Leo Varadkar resigns as Taoiseach

mariaalice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121929991#Comment_121929991

No, there is a lot of nasty abuse often very vulger how are they protected from it? and just as important what about their family politicians don't exist in a vacuum they have parents, children, siblings, wives, husbands, partners.

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121930066#Comment_121930066

Social media is the difference it can be constant and instant. Year's ago a disgruntled member of a constituency would have to had penned an abusive letter. By which stage they likely would have cooled off or had a fear of being identified eventually. Nowadays you can have instant abuse and nearly guaranteed anonymity, unless there is serious abuse where a court case is brought against such a person.

jmayo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121922935#Comment_121922935

Who the fook would want to get a talk from Liz Truss, unless you wanted to know how to drive an economy into the ground in a few easy steps?

jmayo

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

For all the good a few forward thinking visionary politicians and public servants have done in creating free secondary education, accession to EEC, IDA, tax environment to attract FDI, IFSC, the rest have done their best to continously fook things up.

For all the wealth created in this country just look how much has been needlessly wasted in healthcare, infrastructure projects, open borders being the latest along with allowing public housing provision by private sector at much higher economic and social costs.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121933701#Comment_121933701

Yeah I think we will look back at all the waste and have serious regrets. Successive governments have wasted huge opportunity for reform and focused instead on feathering their nests.

jmayo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121923858#Comment_121923858

I agree with you on lots of things, but I don't subscribe to fact that Ahern had anything to do with building our celtic economy of the mid to late 90s and start the great FDI input that has us where we are today.

Haughey alright can actually lay claim to some of the kudos for that, but so too can people as far back as Lemass, TK Whittaker (a very much under appreciated man in Irish history, Donncha O'Malley.

McSharry in the 1980s and Dukes for backing FF in late 80s also contributed to the boom from 90s onwards.

Ahern inheritied a thriving economy and presided over the creation of the credit fueled construction bubble and subsequent massive public spending hike.

Moving McGreevey to Europe was part of that.

Cowen was left holding the cr** when the ar** fell out of the bucket.

Kenny then inherited a sh**show, where the previous arrogant twats had alienated half of EU.

The worse thing that happened was electorate would not give him full mandate on his own and he had to do deal with Labour.

FG in 2011 were a very much different beast than FG today or even in 2020.

He stood by his promise to hold vote on Seanad and people turned down opportunity to get rid of a nonsense talking shop.

Yeah we know they were supposed to reform it, but people had the chance to dump the clown show.

People actually thought it holds Dail to account, but one can only see how they could do nothing to stop referendums happening.

Yes senator Michael McDowell had major bearing in highlighting the issues with the referendums, but he didn't do that in Seanad but outside it as ex minister of justice and ex AG.

irishgeo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121931049#Comment_121931049

You are not annoymous on the Internet unless you are trying really hard to be.

Peter Flynt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121929944#Comment_121929944

But you'd never say that Leo Varadkar or any other FG TD who made people homeless following voting to end the eviction ban . . . should be ashamed of themselves.

Sorry but Irish society has a problem. We must be the only country in the world which has a media class which treats politicians in government as royalty with a servile class online standing behind him.

Leo Varadkar was a desperate taoiseach, totally out of his depth. He even realised it himself because he has cowardly run away from upcoming elections to leave someone else (Harris) to clean up his mess. Yet no one is allowed to criticise him? Gimme a break - he was worse than useless.

1848

Country at present is awash with money, mainly due to corporation tax from multi nationals - artificial basis for prosperity. How do we spend this money? Starting with Covid money was thrown at the problem. Some people have got used to ‘easy money’. Immigration (caused by upheaval in other countries) has led to money being thrown at the problem also. Government has gone along with this narrative, possibly in an attempt to outflank SF. Have to get back to basics - no such thing as a free lunch. Recent referendum result was to send this message to the govt. Need to hold the centre - FG/FF without the Greens offer the best option. I will probably be accused of being right wing for posting this!

Peter Flynt

Did Leo Varadkar turn up in Athlone for the unveiling of Harris as the new leader this afternoon?

jmayo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934323#Comment_121934323

The coward couldn't even turn up in Dublin castle to hear the result of the peoples vote on his referendum because it didn't suit him and his lickspittles in the media and NGOs.

hotmail.com

Big emphasis on law and order today.

That suggests Helen McEntee will be sacked.

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121933853#Comment_121933853

You have no idea why he decided to quit, the online abuse on it's own would be enough to get anyone to stop doing the job. Like people taking a snippet of a long interview, chopping it up and then pushing it around social media for misinformation. Why would anyone do it?

