The Fianna Fail front bench

Muahahaha

I was just thinking that in a few weeks time we could have a rake of new Fianna Fail ministers so went and looked up what might be in store for us. And to be honest its not a pretty picture, a rag tag bunch of misfits and political novices is probably the best way to describe it. A good few of them have never been seen or heard from over the last few years and apart from a handful of heavy hitters I couldnt put faces to a good few names. Like who the feck is Niamh Smyth? Never once heard or seen her on tv or radio yet in a few weeks time she could be our next Minister for Culture and the Arts.

Coalitions aside as things stand these are the candidates for the next Fianna Fail cabinet

Tanaiste & Minister for Rural Affairs- Dara Calleary
Minister for Finance- Michael 'I Love Milfs.com' McGrath
Minister for Justice- Jim o'Callaghan
Minister for Agriculture- Charlie McConalogue
Minister for Foreign Affairs- Sean Haughey
Minister for Health- Stephen Donnelly
Minister for Education-Thomas Byrne
Minister for Housing- Darragh o'Brien
Minister for Welfare- Willie o'Dea
Minister for Transport- Mark McSharry
Minister for Brexit- Lisa Chambers
Minister for Public Expenditure- Barry Cowen
Minister for Communications and Defence- Jack Chambers
Minister for Enterprise- Robert Troy
Minister for Children- Anne Rabbitte
Minister for Culture- Niamh Smyth
Minister for Mental Health- James Browne
Minister for Disability- Margaret Mahoney Murphy

And then you've got Dimmy Tooley and Billy Kelleher who would have been ministers until they got caught up in Votergate in the Dail. Michael Martin might rehabilitate them yet.

Must say the Fianna Fail front bench really doesnt inspire much confidence. Milfy McGrath as our next Minister for Finance actually frightens me. And if Jim o'Callaghan makes it to Justice then the barristers of the Law Library will be celebrating their man getting in and there wont be a snowballs chance in hell of seeing legal costs reducing or reforms coming anytime soon. And then the thought of sending the gormless Sean Haughey abroad to meet foreign leaders is not an easy one. Willie o'Dea in Welfare can only result in an extra fiver for everyone in the audience.

Good god, it really is a remarkably weak bench. I cant see a standout performer from any of them and quite a few are going to get found out. What is the electorate actually sleep walking into here?

James Brown

I don't think they'll get a comfortable lead if at all. Even with the free publicity provided by the confidence and supply, they've not really made the most of it. Tough to be giving out and supporting at the same time I'd imagine.

I use to see Willie O'Dea on an almost daily basis and I always got a fright when he turned the corner. Just reminded me.

Yurt2

That's a depressing enough line-up. Donnelly and O'Callaghan appear to have a brain residing in their skulls, but I wouldn't be sure about the rest of them.

Marc MacSharry in cabinet. Lord help us all. He's a ticking time bomb - genuinely strikes me as an unhinged individual.

Kermit.de.frog

Muahahaha wrote: »

Minister for Foreign Affairs- Sean Haughey

Jesus Christ

NIMAN

When you actually list them out, you're right it doesn't look great.

Will I Am Not

Minister for Mental Health - James Brown.

Kermit.de.frog

Sean Haughey or Simon Coveney


Who would you rather have in foreign affairs?


Is it even a question?

Muahahaha

Sean Haughey as Minister of Foreign Affairs during Brexit would be like Boris' dream coming true. The guy can hardly string a coherent sentence together. Also where has he been for the last four years, hes been virtually invisible across all media.

Kermit.de.frog

It does appear standards are going to drop in terms of representation if FF get in simply based on the list above.

And seeing the name 'Cowen' there as well...

...how many nightmares does that bring back for the electorate? Clearly not enough.

NovemberWren

@Muahahaha
that list is sobering; for all that F.F. are bad; [and I cannot get away from the belief that they are even evil!], but, to see that list would make a person truly stagger, for ....... the country.
Do the electorate grasp that, with a line-up like that, that there just looks like nothing will change, whatsoever.

I hate to say this: but, are F.F. sick? Are they politically stagnant? or have run out of ideas? Is there some ideology meltdown?

Muahahaha

Aspiring Minister for Justice Jim o'Callaghan spent the election campaign attacking Sinn Fein while he has been working as a barrister for Gerry Adams defending him in a defamation case over historical IRA allegations
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/election-2020/revealed-ff-tds-work-on-legal-case-for-gerry-adams-38934927.html

Awkward

Yurt2

Muahahaha wrote: »

Aspiring Minister for Justice Jim o'Callaghan spent the election campaign attacking Sinn Fein while he has been working as a barrister for Gerry Adams defending him in a defamation case over historical IRA allegations
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/election-2020/revealed-ff-tds-work-on-legal-case-for-gerry-adams-38934927.html

Awkward

To my knowledge, and I'm open to correction on this, but barristers are assigned to cases on a taxi-rank type system. So O'Callaghan would have been the first barrister up and he's obligated to take the case if he has expertise in the area of litigation.

Again, open to correction.

ChikiChiki

I do not get why O'Callaghan is not compelled to act in his capacity as an elected representative full time rather than splitting his time between the Dail and the courts. People depend on him.

Its a bit different to other jobs where you can double job and stinks of greed. Effectively getting a full time salary for being a part time TD.

ELM327

Cowen and Haughey on the FF benches again, by god it's been a while

Yurt2

ChikiChiki wrote: »

I do not get why O'Callaghan is not compelled to act in his capacity as an elected representative full time rather than splitting his time between the Dail and the courts. People depend on him.

Its a bit different to other jobs where you can double job and stinks of greed. Effectively getting a full time salary for being a part time TD.

