Simon Harris, the TikTok Taoiseach

pureza

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121985419#Comment_121985419

But you're a journalist,why are you giving out about politicians promoting a referendum that they advocate,thats what they do

Any journalist knows or should know that you will not get a politician advocating something to say it wont hapoen

Come on now

Aswell as that all parties recomnended yes,they were all slapped

Sure the main opposition party is going on and on and on about a UI refererendum asap when it hasnt a hope yet

Try to be dispassionate

If everyone you know wants an election,dispassion wont come easy to you because everyone you know isnt a cross section of public opinion on that urgency when theres one coming in probably 7 or 8 months anyway

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121985736#Comment_121985736

I am giving out about politicians speaking untruths about the referendum.

I do agree that all parties who supported the referendums were slapped and more importantly rightly slapped.

I do agree that talk of UI is too soon.

Everyone I know is not a cross section of people and neither was the people who the government used to claim a yes vote would happen.

Furze99

FG are getting a nice steady few column inches and plenty of airtime since Leo leapt off the stage. So it's working well for them from that angle, their government colleagues have been receded into the background and obscured for a while.

The public will surely not be fooled by a few new faces and some fancy words, so the gov parties may all expect a good old hammering in the June elections.

But our Simon will be able to chirp up, that sure he's only a few weeks in the job and couldn't possibly be responsible.

But sure, isn't the whole shebang now on it's last legs and will limp along to some crisis, real or contrived.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121985329#Comment_121985329

House construction is on the up abd tgat is before you take the refurbishment grants into account. Serious number of old semi derelict houses being done up. If they cancel tge requirement for planing for change of use of not in use commercial premises in small.towns and villages they could easily add an extra 100k dwelling over the next 3-4 years on the top of newly build unit

Northernlily

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121984093#Comment_121984093

I will not believe it until I see real action and a change in metrics and not the usual gaslighting. They have been banging that drum for 10 years and have only increased the volume lately.

I do not trust them until they deliver. People want honesty and FG cannot take them for granted anymore.

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121985868#Comment_121985868

10 years, its more like 13 years and until it affects them directly they will do SFA. If a sibling or parent of Harris or a senior government minister got mugged or attacked, you can guarantee you would see action.

pureza

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121985820#Comment_121985820

You're giving out about every politician ever then

What politician advocates a policy but says it cant be done ? Answer none

Politicians are't dispassionate

Indeed most when cornered refuse to answer awkward questions by looping the same non answer

The most famous example of this ever was Michael Howard Vs Jeremy Paxman

So really what you're saying is just normal politics behaviour to be fair (and dispassionate) about it

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121985935#Comment_121985935

No I am giving out about politicians who use incorrect information to advocate policy.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121981357#Comment_121981357

Its nowhere near half. Yet, anyways.

About a third of FG TDs, one FF, and zero Greens have said they're not running.

FGs are a mix of retirement home fodder and those pissed off at losing or not getting Ministerial roles. FF had a retirement home grade clearout in 2011 already so has far less of that category; and is somehow hanging on to the others.

MrMusician18

Listened to the speech, wasn't that impressed with the delivery. While not quite Teresa May levels of the stage falling apart, there was an Ian Duncan smith quiet man cringe vibe. The promises he made seem to be completely divorced from the reality that FG have been in power for over a decade.

Sticking with my September election when it all fall apart for FG in the locals and Europeans

pureza

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121985953#Comment_121985953

That'd be all of them then

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121985868#Comment_121985868

But you see Simon has been keeping the secrets to solving the housing crisis to himself for 4 years. Wait and you see, he will deliver now....

Most people are scoffing at his "promises". They sound like Enda promising to end the trolley crisis many years ago.

Targets well in excess of the Housing for All "plan", will be edit the doc himself?

pureza

He hasnt a hope of delivering

No one has without the building labour

Would you carry buckets of cement all day when you can get an indoor job elsewhere that pays more?

Double pay and you'll get them built but you wont get them for €300k each either

xl500

Hard to believe listening to Harris that Fine Gael have been in Government 13 years and delivered a housing disaster amazing how politicians ignore the past and expect us the gullible public to believe it will be different in the future under the exact same politicians

The key here is that your best predictor of future behavior is past behavior or past performance in a similar situation

Xl500

leath_dub

Watching Harris last night A real bang of Tubridy off him. Both would be horrified at the comparison

pureza

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121987171#Comment_121987171

Yes but the electorate had no alternative then,plus 7 or 8 years repairing finances and most of our builders taking flight

You do have a choice now,albeit cosmetic unless they double builders wages and offer them free houses on the estates they build

You will have higher taxes if the alternative government gets in because theres no magic money tree and you wont have 300k houses

tom23

when the alternative government with the magic tree? Is this government the one with magic tree considering the spend on ipa centres and everything else?