We have a big issue in society when people are so obsessed with politician they end up becoming similar news to movie/tv stars in other countries. That's the problem we have in Ireland, people sharing information on TD's havin a holiday in the US on here, like what the f**k is that about? not even a party leader just a TD. Serious do people have so little going on in their life they have to follow TD's around like that

In terms of useless, well what do you call the person who claims to have "Won the election" and yet never managed to get to be the Taoiseach? 😂

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121929130#Comment_121929130

That is not what I said.

Leo is very smart. In my opinion, he has run the scenarios, and he has realised that in the Ireland of 2024, where rabid nationalism is growing, that intolerant right-wing politics is growing, that the acceptance of a homosexual mixed-race Taoiseach was diminishing and that this was bad for his party so he resigned.

Floppybits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934756#Comment_121934756

The "Rabid nationalism" is growing because of the actions of this monstrosity of a government. One that you have defended on every single occasion. This government has lost the run of themselves and now that the chickens are coming home to roost they are all jumping ship afraid to face the electorate they have ignored and denigrated time and time again. Anyone who supports this government is responsible for the "rabid nationalism". You are responsible for that.

1ohj

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934520#Comment_121934520

That tells you everything you need to know about the man… no stranger to turning up smiling and pontificating for the cameras when he is victorious or there is something in it for him….

but when he loses and the people comprehensively reject him, his plans and his ideals…. He goes scuttling off to wherever…. In defeat he should be man enough to overcome his colossal ego and have the respect for citizens, democracy and their decision….man up, own it and lead… be there… but, nope…. Off to his little corner to be an invisible little coward …. Some leadership. Awful politician.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121926943#Comment_121926943

Yes, the ambulance and air ambulance service should be better.

That is not what any rural independents want. They want malfunctioning regional EDs to be opened up again so people can be seen quicker but die more frequently because it is politically convenient and follows "common sense" while flying in the face of all medical knowledge.

There are many, many things to complain about when it comes to the government. Shutting regional hospitals simply is not one of them, and bringing it up just highlights how difficult governing actually is.

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934890#Comment_121934890

100%.

We need to develop our cities, towns and villages at the expense of those who continue to insist on living outside those environs.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934557#Comment_121934557

Harris himself was in Justice recently covering for McEntee and did SFA. It's all bluster.

MrMusician18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934756#Comment_121934756

Absolute nonsense. Varadkar resigned because the government he has led has alienated itself from the electorate and it was about to be gutted in the local and European elections. The choice was go now and of his own volition or be ungratifingly deposed post election. He chose the former.

Beyond a few cranks, Varadkars ethnicity or sexuality has never been used to attack him. On threads here, it's not even an undertone.

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934967#Comment_121934967

I suggest you go look at the opinion polls before declaring about the electorate

"Beyond a few cracks" the majority of the conversations across all media has everything to do with this ethnicity or sexuality.

Plenty of examples on boards.

creedp

I sometimes get almost depressed when I see how perfect some boards posters are across multiple social and environmental issues. What saves me is the hope that many are just as flawed as myself in the real world🤣

dulpit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121935068#Comment_121935068

I have major problems with Leo's leadership of the government. I've never voted FG, I won't be voting for them next time. I've mocked my friends who did vote FG. But I have never heard anyone, apart from the cranks who go around filming themselves being eejits say anything negative about Leo and his Sexuality or ethnicity. It's just not a thing.

blackwhite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121933667#Comment_121933667

Got to imagine it’s cases of events who want to be able to advertise “former UK Prime Minister”, but also have a tight budget!

spuddy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121933746#Comment_121933746

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/23/ireland-opens-its-arms-to-tech-titans-yet-shuts-its-eyes-to-failing-public-services

Whittaker was the most influential figure in the development of this country from a rural backwater.

Yes, Ireland has many failings, not everyone has benefited, but the transformation this country has undergone in one generation is seismic.

kowloonkev

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121930066#Comment_121930066

The public are not stupid and they can spot a decent genuine person from a self serving phoney.

The problem is to succeed in party politics you have to be a self serving phoney at least until you get into power, and more likely until that power is solidified.

I wouldn't be quick to judge Harris as we don't know how or if he will change after getting the top job. I thought Varadker was really going to do something positive for the country after his speech about being the leader for those who go to work in the morning. Turned out he was the worst taoiseach in the history of the state.

Let's at least give Harris a chance.

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121935619#Comment_121935619

Denying reality.

There was a poster on here who posted bile day after day about Varadkar. He even named himself after Leo's partner. He was one of many posters who did and who continue to post plenty of stuff with more than undertones about his ethnicity and sexuality.

mariaalice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121936165#Comment_121936165

Real life and reality v online

Why would you give any time or have any interest in an online crank.

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121935619#Comment_121935619

Mocking "friends" for who they vote for 🤔

That's a new one to admit to that carry on

dulpit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121936165#Comment_121936165

That's an online crank though...