Conduct of parties on last day of dail

bonzos

i just watched on the news the circus that was the last day of the dail before their 9 week break.the laeders of FG and Lab cracked jokes about how the FF must be glad to get away from the place and in return FF replied that they were "a lean,mean machine" which was met with cheering and laughter .am i the only one who thinks that this foolin around is totally out of place when the country is on its knees .these people (all parties) who expect us to take them serious when they treat the dail like a late bar in a local pub.well for some who are on €200k PA !!!!

Biggins

Indeed!

* The country is currently in one of the worst economic conditions since the foundation of the state.

* The health service is at crises point.

* Costs have been shown rising - not falling as FF would have you believe (see here)
The FF fools spends more time on silencing freedom of speech than actually spend on sorting through the national health dept' out one hospital alone in Dublin.

* Only 8 (was 12 but 4 more recanted) of ALL th4 TD's themselves have taken a pay cut themselves.

* Schools are at crises point!

* The majority of the "Golden Circle" remain un-named or held accountable for their BILLIONS costing actions

* A second referendum is being forced down our throats by the bullies and thugs of the EU!

* FF is withholding the "Board Snip" report before the referendum in case of expected public revulsion.
(they are afraid the public in a angered backlash, will vote "NO" again)

* The Catholic Church has still escaped coughing up for their previous crimes and misadventures abusing the children of the state!

Etc, etc...

...and what does all our elected folk do?

O' lets take a three months holiday!!!

For fcuks sake. Wake the frak up Irish people and throw out these scumbags from the Dail.

Sand

* The country is currenly in one of the worst economic conditions since the foundation of the state.

The Dail taking a 3 months time off might help reduce costs and isnt really any loss. The business of government is the Cabinet. The Dail is just a talking shop. Nothing important happens there.

* The health service is at crises point.

Theyve been at crisis point since...1990? Longer? The problem is the vested interests in the health service. The Dail is not going to take them on before the next election.

* Costs have been showing to be rising - not falling as FF would have you believe (see here)
The FF fools are spends more time on silencing freedom of speech than actually spend on sorting our one hospital alone in Dublin.

"Overall, prices in Ireland are falling faster than anywhere else in Europe, with the cost of living falling by 5.4pc in the last year, the sharpest drop since 1933.

But the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) are a tale of two sectors -- most private sector prices are dropping, whereas many of those under government control are continuing to soar."

Inefficient, bloated, and poor public service? You are expecting our TDs to resolve this? They are the problem.

* Only 8 (was 12 but 4 more recanted) of ALL th4 TD's themselves have taken a paycut themselves.

More Dail time is not going to change that.

* Schools are at crises point!

Schools have always been at crisis point. And anyhow, they are on holidays currently. Slackers.

* The majority of the "Golden Circle" remain un-named or held accountable for their BILLIONS costsing actions

Again, do you expect the Dail to do anything about this?

* A second referendum is being forced down our throats by the bullies and thugs of the EU!

Well seeing as the no vote was due to Irish peoples fear that the Lisbon treaty would enforce abortion on every child in Ireland up to the age of 12 years and/or introduce forced conscription to go and fight on the Eastern Front, its fair to say that a second try gives us some opportunity to reconsider when the hysteria is gone.

* FF is withholding the "Board Ship" report before the referendum in case of expected public revulsion.
(they are afraid the public in a angered backlash, will vote "NO" again)

Probably the right decision given the majority of Irish people are that ****ing retarded.

* The Catholic Church has still escaped coughing up for their previous crimes and mis-adventures abusing the children of the state!

Again, the Dail is not going to fix this. It is a talking shop. Them sitting around for three months shuffling paper and pretending to be busy wont solve anything.

Biggins

...three months not working at their departments and not answering to state is not going to help either is it?

One can make up all the excuses one wants but then FF and their supporters are just good at that.
Please don't join them.

...Nothing happens in the Dail that is important? Legislation that is passed that allows a second vote to be shoved on to us, free speech laws to be changed, "gang" associations to be made into a criminal activity by a simple word of a Gardi, funds rejected by vote in the Dail which would have helped to re-open sections of a Dublin hospital... etc ( I WAS THERE!!!). Don't dare tell me nothing important happens there - don't insult my intellligence.

If nothing important happens there by your measure - what the fcuk have we got a "Dail"?

---

They've been at crisis point since...1990? Longer? The problem is the vested interests in the health service. The Dail is not going to take them on before the next election.

Sorry but Harney is just incapable of doing anything. Destroy the hospitals, the drugs payments scheme then the rest. The health service would be better if she stayed all the time in the Dail bar!

Inefficient, bloated, and poor public service? You are expecting our TDs to resolve this? They are the problem.

No argument there.

