Oh, and there is a referendum.

[AZOffaly]

I voted no to the blue one, and yes to the green one. I like green.

[Shamrock Shore]

It's official! Enquiries defeated 54 to 46. Judges thrown into penury 79 to 21, give or take

[Hardy]

Brilliant!

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Thats good, how did the other one go lads?

[ross4life]

It's official! Enquiries defeated 54 to 46. Judges thrown into penury 79 to 21, give or take

Will they get us to vote again or is that just a FF policy?

[magpie seanie]

Alan Shatter should resign for his disgraceful handling of these referendums and his disgraceful comments of recent days. Apparently us gobshites don't think about political things after our hard days work (we probably shouldn't be allowed to vote!) and that's why we voted no - we didn't understand. The way himself and Howlin reacted to the opposition to the proposed amendments was a clear example of why they shouldn't be given additional powers. The "political class" in this country do not see the rest of us as equals.

[Hardy]

Exactly. I've never bought in to the often touted notion that the Irish electorate is as sharp as a tack. Look at some of the apes we've elected for God's sake. But one thing the people understand very well is the propensity of the political class to look after themselves at our expense. That's why they've never (with the exception of Lisbon 2, when they were browbeaten with lies) approved any of the tricks the politicians have tried by way of referendum to give more power to themselves.

The notion that the people would buy the proposition that they could trust the government and all future governments to be fair and reasonable in the exercise of unspecified powers was ludicrous. The people have more respect for the constitution and more understanding of its importance than the politicoes. The whole point of the constitution is to protect us against bad government and it's good to know the people still understand that and care about it, even if gobshites like Shatter and Howlin don't.

[Tyrones own]

Exactly. I've never bought in to the often touted notion that the Irish electorate is as sharp as a tack. Look at some of the apes we've elected for God's sake. But one thing the people understand very well is the propensity of the political class to look after themselves at our expense. That's why they've never (with the exception of Lisbon 2, when they were browbeaten with lies) approved any of the tricks the politicians have tried by way of referendum to give more power to themselves.

The notion that the people would buy the proposition that they could trust the government and all future governments to be fair and reasonable in the exercise of unspecified powers was ludicrous. The people have more respect for the constitution and more understanding of its importance than the politicoes. The whole point of the constitution is to protect us against bad government and it's good to know the people still understand that and care about it, even if gobshites like Shatter and Howlin don't.

Feck Hardy...Very well put, but It's amazing how you can get a way with the above yet if
I was to and have said the same thing, only about this Country
I get hung out to dry for being a hater/Tea Bagger/ terrorist..take your pick! How can that be

[dec]

Exactly. I've never bought in to the often touted notion that the Irish electorate is as sharp as a tack. Look at some of the apes we've elected for God's sake. But one thing the people understand very well is the propensity of the political class to look after themselves at our expense. That's why they've never (with the exception of Lisbon 2, when they were browbeaten with lies) approved any of the tricks the politicians have tried by way of referendum to give more power to themselves.

The notion that the people would buy the proposition that they could trust the government and all future governments to be fair and reasonable in the exercise of unspecified powers was ludicrous. The people have more respect for the constitution and more understanding of its importance than the politicoes. The whole point of the constitution is to protect us against bad government and it's good to know the people still understand that and care about it, even if gobshites like Shatter and Howlin don't.

Feck Hardy...Very well put, but It's amazing how you can get a way with the above yet if
I was to and have said the same thing, only about this Country
I get hung out to dry for being a hater/Tea Bagger/ terrorist..take your pick! How can that be

Easy, Hardy's comments were not directed against one particular party but expressed instead a worry about how any future government might misuse these powers. You, on the other hand, reserve your vitriol almost exclusively for one party and do so in a manner that rarely rises above the level of name calling.

[muppet]

Exactly. I've never bought in to the often touted notion that the Irish electorate is as sharp as a tack. Look at some of the apes we've elected for God's sake. But one thing the people understand very well is the propensity of the political class to look after themselves at our expense. That's why they've never (with the exception of Lisbon 2, when they were browbeaten with lies) approved any of the tricks the politicians have tried by way of referendum to give more power to themselves.

