26 County General Election 2020

[Main Street]

A comment on RTE this morning about Hogan's resignation 

"he left big shoes to fill".

A number of EU officials saying the same thing. Could Mairead McGuinness be his successor or would that throw the EU parliament into disarray?

if I have to explain the humour, then it ain't funny.

[Hound]

Phil should offer and Ursula should refuse. Then he should go back to kicking the British.

Will the hotel be prosecuted? That's the real issue here, businesses all over the country taking the piss and no action being taken against them, from meat plants to restaurants.

The real issue is the hotel?

FFS, what level of shill are you? The people in attendance are the ones tasked with implementing legislation, upholding it and bringing people to account for it and they thought they were all above it.

Because the people responsible for implementing legislation have generally not done so, and so hotels, pubs, meat factories etc are not brought to account. Even the rules for people coming into the country are poorly defined.

The people responsible for implementing legislation were down in Galway, flouting their own laws at a golf piss up.

And you think the big story is the hotel?

'The people responsible for the new rules"?
There was one member of government who was part of the cabinet that approved the new rules and badly at fault and rightly fired. But only one.

The hotel definitely has to be looked at given they supposedly guaranteed that the new rules were being undertaken. Albeit everyone does have to take personal responsibility too.

It wasn't just ex-FF and ex-FG politicians, there were Independents, Labour and Workers Party reps there too it seems. From the list on wiki the average age seemed to be approaching 60.

I'll look forward to giving you details of Sinn Fein politicians attending business functions over the next couple of years to see if your outrage at politicians (even though it was mostly former politicians in this case) entertaining with business people continues.

Calleary wasn't fired, he resigned his ministry and deputy leadership, but he remains a sitting TD.  Not many people who get "fired" remain on €96k a year.

He was 100% fired from the ministerial job he was appointed to and from the deputy leadership.
He can't be fired from the position he was elected to by his constituents (for this anyway) until the next election. But it's a big reduction in salary and monumental reduction in future pension entitlements, so he's been hit hard.

Wouldn't be keen on Coveney going to Europe. Not too many really impressive TDS around, but he's definitely one of them.

Can you put up an article there where it says he was fired?  Any I have seen say he resigned voluntarily.  And if his transgression was bad enough to resign a ministry and position within the party, was it not big enough to resign as a TD also and allow the people who voted him in to decide whether they want to keep him or not?  Though I suspect they know the answer to that so don't want to take the risk.

FFS, he was told to resign. Probably a 30 second conversation with both parties knowing there was only one possible outcome. The man lost his ministerial job and the wages and pension that go with it, which was completely correct given the position he held and that he was involved in approving the revised lockdown provisions just a day or two earlier.

Saying he should resign his seat is completely disproportionate to the 'crime' committed. He's lost power, he's lost influence, he's lost a lot of money, but he hasn't actually committed a crime that should send him to the dole queue. Unless you think everyone who breaks govt advice on Covid should lose their jobs!

[Angelo]

Phil should offer and Ursula should refuse. Then he should go back to kicking the British.

Will the hotel be prosecuted? That's the real issue here, businesses all over the country taking the piss and no action being taken against them, from meat plants to restaurants.

The real issue is the hotel?

FFS, what level of shill are you? The people in attendance are the ones tasked with implementing legislation, upholding it and bringing people to account for it and they thought they were all above it.

Because the people responsible for implementing legislation have generally not done so, and so hotels, pubs, meat factories etc are not brought to account. Even the rules for people coming into the country are poorly defined.

The people responsible for implementing legislation were down in Galway, flouting their own laws at a golf piss up.

And you think the big story is the hotel?

'The people responsible for the new rules"?
There was one member of government who was part of the cabinet that approved the new rules and badly at fault and rightly fired. But only one.

The hotel definitely has to be looked at given they supposedly guaranteed that the new rules were being undertaken. Albeit everyone does have to take personal responsibility too.

It wasn't just ex-FF and ex-FG politicians, there were Independents, Labour and Workers Party reps there too it seems. From the list on wiki the average age seemed to be approaching 60.

I'll look forward to giving you details of Sinn Fein politicians attending business functions over the next couple of years to see if your outrage at politicians (even though it was mostly former politicians in this case) entertaining with business people continues.

Calleary wasn't fired, he resigned his ministry and deputy leadership, but he remains a sitting TD.  Not many people who get "fired" remain on €96k a year.

He was 100% fired from the ministerial job he was appointed to and from the deputy leadership.
He can't be fired from the position he was elected to by his constituents (for this anyway) until the next election. But it's a big reduction in salary and monumental reduction in future pension entitlements, so he's been hit hard.

Wouldn't be keen on Coveney going to Europe. Not too many really impressive TDS around, but he's definitely one of them.

Can you put up an article there where it says he was fired?  Any I have seen say he resigned voluntarily.  And if his transgression was bad enough to resign a ministry and position within the party, was it not big enough to resign as a TD also and allow the people who voted him in to decide whether they want to keep him or not?  Though I suspect they know the answer to that so don't want to take the risk.

FFS, he was told to resign. Probably a 30 second conversation with both parties knowing there was only one possible outcome. The man lost his ministerial job and the wages and pension that go with it, which was completely correct given the position he held and that he was involved in approving the revised lockdown provisions just a day or two earlier.

Saying he should resign his seat is completely disproportionate to the 'crime' committed. He's lost power, he's lost influence, he's lost a lot of money, but he hasn't actually committed a crime that should send him to the dole queue. Unless you think everyone who breaks govt advice on Covid should lose their jobs!

He's hardly lost a lot of money.

He's on a 96k per annum job with huge tax free expenses on top of that.

