De Búrca resigns from Greens, Seanad

Biggins

Green Party Junior Minister Trevor Sargent said he was very disappointed by Ms de Búrca's resignation, but he said her criticisms of the party leader 'didn't ring true' and were 'very unfair'.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0212/deburcab.html

Dear Trevor, what planet are you actually living on?
Your talking schite!

Many of her points in her full statement ring very, very true and close to the core of truth.
Sorry to see you can't see that but those rose tinted glasses you seem to be wearing are blinding you - or is it just the PR spin your already trying to put on things!
I suspect its a bit of both.

See ye all at the next election.

Annasopra

Maebh wrote: »

Deirdre De Búrca has gone and resigned from the Greens,

What do people think? Personally, I think she's said a lot that needed saying...

I think that the Media have jumped the gun in reporting she has left the greens - her statement mentions the parliamentary party - It is not clear if she has resigned from the party

ToadVine

Biggins wrote: »

Dear Trevor, what planet are you actually living on?

He's living on Planet Bertie now with Gormley, Boyle and Ryan. They all moved there in 2007 ...

Biggins

Johnnymcg wrote: »

I think that the Media have jumped the gun in reporting she has left the greens - her statement mentions the parliamentary party - It is not clear if she has resigned from the party

I suspect she has decided to make a clean break - it remains to be seen.
After her clear sharp direct words to the clowns in power, I also suspect she wouldn't be allowed to remain anyway and she'd guess that.

De Búrca, if you decide to set-up an alternative green org' or political party, let us know!
You might find a hell of a lot wishing to join you.

Scofflaw

Biggins wrote: »

I suspect she has decided to make a clean break - it remains to be seen.
After her clear sharp direct words to the clowns in power, I also suspect she wouldn't be allowed to remain anyway and she'd guess that.

De Búrca, if you decide to set-up an alternative green org' or political party, let us know!
You might find a hell of a lot wishing to join you.

It's interesting that for all the complaints, and the definite exodus of a particular segment of the party's support, there still seems to be no such thing.

cordially,
Scofflaw

Biggins

Scofflaw wrote: »

It's interesting that for all the complaints, and the definite exodus of a particular segment of the party's support, there still seems to be no such thing.

cordially,
Scofflaw

Sadly very true.
I live in hope that one will emerge.

Macha

Scofflaw wrote: »

It's interesting that for all the complaints, and the definite exodus of a particular segment of the party's support, there still seems to be no such thing.

I also think it's interesting to note what de Burca said about Patricia McKenna's departure from the Green Party:

The pity about Patricia McKenna's move is that she did not do it at least a year ago and spare herself and her party colleagues a lot of time-wasting and strife. It has been increasingly clear that she does not share the same views on many issues with Green Party members.

LostinBlanch

IrishTonyO wrote: »

What tens of thousands of jobs? Anyone know?

Well . . . . eh . . . . Gormley appointed 3 GP members as political advisers at €161,000 and two at €82,016.

Elizabeth Davis a GP member who didn't win any elections gets paid €40,000 to watch films.

And Eamon Ryan appointed Garret Blaney to a plum post in the Commission of Energy Regulation after a very stringent application process open to all candidates "unsolicited" phone call.

Then there's those paragon of electoral success Dan Boyle, Niall O'Brollchain and the now gone DDB. But that post'll probably go to another party hack. Probably their only electoral success in the local elections Mark Deary who got voted onto the council in Louth. But wait, he's already chairman of the Library Council which is only worth €5,000 a year but it all adds up right?

Two other councillors have also been appointed to the Private Residential Tenancies Board, Vincent P Martin who lost his seat on Monaghan County Council and Gene Feighery who was co-opted onto Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council but never actually won an election.Both are getting €25,000 for that.

Former GP seanad candidate Martin Hogan has been appointed to the board of Fás and gets €12,000 pocket money for that.

Then there's Stiofan Nutty who's Trevor Sargents political adviser who has been appointed to An Foras Organach the Organic Food agency which was set up by . . . erm . . . . Trevor Sargent.

Caroline Burrell, who also lost her seat at the last election, has popped up on the board of the National Disability Authority.

So by my counting that's 14 Green jobs created right there.

Still it's always good to see the Greens staying true to their word and opposing "crass cronyism" and "jobs for the boys" like Dan Boyle did when he put forward a private members bill in the seanad proposing giving Dáil Committees the power to vet state board appointments. But wait, both he and DDB voted against it, when it was reintroduced by the opposition last October. It was defeated by 23 votes to 25.

Darsad

Biggins wrote: »

I
De Búrca, if you decide to set-up an alternative green org' or political party, let us know!
You might find a hell of a lot wishing to join you.

Divide and conquer eh ! I hope not there is still enough of these loonies left to bring this country further into the mire anyways I doubt she
would ever go before the electorate again after been consistently and roundly rejected .
In saying that as much as I detest the greens I have some admiration for somebody prepared to walk away from a cushie well paid number !

Our man in Havana

It won't matter as she was a Taoiseachs nominee. She will be simply be replaced with a FF lapdog.

