gormless minister

foggy_lad · 07-01-2010 2:33pm #1

john gormley the minister with responsibility for the gritting of roads has said on RTE news at one that local authorities will source grit and salt for the roads wherever possible but the only company importing salt into the republic has said they are only getting a small quantity today/tomorrow which is mostly allocated and getting more could take a week or more, so where is the minister getting his grit/salt from? there is nothing available where are the local authorities going to source "nothing" from?

force eleven · 07-01-2010 2:36pm

Beschoffs should have a fair bit. Failing that, Supermacs.

Its a joke though. I'm surprised he didn't blame the cold spell on 'climate change'....:rolleyes:

foggy_lad · 07-01-2010 2:49pm

force eleven wrote: »

Beschoffs should have a fair bit. Failing that, Supermacs.

Its a joke though. I'm surprised he didn't blame the cold spell on 'climate change'....:rolleyes:

he did mention it was the coldest spell since 1963 but i remember '82 and the snow piled up against a neighbours house leaving them only the upstairs windows for access untill they were fully dug out! he also siad the nra were tasked with keeping the roads gritted. he couldnt answer the most basic of questions and sounded like he just wanted to make a statement that we would all accept and applaud his efforts.

My name is Mud · 07-01-2010 2:53pm

foggy_lad wrote: »

john gormley the minister with responsibility for the gritting of roads has said on RTE news at one that local authorities will source grit and salt for the roads...

Correct me if im wrong here....

Is it not the city council that is responsible for this? And if so, no Green Party members are on Dublin city council. How is this anything to do with Gormley?

hobochris · 07-01-2010 2:58pm

There was plenty of rock salt(next to the black pepper) in dunnes yesterday

saeglopur · 07-01-2010 3:32pm

joe duffy is on the case here. 5 companies offering grit in about 10 mins of him putting out the SOS. one even offering it for free. making all the local authorities claims that they are running out of supplies rather silly

Heroditas · 07-01-2010 3:54pm

Wouldn't Noel Dempsey be the person to make these statements? Isn't it his responsibility rather than Gormley's?
I know he's off on his holidays (that's another matter altogether)

foggy_lad · 07-01-2010 4:02pm

Heroditas wrote: »

Wouldn't Noel Dempsey be the person to make these statements? Isn't it his responsibility rather than Gormley's?
I know he's off on his holidays (that's another matter altogether)

maybe they are all leaving it up to gormley to shoot hiumself in the foot because he would not be missed if forced to resign over the gritt issue?

byhookorbycrook · 07-01-2010 4:17pm

It is the absent transport minister who has the responsibility, typical FF, blame someone else.

Sponge Bob · 07-01-2010 4:32pm

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

It is the absent transport minister who has the responsibility, typical FF, blame someone else.

Very true.

1. Salt and Grit are NOT the same thing

Plenty of grit about.
2. Dempsey is responsible for gritting policy and funding, he is on an EU junket somewhere warm right now and does not care what happens.
3. Gormley is responsible for paying local authorities to go out and do the work in their areas.

spongeman · 07-01-2010 4:39pm

foggy_lad wrote: »

he did mention it was the coldest spell since 1963 but i remember '82 and the snow piled up against a neighbours house leaving them only the upstairs windows for access untill they were fully dug out! he also siad the nra were tasked with keeping the roads gritted. he couldnt answer the most basic of questions and sounded like he just wanted to make a statement that we would all accept and applaud his efforts.

If 1982 had happened this week then we would be even more shagged than we are now.

Surprised he did'nt announce another carbon tax on the snow.

Stupid Greens.

BrianD · 07-01-2010 4:41pm

foggy_lad wrote: »

john gormley the minister with responsibility for the gritting of roads has said on RTE news at one that local authorities will source grit and salt for the roads wherever possible but the only company importing salt into the republic has said they are only getting a small quantity today/tomorrow which is mostly allocated and getting more could take a week or more, so where is the minister getting his grit/salt from? there is nothing available where are the local authorities going to source "nothing" from?

In fairness to the minister, he is not responsible for gritting roads. The local authorities are. These are the same people who are popping yo on radio stations looking for a state of an emergency or a national response to deflect attention away from their mismanagement of the current situation.

What I would like to see Mr. Gormly is to go on record and tell the councils to get the finger out and stop dithering and making excuses.

The local authorities are responsible for buying the grit. Every year, they put out annual tenders for all these materials. It seems to me that many took gamble that they wouldn't need grit and made a saving. If so they should have covered themseves with a contingency.

