Green Party candidate makes howler on Pat Kenny this morning

vincenzo1975

RTÉ.ie Media Player: RTÉ Radio 1 (51 minutes, 17 seconds in)

Elizabeth Davidson: The Green Party is looking at renewable energy and industries which...we believe that the recovery for jobs will be green and that that's where our future lies. As you see this morning there's an announcement of a wind farm that's being set up in the west of Ireland to produce jobs. This is...this is...

Pat Kenny: This is a manufacturing plant to build wind turbines

ED: It is, but the whole thrust of the economy in the future will be green, and I think that George is looking back at an old model. After all, Fine Gael talked up the property bubble as well; they wanted to cut stamp duty to keep the prices inflated.We always said in the Green Party that this was crazy. We believe in a sustainable economy and we said, and we were first to say, that it was treason what was happening in the banks. When we're talking about energy, green energy is the way forward. This is what the world wants, this is what the world needs...

PK: Alright but Bord Gais is a company....based on what you're saying, if green is the future, you might as well sell it off now before anyone cops on that it's going to be worth nothing in a few years.

ED: Well, you know, it's a national asset, I don't believe in selling off national assets.

PK: But I mean if green is the future, Bord Gais has no future in selling gas

ED: Well, there's green gas, green natural gas.

Alex White (or George Lee): Sorry?

[Pause]

ED: Natural gas is a green...[long pause]

PK: No, it's a fossil fuel

ED: It's a fossil fuel, but what we're looking at is energy, cheap energy, and that's what it is.

teednab-el

I heard this on the radio this morning. This was absolutely hilarious. I nearly wet myself laughing. It reminded me of something like Mary Coughlan would say. It really says enough about her understanding of green energy to be honest.

vincenzo1975

yep, I reckon it was a clanger alright. She really did sound clueless and unable to compete in the debate.

This seems to happen many times with green supporters, who's aspirations and ideas just are not matched by a decent grounding in current energy generation.

waitingforBB

just listened and it was embarassing for the green candidate.
Typically idealist, but unaware of the facts

paconnors

And shes seeking to be elected, anybody that votes her may aswell give dustin no 2,
remember she also mentioned the wind farm in the west that was creating jobs, they are a company the make wind turbines for wind farms, she hasn't done her homework too well,

teednab-el

paconnors wrote: »

And shes seeking to be elected, anybody that votes her may aswell give dustin no 2,
remember she also mentioned the wind farm in the west that was creating jobs, they are a company the make wind turbines for wind farms, she hasn't done her homework too well,

I couldnt have put it better myself. Two very bad blunders on her behalf. We have enough of muppets in Irish politics already than voting in another one.

briktop

like a fool , i believed the hype at the time and like to think green
i voted for these [EMAIL="w@nkers"]w@nkers[/EMAIL] at the time

but they have turned out to be the biggest turncoats in history
and the dumbest bunch of morons I have ever heard on tv .

hopefull they will be burnt to the ground fairly soon

tossers

mike65

Meanwhile John Gormless has just insulted the electorate by suggesting the latest poll shows we are being irrational.

He will be on Newstalk after 1 pm.

gandalf

Thanks for that link. It shows up the lightweight nature of the Greens tbh. Will enjoy seeing their demise over the next couple of years.

brianthebard

Its true that the greens are pretty poor at campaigning on the issues they are supposed to know best, but I won't delight in their downfall, Ireland still needs a party that puts ecology at the center of their ideology. Unfortunately it seems the greens are not that party.

ismynametoolong

The Greens will jump on the band wagon and try to take credit for anything with the slightest tinge of green , I believe the public will see throught these people and vote them out of all office in the future !

gizmo555

I was listening to this at the time and couldn't believe what I was hearing. What an idiot!

IIMII

Ouch!

Darsad

I really hope the electorate wise up to these green idiots and send them all packing to live under a tree somewhere.

irishgrover

oh god, just listened to it, I'm completely cringing

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

MrJoeSoap

donegalfella wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Fantastic!

We have one of the most ecologically friendly governments, by that reasoning...

Grudaire

waitingforBB wrote: »

just listened and it was embarassing for the green candidate.
Typically idealist, but unaware of the facts

That wasn't idealist, that was just a very poor show. Bush would be proud!

But she's clearly not a good public speaker - very nervous. Bad thing for a candidate.

There seems to be a huge illogical hatred of the Greens on boards - yet again this thread highlights it: "w@nkers" "morons"

Belfast

It reminds me of a candidate running election quite a few years ago.
He said if elected the would get Dublin bus to run on lead free Fuel.
Dublin bus was using diesel at the time.

It always seemed to me that the green party did not have a very firm grasp of he facts.
The seem to have bet the farm on man made global warming to the exclusion of other environmental issues like

The CFL bulbs have mercury in them
Used or Broken CFL Light Bulbs Are Hazardous Waste
watch the video in the link below
http://www.icue.com/portal/site/iCue/flatview/?cuecard=39643

Water quality: contamination of ground water and drinking water. I am not hearing much for the Green party on this one.

