Leo Varadkar resigns as Taoiseach

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

hildegarde naughtons hair is now waffling on prime time🥴

MisterAnarchy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121923912#Comment_121923912

Thats not what we are saying at all.

All officials should be honest above all but thats often not the case in politics.

"All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible.” Frank Herbert

Im not really a fan of Haughey but he was an able and shrewd operator, and alot of his policies were well ahead of their time and shaped the country as we know it.

If its a choice between him and school boy Harris, its like comparing Einstein to a caveman.

amacca

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121923981#Comment_121923981

Yeah such shite...they must all do intensive training on how to talk absolute ballcockery at a rate of knots in orther to further ones own career

This is the kind of nonsense we seem to reward as a species...dho has the greatest set of brass balls and loves displaying them at every opportunity

Go team!

notwhoyouthink

What will happen to Simon Coveney?

Will there be a cabinet reshuffle so to speak?

These are all young politicians. What will they do?

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121923718#Comment_121923718

You are missing the point that an FFG govt is still the most likley outcome after the general election.

There is no point in FF pushing for a GE now, unless they want to saddle up with SF.

NSAman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121923583#Comment_121923583

The current leaders have created none of these, they inherited this from the EEC. They currently try to impinge on the export markets and create disincentives to control the wealth that people make, to create taxes for personal vanity projects.

Sorry but are you trying to tell me that current politicians have ANY leadership abilities (especially in Ireland) to create wealth? Please explain that one.

i create wealth. For countries, for staff and also for communities. Name one politician that actually creates wealth in Ireland.

SuperBowserWorld

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924107#Comment_121924107

Coveney could be Tánaiste and Harris Taoiseach;

Simon and Simon

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924330#Comment_121924330

Simonese twins.

Genghis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924278#Comment_121924278

Not missing the point.

I simply no longer think enough TDs will be returned for the current government to be re elected. FWIW I expected it would be re-elected up until maybe middle of last year. Now, as I said, I think it's going to be SF FF or SF FF led.

MrMusician18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121923947#Comment_121923947

Yes of course they should focus on fixing the planning system but it's not as if this issue arose yesterday. Planning has long been a problem but they sat on their hands for years.

It's also not good enough to say that it's because of opposition to policy. Government have forced through unpopular policy here on many occasions, and are in the midst of forcing through a deeply unpopular hate speech law. They didn't reform planning because they didn't want to. It's that simple.

And of course the government should be in the business of building and developing infrastructure - that absolutely includes houses . The government is the biggest builder in the state by far and has ample skill to throw at it. The issue though government has an industrial policy of creating job growth in MNCs where the native population do not have the skills and has therefore required huge inward migration to keep the show on the road. It does not have a housing policy to match this - this is a choice. The net effect of importing high skilled high paid labour is to price locals out of the market.

The main reason for the children's hospital overrunning it's budget was because it was tendered with an unfinished design. What party was in government and pushed the button when it wasn't ready?

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924408#Comment_121924408

FFG + the Soc Dems or a group of indies will be enough.

FF's first choice is FG.

It would be a last resort for them to side with SF and the numbers for FFG combined make it a simple enough stretch to get the seats needed.

Genghis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924430#Comment_121924430

You may be right, especially if MM is still leading after the General Election. I think another leader of FF may be more open than MM to a SF coalition. I also think high chance MM will stand down before the next General Election.

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924444#Comment_121924444

Yep, MM wont side with SF. A new leader may do so.

But SF are sliding in the polls and FG will jump a little, I expect.

Any mew FF leader will still be part of the curremt govt and find themselves on the recieving end of SFs attacks, thus pushing them closer to FG.

FF and SF is certainly a possible govt, but still less likley than FFG and I have the feeling MM may well stay around for 9 months, just to keep SF out.

MrMusician18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924430#Comment_121924430

The problem is that the established parties are currently universally unpopular and I believe will return substantially fewer TDs than expected. The gains will go to the independents largely.

Such a fragmented Dail is quite likely to be be unable to elect a Taoiseach. So we may need new elections.

That's my hunch but I guess we will see if the discontent shown at the referendums starts to show through at elections soon enough.

I wouldn't put any great store in polls at the moment. They have been demonstrated to be way out just recently so their value and accuracy has to be called into question. It looks like the electorate is looking for blood.

spuddy

Does anyone seriously think that ministers actually run their departments??