[MayoBuck]

Losing a ministerial salary and associated pension entitlements is a lot of money, would you not agree?

[Angelo]

Losing a ministerial salary and associated pension entitlements is a lot of money, would you not agree?

He's been a TD for a decade plus.

He's already a millionaire.

[five points]

Losing a ministerial salary and associated pension entitlements is a lot of money, would you not agree?

He's been a TD for a decade plus.

He's already a millionaire.

How does that compute? Earning the guts of a hundred grand a year for 10 years plus most certainly does not make one a millionaire.

[Rossfan]

Dont be so silly 5 points.
Angelo is always right about everything

[MayoBuck]

Losing a ministerial salary and associated pension entitlements is a lot of money, would you not agree?

He's been a TD for a decade plus.

He's already a millionaire.

Are you familiar with income tax?

[Rossfan]

No tax, PRSI USC or Pension deductions in a cave in Tyrone

[Crete Boom]

Losing a ministerial salary and associated pension entitlements is a lot of money, would you not agree?

Does he get a ministerial pension for being junior  labour minister for a couple of years the last time FF were in government?

[Angelo]

Losing a ministerial salary and associated pension entitlements is a lot of money, would you not agree?

He's been a TD for a decade plus.

He's already a millionaire.

How does that compute? Earning the guts of a hundred grand a year for 10 years plus most certainly does not make one a millionaire.

Well in excess of 100k when you put in their expenses and additional allowances.

100k a year for 14 years = c€1.4m
Probably additional tax free expenses of in the region of €500k
Other allowances probably in the region of a few hundred k

Along with a bumper pension tied up whenever he calls it a day.

Unless he has a chronic gambling problem or has a messy divorce, he's a millionaire.

[Rossfan]

He doesn't pay tax Prsi etc.
He lives in a cave, gets free grub and drink and never spends a cent.
Leaves his wife and children penniless.
And obviously gets his pension paid in advance.

[Angelo]

He doesn't pay tax Prsi etc.
He lives in a cave, gets free grub and drink and never spends a cent.
Leaves his wife and children penniless.
And obviously gets his pension paid in advance.

Are you accussing him of being negligent with money? Because I don't see how he should be on the breadline on over 100k+ a year for the past 14 years. Not to mention that he was born into money, third generation TD in his family.

Only the most idiotic sort of gombeen would be playing the poor mouth for a long serving FFG TD who comes from a political dynasty. It's flabbergasting.

[gallsman]

Since when were being a millionaire and "not being on the breadline" the same thing??

[andoireabu]

Phil should offer and Ursula should refuse. Then he should go back to kicking the British.

Will the hotel be prosecuted? That's the real issue here, businesses all over the country taking the piss and no action being taken against them, from meat plants to restaurants.

The real issue is the hotel?

FFS, what level of shill are you? The people in attendance are the ones tasked with implementing legislation, upholding it and bringing people to account for it and they thought they were all above it.

Because the people responsible for implementing legislation have generally not done so, and so hotels, pubs, meat factories etc are not brought to account. Even the rules for people coming into the country are poorly defined.

The people responsible for implementing legislation were down in Galway, flouting their own laws at a golf piss up.

And you think the big story is the hotel?

'The people responsible for the new rules"?
There was one member of government who was part of the cabinet that approved the new rules and badly at fault and rightly fired. But only one.

The hotel definitely has to be looked at given they supposedly guaranteed that the new rules were being undertaken. Albeit everyone does have to take personal responsibility too.

It wasn't just ex-FF and ex-FG politicians, there were Independents, Labour and Workers Party reps there too it seems. From the list on wiki the average age seemed to be approaching 60.

I'll look forward to giving you details of Sinn Fein politicians attending business functions over the next couple of years to see if your outrage at politicians (even though it was mostly former politicians in this case) entertaining with business people continues.

Calleary wasn't fired, he resigned his ministry and deputy leadership, but he remains a sitting TD.  Not many people who get "fired" remain on €96k a year.

He was 100% fired from the ministerial job he was appointed to and from the deputy leadership.
He can't be fired from the position he was elected to by his constituents (for this anyway) until the next election. But it's a big reduction in salary and monumental reduction in future pension entitlements, so he's been hit hard.

Wouldn't be keen on Coveney going to Europe. Not too many really impressive TDS around, but he's definitely one of them.

Can you put up an article there where it says he was fired?  Any I have seen say he resigned voluntarily.  And if his transgression was bad enough to resign a ministry and position within the party, was it not big enough to resign as a TD also and allow the people who voted him in to decide whether they want to keep him or not?  Though I suspect they know the answer to that so don't want to take the risk.

FFS, he was told to resign. Probably a 30 second conversation with both parties knowing there was only one possible outcome. The man lost his ministerial job and the wages and pension that go with it, which was completely correct given the position he held and that he was involved in approving the revised lockdown provisions just a day or two earlier.

Saying he should resign his seat is completely disproportionate to the 'crime' committed. He's lost power, he's lost influence, he's lost a lot of money, but he hasn't actually committed a crime that should send him to the dole queue. Unless you think everyone who breaks govt advice on Covid should lose their jobs!

Someone who goes into a shop without a mask or stays in a bar for 110 minutes shouldn't lose their job as an accountant or librarian or whatever, but they are liable for a €2,500 fine.  How many of these were dished out to the attendees? I do see though, a big difference in that and a person who is involved in drafting and voting for laws, who then doesn't follow them themselves.  That I think is fair game.  If I did something similar in my own job it would be gross misconduct and I would be straight out the door, not into a fall back position of €96k a year.

As for the losing power, influence and a lot of money, if that is what he got into politics for then the fewer of those types in power the better imo.  And that is across the entire Dáil and the island for that matter.