive economy in the EU. we are now the benchmark for basket economies.

speaking of benchmarking - ahern & cowan were totally responsible for this lunatic economic policy of rewarding public servant with vast pay increases for no productivity increases whatsoever, thereby further eroding our dwindling competitiveness and increasing costs for us as a country. why did they do this? to guarantee FF support across the public sector & trade union movement. this has pushed us to the brink of bankruptcy - this is why we have 11% unemployent and more than likely 15% unemployment next year. FF putting FF before the country and economy.

irish_bob

ccmac98 wrote: »

nothing wrong with trying to abolish over 70s medical cards...they only came in in 2002 anyway....why should wealthy people over 70 get free medication while younger people who are struggling to get by ,have to fork out for it.

when it comes to sacred cows in this country ( and we have a lot of them ) , the over 70,s are top of the league

irish_bob

ccmac98 wrote: »

nothing wrong with trying to abolish over 70s medical cards...they only came in in 2002 anyway....why should wealthy people over 70 get free medication while younger people who are struggling to get by ,have to fork out for it.

when it comes to sacred cows in this country ( and we have a lot of them ) , the over 70,s are top of the league

considering the over 70,s are amongst if not thee wealthiest demographic , its extrordinary how much they are pampered

Our man in Havana

The over 70's are FF's core support.

irish_bob

Bond-007 wrote: »

The over 70's are FF's core support.

touche

JonathanAnon

is_that_so wrote: »

Why would he? One can have passion and remain within a party.

I agree with you to a point. You can certainly disagree with party decisions and still be within the party. But I think coming out on the national airwaves and basically saying that the second in command is incompetent is going too far.

I agree with him and the other posters here about the Dell "last minute" critical talks. Did none of the Poles who were going home on holidays not notice the billion square foot factory with the DELL sign outside it and tell the people here? And believing what Michael Dell says - how naive are these people? Business people in the real world always make politicians look like idiots, and the banks will do the same if they havent already.

Just going to look up the papers , was there anything about this interview in the broadsheets today?

The Raven.

JonathanAnon wrote: »

You can certainly disagree with party decisions and still be within the party. But I think coming out on the national airwaves and basically saying that the second in command is incompetent is going too far.

‘Going too far’ in whose eyes? He only stated the obvious: the ‘second in command’ is incompetent, and should not be in that job. No one with a modicum of intelligence could deny that fact!

People are regularly complaining, and rightly so, that the media are not doing their job in terms of highlighting the facts, and pandering to the whims of Fianna Fail. I found it refreshing to hear a Fianna Fail TD openly discussing the flaws of the party, for whatever reason. Fair play to him! Loyalty is a two-way thing. He should leave that party now. It’s a sinking ship anyway.

Earlier Mr McGuinness said he had been told by colleagues in Leinster House that Ms Coughlan had given Mr Cowen an ultimatum to drop him or she would resign herself.

“She made it quite clear that she would consider her position if I was brought back to that or some other ministerial capacity,” Mr McGuinness told The Irish Times.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0425/breaking5.htm

This doesn’t surprise me either. If this is true, Cowen should have called her bluff. Why on earth does he want her there in the first place?

dustbabe

ccmac98 wrote: »

nothing wrong with trying to abolish over 70s medical cards...they only came in in 2002 anyway....why should wealthy people over 70 get free medication while younger people who are struggling to get by ,have to fork out for it.

The card fro the over 70s should have been left intact!!
Why? Did any one hear Charles normand, economics prof on morning ireland the following day? Most of those on high incomes never use the card anyway, but its true benefit is that patients who have always paid for medical care like my dad or me in the future, will not attend the dr because of cost when they are ill. The result is that patients attend later with cancers etc... sounds mean, but if they are only on the old age pension they have nothin else. Not every pensioner has a big pension. The cost of treating patients in their later years is much lower as we throw less at them in the line of treatnment, unlike a 40 yr old with breast cancer.
There is no economist in the dept of health or in government, go figure!!
Had they run their figures, they would have realised tehre was no benefit to means testing the card, and they would not have lost so much credibility with the population.

I am a nurse, and doing masters inthis at the moment.

anyone who know economics will know this. and as someone else pointed out, so what if the high court judge uses it, he paid enough bloody tax if he is 75 at this stage, get my drift?

Wishbone Ash

JonathanAnon wrote: »

I think it is the proverbial "Elephant In The Room" that she is not capable

100% agree. Biffo knows it but may try to hold out for a convienient reshuffle in a year or so to try to save face.

ccmac98 wrote: »

a heckler asked her of she knew the difference between a cow and a hefer....she declined to answer.....