Having said that, it looks like the councils have messed up so bad it looks like it will have to be central government that sorts it out.

spareman · 07-01-2010 4:52pm

BrianD wrote: »

In fairness to the minister, he is not responsible for gritting roads. The local authorities are.
Having said that, it looks like the councils have messed up so bad it looks like it will have to be central government that sorts it out.

Local authorities cannot afford to grit the roads, thats the problem here, not lack of grit, lack of funding, and how anyone could say it's not the governments fault is beyond me but there ya go.

snappieT · 07-01-2010 5:19pm

spareman wrote: »

Local authorities cannot afford to grit the roads, thats the problem here, not lack of grit, lack of funding, and how anyone could say it's not the governments fault is beyond me but there ya go.

SURELY the economic cost of people not being able to get to work, damaging their cars* in crashes and having difficulty to get into town to do some shopping is far far greater is higher than the cost of putting a bit of grit on the roads...

*inb4 "the repair cost will add to GDP" nonsense

spareman · 07-01-2010 5:24pm

snappieT wrote: »

SURELY the economic cost of people not being able to get to work, damaging their cars* in crashes and having difficulty to get into town to do some shopping is far far greater is higher than the cost of putting a bit of grit on the roads...

*inb4 "the repair cost will add to GDP" nonsense

Agree, also the flood of claims to the council over ungritted roads and foot paths, but they simply dont have the funding for grit, and how anyone can blame them rather than the government bewilders me.

foggy_lad · 07-01-2010 5:49pm

The local authorities are responsible for buying the grit. Every year, they put out annual tenders for all these materials. It seems to me that many took gamble that they wouldn't need grit and made a saving. If so they should have covered themseves with a contingency.

what gob****e is responsible for sourcing grit/salt from spain when sand from any beach around the country will do the same job!

bmaxi · 07-01-2010 5:58pm

foggy_lad wrote: »

what gob****e is responsible for sourcing grit/salt from spain when sand from any beach around the country will do the same job!

This question was asked of, I think, the Wexford County engineer, he said it blocks the drains.

JHMEG · 07-01-2010 6:01pm

foggy_lad wrote: »

what gob****e is responsible for sourcing grit/salt from spain when sand from any beach around the country will do the same job!

There is one company in Cork importing salt from Spain.

The CEO was on the radio at lunchtime, and he said the NRA were mistakenly telling all the local authorities that they were the only company with salt and to get it from them. The NRA also seemed to incorrectly tell some local authorities that the company was based in Limerick.

BrianD · 07-01-2010 6:35pm

spareman wrote: »

Local authorities cannot afford to grit the roads, thats the problem here, not lack of grit, lack of funding, and how anyone could say it's not the governments fault is beyond me but there ya go.

I simple do not believe this. All local authorities have been stating that it's lack of grit/salt and not equipment or manpower. They have the equipment and the staff are on the payroll.

If the labour cost of gritting is exceeding their budgets then it would make sense for them to apply to central government for additional funding. In the meantime there is nothing stopping them going out in doing it.

I would hazard a guess that in past years, councils haven't used the money they set aside for gritting. It then gets spent elsewhere. This year they have been caught on the hop.

Beach sand won't do the same job as "grit".

Heisenberg. · 07-01-2010 7:40pm

This post has been deleted.

DDigital · 07-01-2010 7:48pm

Brian Dobson - Where's the minister for transport?

John Gormley - We don't know where he is.

:D:D

foggy_lad · 07-01-2010 7:51pm

Scien wrote: »

Gormley was just on the 6.1 saying that there's 14,000 tons left for the Country which, if conditions remain the same, will last "a couple of days".
The next order of salt is 7 days away he also said. :eek:

DDigital wrote: »

Brian Dobson - Where's the minister for transport?

John Gormley - We don't know where he is.

:D:D

hence the thread title! the green party should not be in power as they are clearly showing a lack of any ability to get any job done. and brian cowan was just as useless on the issue of grit/salt passing the buck to the met office the greens the councils and anyone except himself.

DDigital · 07-01-2010 7:56pm

foggy_lad wrote: »

hence the thread title! the green party should not be in power as they are clearly showing a lack of any ability to get any job done. and brian cowan was just as useless on the issue of grit/salt passing the buck to the met office the greens the councils and anyony except himself.

