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Leo Varadkar story in The Village??? - Mod Notes and banned Users in OP updated 16/05
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I think that a lot of FGers are wondering why their cornflakes have a strange taste this morning.shtpEdthePlum wrote: »Where is everyone good morning, I thought there was loads to debate and nitpick but it seems it's a cooked goose.
Of course.I can not wait to sit down at the desk and listen to what I imagine will be constant coverage of it on RTÉ
The Examiner is owned by the Irish Times so that might be a sign that things are changing.
Regards...jmcc0 -
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Not the one that Varadkar leaked to his friend? That Examiner article has destroyed a lot of FG spin. Did Harris know that Varadkar had leaked the document to his friend at the time he was trying to get a copy? Perhaps it would have been easier to get a copy from O'Toole.Deleted User wrote: »He was looking for the “current“ draft. Not the original one.
Regards...jmcc0 -
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RandomName2 wrote: »He was barely there a dog's watch in fairness.
In my opinion Fine Gael in recent years focused too much on silly issues.. like banning the display of cigarettes, cheese adverts, or wanting health warnings to be on beer bottles. Some of their socially liberal agenda (like abortion and same sex-marriage) was positive, but a lot of it was a distraction from more serious issues.
He is personally quite popular, though more conservative rural voters would be naturally put off somewhat by his sexual orientation, ethnicity, and pseudo trendiness. He was also taking over the reins after a long serving austerity government. It is difficult to maintain popularity after being in a party that promoted property tax, public servant cuts, dramatic fiscal rectification measures, and attempted to bring in water charges (that one sank Labour altogether).
Nonetheless Varadkar himself is clearly politically quite astute, if not altogether careful enough. While he is adept at balancing internal power structures, his courting of public opinion can sometimes backfire. When it works he looks in-touch with the public. When it doesn't he looks narcissistic and smug.
The mishandling of the pandemic was before there was a pandemic. There was no screening, no testing, no flight bans, no quarantine, no sufficient test and trace, no measures in place. When people criticize the government they usually focus on a period after the proverbial hit the fan, which is not accurate or fair.
But this points to one of Fine Gael's greatest weaknesses: their constant sycophanticism in relation to Brussels. If his betters in the EPP suggested quarantine, or flight bans Fine Gael (and thus Varadkar) would jump at it. Looking, deferentially, to the monumental fck up that was the EU's handling of the pandemic did not serve us well.
There will always be rumblings in a party as there will be always benefit to those low down to backstab those high up. Fine Gael and Sinn Fein seem to have a very solid structure in place where this is difficult to accomplish. Fianna Fail and Green Party, less so.
Astute? Bizarre, he led FG to one of it's worst ever performances in a GE.
Politically astute my eye. 0 -
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FrancieBrady wrote: »Astute? Bizarre, he led FG to one of it's worst ever performances in a GE.
Politically astute my eye.
The longest ever Fine Gael government, which happened to bring in the harshest austerity measures ever witnessed? Technically it was Fianna Fail's for the taking, both that election and the election before. The only thing that riled up people more than austerity though was the financial crash which caused the austerity. An ancillary issue is that concerning housing, but all the major parties hold more or less the same position in relation to that. Varadkar probably had a small window between the economy being crap, to the time of the general election, to make moves towards big infrastructural developments. Some of these were achieved, but he could probably have done a better job here in general.
Sinn Fein has had a policy of blocking housing development in recent years, but their surge was more in relation to the public wanting 'something else'. From the point of view of choosing who leads a government a change is as good as a rest, right? Well that certainly was true in relation to Varadkar who seemingly pushed Fine Gael towards a younger, more progressive dynamic after Enda's reign (who I think was probably a better Taoiseach than most expected, or at least feared).
Of course it helps Varadkar that his main opponent has been Coveney. He is from 'a good family' and a stall-worth, but I think he is probably quite limited. Certainly keeping that enemy close was a good move by Varadkar for his own security. The Fine Gael members who have been first out with the long knives have had little political clout.0 -
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Deleted User wrote: »He was looking for the “current“ draft. Not the original one. There are usually a number of drafts before the final document, usually just spelling and grammar corrections, but the base is the same.RandomName2 wrote: »Well that seems to be the most interesting thing in the last few pages here.
One thing to note that 'the 130 page document relating to the gp agreement' is clearly not the exact same thing as is online, because the online document is 110 pages long. The email on the 15th is less interesting, but there seems to be an assumption that the document might have been totally finished by this stage.
Why is Harris asking someone who signs himself off as Harris' private secretary for a copy?
https://www.hiqa.ie/sites/default/files/2020-08/4.%20Fw_%20VC%20with%20Minister%20Harris%20and%20NHI.pdf
This bit didn't interest you then, no?
He has been caught out lying numerous times Maryann, this 8am email from Brussels is yet another blatant lie that he has told on record.
10th of April, remember that date.
Leo said he requested it "verbally".
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https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2021-01-28/4/?highlight%5B0%5D=died
Yet this morning we learn....New documents, released to Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty under the Freedom of Information Act and supplied to the Irish Examiner, show Mr Varadkar also sought clarity as to when the document would be published, thereby confirming it was a private document.
The documents show that at 8am on April 10, Mr Varadkar emailed an official by saying: “Do you have a copy of this [the contract]? SH [Simon Harris] gave it to me but I put it into the recycling bin having read it. Want to look at it again.”
His official said it could be left on his desk. The then-Taoiseach said: “Get it sent out to me in Baldonnel this morning or tonight.”
Later that day, the official replied by saying: “The agreement will be in the car when you arrive in Baldonnel this evening.”
Let the excuses begin.0 -
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Floppybits wrote: »Barry Cowen waffling away there on Claire Byrne about not wanting prejudice any investigation into this and yet was not asked about what Leo Varadkar said yesterday.
If a Taoiseach as head of the executive is immune from osa prosecution re cabinet documents ,then thats it
Couple that with how much of this document was in the public domain and how it was already circulated outside cabinet
Thats been my view from the start
The only hope is this drags on untill the next election,which is very very unlikely
Tops a few more months,maybe 6 for the investigation and inevitable conclusion that there was no crime
Top brass in Sinn Féin have more or less accepted this ,with Matt Carty carefull to emphasise the political aspect of this on primetime recently more than anything else
Expect the spin from FG next to be the 'waste of Garda resources' etc etc
No one is going to disuade the faithfull centre over to the left/SF and theres no home for your typical FG leaning voter other than FG
I know we are not supposed to talk about SF here but there is that aspect
So brace yourselves for 2 years of the Teeesh and of course a rehabilitation of murph
After that it will be Madam Taoiseach 0 -
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