Who are our best 3 and worst 3 Taoiseach ever?

Paddy Dreadful

Haughey and Ahern , they were corrupt sneaky cunning bastards. I feel sorry for Cowen , he was just out of his depth in the wrong job, would have been a better fit serving you your zaytoon Kebab on a Saturday night after Dicey Reilys

conorh91

I'm sure there were lots of good things about Garret-the-supposedly-good, but national leadership, fiscal prudence and well, politics, clearly weren't among them.

Between them, himself and Liam Cosgrave nearly wrecked the place. It's genuinely hard to believe the IMF weren't called in thirty years ago.

Enda Kenny on the other hand has proven himself to be a very astute political leader.

Almost nobody in AH will agree with that, I know. Nevertheless he will be the first Fine Gael Taoiseach to lead two successive governments and, whether you like him or not, has overseen a massive turnaround in the economy.

Just like Seán Lemass, who I feel ranks joint-first alongside Kenny.

conorh91

conorh91 wrote: »

I'm sure there were lots of good things about Garret-the-supposedly-good, but national leadership, fiscal prudence and well, politics, clearly weren't among them.

Between them, himself and Liam Cosgrave nearly wrecked the place. It's genuinely hard to believe the IMF weren't called in thirty years ago.

Enda Kenny on the other hand has proven himself to be a very astute political leader.

Almost nobody in AH will agree with that, I know. Nevertheless he will be the first Fine Gael Taoiseach to lead two successive governments and, whether you like him or not, has overseen a massive turnaround in the economy.

Just like Seán Lemass, who I feel ranks joint-first alongside Kenny.

Ah there is no comparison between Kenny and Lemass. Lemass changed the country, if Kenny does so it it is an accident while he feeds the Denis O'Brien meter.

diomed

Best
Seán Lemass
Garret FitzGerald
Enda Kenny


Worst
Éamon de Valera
Bertie Ahern
Brian Cowen

Todd Gack

Paddy Dreadful wrote: »

Haughey and Ahern , they were corrupt sneaky cunning bastards. I feel sorry for Cowen , he was just out of his depth in the wrong job, would have been a better fit serving you your zaytoon Kebab on a Saturday night after Dicey Reilys

No way, he'd have eaten half of it before it made it to your plate

Samaris

My views are extremely uninformed, and I couldn't give an opinion on best. I did always get an impression from Cowen that he was doing his best, at least.

Worst - Haughey and his protegee Ahern. Pair of nasty little chancers that should have been running a particularly dodgy construction company, not a country.

frostyjacks

Best:
1. Reynolds
2. Bertie
3. Lemass

Worst:
1. Bruton
2. Kenny
3. Fitzgerald

It's not exactly a great pool to choose from either way.

_Kaiser_

FalconGirl wrote: »

Kenny definitly not our worst Taoiseach, however he is a very,very,very weak leader. It makes me wonder what is behind the veil at FG. He is a puppet and nothing more. The dogs on the street know this!

Still not our worst Taoiseach which says a lot really. That accolade goes to Cowen in my books.

Cowen was no prize and woefully out of his depth but you have to remember that he got the job/was thrown under the bus to say Bertie's skin when the crash happened - and it worked!

All the people nominating FG figures seem to forget that the only reason FG ever get elected is when FF have wrecked the place so badly that it prompts a protest vote in the following GE - "anyone but FF" - and they have NEVER been elected for a consecutive term.

FG get in and remind us that they're actually no different and arguably worse, as ironically at least with FF you know what to expect - populist spendathons and kicking of cans - which is exactly what our populist short-term focused electorate want and don't forget either that FG wanted to spend even more in the Good Times as well! Both parties are just as good at the cronyism, the corruption and incompetence that has been the hallmark of most Irish Governments, and just as FF have their Galway Tent, FG have their "Uncle Denis".

Kenny though IMO has managed to be worse than Cowen which is no small achievement.. as you say, not only is he weak and clearly being led by the nose (whether it's by Europe or FG insiders), but he's arrogant and a coward - which is why he goes into hiding whenever the latest scandal that would require actual LEADERSHIP emerges, and instead we get the B-team of ministers giving contradictory soundbites.

I don't think we've ever actually had a good leader in this country, but then I think it's because we as a nation aren't mature enough yet to think beyond the immediate future and what we gain personally from an issue. The Greater Good and civic responsibility are not terms that are popular in a country where elected TD's that should be focusing on national issues spend their time sorting out planning permissions, fixing potholes and other such parochial nonsense - despite us having an army of well-paid local Councillors to deal with such things as well!

What's worse is I don't see it changing either because with FF and FG really being different in name only, and a selection of unpalatable "alternatives" in SF, LAB and the left, or former FF/FG cast-offs masquerading as "independents" and small parties, who else are you going to vote for?

The reality really is that we are effectively a one-party State as FF and FG pass the baton between them every few years, and meanwhile of course all the real decisions are being made in Brussels and Berlin by people and groups who are even more unaccountable than our own lot!

SummerRebel

Deleted User wrote: »

Ah there is no comparison between Kenny and Lemass. Lemass changed the country, if Kenny does so it it is an accident while he feeds the Denis O'Brien meter.

I think with Kenny the country is finally moving on from the grip of the church. He has been the only leader to stand up and publicly rebuke the leadership of the Catholic Church and moved on our relations with the UK. Legislated for abortion and legalised same-sex marriage. He took on the biggest crises that faced the country since the Civil War and imo has done a pretty decent job at it:

- Unemployment is down from 15% to 9.7% (under the EU average) and falling every month. - 10yr bonds down from 10% to under 2%
- ISEQ index up from 3000 to 6000
- Sovereign debt rating raised from junk to investment grade rating