South Kerry constituents on Newstalk - We'll elect him again...

r3nu4l

I was shocked, flabbergasted and appalled to hear a VoxPop on Newstalk just two minutes ago where O'Donoghue's constituents were asked about the whole business.

Comments such as:
"He's great for the area, it's terrible what happened to him" :eek:

"He should have been given the chance to explain himself" :eek:

In response to the question would you vote for him, do you think he'll be re-elected? His constituents acme out with lines similar to this:

"I'll vote for him" :eek:

"I'd say he will be elected, yes" :eek:

Un-fcuk-ing believable!!

Now, the one thing I did notice was that most of those interviewed were elderly.
There was one dissenting voice but out of about 10-12 people interviewed, 95% or so, were saddened for O'Donoghue and were supportive of him!

What the hell is wrong with people?

It's not the first time we've seen this in Ireland and it's not just Fianna Fail supporters that have done this either.

Why?

/politics mods, feel free to move if this isn't appropriate.

Darragh29

I'm surprised that your surprised at that... If you go up to Castlebar, they'll tell you that they will re-elect Beverly Cooper Flynn, "just to spite you"... Same for Michael Lowry.

Overheal

Well look at Blagejovigh (sp?) stateside. Hes now back in the lemonlight trying to explain how he has been framed. Wether its true or not, every politician and their minions try to save their own asses rain or shine.

Mr. Presentable

He probably gets a lot of consituency improvements done. For many people politics is local.

The best one I heard was along the lines of "sure how can you blame him? Did he book his own flights, no? He has people that arrange all that sort of thing for him - it's their fault."

r3nu4l

Darragh29 wrote: »

I'm surprised that your surprised at that... If you go up to Castlebar, they'll tell you that they will re-elect Beverly Cooper Flynn, "just to spite you"... Same for Michael Lowry.

That's exactly why I'm surprised...it seems to me that if Gary Glitter was living in the countryside in Ireland he'd be elected because 'he gave us great facilities, sure we've Ireland's largest children's playground' :rolleyes:

WTF does a politician have to do before his constituents will take off their blinkers and punish him/her.

Tax evaders, banking scandals, now living like a king on the back of the taxpayer can all be added to the list of things that WON'T end your career...

r3nu4l

r3nu4l wrote: »

I was shocked, flabbergasted and appalled to hear a VoxPop on Newstalk just two minutes ago

I listened to the Joe Duffy show once and it seems clear that 100% of the Irish population are clearly nuts with nothing to do except whinge. These radio shows are very representative...

Biggins

OP, its that type of ingrained out of date mentality that allows the state to continue on as it is at the moment.
Very depressive and non-progressive.
Those that would still vote for JOD and his kind, are in the short or long run doing their state, neighbour and family no good.

r3nu4l

nipplenuts wrote: »

He probably gets a lot of consituency improvements done. For many people politics is local.

So if you open a shopping centre and swimming pool you can do what you want so long as it doesn't affect anyone in your locality? NIMBY's then?

Politics has to be more than local.
The Conservatives are at the same crack in the UK, their people are doing great stuff locally...doesn't mean I want them in power (although it's inevitable ).

r3nu4l

Deleted User wrote: »

I listened to the Joe Duffy show once and it seems clear that 100% of the Irish population are clearly nuts with nothing to do except whinge. These radio shows are very representative...

Yet Michael Lowry was re-elected by his constituents when he robbed the system...it's telling!

I do realise it was a small sample etc and is not wholly representative but the very fact that they even found 10 or so people who would say that is worrying!

kmick

As Paidi says they are animals :P

r3nu4l

r3nu4l wrote: »

Yet Michael Lowry was re-elected by his constituents when he robbed the system...it's telling!

Yes, and you'll get people from Drumcondra who stand by Bertie and so on and so forth. Its hardly unique to South Kerry. And they will all point to the work done by that representative in the constituency. Of course it's easy for us to be appalled, but if I was down in Cahersiveen my condemnation would be tempered by the obvious benefits that town has derived during his representation.

r3nu4l

Deleted User wrote: »

Yes, and you'll get people from Drumcondra who stand by Bertie and so on and so forth. Its hardly unique to South Kerry. And they will all point to the work done by that representative in the constituency. Of course it's easy for us to be appalled, but if I was down in Cahersiveen my condemnation would be tempered by the obvious benefits that town has derived during his representation.

Hmmm, I live by the phrase 'Eaten cake is soon forgotten'
In other words, past glories are great but if you don't continue to perform, you're out on your ear.

I feel that O'Donoghue let the country down, let his constituents down and took money from their pockets through his extravagant use of public money (our taxes). When someone does that to me, they had better have a good explanation or they lose my good opinion* and can't expect my support in the future.

Maybe these people are just too tribal?

*Guess I'm a bit like D'arcy from Pride and Prejudice in that way... :pac:

wylo

r3nu4l wrote: »

"He's great for the area, it's terrible what happened to him" :eek:

"He should have been given the chance to explain himself" :eek:

In response to the question would you vote for him, do you think he'll be re-elected? His constituents acme out with lines similar to this:

"I'll vote for him" :eek:

"I'd say he will be elected, yes" :eek:

thats why FF are still in power, people vote selfishly for whats good for their own area, not their country, and FF tend to deliver locally.

