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Girl 26 looking to become a TD- WTF?

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    #332
    mattser
    Registered Users Posts: 2,233 ✭✭✭mattser


    Well done Helen. Great campaign and just rewards.


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    #333
    pickarooney
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 35,454 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    jonsnow wrote: »
    Shes a party hack yeswoman. What really pisses me off is when she bangs on about how she is making youth unemployment a central plank of her campaign because so many of her friends have emigrated. No Helen you dont understand emigration because daddy sorted you out with a masters and a parliamentary assistant job so that you didnt have to emigrate.All your talk about understanding emigration is BS because it was never a real threat for you.You were always going to be protected, given a handy job, work your way up the party and then get elected.

    Nothing in this country every changes.I'm starting to see my own generation of mediocre spoofers slither into positions of power in ireland while most of the talented people of my generation are gone abroad.

    In fairness, if someone has emigrated it's a bit impractical for them them run for office in Ireland.


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    #334
    Madam_X
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,327 ✭✭✭Madam_X


    Did her late father really sort her out with a masters?


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    #335
    squod
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,704 ✭✭✭squod


    Nudder three years of hanging around, arse scratching and turning up for lectures off some 'aul fella. Is it college she got into or the Dail?


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    #336
    Annasopra
    Registered Users Posts: 41,062 ✭✭✭✭Annasopra


    Madam_X wrote: »
    Did her late father really sort her out with a masters?

    He might have paid for it.

    It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleakly depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone's fault. If it was us, what did that make Me? After all, I'm one of Us. I must be. I've certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We're always one of Us. It's Them that do the bad things.

    Terry Pratchet



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    #337
    _Kaiser_
    Registered Users Posts: 28,860 ✭✭✭✭_Kaiser_


    smeedyova wrote: »
    I think a point that should be considered here is not that she ran at all but that people actually voted for her. The question I'm asking myself is why on earth Irish people vote for the children of politicians? Do they think that they have to? I don't think it's right to blame her for trying, but to question the reasoning power of those who gave her a vote...

    Completely agree with this.

    As I said in another thread, you also have to question who she's supposed to be representing, seeing as I gather she only got about 14% of the possible vote.

    But yes, the fact that the people of Meath East (those who bothered their ass to vote at all) saw fit to elect a 26 year old with no track record other than working in Daddy's office based on nothing more than name recognition and sympathy is a disgrace.

    The Irish electorate needs to take its role in the process a lot more seriously if the change and reform this country so badly needs is to ever happen. Voting TDs in based on name recognition, "they fixed the road", "mammy and daddy voted for them" etc will not achieve this - nor will flipping back and forth between FF and FG who are so similar they might as well just merge and get it over with.

    We need real alternatives come polling day, and we need a people with an interest in how the country is governed and their role in it - but this is Ireland, where change is something to be feared/belittled, so I unfortunately don't expect it to happen in my lifetime.

    I used to feel sorry for people who've been forced to emigrate in the last few years. Now I think fair play to them for getting out of this parochial, backwards little "democracy" of ours.


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    #338
    Madam_X
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,327 ✭✭✭Madam_X


    I was wondering more whether he used his clout to get her a place on the masters course rather than it being down to her undergrad degree and passing the assessment on her own merits.


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    #339
    srm23
    Registered Users Posts: 1,298 ✭✭✭srm23


    If she was hot i would have voted for her.
    unlucky babz


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    #340
    dxhound2005
    Registered Users Posts: 20,993 ✭✭✭✭dxhound2005


    smeedyova wrote: »
    I think a point that should be considered here is not that she ran at all but that people actually voted for her. The question I'm asking myself is why on earth Irish people vote for the children of politicians? Do they think that they have to? I don't think it's right to blame her for trying, but to question the reasoning power of those who gave her a vote...

    You have considered the point of why 11473 people voted for her and questioned their reasoning power (intellect, intelligence, judgement, sagacity) in so doing. What conclusion have you drawn?

    Have you been able to answer your own question to yourself as to why Irish people vote for the children of politicians? Do they think they have to?

    For my own part I wouldn't be able to answer that question. And I wouldn't make the judgement that it is because of lack of reasoning power on their behalf without knowing them.


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    #341
    humbert
    Registered Users Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭humbert


    Isn't it all about choice. Every election we are presented with a sucky choice between a useless bugger, a corrupt useless bugger and the town fool.

    It's not like the Irish voting public are shunning a much better choice for the candidates.