Illegal dumping of industrial waste

illegal dumping of domestic rubbish in country roads.

People changed oil and filter in cars at home dumping the oil.

Collapse in population of honey bees

Who Killed the Honey Bee?
"Bees are dying in their millions. It is an ecological crisis that threatens to bring global agriculture to a standstill. Introduced by Martha Kearney, this documentary explores the reasons behind the decline of bee colonies across the globe, investigating what might be at the root of this devastation.

Honey bees are the number one insect pollinator on the planet, responsible for the production of over 90 crops. Apples, berries, cucumbers, nuts, cabbages and even cotton will struggle to be produced if bee colonies continue to decline at the current rate. Empty hives have been reported from as far afield as Taipei and Tennessee. In England, the matter has caused beekeepers to march on parliament to call on the government to fund research into what they say is potentially a bigger threat to humanity than the current financial crisis.

Investigating the problem from a global perspective, the programme makers travel from the farm belt of California to the flatlands of East Anglia to the outback of Australia. They talk to the beekeepers whose livelihoods are threatened by colony collapse disorder, the scientists entrusted with solving the problem, and the Australian beekeepers who are making a fortune replacing the planet's dying bees. They also look at some of the possible reasons for the declining numbers - is it down to a bee plague, pesticides, malnutrition, or is the answer something even more frightening?"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00jzjys

The Silence of the Bees - A Look at Colony Collapse Disorder
http://www.naturalnews.com/022376.html

Frog polulation collapsing workld wide
As Amphibian Populations Collapse Worldwide, Chytrid Fungus Confirmed In Missouri - Post-Dispatch
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x104405

Dying Frogs Sign Of A Biodiversity Crisis
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080812135654.htm



Back yard burning of rubbish.
Burning rubbish at home in the back yard open fire at low temperature produces Dioxins and is a bigger problem that incinerator if run at the correct temperature. ( not sure that would ever happen in Ireland)

Smokeless coal.
A friend of mines mother dump ash form smoke kess coal in the vegetable garden several years ago. It killed every plant there and nothing has grown on that spot since them.

"The report also finds that coal ash disposal sites release toxic chemicals and metals such as arsenic, lead, boron, selenium, cadmium, thallium, and other pollutants at levels that pose risks to human health and the environment."
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/007/coal-ash-pollution-contaminates-groundwater-increases-cancer-risks.html

Where are all the allotments the greens have been talking about?
Only 500 in in Fingal and some of these will not open for another month or 2.
Also none of the allotments are convent to public transport. Drive to the allotment , yes very green.

cycling with garden equipment not very safe.

a bus too bring people who do not have cars to bring gardening equipment to and from allotment I suppose would be too much. I would hate to be arrested for carrying a gardening knife or other sharp implement for gardening on public bus on the way to my allotment.

with all these real problems what does the Green party do.
they spend all their time atlking baout Carbon foot prints and farting cows.

ejmaztec

briktop wrote: »

like a fool , i believed the hype at the time and like to think green
i voted for these w@nkers at the time

but they have turned out to be the biggest turncoats in history
and the dumbest bunch of morons I have ever heard on tv .

hopefull they will be burnt to the ground fairly soon

tossers

Shouldn't they have their own re-cycling bin?

Joey the lips

How do I find this clip it seems to be updated today!

Pedro K

briktop wrote: »

hopefull they will be burnt to the ground fairly soon

tossers

Make some green natural gas out of em.

killy09

Im suprised the other opposition candidates did not put her to the sword on that blunder. Politeness? or they too did not know gas is a fossil fuel?

teednab-el

they should have and rightly so but again they probably know that she has no chance of being elected anyway.

squonk

Well I'll be delighted to see the back of them. They have to be the poorest excuse for a govt. party in a long whiel, and that's a fair feat given who they're in government with. At least you get the impression FF have some grasp of the issues they're talking about.

on a practical level I am not a fan of CFL bulbs for many reason, amongst which I don't think they're very good at producing usable light for a start and then there's the issues surrounding their disposal. i was particularly miffed that Gormless took it upon himself to wheel that CFL only sales policy out without allowing for people to make a choice. I said at the time I would happily pay a levy to allow me to continue to use the existing style bulbs.

Dublin Bus recently sold off a number of around 100 buses and services are being cut. Well done Greens. Now anyone using public transport is receiving further encouragement to get out there and buy a car.

Watching these muppets also make sure they get on camera every time there's a Dail special meeting arrving into govt. buildings on their rothair is just, frankly, insulting. There's a Garda car following these jokers as protection. it'd make life easier for just about everybody if they just sat in the back seat. Do they think we're all fools? Evidently they do. Hopefuly at the next election the good voters will show them who the real fools are!

diverdriver

I'm delighted particularly with Gormless. I always thought the Greens were amateurs playing with big boys. They prove it frequently. When they decided to sup with the devil in the form of Fianna Fail. They were always doomed. Look what happened to the PDs. Remember what happened to Labour when they went into coalition with FF.

The only thing irrational at the moment is that the Greens haven't brought down FF before now. But they dare not, they would be wiped out too. So they share the bunker with der fuhrer Cowan marshalling divisions that no longer exist, hoping for a secret weapon to save them from the massed ranks of the Allied voters.

