Leo Varadkar resigns as Taoiseach

crossman47

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121917419#Comment_121917419

Yes Haughey did many good things but he was the worst of all because he demeaned the office of Taoiseach.

gormdubhgorm

Disappointing thread because I thought there would be robust and informed discussion.

Little or no discussion of Varadkar, possible future moves, impact on FG, impact on FF, impact on the opposition and impact on General Election.

Instead there is just posters trying to get one up on each other in comments. Playschool stuff. A lot of politicians in the making, I think. I wonder will anyone from boards.ie run when Varadkar's seat becomes vacant? 😉

yagan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918328#Comment_121918328

I think you're giving Leo way too much credit. Successive governments will be dealing with the legacies of his administration's contracts with vulture funds for decades.

Many still thought Bertie brought more good than bad when he resigned, but that warm quickly faded when people realised the Bertie bubble was borrowed.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918362#Comment_121918362

He placed “personal” reasons first before “and political”

So I guess it’s personal (not trying to be funny - I do reckon whatever the personal reason or reasons are, they greatly outweigh any political reason )

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918385#Comment_121918385

His administration has no contracts with "vulture funds".

Potatoeman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918353#Comment_121918353

He closed concerts and bars then went to a festival in England to pick his nose:

yagan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918392#Comment_121918392

What do you do when councils have to curtail public services, honour the bondholders?

That slock won't wash again.

aidanodr

Two things I am noting this avo:

1. Pretty much all the radio pundits and media types have already crowned Simon Harris it seems
2. In chatting in general to people since Leo announced he stepped down before lunch, quiet a few with a tad bit of the conspiracy thing as you do these days - Ah shur there must be some dodgy reason why he is going, there is going to be a scandal, its going to blow soon blah blah

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918387#Comment_121918387

Yep, certainly personal reasons must have played a part.

cgcsb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121917906#Comment_121917906

I'm not sure what your line of work is but I can't imagine anyone in their right mind going to talk to the POTUS on front of world media about Ireland-USA relations and Gaza as a holiday. Maybe you would consider that a leisure activity?

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918397#Comment_121918397

This is a fairly incoherent line of argument. "vulture funds" as they are called in Ireland have nothing to do with bondholders.

Kiteview

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121917419#Comment_121917419

Those are probably the two worst Taoisigh we had.

Haughey went on a borrowing spree that had the country hovering on the brink of calling in the IMF for most of the 80s (and it would have been IMF only back then as the looser ECs would not have been involved in helping out in any way).

Ahern set the entire country’s finances up on the basis of taxes and jobs from ever increasing house prices. When that bubble burst - after he had left office - we had the Anglo-Irish/NAMA debacle when we did call in the IMF (and the rest of the Troika). Property prices are only now reaching pre-crash levels in some areas - and given that everyone is complaining about property prices being “unaffordable” now, that shows how nuts they were back then when Ahern was in office.

Aurelian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918269#Comment_121918269

Well if you understood Irish politics you'd know she isn't even close to being the first female minister for justice, or first senior female politician so its hardly about her being a woman.

Relax brah

One of the greatest leaders that this country has ever had. Can’t help but think some of the nasty things being said about him are down to him being of African descent (look at the racism in this country now with foreigners living in tents) and the constant homophobia around politics.

SuperBowserWorld

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918384#Comment_121918384

Good point from Leo's mammy there. 😆😆

AllForIt

There is to be an unscheduled emergency instalment of Prime Time this evening to cover this seismic event in our nations history.

This is standard practice for events that register 7 and above on the Richter scale.

batman75

I do wonder whether the defeat in the recent referendums undermined his position on the national stage and within FG as Taoiseach/leader. Maybe from that someone instigated a push against him. We may find out at a later stage. I thought he lacked gravitas and I'm struggling to think of any notable achievements during his time as Taoiseach. You probably have to go back to Garrett Fitzgerald and Charlie Haughey for the last time we had Taoiseach's of gravitas.

Ciaran Cannon cited the personal abuse those in public office are subjected to as part of the reason he will not run again as a TD. I suspect that Leo must have been subjected to even worse abuse as a Taoiseach than what most TDs will face.

jmayo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918149#Comment_121918149

I cannot take you seriously.

You are deluded if you think the things I mentioned are not this very day affecting a large chunk of people in this country.

You are as deluded as the ones that actually thought the referendums were going to pass.

Or maybe you just happen to be from a demographic that doesn't need to worry about overcrowded schools or as yet not built schools, hospital waiting lists, GP waiting time increases, students who can no longer afford to go away to college, 30 somethings that can't afford to move out of home.

Posters here talk about home ownership in comparison to London.

They just don't get the fact a lot of people can no longer afford to fooking rent, never mind buy.

Jesus christ on a bike.

Are you so out of touch that you can't see we cannot afford the now public sector spend if we had recession and it would necessitate massive cuts as bad if not worse than those after banking collapse?

Our massive tax take is all FDI dependent.

I have lived through a few recessions and can see the fooking writing on the wall.

Hell Stevie Wonder can.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918175#Comment_121918175

Are you seriously defending mcentee?

Like seriously?

This thread is finally showing us the ones that are connected, insiders, the ones doing alright out of the system.

McEntee is an unmitigated disaster and is so far out of her depth you would need a submarine to rescue her.

If you want to see what was a proper qualified minister of justice in comparison, watch her debate with Michael McDowell.

You might actually learn something.

SuperBowserWorld

In all fairness I think going to Washington with shamrock and Guiness and trying to get the US to change their decades military foreign policy in light of what's happening in Gaza would be too much for any sane human being.

Maybe that was the final straw.

TomTomTim

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918441#Comment_121918441

Exactly. If he wasn't a gay African, we'd be making statues of him as we speak.

aidanodr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918398#Comment_121918398

So a conspiracy theory, tin foil hats on :D .. This is all too coincidental with the visit to US? Was he asked to stand down by US? Something revolving around Nato & Ireland perhaps? Just thought I would chuck this in here :D

I’m predicting a General Election to be called within couple of weeks. The wheels will fall off.

Raoul Duke III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918239#Comment_121918239

That's not possible anywhere now in the western world. Certainly in Tier 1 cities...

BlueSkyDreams

Harris the clear bookies favourite to replace Varadkar.

Seems the most likley outcome.

tom1ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918480#Comment_121918480

What about paschal?

I see sheep

Harris 🤣🤣🤣 Christ

jmayo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918441#Comment_121918441

Ehh who the fook is African descent?

His mother is from Dungarvan and his father Mumbai.

Neither of them are in Africa, but at least they play hurling in Dungarvan.

murpho999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918448#Comment_121918448

Wow you just need to calm down and stop being so reactive.

No need to call people delusional or bring other matters in such as the referendums which are totally irrelevant.

You're screaming about spending being cut in future recessions. but that happens in all recessions.

W"e can actually afford the current public sector spend as it's all budgeted so i don't see your point.

And your other point about tax coming from FDI. How is that not a good thing? That shows the success of the economy and how our tax intake has increased and the companies who pay these taxes employ thousands of people here.

You're just coming up with extreme examples claiming all schools are overcrowded, when they're not. All GPs are impossible to get an appointment with when it's not.

I think you just want to blame the government for everything and you're not satisfied with anything and ignore all the improvements that have happened in the last few decades.