So Michael D IS running again!

FrancieBrady

Hurrache wrote: »

Did Higgins say the advice was from the PSNI or his own security?

No, as far as I can gather, he just said for 'security and logistical reasons'. Could be his lifeline, although it will damage him.

McMurphy

Hurrache wrote: »

Did Higgins say the advice was from the PSNI or his own security?

I think it's irreverent either way, he said it was security concerns regarding the logistics of being picked up at the border.

The PSNI are rejecting this,

saying it's inconceivable that the president of Ireland would not have been provided security had it of been requested.

Fairly strategically worded by the PSNI I think.

FrancieBrady

Johnny Dogs wrote: »

I think it's irreverent either way, he said it was security concerns regarding the logistics of being picked up at the border.

The PSNI are rejecting this,

Fairly strategically worded by the PSNI I think.

In fairness Johnny, the PSNI are not saying that. 'Sources' within the PSNI are saying that.

McMurphy

FrancieBrady wrote: »

In fairness Johnny, the PSNI are not saying that. 'Sources' within the PSNI are saying that.

Here's what the PSNI are saying.

In a statement, the PSNI said: "It is the long established policy of the Police Service of Northern Ireland not to comment on the security arrangements made for individuals."

"The Police Service of Northern Ireland routinely work with visiting heads of state and other key figures visiting Northern Ireland and make full provisions for their safety in line with their requirements," Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd added.

Inference being, had MDH asked for security, he'd have been provided it, in line with their long established policy for same.

Higgins might be in trouble now.

The odd thing is, the cover up is worse than the crime.

FrancieBrady

Johnny Dogs wrote: »

Here's what the PSNI are saying.



Inference being, had MDH asked for security, he'd have been provided it, in line with their long established policy for same.

Higgins might be in trouble now.

The odd thing is, the cover up is worse than the crime.

And Higgins cover will be that he wasn't talking about the PSNI assessment.

Stalemate, as both security forces will decline to reveal operational details.

Result: damage of maybe 5-10% to Higgins, if he cannot spin well enough.

I have no doubt by the way that the jet was probably used excessively. He is still the best we have from the list as President imo.

tayto lover

Higgins will win easily but he will have lost a lot of respect.
The opposition is quite poor too.

blanch152

FrancieBrady wrote: »

And Higgins cover will be that he wasn't talking about the PSNI assessment.

Stalemate, as both security forces will decline to reveal operational details.

Result: damage of maybe 5-10% to Higgins, if he cannot spin well enough.

I have no doubt by the way that the jet was probably used excessively. He is still the best we have from the list as President imo.

Frances Fitzgerald got done for allegedly covering up something that didn't happen.

But Higgins gets a free pass for cover-up?

Rhineshark

https://amp.independent.ie/irish-news/presidential-election-2018/shut-your-trap-casey-tells-indian-leo-varadkar-for-trying-to-impact-poll-37439628.html

Oh here we go again. Not sure his argument that Varadkar is an ethnic minority himself actually supports Casey's argument as to why he should "shut his trap". Heading for Tory levels of civility now apparently.

However, Mr Casey believes it was "totally out of order for the Taoiseach to get involved and make statements that impact the presidential election".

He went on to described the Taoiseach as "being a member of an ethnic community himself" and "being Indian".

FrancieBrady

blanch152 wrote: »

Frances Fitzgerald got done for allegedly covering up something that didn't happen.

But Higgins gets a free pass for cover-up?

Nope. I said he is still the best candidate in the field.
I have long ago accepted our politicians are less than perfect.

spurshero

Micheal d is the best of a bad lot . He’s a landlord and millionaire that tries to pass himself off as a socialist and ordinary man. Also not a man of his word as at the last election we were told ...... I’m running once and once only . The fact that he will Probaly get 65 percent of the vote next Friday says as much about the quality of the rest of the field then it does about him in my opinion. 77 years of age ya think he would give somebody else a go but greed knows no bounds

McMurphy

Rhineshark wrote: »

https://amp.independent.ie/irish-news/presidential-election-2018/shut-your-trap-casey-tells-indian-leo-varadkar-for-trying-to-impact-poll-37439628.html

Oh here we go again. Not sure his argument that Varadkar is an ethnic minority himself actually supports Casey's argument as to why he should "shut his trap". Heading for Tory levels of civility now apparently.