pureza

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121987349#Comment_121987349

Aye but you must remember the EU allows 'over' spending on bank bail outs,covid and refugee's but not housing

If Sinn Féin can find some way in the future of convincing the EU that the money they drew down for that hasnt been spent on houses (even if it has) ,theyre on a winner and we won't be fined millions a day for breaching EU borrowing rules

Life and membership of the EU is like that

retalivity

Bought the Sindo today for the first time in years, there is some amount of guff in it re Harris's speech yesterday. Really pushing the "New Energy" angle, even though they've been in government for 13 years and the new dear leader has been mishandling other ministries for the past 5 years

Ger Roe

- Meet the new Boss .... Same as the Old Boss? -

I watched Simon Harris give his address to the FG faithful last night and I thought it was an uninspiring event for anyone outside of the assembled gallery.

He addressed the crowd as though he was an unassociated independent outside consultant that has now parachuted in to sort out all the issues that the party itself has failed to see and address.The sycophantic nodders and clappers that cheered every word, are the same nodders and clappers that actually have the responsibility and power to make the very changes that he was talking about ... and they have had that power and responsibility for many years now. I could see Leo squirm in his seat as Simon effectively said that he was going to clear up his mess .... it is a pity that Simon and his apparently newly invigorated colleagues didn't express that intention much sooner. It was an uninspiring address, preaching to a converted cohort that I suspect doesn't believe the hype either. Unless there is a seismic cabinet shake up next week, the hot air will simply evaporate, as it has done at every other Ard Fheis of every other Irish political party. The fact that cabinet posts are held by strict arrangement between three parties, means that while a very limited ministerial shuffle is possible, it will obviously not be of the seismic magnitude required. Would a shuffle of only the FG ministerial deck not be seen as a bad reflection on the party... an admission specifically that the current FG appointees have been ineffective?

As for the pledge to carry on with this government until the scheduled term ends in March 2025..... does anyone actually believe that? Even if Simon is a new energetic force for change and he does make some progressive headway in the limited time available, his coalition fellow travellers will pull the rug from under him rather than see him earn potential voting credit with the electorate. How else are FF and The Greens going to re-differentiate themselves having been together so cozy and indistinguishable, for so long? One of them is going to have to storm out in a huff, to gain whatever higher moral ground might be available. As soon as a politically opportune time arises, there will be a crush at the exit doors of Leinster House (leave your luggage behind, political life jackets are under your Dáil seat).

To conclude on Simon's inaugural leader's speech, I was not impressed. Fine words butter no parsnips..... and we may not even have parsnips later on in the year, if this terrible weather continues. (how are we doing on our environmental change targets ? .... don't even ask.)

For full disclosure - I have no particular political party allegiance, I distrust them all equally.

(Sorry for the format in this post - I copied from Facebook post I made and it seems to have adopted some paragraph formatting.)

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121987403#Comment_121987403

Harris made a lot of promises in Health too and failed at all of them. Ask the Cervical Check and Scoliosis patients about Harris. And let's not forget the Children's hospital.

tom23

listening to RTE radio brendan O’connor it seems Helen McEntee will be kept on as Justice minister. I guess some folks are untouchable regardless of their ability.

JPCN1

listening to BOC show and contributors saying MCEntee safe in justice which, if correct, means he won’t be much different and will be a short term leader as many have surmised. Probably best for FG to take a step back in opposition and regroup.

Cluedo Monopoly

SImon and Helen will ditch the Hate Speech bill so. They will be afraid to push it thru now. The only thing to get pushed now will be soundbites. Election in October. FF very quiet at the moment.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121987431#Comment_121987431

his coalition fellow travellers will pull the rug from under him rather than see him earn potential voting credit with the electorate. How else are FF and The Greens going to re-differentiate themselves having been together so cozy and indistinguishable, for so long? One of them is going to have to storm out in a huff, to gain whatever higher moral ground might be available. 

Don't anticipate this at all.

https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2024/03/21/martin-and-ryan-to-insist-varadkars-successor-commits-to-coalition-going-full-term/

If there is an election in 2024 it'll be at Harris's own instigation IMO

zell12

Guardian reads Boards.ie!

gerogerigegege

I don't know who I'll vote for but certainly none of the main parties.

Fg,labour,ff,greenssoc dems, pbp and sonn fein are a danger to the country.

I mean that literally. Dangerous.

MrMusician18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121987513#Comment_121987513

I don't agree. I don't think FF will do as bad at the local and Europeans as FG and FF will look for a reason to collapse the coalition. Some sort of convenient scandal will erupt in a FG department.

If the government make it to 2025, I'll be shocked.

JPCN1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121987606#Comment_121987606

wouldn’t help any future coalition chance between the two…

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121987084#Comment_121987084

Not all of them but a fair chunk of them.