I'm delighted their limitations have been exposed. Maybe their trendy middle class voters will finally see them for what they are.

Joey the lips

killy09 wrote: »

Im suprised the other opposition candidates did not put her to the sword on that blunder. Politeness? or they too did not know gas is a fossil fuel?

I would say conor lenahan might know its a fossel fuel he spouts it enough. Then again they proposed shooting cows because of greenhouse gases. Shooting him might be just a service to society!

squonk

Anyone out there able to remember Mary White's stunningly stupid idea about putting energy efficient ratings on the number plates of cars? She was interviewed onthe Last word about it around 2 years ago or something. I believe it was along the lines of a sticker or soemthing like those ones that you see on German numberplates... but ithin I'm giving her too much credit here because I think it was more daft than that but I cant' remember the exact details. I'm choosing to ignore the fact that a vehicle's energy efficiency disimproves as it gets older...

Grudaire

Belfast wrote: »

It reminds me of a candidate running election quite a few years ago.
He said if elected the would get Dublin bus to run on lead free Fuel.
Dublin bus was using diesel at the time.

Misplaced good intentions alright (Not as bad as the one mentioned in this thread). I think we can agree that Diesel isn't great for the health. (One of the biggest problems that the Greens had was trying to take on too many causes at once - now perhaps too few?)

Belfast wrote: »

It always seemed to me that the green party did not have a very firm grasp of he facts.
The seem to have bet the farm on man made global warming to the exclusion of other environmental issues like

I don't know if there's much doubt about it now. Anyway do you think that they're ignoring other environmental issues in particular?

Belfast wrote: »

The CFL bulbs have mercury in them
Used or Broken CFL Light Bulbs Are Hazardous Waste
watch the video in the link below
http://www.icue.com/portal/site/iCue/flatview/?cuecard=39643

More facts about Mercury, Have a look through that. I think that you are over stating the danger. Clearly the bulbs have to be disposed of carefully, and broken bulbs aren't the safest thing in the world. I think a proper information campaign needs to be put in place to ensure that people know to recycle the bulbs, and to take care if they break.

Anyway I'm sure you can give out about the EU as well!

Belfast wrote: »

Water quality: contamination of ground water and drinking water. I am not hearing much for the Green party on this one.

Drinking water report

Fine Gael block water treatment plant

I think the green party say a lot - people just don't hear most of it!

Belfast wrote: »

Back yard burning of rubbish.
Burning rubbish at home in the back yard open fire at low temperature produces Dioxins and is a bigger problem that incinerator if run at the correct temperature. ( not sure that would ever happen in Ireland)

Well it's illegal - I do agree that this is a big problem here, and something needs to be done to stop it.

Belfast wrote: »

Smokeless coal.
A friend of mines mother dump ash form smoke kess coal in the vegetable garden several years ago. It killed every plant there and nothing has grown on that spot since them.

Well I think there was a far bigger problem with air pollution in the cities to really worry about the poor womans plants

Belfast wrote: »

"The report also finds that coal ash disposal sites release toxic chemicals and metals such as arsenic, lead, boron, selenium, cadmium, thallium, and other pollutants at levels that pose risks to human health and the environment."
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/007/coal-ash-pollution-contaminates-groundwater-increases-cancer-risks.html

Isn't that link giving out about coal in general?


Now I (unlike the greens apparently) must admit I haven't got a clue about allotments:D

is_that_so

Cliste wrote: »

There seems to be a huge illogical hatred of the Greens on boards - yet again this thread highlights it: "w@nkers" "morons"

Even the staunchest of FF supporters in this forum acknowledge that they are not doing everything well and that there are issues. As far as I can see there is a blind defence in those comments and tbh no matter how many times people highlight why it is that the Greens are getting it in the neck you still refuse to see anything wrong with them. That is also quite illogical. You also fail to grasp what it is the Greens are perceived as, to those of us not wedded to bikes and light bulbs and eh green natural gas. They have made their bed and will quite probably suffer the consequences of it.

Grudaire

is_that_so wrote: »

Even the staunchest of FF supporters in this forum acknowledge that they are not doing everything well and that there are issues. As far as I can see there is a blind defence in those comments and tbh no matter how many times people highlight why it is that the Greens are getting it in the neck you still refuse to see anything wrong with them. That is also quite illogical. You also fail to grasp what it is the Greens are perceived as, to those of us not wedded to bikes and light bulbs and eh green natural gas. They have made their bed and will quite probably suffer the consequences of it.

I don't think that you're reading any of my posts fairly -Considering I compared her to Bush... I don't know how a anyone could be chosen as candidate if they don't know stuff like that, seems like a very very bad choice. I did say that it is clear that she is a very poor public speaker - PERHAPS the pressure meant she came out with that statement

Taking the opposite opinion here isn't easy to be fair. The Greens are getting it in the neck but I am putting forward my opinion that they are being unfairly picked upon. (Given the other parties that are around at the moment it's not a mad opinion to take)