So, where is the opposition ?

peasant

The greens have nailed their colours to the mast and are busy re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic ...FF carries on as usual ...but where is the opposition?

In the next few days, NAMA is supposed to be shoved through the dail ...last soundbites I heard, the opposition are all vehemently opposed to it.

Well ...are they going to do anything about it?
Turn a few independents? Swing a few FF backbenchers? Start a national protest?

Or will they just quietly sit back, mumble some vaguely critical platitudes and be secretly delighted that the poisened chalice of taking actual responsibility is about to pass them by?

Long Onion

I vote for the last option. Despite the vehement criticism of NAMA. no-one else is confident enough in their own solution to seriously push it forward. If the opposition parties really thought that NAMA will lead to saddling the country with debt for the rest of our natural lives, would they not force (or attempt to foce) a general elaction before the legislation is passed in earnest.

The fact is that they will be happy to let FF and the Greens initiate it, when they get to power themselves it becomes an each way bet - if it works - great. If it is a failure, they can point the fingers at FF & the Greens and say "I told you so". FG & Labour then have the cheek to criticise JOD's decision to defer resignation 'till after the Green Party vote.

The only thing more depressing than the fact that FF & the Greens ineptitude is the weakness of alternative choices.

Colm R

I am disappointed with Fine Gael. I thought after Lisbon, the gloves would be off. But they haven't.

Liam Byrne

Long Onion wrote: »

FG & Labour then have the cheek to criticise JOD's decision to defer resignation 'till after the Green Party vote.

There's a difference between a failed policy and a failed politician.

peasant

Colm R wrote: »

I am disappointed with Fine Gael. I thought after Lisbon, the gloves would be off. But they haven't.

Indeed ...one would expect their new economy messiah (George Lee) to be out there, grabbing hold of every available journalist to give interwiews and drop juicy soundbites about the badness of NAMA and how it needs to be prevented.

Not a peep ...like he's been put on ice

ejmaztec

Long Onion wrote: »

I vote for the last option. Despite the vehement criticism of NAMA. no-one else is confident enough in their own solution to seriously push it forward. If the opposition parties really thought that NAMA will lead to saddling the country with debt for the rest of our natural lives, would they not force (or attempt to foce) a general elaction before the legislation is passed in earnest.

The fact is that they will be happy to let FF and the Greens initiate it, when they get to power themselves it becomes an each way bet - if it works - great. If it is a failure, they can point the fingers at FF & the Greens and say "I told you so". FG & Labour then have the cheek to criticise JOD's decision to defer resignation 'till after the Green Party vote.

The only thing more depressing than the fact that FF & the Greens ineptitude is the weakness of alternative choices.

In a nutshell.:(

Kama

Or will they just quietly sit back, mumble some vaguely critical platitudes and be secretly delighted that the poisened chalice of taking actual responsibility is about to pass them by?

They are waiting for a level of incompetence to be reached which would make them appear competent in comparison, to be our 'saviours'.

The worrying thing is that level has not yet, apparently, been reached.

Seth Brundle

I believe that the opposition don't want power just yet. They would rather wait until the hardest decisions have been made and then come in and balming the current government say "we have to do this because FF & the FF lite have brought us down this avenue"

ART6

kbannon wrote: »

I believe that the opposition don't want power just yet. They would rather wait until the hardest decisions have been made and then come in and balming the current government say "we have to do this because FF & the FF lite have brought us down this avenue"

I agree with you, but I suspect that the opposition parties have a difficult call to make, and it's not just taking up the poisoned chalice of the current state of the economy. As I see it the question is also "if we wait for a while FF and the Greens might become even more unpopular, while if we force them out now immediately after Lisbon they might still get enough votes to remain in power (the least worst principle). If, however, we leave it too long and the fabled green shoots begin to appear, they may then win the election due to the short memories of the electorate."

If there was an opposition party with obvious fire in it's belly the first option would be the one to go for -- tear the heart out of them and go to the electorate with an air of supreme confidence and with a clear and well thought out policy strongly put. The only parties of any size even remotely capable of that are FG and Labour, the latter hardly counting and a partnership seemingly ruled out, so it seems like sit on hands time, winge a bit, but basically do nothing and "hope to God no-one notices us hiding in the corner."

Liam Byrne

Before FG or Labour would do that, they'd have to make sure that their expenses were beyond reproach, too....

Everyone knows at this stage that waste, screwing up, milking it and abdicating responsibility is endemic in FF, but the fact remains that FG aren't exactly whiter-than-white in this regard, with only a few taking the pay cuts (which Enda didn't, as leader, impose) and the Lowry fiasco.

Plus many of them clapped today.....

So not by any means as bad as FF, but not completely the perfect "high moral ground" either.

starbelgrade

peasant wrote: »

Indeed ...one would expect their new economy messiah (George Lee) to be out there, grabbing hold of every available journalist to give interwiews and drop juicy soundbites about the badness of NAMA and how it needs to be prevented.

Not a peep ...like he's been put on ice

Maybe he's off on retreat with Mary Harney.

Liam Byrne

peasant wrote: »

Indeed ...one would expect their new economy messiah (George Lee) to be out there, grabbing hold of every available journalist to give interwiews and drop juicy soundbites about the badness of NAMA and how it needs to be prevented.

Not a peep ...like he's been put on ice

George Lee was on Prime Time tonight; fairly OK performance, but definitely not as incisive, vocal and forthright as I would have expected.