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    #342
    reg12
    Registered Users Posts: 3 ✭reg12


    Maybe, people are happy to see young female politicians enter (male dominated) goverment. Im proud of her.


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    #343
    dxhound2005
    Registered Users Posts: 20,993 ✭✭✭✭dxhound2005


    humbert wrote: »
    Isn't it all about choice. Every election we are presented with a sucky choice between a useless bugger, a corrupt useless bugger and the town fool.

    It's not like the Irish voting public are shunning a much better choice for the candidates.

    Last time round in Louth we had Gerry Adams. Which catergory does he fit into?


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    #344
    smeedyova
    Closed Accounts Posts: 397 ✭✭smeedyova


    dxhound2005 wrote: »
    You have considered the point of why 11473 people voted for her and questioned their reasoning power (intellect, intelligence, judgement, sagacity) in so doing. What conclusion have you drawn?

    Have you been able to answer your own question to yourself as to why Irish people vote for the children of politicians? Do they think they have to?

    For my own part I wouldn't be able to answer that question. And I wouldn't make the judgement that it is because of lack of reasoning power on their behalf without knowing them.

    Please note that I did not state that the people who voted for the inexperienced 26 year old daughter of a politician lacked reasoning power (implicit in the fact that I said their reasoning power should be questioned, i.e., if they lacked reasoning power it couldn't be questioned). I stated that their reasoning power is worth questioning. But yes, I do wonder why the people who voted for her did so as it could not possibly have been on her proven track record. Why do you think they voted for her?


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    #345
    Grayson
    Registered Users Posts: 16,216 ✭✭✭✭Grayson


    Madam_X wrote: »
    I was wondering more whether he used his clout to get her a place on the masters course rather than it being down to her undergrad degree and passing the assessment on her own merits.

    So long as she has a degree, I think he would have been able to sort out a masters with references etc. But either way, unless she got a scholarship he would have paid for it.

    Anyways, i think that's a moot point. Because it doesn't matter. It's his name that would have carried her through the campaign etc. There's no way someone her age would have had a chance in an election if it weren't for her father. And she never would have had a chance if he hadn't died but had retired instead. It was a sympathy vote and a farce.

    She got in on 11k votes when the total electorate was 64k. That's a turnout of just over 1/3. Voter apathy eh?


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    #346
    Chucky the tree
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19,341 ✭✭✭✭Chucky the tree


    Yea, the Dail definitely needs more older, real-world experienced people like Mick Wallace and Ming Flanagan.


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    #347
    snubbleste
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 31,117 ✭✭✭✭snubbleste


    RayCon wrote: »
    Cash in on the sympathy vote ... she'll walk it - watch.:mad:
    She did walk it.
    Still €92,672pa plus expenses and allowances is not bad for a 26 year old.


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    #348
    My name is URL
    Registered Users Posts: 25,068 ✭✭✭✭My name is URL


    Chucky the tree wrote: »
    Yea, the Dail definitely needs more older, real-world experienced people like Mick Wallace and Ming Flanagan.

    It doesn't exactly need any more ineffectual seat warmers and yes-people either.


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    #349
    dxhound2005
    Registered Users Posts: 20,993 ✭✭✭✭dxhound2005


    smeedyova wrote: »
    Please note that I did not state that the people who voted for the inexperienced 26 year old daughter of a politician lacked reasoning power (implicit in the fact that I said their reasoning power should be questioned, i.e., if they lacked reasoning power it couldn't be questioned). I stated that their reasoning power is worth questioning. But yes, I do wonder why the people who voted for her did so as it could not possibly have been on her proven track record. Why do you think they voted for her?

    I don't know any of the people who voted so I don't know why they voted for her or any other candidate. I heard political commentators on the radio before and after the election ascribing various reasons as to why she would get votes. Family name, sympathy, GAA, party loyalty, only female candidate, agricultural background, support for current FG policy, her age. But like I say I don't know.

    If it was on proven track record which would have been the best choice from what was available?


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    #350
    drdeadlift
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,189 ✭✭✭drdeadlift


    The money they make is ****ing sickening .


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    #351
    DarkJager
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,960 ✭✭✭DarkJager


    reg12 wrote:
    Maybe, people are happy to see young female politicians enter (male dominated) goverment. Im proud of her.

    Maybe people should vote for candidates with an actual bit of experience rather than playing the gender card.