The unashamedly misleading headline in that article tells it all.

To the uneducated/people just scanning the headline, they might think that Casey was referring to Leo Varadkar "Indian Leo Varadkar" when in fact the context is entirely different.

I think it is new low for them to try and portray someone calling for equality as a racist.

FrancieBrady

Johnny Dogs wrote: »

The unashamedly misleading headline in that article tells it all.

To the uneducated/people just scanning the headline, they might think that Casey was referring to Leo Varadkar "Indian Leo Varadkar" when in fact the context is entirely different.

I think it is new low for them to try and portray someone calling for equality as a racist.

What relevance has Leo's ethnicity got to the debate though? Leo interjected in to the debate for PR purposes, very little else imo. He'd have urged a vote for Michael D if it was for election purposes.

Brexit MP's thought his ethnicity significant too.

Why mention it at all?

McMurphy

FrancieBrady wrote: »

What relevance has Leo's ethnicity got to the debate though? Leo interjected in to the debate for PR purposes, very little else imo. He'd have urged a vote for Michael D if it was for election purposes.

Brexit MP's thought his ethnicity significant too.

Why mention it at all?

This was answered on another thread already (in afterhours), and I hope it's ok with the mods, but I'm going to paste it here.

Sums the relevance up quite clearly.

Ordinary man wrote: »

I think Casey's point about varadker is how his family managed to come to our country and in one generation they raised a son who acted and was accepted as an ordinary irishman. His family accepted our laws and customs and didn't look for special treatment or special status.

Travellers refuse to blend in. They hide behind the excuse of customs to continue illegal practices like sulky racing, feuding and bare knuckle boxing. They expect to be allowed to produce big families even though they can't afford to have them.

Imo Casey's point was that there should not be any special groups receiving or asking for special treatment. The same standards should be expected for all living here no matter what ethnic group they are part of.

Adamcp898

Johnny Dogs wrote: »

The unashamedly misleading headline in that article tells it all.

To the uneducated/people just scanning the headline, they might think that Casey was referring to Leo Varadkar "Indian Leo Varadkar" when in fact the context is entirely different.

I think it is new low for them to try and portray someone calling for equality as a racist.

By no means am I an apologist for the Indo, but, judging by the quotations they report, PC did indeed refer to Leo as 'Indian'.

To that I'd say, what did he expect of tabloid journalism?

McMurphy

Adamcp898 wrote: »

By no means am I an apologist for the Indo, but, judging by the quotations they report, PC did indeed refer to Leo as 'Indian'.

To that I'd say, what did he expect of tabloid journalism?

He's of Indian ethnicity. Is this being disputed anywhere?

Have we now gone so full blown snowflake and politically correct that mentioning someone's ethnicity is taboo?

Tell me how

blanch152 wrote:

Frances Fitzgerald got done for allegedly covering up something that didn't happen.

The context of the things which may or may not have happened aren't similar.

FrancieBrady

Johnny Dogs wrote: »

This was answered on another thread already (in afterhours), and I hope it's ok with the mods, but I'm going to paste it here.

Sums the relevance up quite clearly.

Johnny, that is just more generalisations about travellers. Some travellers do that, others, even within Pavee Point will call out wrong doing. And it doesn't explain the need to bring Varadkar's ethnicity into it.

Is my argument about a UI weaker solely, because I am Irish or British. No, it isn't.
So why was Varadkar wrong because he is of Indian origin? What has it got to do with anything? Or the views of a Pakistani taxi driver for that matter.

FrancieBrady

Tell me how wrote: »

The context of the things which may or may not have happened aren't similar.

Frances 'got done' for misleading the Dail and losing it's confidence. But that is off topic I suppose,

McMurphy

FrancieBrady wrote: »

Johnny, that is just more generalisations about travellers. Some travellers do that, others, even within Pavee Point will call out wrong doing. And it doesn't explain the need to bring Varadkar's ethnicity into it.

Is my argument about a UI weaker solely, because I am Irish or British. No, it isn't.
So why was Varadkar wrong because he is of Indian origin? What has it got to do with anything? Or the views of a Pakistani taxi driver for that matter.