More Dail time is not going to change that.

No but keeping them in the public eye day to day, thus keeping them under pressure will!

Schools have always been at crisis point. And anyhow, they are on holidays currently. Slackers.

Isn't it about time then the problem was looked at then? O' look, they have three full months to do just that!

Again, do you expect the Dail to do anything about this?

I'd expect the opposition if they were any good and in the Dail still working, to make this happen!
O' but they are NOT!

Well seeing as the no vote was due to Irish peoples fear that the Lisbon treaty would enforce abortion on every child in Ireland up to the age of 12 years and/or introduce forced conscription to go and fight on the Eastern Front, its fair to say that a second try gives us some opportunity to reconsider when the hysteria is gone.

Hysteria NOT gone, just slumbering for three months when it could be better being discussed between now and then more than just have a more rushed discussion in the last month or two!

Probably the right decision given the majority of Irish people are that ****ing retarded.

You could be right (in your opinion) but I wouldn't be quick to tar all with the same brush to be honest.
I'd say a lot are too complacent or busy sadly working, trying to cope with paying bills, not stupid or "retarded" myself.

Again, the Dail is not going to fix this. It is a talking shop. Them sitting around for three months shuffling paper and pretending to be busy wont solve anything.

Yep, they didn't fix this - they could but they didn't!

Red Sleeping Beauty

Biggins hit the proverbial nail on the appropriate head there. The Dail is a useless showpiece to somehow offer a farcical notion that we have a fair form of democracy wherein you elect someone who will then represent you in the Dail but the Dail is just a product of the Govt. of the day and literally serves no other purpose other than to give the illusion that we have a fair form of democracy which is false.

The speed at which some laws were rushed through recently was grotesque.

Red Sleeping Beauty

Sand wrote: »

The Dail taking a 3 months time off might help reduce costs and isnt really any loss. The business of government is the Cabinet. The Dail is just a talking shop. Nothing important happens there.



Theyve been at crisis point since...1990? Longer? The problem is the vested interests in the health service. The Dail is not going to take them on before the next election.



"Overall, prices in Ireland are falling faster than anywhere else in Europe, with the cost of living falling by 5.4pc in the last year, the sharpest drop since 1933.

But the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) are a tale of two sectors -- most private sector prices are dropping, whereas many of those under government control are continuing to soar."

Inefficient, bloated, and poor public service? You are expecting our TDs to resolve this? They are the problem.


More Dail time is not going to change that.


Schools have always been at crisis point. And anyhow, they are on holidays currently. Slackers.



Again, do you expect the Dail to do anything about this?



Well seeing as the no vote was due to Irish peoples fear that the Lisbon treaty would enforce abortion on every child in Ireland up to the age of 12 years and/or introduce forced conscription to go and fight on the Eastern Front, its fair to say that a second try gives us some opportunity to reconsider when the hysteria is gone.



Probably the right decision given the majority of Irish people are that ****ing retarded.



Again, the Dail is not going to fix this. It is a talking shop. Them sitting around for three months shuffling paper and pretending to be busy wont solve anything.

Health service at crisis point since 1990 ?
You'd think it'd have been solved when Ireland became one of the richest countries on the planet, but no, all the wealth created was kept by private interests.

Irish people's fear that abortion would be enforced on every child in Ireland up to the age of 12 years and/or introduce forced conscription to go and fight on the Eastern Front ? And that's why the Irish people voted no ?
No, you're wrong, I didn't.

And the majority of Irish people are retarded ?
Useless talking to someone with such condemnation for people. See ya.

bonzos

whole thing is a bit too cozy and unprofessional for my liking!

EmeraldDragon

But they always conduct themselves with the highest level of decorum

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_4PsJv7nDM

I rest my case.

bonzos

I think Mary Coughlans "we can take this outside" remark followed by laughter realy shows how much respect these clowns have for the ordinary person on the street who is unemployed.This carry on might be normal on a high stool in some bar in donegal at 2 in the morning but it is not the manner in which someone elected by the people to a highly paid job should conduct themselfs while nearly 500,000 people are on the dole....it says a lot about her!

JonathanAnon

Mary Coughlan is an absolute disgrace and an embarrassment for the country. Worse language than a docker, and similar manners. Only in her position cos she's Cowan's drinking buddy.

The rest are not much better. You would think they could at least pretend to take the thing seriously for the cameras and not insult the people who elected and paid (a fortune) for them. None of them bar Pat Rabbitte maybe actually have a quick wit, about as competent at telling jokes as they are at running the economy.

Really makes me angry to see them messing around like schoolkids on paid time.

jimmmy

People are going to revolt against this overpaid government and their cosy overpaid employees yet.

bonzos

jimmmy wrote: »

People are going to revolt against this overpaid government and their cosy overpaid employees yet.