The average tenure of a minister is measured in months, many of them are ex-teachers, or certainly have little experience managing large organisations. So they usually end up doing three things 1) PR for their department, 2) Fighting for their department's budget at cabinet, 3) Pushing their department's legislation through the Dáil.

The intractable problem is that the issues the country faces can only be solved in the long term, yet politicians have an outlook which only stretches as far as the next election. All of the attention is focused on them however.

Conversely, the civil service, the people who are permanently in government, the ones who are supposed to plan for the long term, get little or no scrutiny, by the media, the general public or the politicians themselves.

If more attention were placed on those who actually run the departments, it would be far better for the country. Certainly I'd vote for a political party which stopped trying to pretend it's running the show, and instead acted as true public representatives, and hold those who really are in charge to account.

Asdfgh2020

What does anyone think Leo might do when he leaves politics…..go back to his medical training….?

Ahwell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924080#Comment_121924080

You are trying to excuse corruption on a gigantic scale. The Moriarty tribunal found that Haughey took payments of the equivalent of up to €45 million in 2006, which would be even more in today’s money.

Cyclonius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924478#Comment_121924478

A hung Dáil is a definite possibility.

One thing I do notice is that Independent Ireland seem to be adding to their numbers daily, both in terms of existing county councillors, as well as currently unelected candidates willing to run in the local elections. Given the unpopularity of the established political parties, I'd imagine a potted plant could give many FF/FG/SF/Lab/SD/etc county councillors a run for their money in the upcoming election, if run as an independent or on a new party banner such as Independent Ireland or the Farmers Alliance (though I haven't seen that much activity from the latter lately).

Any newly elected Independent Ireland county councillors might then be well placed to make a run for the Dáil in the not too distant future, assuming they'd be interested, and I'd imagine many would. I can see a scenario where Independent Ireland could do very well in terms of seats (at the expense of FF, FG and SF), and be a viable coalition partner, possibly with additional Independent technical group or groups, for one of the main parties, to at least have a functioning minority government.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924500#Comment_121924500

Who agrees the Programne for Govt?

WishUWereHere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121923773#Comment_121923773

Excellent post.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924519#Comment_121924519

The appeal of independents is that they're...independent.

Independent Ireland Party is oxymoronic.

_Kaiser_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924634#Comment_121924634

A lot of them aren't REALLY independent though and are castoffs/former members of other parties but generally still vote with them.

Lowry would be a classic example of this.

riddles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121923773#Comment_121923773

I do agree with everything you posted here. There is also a reality that a lot of 20-40 something year olds are disengaged from the political system in terms of voting. If you are in a demographic that’s not seen as impactful you are left behind in policy setting with the exception of a couple of referendums. It’s only recently the FG cohort have started to realise the breath of anger among voters out there with a few running for the hills Lead by Nero himself.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924643#Comment_121924643

That is a fair point.

And I do think the current independents would choose the status quo over an new government.

Raoul Duke III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924283#Comment_121924283

Nobody says politicians actually create wealth directly.

Their job is to create (or destroy) the systems that enable (or disable) wealth creation. Politicians are far more actively involved in wealth redistribution.

Raoul Duke III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924519#Comment_121924519

The idea of the assorted Independent headbangers (who rightly belong in county councils, not a national parliament) submitting to the discipline required to govern the country is laughable.

In governance terms, Independents are a complete waste of time.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924107#Comment_121924107

I expect a reshuffle alright. I wonder will he keep O'Gorman in his portfolio.

J.O. Farmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924861#Comment_121924861

Any reshuffle is likely only to be FG ministers.

Someone will get promoted to replace simon who replaces Leo. After that changes could be minimal.

Helen McEntee and Heather humphries swapping position perhaps. Or Helen McEntee to further education, someone else to Justice and someone promoted to the vacant position

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924888#Comment_121924888

I think Simon will check with all the FG cabinet ministers that they are running in GE.Next. If they are planning to retire from politics, he needs to get them out of cabinet and replace with FG TDs who will stick with it. All their seats are in danger now. Much easier to get a cabinet minister re-elected.

J.O. Farmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121924903#Comment_121924903

My assumption is based that all are but certainly some may not.

If they are not expect them to announce it over Easter and that they will not seek to be reappointed by the new Taoiseach.

I don't expect a major reshuffle where ministers are dropped without having said they are retiring.