In fairness Foggy, the poor sod has been thrown to the lions while the transport minister is on a sun lounger somewhere. While Im not a green supporter at least he's stepping up to the plate in some way. Personally that other eejit Dempsey should be cutting his holiday short and getting his ass back here to look after the transport side of things.

foggy_lad · 07-01-2010 8:08pm

i fully agree that he has been throw to the lions but that is what the greens were dragged into government for as they have no real power to affect any real change and would serve the people that voted for them better by staying as part of the opposition.

and really he has made statements on radio today contradicting himself and talking himself around in circles like a dog chasing its tail. while there is still no salt or grit to be had for a week he says the NRA have been tasked to get adequate supplies and he says they will! but there is none to be had unless it can be magicked out of the sky in the place of the forcast snowfall?

eth0_ · 07-01-2010 8:09pm

Scien wrote: »

Gormley was just on the 6.1 saying that there's 14,000 tons left for the Country which, if conditions remain the same, will last "a couple of days".
The next order of salt is 7 days away he also said. :eek:

Why the hell aren't they ordering salt from the salt mine in this country? :mad: And why did they leave it so late to order more salt when we've been in this situation for three weeks?

For a start it produces 3,000 *TONNES* per day, and secondly - why are we sending taxpayer's money to Spain when that money could be kept within the island of Ireland by using the Irish salt mine in N.Ireland?

Alun · 07-01-2010 8:21pm

eth0_ wrote: »

Why the hell aren't they ordering salt from the salt mine in this country? :mad: And why did they leave it so late to order more salt when we've been in this situation for three weeks?

For a start it produces 3,000 *TONNES* per day, and secondly - why are we sending taxpayer's money to Spain when that money could be kept within the island of Ireland by using the Irish salt mine in N.Ireland?

... and ALL of that output is going to existing customers in NI and Britian as far as I can tell. They're working flat out at the moment and just can't produce any more apparently.

Pablo Sanchez · 07-01-2010 8:23pm

DDigital wrote: »

In fairness Foggy, the poor sod has been thrown to the lions while the transport minister is on a sun lounger somewhere. While Im not a green supporter at least he's stepping up to the plate in some way. Personally that other eejit Dempsey should be cutting his holiday short and getting his ass back here to look after the transport side of things.

He is the minister for local government and therfore the gritting (or otherwise).

DDigital · 07-01-2010 8:26pm

Ok Im going to open myself up to huge redicule.

Despite the lack of grit, I'm stunned at the continued inability of our Government to manage a situation in a half decent manner. Just basing things on what Ive personally witnessed on my travels and in the vicinity of my home, why the Gardai and council workers are not at least on the roads doing something to assist the flow of traffic in poor conditions is baffling.

Only now are we hearing that the army MIGHT be brought in to assist. Only now are we hearing that the Government MET to discuss the situation. It isn't really good enough that the response is late and laboured. We can argue to death about the grit supply and freaky weather conditions, but as a nation we did in fact need our so called Government to react swiftly by taking a firm control of things. An environment minister sorting out county councils. An agriculture minister addressing a sector in real trouble. An education minister that doesn't pass the buck. A transport minister that isn't stretched out in the sun. Todays pitiful and flustered reaction is an insult to us. We try to get to work in crappy conditions, putting our own safety at risk in order to keep the economy in some form of operative state. What do we get for that? A total and absolute let down from Government.

With more snow possible on Sunday and no grit or plan of any standing in place, at what point do those of us just tell employers, "listen Im sorry, but I just can't get into work and its not an excuse, its a reality aided by an incompetent Government."

DDigital · 07-01-2010 8:30pm

Pablo Sanchez wrote: »

He is the minister for local government and therfore the gritting (or otherwise).

He has been tasked with putting together a plan to aid the movement of traffic on the roads. Gritting is just one factor. There are many others. The transport minister should be hauled back to his department to do his bit. The NRA are his remit in line with organising the Garda traffic corp to assist. Sorting this mess out is a multi departmental thing and not just a John Gormley thing.

steph1 · 07-01-2010 8:32pm

Well I am self employed and I drive for a living and I have not been able to do my business this last week as the roads are too dangerous especially at night with the freezing conditions.
Maybel if everybody did that - just did not turn up to work for a day or two telling their employers that they cannot get transport or just refuse to drive as its too dangerous (especially for those who have a long commute) and let the country grind to a halt. Something would be done then and very quickly. It just goes to show with all the bodies that are in place and nothing seems to be sorted and each one passing the buck and the blame on each other. We are a disgrace and a joke of a country

eth0_ · 07-01-2010 8:36pm

It feels like our government has completely given up on this country.

There is a ten fold increase in A&E visits at the moment because of the ice. Huge numbers of people are literally trapped in their houses.

The roads authority says it's the local councils job to grit pavements and minor roads.
The councils say it's the responsibility of the roads authority. And where is our transport minister? On holiday! Transport links in the country are at crisis point and he doesn't feel like cutting his holiday short. He should be forced to resign.

The ridiculous thing is, it's such a small amount of ice and snow causing these problems. We must be the laughing stock of Europe.

gormless minister

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