He wasn't.

I don't believe anyone was implying that was the reason he was either.

FrancieBrady

Johnny Dogs wrote: »

He wasn't.

I don't believe anyone was implying that was the reason he was either.

So why introduce it, in the rather stammering way Casey did?

Hitman3000

The Indo is carrying the story that MDH has cost the taxpayer 50k year to date for use of the government jet. Athens, Belfast , London and Kerry . I believe the Kerry trip was for a poetry reading, I may be wrong.

McMurphy

FrancieBrady wrote: »

So why introduce it, in the rather stammering way Casey did?

Already explained why he introduced it.

Why he was wrong (in interfering in a presidential election) is Casey's personal opinion, and one I happen to agree with (and many others do too according to social media)

I'm off to bed now, up with the larks in the morning for training, then off on a 2.5hr drive to watch a county senior football final, so apologies if I don't get straight back.

FrancieBrady

Johnny Dogs wrote: »

Already explained why he introduced it.

Why he was wrong (in interfering in a presidential election) is Casey's personal opinion, and one I happen to agree with (and many others do too according to social media)

I'm off to bed now, up with the larks in the morning for training, then off on a 2.5hr drive to watch a county senior football final, so apologies if I don't get straight back.

I fully agree Leo was wrong to interfere. But his ethnicity has nothing to do with it. Cheap shot from a man who has thrown numerous cheap shots from the get go. Remember the first debate? He was pitiful.

Loafing Oaf

Hitman3000 wrote: »

The Indo is carrying the story that MDH has cost the taxpayer 50k year to date for use of the government jet.

Guess we'll have to call the IMF back so.:rolleyes:

Hitman3000

Loafing Oaf wrote:

Guess we'll have to call the IMF back so.

Not at all, just funny how a life long socialist is so willing to cost the oppressed so much.

Cork Boy 53

Johnny Dogs wrote: »

This could be the rock he perishes on.

He was naive if he thought that that lie was ever gonna fly for long, of course the security forces from that part of the island were going to dispute that line.

Higgins proving that he's no different than the rest of them with his snout in the trough.

I didn't care less either way for him to be President until this story broke during the debate.

Casey is getting my number 1 now, he at least is pointing out what the rest of us can see - the President has no clothes on, whole cosy relationship is a farce.

If this affects Higgins` support at all it will only be by maybe 5- 6 per cent. No where near enough to seriously threaten his chances of getting back into the Aras.

FrancieBrady

Hitman3000 wrote: »

Not at all, just funny how a life long socialist is so willing to cost the oppressed so much.

The presidency is above party politics and that is a good thing.

We elect suitable individuals to the post. If you labour under the impression that the Labour party are 'socialists' then there isn't much that can be done for you.

Higgins is an erudite, intellectual, deeply culturally connected man, and has been a very good president.
If he was running for the Dail, I would scrutinise his politics.

griffin100

Hitman3000 wrote: »

Not at all, just funny how a life long socialist is so willing to cost the oppressed so much.

Enlighten me, who are the oppressed you refer to? Can’t for the life of me me think who is oppressed in any real sense in this county.

Oppressed from OED: Subject to harsh and authoritarian treatment.

Loafing Oaf

Johnny Dogs wrote: »

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

https://www.bbc.com/ne...nd-politics-45928722

PSNI set the record straight and deny Higgins story that they were involved in giving security advice to use the jet to Belfast.

This could be the rock he perishes on.

.

Yeah just the 50-odd point gap for one of his opponents to close

AGC

Hitman3000 wrote: »

The Indo is carrying the story that MDH has cost the taxpayer 50k year to date for use of the government jet. Athens, Belfast , London and Kerry . I believe the Kerry trip was for a poetry reading, I may be wrong.

Greece a State visit, Kerry I would expect is to visit Emma Mic Mhuthana but thought was a helicopter.

I don’t understand people’s issues with our politicians using the government jet. It is there for a reason and I would expect we have one of the lowest spends in the EU or even further afield when it comes to government aircraft.

I’d be surprised if a valid explanation doesn’t come out in relation to Belfast and not just the SF story. Time saved using the government jet to go up really wouldn’t have been much and considering the President drives all over the country I doubt he just fancied a spin in an airplane.