Darragh29

A part of me thinks that JOD's biggest problem could be that he is Irish. I was delivering some goods recently to an Indian restaurant on behalf of a friend of mine who was supplying the shop...

Down to a mistake on my part, I charged him 20 Euro less than I should have. The Indian man behind the counter came out from the shop running behind me as I pulled away, with 20 Euro in his hand. When I asked him what the problem was, he said I had undercharged him by 20 Euro.

I know for sure if that man had been Irish, that I wouldn't have been chased out of the car park with the 20 Euro I had forgotten to charge this man.

Now all the "BMW-driving, Alacante/Bulgaria-apartment-owning-I'm just your ordinary-Joe", citizens, are queuing up to have a shot at John O' Donoghue.

John O' Donoghue's key problem was that he was selfish, just like all the people in Ireland who bought properties that they didn't need, both here and abroad, that they didn't need and just did it to obtain some status symbol above that of their peers, same goes for the people who splashed out up to 100K on BMW's and the likes.

I think we need to do go serious soul searching here in Ireland, John O' Donoghue is representative of many other people in Ireland today, the selfishness, the greed, bad and all as his spending was, he certainly wasn't the only person at it...

I'm not defending the man, I think he is a disgrace, but I'd be curious how many people are criticising JOD when they have been a part of the wider problem themselves...

peasant

r3nu4l wrote: »

WTF does a politician have to do before his constituents will take off their blinkers and punish him/her.

It's a simple piece of mathematics:

Other people's money squandered by "Johnny Cash": ~ 200,000 k
Other people's money pumped into Cahiciveen and environs by "Jonny Cash": several million

Several million - 200,000 = x,8 million gained = automatic re-election

994

Deleted User wrote: »

Yes, and you'll get people from Drumcondra who stand by Bertie and so on and so forth. Its hardly unique to South Kerry. And they will all point to the work done by that representative in the constituency. Of course it's easy for us to be appalled, but if I was down in Cahersiveen my condemnation would be tempered by the obvious benefits that town has derived during his representation.

But diverting funds to South Kerry means taking funds away from areas which had the temerity not to vote FF - the sort of stuff that happens in Kenya.

blackbox

r3nu4l wrote: »

That's exactly why I'm surprised...it seems to me that if Gary Glitter was living in the countryside in Ireland he'd be elected because 'he gave us great facilities, sure we've Ireland's largest children's playground' :rolleyes:

WTF does a politician have to do before his constituents will take off their blinkers and punish him/her.

Tax evaders, banking scandals, now living like a king on the back of the taxpayer can all be added to the list of things that WON'T end your career...

If they steal constituency money and use it to buy houses for mistresses - this pisses them off bigtime.

Alternatively they can steal money that was donated for a colleague's liver operation.

kerry4sam

kmick wrote: »

As Paidi says they are animals :P

You really think this comment is funny? Humourous eh? How is it relevant to what the OP was referring to?

lostexpectation

that why we need less tds covering bigger areas and dealing with national issues

grenache

The people in South Kerry who continue to support JOD should be ashamed of themselves. Just as the people in North Mayo should be for supporting Cooper-Flynn. The whole thing just makes me sick, politicians in this country were always corrupt, but lately the whole thing is just gone to the dogs. I'm sick of the government now and the opposition too for being utterly useless. Sad to say that after the untimely passing of Tony Gregory, there is no longer a decent genuine politician in the Dail. They're all as bad as each other and only in it for the good of themselves.

kerry4sam

Biggins wrote: »

...
Those that would still vote for JOD and his kind, are in the short or long run doing their state, neighbour and family no good.

grenache wrote: »

The people in South Kerry who continue to support JOD should be ashamed of themselves. Just as the people in North Mayo should be for supporting Cooper-Flynn. The whole thing just makes me sick, politicians in this country were always corrupt, but lately the whole thing is just gone to the dogs. I'm sick of the government now and the opposition too for being utterly useless. Sad to say that after the untimely passing of Tony Gregory, there is no longer a decent genuine politician in the Dail. They're all as bad as each other and only in it for the good of themselves.

What you both are failing to see here is that nothing, I repeat nothing is going to change the minds of politicians' staunch supporters! Whether it makes you sick / angry / disgusted even further with peoples' opinions of politicians that differ from your own personal opinion of said politicans is not going to make the slightest difference to those people. You may aswell not even bother to think about it as it's not going to help you feel any better about the situation and those staunch supporters are not going to change their minds because you do feel sick / angry / disgusted at their own personal choice of who they wish to support and vote for!

Sand

We need a removal of personal politics in this country - some sort of party list system where theres no direct link between a constituency and a particular policitician. The parish pump politician is a plague upon Ireland, resulting in a situation where maybe 5-10% of the Dail can actually discuss national issues without making fools of themselves...

Biggins

kerry4sam wrote: »

What you both are failing to see here is that nothing, I repeat nothing is going to change the minds of politicians' staunch supporters!

You will find me not disagreeing with you on that point in any way.
There will always be a hard-core of anything. Thats the parochial system for you too at work.
Sad but there it is. Like a horse wearing blinkers.