Didn't know he was double jobbing. That would be of more concern to me than acting as legal counsel to whoever.

jos28

That list scares the bejaysus out of me. I could just about tolerate MM as Taoiseach but Sean Haughey representing us abroad:eek:. He's in my constituency and I cannot believe how he polls so well. He certainly isn't visible in my neck of the woods.
As for Jim O'Callaghan
Seriously I have images of Ajai Chopra outside Leinster House again.

piplip87

Brendan Smith will get a ministerial post. Possibly foreign affairs although wouldn't. surprised if he got Brexit.

is_that_so

Not a great list at all but at least some of them have experience. They may well use a coalition to get a Green,SD and Lab minister in there that the FF juniors can be 'prenticed to. Even Ross should be considered if he'll follow this bandwagon. Cowan, Donnelly and O'Callaghan offer no confidence, never mind the Haughey name and the largely unheard of TDs just filling seats. It will be a huge challenge to get such a bunch of newbies through even one Dail session. I also reckon that Foreign Affairs needs someone with experience and talent in it as Brexit is still there.

antimatterx

A talentless bunch.

BarryD2

Problem with FF is they've got old & staid - too many sitting in seats for too many years. Who tend to think they've an automatic right to be re elected just because they were before and/or their father/ brother/ sister, uncle etc etc.

Party needs a good kick up the arse and rejuvenation. Otherwise they may face reality and just join up with FG.

gmisk

BarryD2 wrote: »

Problem with FF is they've got old & staid - too many sitting in seats for too many years. Who tend to think they've an automatic right to be re elected just because they were before and/or their father/ brother/ sister, uncle etc etc.

Party needs a good kick up the arse and rejuvenation. Otherwise they may face reality and just join up with FG.

Ah now they have that young up and coming progressive voice Jack Chambers to call on...

is_that_so

gmisk wrote: »

Ah now they have that young up and coming progressive voice Jack Chambers to call on...

They do have plenty of "voices" to call on.

Ulysses Gaze

NovemberWren wrote: »

@Muahahaha
that list is sobering; for all that F.F. are bad; [and I cannot get away from the belief that they are even evil!], but, to see that list would make a person truly stagger, for ....... the country.
Do the electorate grasp that, with a line-up like that, that there just looks like nothing will change, whatsoever.

I hate to say this: but, are F.F. sick? Are they politically stagnant? or have run out of ideas? Is there some ideology meltdown?

To have an ideology meltdown, you need an ideology.

FF have none.

timmyntc

Lisa Chambers Minister for Brexit?

She's due to pop soon enough, what's gonna happen when she takes her maternity during Brexit negotiations?

Pete_Cavan

Yurt! wrote: »

To my knowledge, and I'm open to correction on this, but barristers are assigned to cases on a taxi-rank type system. So O'Callaghan would have been the first barrister up and he's obligated to take the case if he has expertise in the area of litigation.

Again, open to correction.

They can turn down a case if they wish, which JOC really should have done.

Pete_Cavan

I honestly would have no confidence in any of the FF TDs mentioned in this thread in Ministerial roles. Zero!

Fr_Dougal

Yurt! wrote: »

To my knowledge, and I'm open to correction on this, but barristers are assigned to cases on a taxi-rank type system. So O'Callaghan would have been the first barrister up and he's obligated to take the case if he has expertise in the area of litigation.

Again, open to correction.

Usually the clients solicitor will engage the barrister.

maestroamado

I worked for a successful multi-national who have business in this Country.
There is not a politician in the dail who would be capable of filling the role of Managing Director.
Neither can i remember anyone from recent years from a purely business viewpoint.
We need to have half of TDs. keep the senior Ministers and instead have professional advisers
for the said department instead of Junior Ministers in a talking shop.
Can you imagine Michael O'Leary employing one of our TDs.

Muahahaha

Yurt! wrote: »

To my knowledge, and I'm open to correction on this, but barristers are assigned to cases on a taxi-rank type system. So O'Callaghan would have been the first barrister up and he's obligated to take the case if he has expertise in the area of litigation.

Again, open to correction.

No not a taxi rank system, I think you're confusing this with the free legal aid system where it is like a taxi rank system. This is a private defamation case of Gerry Adams v The Sunday World so Adams' solicitor will engage a barrister and ask their opinion. The barrister can easily opt not to take the case by saying they dont feel they can win it, lack expertise in that area or just that they are just too busy. Jim o'Callaghan is far from the only defamation barrister in the Law Library, he could have refused the case and the solicitor would have just found a different barrister. His spin that he came out with about being obliged to defend Gerry Adams as if Jim had his hands were tied and he was being forced to do it just pure guff. Doesnt surprise me that the Law Library are backing him now too because they want Jim as Minister for Justice to keep the gravy train going.

Yurt! wrote: »

Didn't know he was double jobbing. That would be of more concern to me than acting as legal counsel to whoever.

He has always been double jobbing ever since he because a Councillor for DCC. Worse still was that when Denis o'Brien sued the State over the parliamentary privilege that allowed Catherine Murphy to reveal the dodgy Siteserve deal and the missing millions it was Jim o'Callaghan who defended o'Brien. So on the one hand he was literally in the Four Courts arguing against the concept of parliamentary privilege and then on the other he was a TD enjoying the benefits of it. Of course Jim would say poor Denis needed a defence and he was the only man who could do it but the reality is the guy has no principles and would do anything for a few quid.

Jim o'Callaghan as Minister for Justice will be as bad as Alan Shatter, if not worse (if thats possible). Jim bats for the Law Library and soon they will have their man in the top job.

When you lay it out like that OP...yikes.

Too many of the old guard there looking to get back to the golden trough.

Billcarson

Wrist slitting stuff,god help us if they get in.