FF's Jimmy Devins resigns the Whip

Het-Field

Reports eminating from various sources have been speculating that FF TD Jimmy Devins has resigned the whip in FF.

Reputed to be as popular as an eggy fart in a lift, (in his Constitutency), on the basis of his reticence to take the bull by the horns on the local hospital issue, he has been teetering since his demotion from Minister of State, along with Wednesday Wallace, Marie Hocter and John McGuinness.

This could mean that an one vote could see Devins join Jim McDaid, and potentially go the way of Joe Behan.

Link to be provided on confirmation

He is entitled to resign, I wish more of them expressed outrage and had the courage to take a stand.

But I would have so much more respect for him if he did it when he was Junior Minister. How many times do politicians find their principles after they lose their big jobs and state cars?

spank_inferno

Its the cowardly "Whip" situation that has our country so "fubar"d in the first place.

Resigning the whip just means that he will vote on bills as he sees fit rather than as he is told to vote.

Which is in a way a far better form of democracy to begin with,

It will remain to be seen if he resigns from FF,


On another note it always seems here that the party Whips rule with an iron 'whip'
EG: Gordon Brown frequently has to contend with rebel backbenchers, sometimes dozens of them for some bills.

Resigning the whip here is as rare as hens teeth

donkey balls

add martin scanlon to the list just heard on today fm that he has resigned

Slidey

I think you mean Eamonn Scanlon no?

Robbo

spank_inferno wrote: »

It will remain to be seen if he resigns from FF,

He said on Matt Cooper that he's only resigning the whip, not leaving FF.

So basically nothing changes bar him securing his seat locally and nailing his colours to the "Centre of Mediocrity" mast.

donkey balls

I think you mean Eamonn Scanlon no? Today 18:04
I think you mean Eamonn Scanlon no? Today 18:04
I think you mean Eamonn Scanlon

yeah a bit of a typo on my behalf i was reading the posts when i heard the news on today fm

Slidey

Well has he resigned the Party then?

I didnt hear the news, missed it but was said to me a few minutes ago

EDIT: Breakingnews.ie has some morsel of confirmation here

butterormayo

Robbo wrote: »

He said on Matt Cooper that he's only resigning the whip, not leaving FF.

So basically nothing changes bar him securing his seat locally and nailing his colours to the "Centre of Mediocrity" mast.

Rats...sinking ship...if the government make it to the end of the year I'll be surprised, it'll be death by a thousand (spending) cuts

Hillel

Deleted User wrote: »

I wish more of them expressed outrage and had the courage to take a stand.

What courage? Having courage would have been standing shoulder to shoulder with his colleagues through these tough times. Did you see the get up of him on the news? Overfed and under-worked. All he is is an unpatriotic git. Shame on him!:mad:

Slidey

I am not surprised that Scanlon has dumped FF.

He hadnt a hope in getting in again, IMO, as long as he was still in FF. His son got his arse handed to him in the local elections and any politican in this area who is for the cancer services leaving Sligo is going to get slaughtered next time round.

skelliser

they havent left ff, all they did was resign from the whip which basically means they will vote "independently" from ff in dail votes.
its a bs jesture, if they where serious they would resign from the party proper

Actually if they had any respect for the electorate of sligo/leitrim they would resign their seats and cause 2 by-elections

is_that_so

As others have posted this'll not make a blind bit of difference until there is something to vote on. Even then they can be expected to vote with most FF on most occasions. Seeing as An Bord Snip Nua and the Commission on Taxation details are all but known there doesn't appear to be much cause for them to vote against until the Budget and even there it's hard to see this Govt. making as much of a dog's dinner as last year. They have learnt, at least Lenihan has, to communicate or leak all the bad news well in advance so they don't get caught short again.

In short they'll tow the line unless they can seize on some "heroic exit" that'll allow them to help pull the plug and take their chances as Independents in the next election. I reckon it'll want to be something pretty big to shift them away from the party.

Slidey

skelliser wrote: »

they havent left ff, all they did was resign from the whip

Ah I see, sorry, my mistake.

dresden8

The old FF trick of being in government and opposition at the same time.

Typical two-faced self-serving FF scum.

Surely people can see through this crap by now?

Pride Fighter

dresden8 wrote: »

The old FF trick of being in government and opposition at the same time.

Typical two-faced self-serving FF scum.

Surely people can see through this crap by now?

This is true, but his constituents wont see through the charade and they will be re-elected:mad:

bmaxi

If history has taught us one thing it is that nobody resigns the FF whip.

jimmycrackcorm

it's no wonder that the hse is failing us when people reject better quality services because they want a lower quality service as long as it is on their doorstop. The people of Sligo seem to have forgotten the breast cancer scandals that led to this decision being made. Instead of this stupid whip resigning, politicians should be standing up and saying that the move is the right decision despite the difficulties people will endure from extra travel.

