Coughlan's no Einstein

after she referred to the Green Party in a radio interview in Irish as "na Glasrai", instead of "An Comhaontas Glas". The phrase "na glasrai" means "the vegetables".

Well, she's right about something at least.. :pac:

Riskymove

prinz wrote: »

Any luck finding the section in the Labour Services Act which allows the minister to sack them without their consent?

From the schedule

10. The Minister may at any time remove an ordinary member of An Foras from office.

i still think that the right way to go was what she did...order a review...the report comes and the Board accept the findings and volunteer to step down when a new Board is appointed as FAS needs a Board to operate

i think arbitarily changing the Board a year ago before the facts were known would be premature

...certainly you can disagree, but I dont think her actions show her as incompetent (in this instance)

prinz

Riskymove wrote: »

From the schedule...

I doubt that any court would take a literalist approach to that section of Schedule I, without regard to the law in it's entirety and adopting a puposive approach to the interpretation. But that's just me.

Darsad

Darsad wrote: »

...the cumlination of all her gaffes...

OP, you're fired...;)

JonathanAnon

prinz wrote: »

Would you accept the resignation of the board.......Yes I would.......

I have to agree about Mary Coughlan. This mealy mouthed rubbish and lack of moral fibre to make decisions is why people like Pat Neary have us in the position we are in. The job of the board was to manage Fás properly, which they did not do. They should be summarily executed fired from their position for not doing their jobs properly.

Anybody know what the story is? Why have they not resigned yet, or have they?

lostexpectation

its survival of the fittest, if your relative dies in a car crash you succeed

Scofflaw

lostexpectation wrote: »

its survival of the fittest, if your relative dies in a car crash you suceed

Exactly - hence Darwin's "theory of relativity".

amused,
Scofflaw

SkepticOne

The article says that this is her second gaffe in a week. Earlier she called the Greens a bunch of vegetables. How is that a gaffe?

galwayrush

Seriously, Coughlan and Cowen and co. are turning into living proof of Darwin's missing link.:rolleyes:

Rolo Tomasi

prinz wrote: »

Oh no. Of course not now, given the way the economy is going. It's remarkable how society will react differently when the economy is going down as opposed to up.

I wouldn't say remarkable but a reflection on instinct. Sing when your winning and all that.

The minister is more gaff prone that most but this is a note of mirth not resignation.

jmcc

galwayrush wrote: »

Seriously, Coughlan and Cowen and co. are turning into living proof of Darwin's missing link.:rolleyes:

Or perhaps more worryingly FFers are really another species entirely. It is quite clear that politics allows for the elevation of the mediocre to positions that they would not achieve by merit or intelligence.

Regards...jmcc

Morgans

prinz wrote: »

Would you accept the resignation of the board.......Yes I would.......

How much clearer can she be without breaching protocol, overstepping the boundaries of her position. IMO she handled it very well. She made her feelings public knowledge and the continuace of the board was untenable without the full support and confidence of the minister. Net result - board will go. Job well done.

Any luck finding the section in the Labour Services Act which allows the minister to sack them without their consent?

Apologies for resurrecting this thread but I was very interested to read in the Irish times this morning where the Tainaiste's dept had a press release prepared the day after she said that she would accept the board's resignation where MC said "wanted the current board to continue to do its work" and was "satisfied that the board is responding appropriately" to the spending at FAS.

I dont suppose you'd be big enough to change your views that her passive approach was her method of getting the board to resign.

prinz

Morgans wrote: »

Apologies for resurrecting this thread but I was very interested to read in the Irish times this morning where the Tainaiste's dept had a press release prepared the day after she said that she would accept the board's resignation where MC said "wanted the current board to continue to do its work" and was "satisfied that the board is responding appropriately" to the spending at FAS.

I dont suppose you'd be big enough to change your views that her passive approach was her method of getting the board to resign.