People got a chance to revolt on the 5th of june and didnt take...Cowan will probabally have to be dried out again in sep before he returns to the dail(just like after xmas)

Het-Field

Sadly it epitomises the joke that this entire administration has been. The impoverished nature of the Opposition (save for a few bright sparks in Fine Gael), has only been ecliped by the wholly useless shower who are occuping the Government Benches.

2007/2008 was a waste of time. The year was spent following the Bertie nonsense, and as a result Lisbon was lost, and the finger was not on the economic pulse.

2008/2009 has been the worst I have ever seen. bumbling idicoracy from our so called leaders. No vision, no balls, and no resolution to tighten belts, as popularity takes precedent. Its alright and fine for Burton and Gimore to spout the rhetoric, however, the Labour party will need to start creating forward thinking policy, outside of the taxa nd spend box within which they are living.

In 2008/2009 we have seen the plummeting of Ireland's competetiveness, a demolition job on our credit rating, the guarantee, live register numbers hit 500,000, recapitalisation and nationalisation of our reckless banks, the increase in taxation with NO proper return, the exposure of the charde that was "Social Partnership", the ppandering to the Unions, the pandering to vested interests, and above all the shirking of tough decisions to court popularity.

Furthermore, Cowen has been an absent Taoiseach. His addresses to the nation have amounted to nothing more then "working together", "helping each other out", and "getting involved". He is even considered to have lost the belief of his party.

Yesterday's behaviour from both sides doesnt suprise me. Here's to 2008/2008, THE WORST TERM EVER SERVED BY AN IRISH OIREACHTAS

While I don't like Coughlan, I'm not sure about this open season on politicans drinking habits. Are posters saying she has a problem or something? Not defending her, but it's something I must admit I hadn't heard.

fly_agaric

Sand wrote: »

Probably the right decision given the majority of Irish people are that ****ing retarded.

"retarded" is a bit harsh. The report will clarify some of the bill that is coming due for the mismanagement of the country & people do funny things when they are blinded by anger. I think the govt. should not be counting their chickens on that referendum whether this report is published before it or not!

Sand

The Lisbon treaty is not a vote of confidence in the government. Surprisingly enough it is about the Lisbon Treaty. If people dont get that ( and more than one person has hinted that they might vote on the Lisbon Treaty based on domestic policy) then I struggle to find a more fitting description.

Just another reason why referendums are often a bad idea. People refuse to even grasp what they are voting on.

turgon

Sand wrote: »

more than one person has hinted that they might vote on the Lisbon Treaty based on domestic policy

You should read this thread, its utterly depressing.


But I suppose that makes me a bit of a nazi for doubting the complete infallibility of complete direct democracy.

thebman

In fairness can you imagine the expenses they'd claim for if they had to go in for these 3 months.

Would cost us millions.

Biggins

thebman wrote: »

In fairness can you imagine the expenses they'd claim for if they had to go in for these 3 months.
Would cost us millions.

Does anyone seriously think for one second that for three months they are not going to claim for anything?
Heck, with more down time, trips taken, more wines and dines, more opening's (all official gov' business related of course :rolleyes: ), etc, I'd say the unvouched expenses if not stay the same, will rise more so!

is_that_so

This is always the way the Dail ends, a lot of shouting and usually with a mad rush of legislation as well. The unpopularity of the present government and what they are paid means they are under more scrutiny than usual. Usually there's no more than a muttering about their holidays. The three months off is also incorrect. The Dail may be on holidays but Ministers will be working for at least another two if not three weeks. I don't disagree they are too long yet none of the posters here give the impression that they have challenged any of their politicians on this. If it is so important then it should be part of manifestos and part of what all parties would expect us to vote on.

Much as I empathize with some posters here IMO this thread has turned into another rant about how broken everything is. The health service has been broken for at least 30 years so another few weeks of "ministerial action" will do little.

We still have bizarrely low income tax rates, even if it has been recently undermined by levies. Yet 42% of the voting public chose a government who gave us these rates, the excessive welfare payments, the misguided benchmarking (twice!), the bloated civil service and a lot of the rest of the mess to go with it. As they say we get the government we deserve.

I am also disturbed by the proposed No votes on Lisbon as another kick in the teeth to the government. Targeted anger is one thing, blind rage is a poor reflection on those who justify it. As I mentioned elsewhere I think we're an angry bunch collectively and while that energy can sometimes be positively channelled, more often it goes into blaming others for things that that we tend to ignore until we need them to be fixed.

bonzos

Deleted User wrote: »

While I don't like Coughlan, I'm not sure about this open season on politicans drinking habits. Are posters saying she has a problem or something? Not defending her, but it's something I must admit I hadn't heard.