Poly

Anyone see the 6pm news? very funny, when asked by a reproter, the greens clouldn't even agree if they met on a daily basis.

You know your greens have gone off when Paul "F*&k you" Gogarty is being presented for camera fodder.

Eamon Ryan probably had remote control electrodes on Gogarty's balls in case he went on a solo run.

IrishTonyO

Poly wrote: »

Anyone see the 6pm news? very funny, when asked by a reproter, the greens clouldn't even agree if they met on a daily basis.

You know your greens have gone off when Paul "F*&k you" Gogarty is being presented for camera fodder.

Eamon Ryan probably had remote control electrodes on Gogarty's balls in case he went on a solo run.

Yes seems all the other Greens meet everyday but not Cuffe, wonder is there something they are not telling him

Biggins

Poly wrote: »

Anyone see the 6pm news?

I loved the way Gormley was stating to the camera about policies that had been initiated since their last important RDS vote (to stay in government).
One of the reporters tried to ask quickly what they actually were but was quickly talked over!
So Mr Gormley, what is those recent policies?
Care to list them - or is your statement just thrown out there also as PR spin after ye got slapped in the face with some real home truths?

Pyridine

Saw the Green mob on the six-one news. When they were interviewing Paul Gogarty all I could think was "F**k you Deirdre De Búrca, F**k you!!" for some reason!!

Poly

Who will be next to jump ship?

My money is on Ryan defecting to FF

FINGAL FAN

I can see Eamonn Ryan and Dan Boyle in FF before the next election . The GP faces wipeout and these two strike me as as having more ambition then principal -ideal for FF .

Poly

"John, you can keep the fcukin Prius, I'm getting a 5 litre Petrol Merc."


P.S. I've always loved back yard burning!

Sand

@Taconol

I also think it's interesting to note what de Burca said about Patricia McKenna's departure from the Green Party:

Quote:
The pity about Patricia McKenna's move is that she did not do it at least a year ago and spare herself and her party colleagues a lot of time-wasting and strife. It has been increasingly clear that she does not share the same views on many issues with Green Party members.

I think the most interesting thing about that is that the stalwart Green loyalists criticising the last Green to see the light and jump ship are prime candidates to be the next one to do so.

The Greens are doomed. Utterly terrified of facing the electorate. They are hanging in by their fingernails to any semblance of power, for powers sake alone. They could have taken a principled stance over NAMA but instead they sold out the country for the price of a few bicycle paths that will never be delivered. Fianna Fail now know that the Greens are more terrified of an election than they are so they can do whatever they like with little more than a murmur of protest from the Greens.

ChocolateSauce

My opinion of her has gone way up recently.

During the runup to Lisbon 1 I got something in the door from her office which was anti-Lisbon for all the now debunked reasons such as Neutrality/concription yadayadayada, so I emailed her pointing out that she was "either a liar and a hypocrite or completely ignorant of the most important political issue of the day". (I think I may have hurt her feelings, because the reply was hastily written and lacked composure.)


Anyway, before Lisbon 2 I attended a huge debate in UCD (aired on TV, I think) about Lisbon and she was up there making a very compelling speech for the yes side.

And now she does this? She sounds like a woman who can stick to her principles and can also change her opinion when she realises she was wrong, something most politicians won't do.

Sand

There is definitly something to be said for having the ability to step back, rethink and maybe reach a different decision in light of new information. A certain mix of humility and common sense is required for that. Both of which are more compelling than the bull headed way Fianna Fail TDs approach issues.

Poly

Sand wrote: »

There is definitly something to be said for having the ability to step back, rethink and maybe reach a different decision in light of new information.

She must have been on Boards!

smellslikeshoes

Rats jumping off the sinking ship. Anyone with half a brain knows that the greens are going to be decimated in the next election. I was all for the greens the last election but they have completely lost their way since getting into power. I'd expect to see more of them leaving to try distance themselves from the trainwreck the next election is going to be for them.

Rosette

What's happening here is something like Pavlov's dogs, as Taconnol said above, reward comes for doing nothing, but leaving the job for the Old Boys. Remember, the rumour is that the job de Burca wanted went to Peter Sutherland's son.
What is interesting is what McKenna has achieved since leaving the Greens. All I can remember is her sitting close to Declan Ganley, with no media comment that they made an odd couple. There are lapdogs and lapdogs.
Exactly what do you achieve on the outside? Very early on the Greens were supposed to go kamikaze and leave it to the old boys.
Will I let ye in on a little secret, as to who is really propping up Fianna Fail? Well, it's the people who voted them in the first time, then the second time and then the third time. Fianna Fail does not exist in a vacuum, in fact they are going back up!
If George Lee couldn't turn both Fine Gael around, and the country, singlehandedly and in just nine months; if in fact he could get absolutely nowhere and be totally bored instead, then how should the Greens be anything but badly damaged by trying. Fine Gael trotted out the line that the Greens were abandoning this principle and that principle, and oh they are naive. I'm glad Pure George's dilemma gave them a right serious kicking and showed them for what they are - Old Boys, just plain stupid.
And those that talk about lapdogs are no better than Pavlov's dogs themselves, facilitating the status quo. Is it enough for you to flick through Hello magazine, wondering at the style of the celebs and the royalty? Opt out of being involved, and you will enable Hello for the next generation. If you want the Greens destroyed, if you slap Lee on the back and say Fair Play, then you deserve to be a lapdog for the dynasties in this country. I don't want to be part of that country, don't want to pay tax to that. Me, I want change in planning matters, not to sit on the outside in some Ireland of my imagination, in some pure Green party of your creation. Wanting to be loved is not a sign of integrity, Enda.