So sorry, someone else prepared a statement that was never issued...hmmm. You do realise that the departments staff would prepare press releases for every possible outcome? I have talked to a friend who worked in PR for a department and got a first hand account of she was tasked with drafting four releases, each one different... It's what they do.

andrewdeerpark

To be fair my fellow Waterford man Martin Cullen tops the list of idiots in cabinet by a mile.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0424/1224245294067.html

Remember e voting?

Not to far behind him Eamon O'Cuiv, Noel Dempsey so take your pick.

I do believe she performed well in Agriculture under Bertie's cabinet, then they were easy days where you could please everyone. What I'm saying is she is not the worst minister with the worst record sitting at the cabinet by any means.

You could also argue the point that Brian Lenihan's NAMA is the biggest blunder in the history of the state with us down for 60Billion, time will tell; so in the scheme of things a lavish pension signoff is chicken feed.

Morgans

prinz wrote: »

So sorry, someone else prepared a statement that was never issued...hmmm. You do realise that the departments staff would prepare press releases for every possible outcome? I have talked to a friend who worked in PR for a department and got a first hand account of she was tasked with drafting four releases, each one different... It's what they do.

Mary Coughlan doing bang up job regarding FAS board. Indeed.

prinz

Morgans wrote: »

Mary Coughlan doing bang up job regarding FAS board. Indeed.

Have you decided how it's somehow her fault what some civil servant in the department did? In line with usual practice? If you're going to find fault with people please find actual faults, and not imaginary ones. Nothing about that PR being prepared is in any way unsual, controversial or particular to Mary Coughlan, FF or any party. Just sells a few papers to people with no clue how departments operate looking for ammunition to fire from the armchair :rolleyes:

Arathorn

Have to say when I clicked into this thread I was shocked to see people defending her, I'm sure she's a nice person and all, but Jesus people you don't need to forensically analyse every little thing to know she's not doing a good job

eigrod

andrewdeerpark wrote: »

I do believe she performed well in Agriculture under Bertie's cabinet, then they were easy days where you could please everyone. What I'm saying is she is not the worst minister with the worst record sitting at the cabinet by any means.

Agriculture was the easiest brief for a minister ever, over the 10 peak years of the boom. It was the only decade in living memory where the farmers were quiet. Why ? Because they were the recipients of the vast majority of the billions that the banks gave the developers.

Oh, and Mary Coughlan is completely incompetent.

irish_bob

eigrod wrote: »

Agriculture was the easiest brief for a minister ever, over the 10 peak years of the boom. It was the only decade in living memory where the farmers were quiet. Why ? Because they were the recipients of the vast majority of the billions that the banks gave the developers.

Oh, and Mary Coughlan is completely incompetent.

a nonsensical arguement as only a tiny minority of farm land was sold for development , a small farmer on boggy land in sligo has about as much in common with a farmer in ashbourne with rezoned land as jackie healy rae does with john gormley

the biggest beneficiaries of devlopers were public servants for whoom would never had claimed the title of europes highest paid ps without the massive revenue from construction based taxes

eigrod

irish_bob wrote: »

a nonsensical arguement as only a tiny minority of farm land was sold for development , a small farmer on boggy land in sligo has about as much in common with a farmer in ashbourne with rezoned land as jackie healy rae does with john gormley

I disagree completely. I know for a fact of vast acres of land owned by farmers in the Cork & Waterford area that was sold to developers for massive sums. In the main, bought by (then) successful estate agents. The land remains untouched, the money remains in those farmers accounts.

Maybe Sligo is different as I don't know that area, but from driving through several other counties in Munster and South Leinster, there is evidence of numerous fully built & half built estates on the outskirts of towns & villages. Who owned that land, if it wasn't the agricultural community ?

eigrod

irish_bob wrote: »

the biggest beneficiaries of devlopers were public servants for whoom would never had claimed the title of europes highest paid ps without the massive revenue from construction based taxes

You seem to have added this paragraph after your first post. You seem incapable of posting anything on the Politics forum without having some sort of pop at the public service.