Biggins

The two latest TD's to resign won't make a blind bit of difference. Both are FF men true and true.
One has even stated openly (and quoted in the press to them) that they intend to continue to vote with the Government as independents.
What they have done for their local communities is window-dressing.
Trying to ensure that they get re-elected at the next general election.
Wait and see then, I suspect sometime soon thereafter they will be officially be rejoining their FF comrades once the PR exercise is done and dusted.

jmayo

Deleted User wrote: »

He is entitled to resign, I wish more of them expressed outrage and had the courage to take a stand.

But I would have so much more respect for him if he did it when he was Junior Minister. How many times do politicians find their principles after they lose their big jobs and state cars?

Courage me ar**.
As you have pointed out, ourage would have been to have resigned from the party, not the whip, whilst he was minister.
He is still in the party and will like that other courageous gombeen Behan vote with them on certian issues, just not the one he make his courageous stand on :rolleyes:
It is theatrics pure and simple, and the lady spekaing on Monring Ireland for the campaign to save the cancer services intimated it was too little too late.
He is gone come next election.

dresden8 wrote: »

The old FF trick of being in government and opposition at the same time.

Typical two-faced self-serving FF scum.

Surely people can see through this crap by now?

Yeah make a big dela about resigning the whip but come the next clsoe vote where do they stand :rolleyes:
Gobsh**ery of the highest order.

LostinBlanch

Well it's not going down as well as they hoped.

Also I had the misfortune to hear Scanlon on Morning Ireland this morning, waffling on about resigning the whip and saying he would vote against the government in a private members motion "to send a message." :rolleyes: He even said that he would vote that way because a defeat for the goverment wouldn't mean an election, but when asked would he vote against the budget he said something like "no one wants a general election now."

Dresden has it absolutely right.

Biggins

www.unitedpeople.ie - See comment!

Its all a joke and FF is quietly laughing once again.

Het-Field

Biggins wrote: »

www.unitedpeople.ie - See comment!

Its all a joke and FF is quietly laughing once again.

Sums it up.

Particularly the "DNA" comment. It is not in the DNA, its a cancerous tumour, which is festering in the minds and psyches of too many Irish men and women. It prevents them from voting with their conscience, while equally stifles the ability of the voter make an informed choice as to their politics. This applies to anybody who engages in mindless traditional voting, regardless of the party. Of course, it is most notibly in Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.

Fair play to Joe Behan, he took a stand in 2008, and thus far has never looked back. There are whisperings that Behan will not even seek re-election to the Dail in the next election. He stepped down as his center left principles couldnt stomach what was ongoing.

The whip system is a joke. Devins and Scanlon (along with Margaret Conlon, and Rory O Hanlon from Cavan) may resign the whip, but they will still vote along party lines.

bijapos

Looks like typical political jostling to me. Next time out Sligo Leitrim North will probably return 2 FG and 1 FF, so one of them is going....

lostexpectation

too little too late is howw the sligo campaigners have reponded they want the vote against the issues

guinnessdrinker

The two TD's resigning the whip is a farce. It is a damage limitation excercise inteneded to help them save their seats. Everyone can see through this cynical excercise which was probably fully planned with FF HQ.

It means nothing to the people of Sligo/North Leitrim.

BrianD

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

it's no wonder that the hse is failing us when people reject better quality services because they want a lower quality service as long as it is on their doorstop. The people of Sligo seem to have forgotten the breast cancer scandals that led to this decision being made. Instead of this stupid whip resigning, politicians should be standing up and saying that the move is the right decision despite the difficulties people will endure from extra travel.

Bravo! well said. Leaving aside the fact that there are other problems with the HSE, we need to get rid of these small "full service" but not providing a full service hospitals and it is the like of these TDs who constantly hold this process up.

Devins and co have to remember that they are elected to a national assembly to make policy decisions that are in the national interest. Sometimes these decisions will be unpopular at local level.

JonathanAnon

Resigning the whip is a pathetic action. If they had any backbone they would resign from the party. They are now still part of a party that proposes the closing down of the hospital, so what have they achieved/influenced? Hopefully they will get what they deserve at the next election. Though I think they may regret keeping the FF on their respective election posters by the time the next election comes around.

Lack of moral fibre in the FF party.

Liam Byrne

Interesting timing, too.

Resigning the whip during their "summer" holidays when there will be no votes.....

Hagar

For a so called Republican party isn't the whip a very British concept?

ednwireland

BrianD wrote: »

Bravo! well said. Leaving aside the fact that there are other problems with the HSE, we need to get rid of these small "full service" but not providing a full service hospitals and it is the like of these TDs who constantly hold this process up.

Devins and co have to remember that they are elected to a national assembly to make policy decisions that are in the national interest. Sometimes these decisions will be unpopular at local level.

so you think people from inishowen should make a 10 hour round trip ??? ffs

whats your solution there women in donegal are laready opting for mastectomy's rather than spending ALL thir days travelling for treatment