Sand

Why not list the achievements of the Green Party...all the historic, concrete achievements they have earned in government.

Pile them up.

Now weigh them against the economic misery of NAMA, something the Greens inflicted on the people of this country, their children and their grand children.

Remember the comment that at least Mussolini made the trains run on time was damning him with faint praise.

Scofflaw

Sand wrote: »

Why not list the achievements of the Green Party...all the historic, concrete achievements they have earned in government.

Pile them up.

Now weigh them against the economic misery of NAMA, something the Greens inflicted on the people of this country, their children and their grand children.

Remember the comment that at least Mussolini made the trains run on time was damning him with faint praise.

NAMA would have gone ahead with or without the Greens (I doubt, if it comes down to it, that FG/Lab would/could have done any different), whereas those things the Greens have achieved wouldn't.

NAMA was necessary as a result of the FF/PD encouragement of deregulated banking and unbelievably lax lending culture over a decade - either NAMA, or bank collapses, and neither have anything to do with the period since mid-2007. The damage was long done by then - it only took the downturn to show how rotten the foundations had become after a decade of liberal cronyism.

cordially,
Scofflaw

Rosette

Sand wrote: »

Why not list the achievements of the Green Party...all the historic, concrete achievements they have earned in government.

Pile them up.

Now weigh them against the economic misery of NAMA, something the Greens inflicted on the people of this country, their children and their grand children.

Remember the comment that at least Mussolini made the trains run on time was damning him with faint praise.

I agree with Scofflaw. The economic misery of NAMA has been a long time coming, the pileup from years of economic mismanagement, the bigger its size because we Irish f*cked up more.
There is a biblical story of some guy who had a dream of seven bumper years followed by seven famine years, and the upshot was that he had to build a storehouse to keep something by for the lean years? Well, we didn't do that, and by the time the Greens were in, everything was set in place for a really big fall.
Would you like the Greek alternative, ie no policy, just blood, real blood, on the streets? You going to put your kids up for that?
Our version of Mussonlini's trains is pothole filling, and the irony is that there's not enough money left for that. Unless FG councillors can work miracles, I wonder will they really get past the pumphouse into the Dail.
And de Burca talks about selling off principles. I think of Bronwyn Maher, who now takes corporate donations. And Gilmore said that Green votes are safe with him.

LostinBlanch

From todays indo:

The Green Party is in severe danger of following the PDs into electoral oblivion on the basis of the results, garnering just 2pc of the vote.

Their demise can't happen quickly enough IMO

Slattery86

Maebh wrote: »

Deirdre De Búrca has gone and resigned from the Greens, her letter of resignation is great:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0212/deburcadstatement.html

"It would appear that holding onto office and to seats have become more important to the party than holding on to its fundamental political purpose. We have lost our way as a party and I am sad to say that it has reached a point where I, and most of the people I know, will be unable to vote Green in the next election."

What do people think? Personally, I think she's said a lot that needed saying...

Well what i'm thinking is, good riddance to her. I'd await the day they all went to celebrate as this minority clique has been punching way above its weight in the Dail, introuducing bogus measures such as busgate, 30 mph in Dublin, the carbon tax etc.

Good riddance to her, who does she think she is, and does she think that the greens as a minority should be allowed to influence other parties, with more voters? Like everything else with the smug, elitist, bien peasant greens and some of their members, there is an element of "the people don't know whats good for them" screaming out of this little episode".

Enough of this elitist, misanthropic, nature worshipping cult, the sooner they all follow her route the better. The people don't want the greens agenda, and yet all they can do is patronise us, and try and run as much legislation through the legislator before they get kicked out.

Who's next, Gormless or Gogarty? Should be interesting, I await with popcorn.

IrishTonyO

Slattery86 wrote: »

I'd await the day they all went to celebrate as this minority clique has been punching way above its weight in the Dail, introuducing bogus measures such as busgate, 30 mph in Dublin, the carbon tax etc.

.

went to celebrate?

30 mph in Dublin was introduced by a Labour councillor not Green

and bus gate was proposed by City manager John Tierney

Darsad

LostinBlanch wrote: »

From todays indo:
The Green Party is in severe danger of following the PDs into electoral oblivion on the basis of the results, garnering just 2pc of the vote

Their demise can't happen quickly enough IMO

The sad thing is that with their rating now well and truly in the toilet there is quite simply no chance of them leaving government Gormley , Ryan & Sargent already have racked up lucerative pensions in excess of 3 Mil plus each and counting that they can live off if they never work again. Even that mo*on Gogarty and the nut j*b White will be well rewarded , they know its the end game and they aint going nowhere !