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    #352
    _Kaiser_
    Registered Users Posts: 28,860 ✭✭✭✭_Kaiser_


    snubbleste wrote: »
    She did walk it.
    Still €92,672pa plus expenses and allowances is not bad for a 26 year old.

    AND the fact that she's set up for life now, even when she does retire


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    #353
    My name is URL
    Registered Users Posts: 25,068 ✭✭✭✭My name is URL


    I wonder if she'd be willing to take a cut wage. Maybe around €21,000 before tax... which is what James Reilly wants newly recruited nurses to be paid. God knows she'll have less to do than those people.


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    #354
    _Kaiser_
    Registered Users Posts: 28,860 ✭✭✭✭_Kaiser_


    reg12 wrote: »
    Maybe, people are happy to see young female politicians enter (male dominated) goverment. Im proud of her.
    DarkJager wrote: »
    Maybe people should vote for candidates with an actual bit of experience rather than playing the gender card.

    +1. Playing the gender/sexism card is a weak argument.

    She (but it could just as easily be He) has no experience besides working in her daddy's office, no track record, and nothing to offer besides name recognition and a sympathetic story (but that's not to say what happened to her father wasn't tragic)

    Because of this name recognition and sympathy, she will now be obscenely overpaid, while having to deliver on nothing thanks to a combination of the party whip system and "the EU made us do it/said no"

    That's not effective government, which is something we badly need in this country.. it's more jobs for the boys (or girls in this case)


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    #355
    robbiezero
    Registered Users Posts: 4,465 ✭✭✭robbiezero


    smeedyova wrote: »
    Please note that I did not state that the people who voted for the inexperienced 26 year old daughter of a politician lacked reasoning power (implicit in the fact that I said their reasoning power should be questioned, i.e., if they lacked reasoning power it couldn't be questioned). I stated that their reasoning power is worth questioning. But yes, I do wonder why the people who voted for her did so as it could not possibly have been on her proven track record. Why do you think they voted for her?

    Maybe they are happy with Fine Gael's performance in Goverment.
    A lot of people would not vote for a party of the left and wont vote Fianna Fail after their overseeing of the destruction of the economy and so would vote Fine Gael.


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    #356
    _Kaiser_
    Registered Users Posts: 28,860 ✭✭✭✭_Kaiser_


    robbiezero wrote: »
    Maybe they are happy with Fine Gael's performance in Goverment.
    A lot of people would not vote for a party of the left and wont vote Fianna Fail after their overseeing of the destruction of the economy and so would vote Fine Gael.

    That's not being happy - that's lack of (real) options


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    #357
    robbiezero
    Registered Users Posts: 4,465 ✭✭✭robbiezero


    Kaiser2000 wrote: »
    That's not being happy - that's lack of (real) options

    Apologies wasn't clear in my post. I gave two reasons why they might vote for her other than the sympathy, dynasty factor.
    Obviously you are right about the second one, it is a lack of real options.


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    #358
    dxhound2005
    Registered Users Posts: 20,993 ✭✭✭✭dxhound2005


    drdeadlift wrote: »
    The money they make is ****ing sickening .

    If it was 10 or 20 times as much like plenty in private industry are getting do you think it would attract better candidates who could run the country properly?


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    #359
    stop animal cruelty
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,012 ✭✭✭stop animal cruelty


    DarkJager wrote: »
    Maybe people should vote for candidates with an actual bit of experience rather than playing the gender card.

    At this rate I think we need someone with a bit of cop up...


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    #360
    mikom
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,391 ✭✭✭✭mikom


    reg12 wrote: »
    Maybe, people are happy to see young female politicians enter (male dominated) goverment. Im proud of her.

    I'm as proud as I am of Michelle Mulherin (FG) and Healy Eames (FG).
    Fanny power.
    snubbleste wrote: »
    She did walk it.
    Still €92,672pa plus expenses and allowances is not bad for a 26 year old.

    I heard she is donating that wage to a suicide prevention charity.
    Tru story bro...


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    #361
    _Kaiser_
    Registered Users Posts: 28,860 ✭✭✭✭_Kaiser_


    dxhound2005 wrote: »
    If it was 10 or 20 times as much like plenty in private industry are getting do you think it would attract better candidates who could run the country properly?

    No, it would attract greedier candidates.

    Besides your average TD can be compared to say.. a project manager. 40-50k really. Big savings right there. They co-ordinate the opinions and demands of their constituents and feed that up the chain with possible solutions.

    The ones at the top (the cabinet ministers) are the ones who make the decisions - especially with our system of government.


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