You must have taken me up wrong..all these fine ladies and gentlemen are pioneers and live in the gym:)where do you think the €5k dail bar tab came from and all the knob nation material,where have you been living in recent years?

themont85

EmeraldDragon wrote: »

But they always conduct themselves with the highest level of decorum

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_4PsJv7nDM

I rest my case.

What's the big deal? Having a joke, are politicans not allowed to laugh?

themont85

fly_agaric wrote: »

"retarded" is a bit harsh. The report will clarify some of the bill that is coming due for the mismanagement of the country & people do funny things when they are blinded by anger. I think the govt. should not be counting their chickens on that referendum whether this report is published before it or not!

A massive percentage of Irish people imo showed themselves to be as stupid as our politicans when voting No for Lisbon last year.

Biggins

themont85 wrote: »

What's the big deal? Having a joke, are politicans not allowed to laugh?

Of course they are. However they could chose their moments better.
For example, just seconds after they defeated an opposition motion just recently to help further fund Crumlins Childrens hospital in Dublin, the FF shower laughed (around at the opposition) their bloomin' heads off and and thought it was all very funny. What was even sicker was the slapping of each others backs while they laughted at once more delibertly glancing mockingly at the opposition.

The parents (along with me) and their suffering kids in the viewing galley though didn't see the funny side either (along with those that wanted to help the hospital, on the Dail floor) and didn't appreciate the disgusting behaviour of the shower of wasters.
It was pure disgusting - but typical of Fianna Fail and their inbred arrogance.

ednwireland

surely the politics forum should close for 3 months as well ? :rolleyes:

bonzos

bonzos wrote: »

You must have taken me up wrong..all these fine ladies and gentlemen are pioneers and live in the gym

No, but it isn't a case of either being a health freak or some alcoholic. You implied the latter.

bonzos wrote: »

where do you think the €5k dail bar tab came from

She racked up a 5k tab on drinks for herself?

That sounds bad alright.

bonzos wrote: »

all the knob nation material

Frankly I think the Angelus contains a more searing political commentary. And about 10 times the humour.

Riskymove

three months not working at their departments and not answering to state is not going to help either is it?

This is part of the general misunderstanding of the Dail break...Ministers are still at their Departments ...its just the Oireachtas that breaks..

I'm sure they will take some vacation time but not the 9 weeks, especially in current circumstances

...Nothing happens in the Dail that is important? Legislation that is passed that allows a second vote to be shoved on to us, free speech laws to be changed, "gang" associations to be made into a criminal activity by a simple word of a Gardi, funds rejected by vote in the Dail which would have helped to re-open sections of a Dublin hospital... etc ( I WAS THERE!!!). Don't dare tell me nothing important happens there - don't insult my intellligence.

I think the point is that as the Govt has a majority all these things were inevitable..especially the insidious use of the gullotine to ruch in laws....all opposition can do is react.


if the Dail sat we'd just have 9 more weeks of the same



My general view is that the Dail is not an essential part of finding solutions to our current problems. What we need is for the Cabinet/Government to consider properly the Bord Snip report and devise plans for the next budget

JonathanAnon

Deleted User wrote: »

While I don't like Coughlan, I'm not sure about this open season on politicans drinking habits. Are posters saying she has a problem or something? Not defending her, but it's something I must admit I hadn't heard.

Conor, I know a local FF activist and he says that she is an embarrassment every time there is an away trip. She is well known for her use of profanities.
Remember when she Minister For Finance, and she told a farmer to "f**k off"
On that show "The Emergency" on Newstalk, they call her Sweary Mary.

Having said that, I would have NO problem with her drinking or use of profanities if she was competent.

Riskymove

JonathanAnon wrote: »

Conor, I know a local FF activist and he says that she is an embarrassment every time there is an away trip. She is well known for her use of profanities.
Remember when she Minister For Finance, and she told a farmer to "f**k off"
On that show "The Emergency" on Newstalk, they call her Sweary Mary.

Having said that, I would have NO problem with her drinking or use of profanities if she was competent.

she is well known for her use of language, have experienced it first hand


on the issue of drinking, I be surpised if a number of them hadn't been driven to drink by now!!:pac:

JonathanAnon

JonathanAnon wrote: »

Conor, I know a local FF activist and he says that she is an embarrassment every time there is an away trip. She is well known for her use of profanities.

But there is a suggestion on this thread that she has a problem with alcohol.

That is rather different from swearing.

Riskymove wrote: »

on the issue of drinking, I be surpised if a number of them hadn't been driven to drink by now!!:pac:

Let's be very clear, this thread does not imply that she takes the odd drink. It suggests she has a problem. I'm just want to confirm the accuracy of this.