I'd be one of the last to defend her but, in fairness, why would any politician respond to a heckler? She would only lower herself and give the heckler 'credibility'.

Darragh29 wrote: »

Nothing p*sses me off more than someone who will talk the talk but won't walk the walk. Why on earth would you stay in an organisation that you feel is badly run, badly led and basically utterly incapable???

It very possible to be dismayed about the leadership of an organisation but feel a strong alliegence to the organisation itself. I don't particularly like the owner of my local pub but I like the pub and continue to drink there.

Archimedes wrote: »

John McGuinness is the most ignorant man Ive ever had the displeasure of sharing a room with

He makes my flesh creep as does the junior Health minister - John Maloney. Yuck!!

CorkFenian wrote: »

IMO Fianna Fail can't have it both ways..How many times have some of their ministers given impression that they're in opposition..O'Dea, Dempsey,Aherne..Sickening

Yes,. Remember Dillie O'Wee at a taxi driver's meeting in Limerick encouraging them to "keep pushing lads" against reforms instigated by his own government!

Gambler

I know this may not be a very popular opinion but if an over 70 is "rich" then it implies that they have probably been in the higher tax rates during their working life. That means that at times over the last 70 years up to 50% of their income has gone into the government and they probably didn't take an awful lot back out in social welfare etc.

In that case have they not earned the right to be taken care of later in life if needed? Have they not more than paid their dues and at this stage more than paid for their health care later in life?

zootroid

I don't like McGuinness one bit. Doesn't strike me as being particularly bright, always says a lot without actually saying anything at all. I think his "outspoken" views are just to garner support locally. As someone pointed out, he just talked about the problems without any solutions, in fact I think he has a tallent for stating the obvious. He is right about Coughlan though.

galwayrush

kbannon wrote: »

.

What talent has Mary C (apart from putting her foot in it)?

Maybe she's able to last the pace with Cowan on a drinking binge?
Can't think of anything else.:rolleyes:

elshambo

Bond-007 wrote: »

The over 70's are FF's core support.

when the people who vote FF because "my daddy fought with his daddy's daddy against his daddy" die (as they will without the medical card)

Who is going to be their core voter?

OR Maybe thats why they tried to take away the medical cards
"the longer you stay i hospital, the longer you stay in hospital"

keeping alive their core support by keeping them away from medical "care":rolleyes:

leninbenjamin

dustbabe wrote: »

cost of treating patients in their later years is much lower as we throw less at them in the line of treatnment, unlike a 40 yr old with breast cancer.

Where does this stat come from? Everything i've learned from my studies in welfare economics suggests otherwise. Older people spend much more time in the sytem than a younger person, take longer to cure and are much more likely to develop secondaries. Surely that means they cost more?

MikeC101

leninbenjamin wrote: »

Where does this stat come from? Everything i've learned from my studies in welfare economics suggests otherwise. Older people spend much more time in the sytem than a younger person, take longer to cure and are much more likely to develop secondaries. Surely that means they cost more?

Don't a lot of treatments / procedures undertaken depend on the likely quality and increased length of life they will give a patient?

Eg, an elderly patient might not be given expensive invasive surgery due to dangers of the operation, high chance of dying on the operating table, and instead prescribed a lower risk / cost treatment, that may not be as effective.
Whereas a younger person, who would have a higher chance of surviving / going on to live a full life might be?

Other than that though I can't think of any reason why it would be cheaper to treat an elderly person - unless loss of earnings / economic value is factored in too?

Carlow52

JonathanAnon wrote: »

I think it is the proverbial "Elephant In The Room" that she is not capable. Very strange choice as second in command I thought. Jumped a lot of good people to get it.

Flat or hurdles:)

dresden8

McGuinness in Sunday Business Post today, he's FF and will vote with the government.

So, their incompetent, they can't do the job, they're bad for business, but he'll support them every step of the way.

WTF?!!!!

johnnyc

i just cant wait for the 2012 general election there will be alot of fianna failers pensioners about.....

John McGuinness is right though about a number of things such as social partnership it should be scrapped tomorrow

juuge

dresden8 wrote: »

So, their incompetent, they can't do the job, they're bad for business, but he'll support them every step of the way.

WTF?!!!!

Mary O'Rourke, 'little willie' O'Dea and 'crawler' little dick roche have all admitted recently that the party (Fianna Fail) comes first. - Say no more.