The notion that the people would buy the proposition that they could trust the government and all future governments to be fair and reasonable in the exercise of unspecified powers was ludicrous. The people have more respect for the constitution and more understanding of its importance than the politicoes. The whole point of the constitution is to protect us against bad government and it's good to know the people still understand that and care about it, even if gobshites like Shatter and Howlin don't.

My view on that result is that now our political system is basically untenable.

The investigations would have been held in public so transparency wasn't the issue. It was simply a lack of trust. This leaves us with the absurd situation that the citizens elect their representatives but don't trust them to represent them.

[Hardy]

This is not about representation. It's about separation of powers. The citizens elect their representatives to represent them in the forum that make laws based on policies approved by the electorate, not to conduct inquiries or to be some sort of quasi-judicial system to be deployed ad hoc because the real judicial system doesn't work. If there's a problem with getting to the truth through the judicial system, then fix the judicial system.

The citizens are never going to give up their rights because the political establishment thinks they have too many. To try to foist on the public a new method of finding people guilty with only the slightest nod towards safeguarding their rights (and that only after the idea that there should be some  mention of fair procedure was inserted by amendment) does no more than illustrate what they would try to get away with were we to give them the powers they sought.

So you're right, Muppet, except that it's not absurd - it's a wise attitude on the part of the people not to trust the politicians to be something other than what they're elected to be.

Everybody wants to see the bankers brought to justice, but it's a wise electorate that understands that to endanger the rights of all citizens in perpetuity is too high a price to pay.  Get Seánie, but don't try to do it the lazy way.

[Tyrones own]

Exactly. I've never bought in to the often touted notion that the Irish electorate is as sharp as a tack. Look at some of the apes we've elected for God's sake. But one thing the people understand very well is the propensity of the political class to look after themselves at our expense. That's why they've never (with the exception of Lisbon 2, when they were browbeaten with lies) approved any of the tricks the politicians have tried by way of referendum to give more power to themselves.

The notion that the people would buy the proposition that they could trust the government and all future governments to be fair and reasonable in the exercise of unspecified powers was ludicrous.  The people have more respect for the constitution and more understanding of its importance than the politicoes. the whole point of the constitution is to protect us against bad government and it's good to know the people still understand that and care about it, even if gobshites like Shatter and Howlin don't.

Feck Hardy...Very well put, but It's amazing how you can get a way with the above yet if
I was to and have said the same thing, only about this Country
I get hung out to dry for being a hater/Tea Bagger/ terrorist..take your pick! How can that be

Easy, Hardy's comments were not directed against one particular party but expressed instead a worry about how any future government might misuse these powers. You, on the other hand, reserve your vitriol almost exclusively for one party and do so in a manner that rarely rises above the level of name calling.

Eh...Nice effort but In leaving political parties to the side and focusing on the importance of the Constitution, be it here or in Ireland
... my point was and I'll ask again, how is it OK for Hardy to express his views which is identical to my own, and get a way with it,
not only get away with it but you're defending him yet I'm labeled a Terrorist/Tea Bagger 

[Shamrock Shore]

All this shite about "only the Dáil can investigate Seanie" is a loada nonsense. The ODCE could have him bang to rights if the Government put in the resources into that office to haul his ass in over many many alleged breaches of the Companies Acts and a host of other acts that are on statue since Ben Dunne tried to fly off into the Florida night.

Banking enquiries me hole. There have been at least a dozen reports, official and unoffical, on how the country was brought to the brink of bankrupcy by Anglo and AIB. (Fcuk me, if Bank of Scotland Ireland was guaranteed by the State then we'd make Greece look like Bahrain). There is nothing else to discover in my view. It's all out there. Company Law, as it exists, is strong enough to try and convict wrongdoers.

A good day for Irish democracy. A good day for citizens' rights and it's always a good day to remind a Government that they have over 3 million bosses.

And - to get back to an olde point I made......Michael Healy Rae, Michael Lowry, Mick Wallace, James Bannon..............t'wud be nice not to be judged on by this shower!

[dec]

Exactly. I've never bought in to the often touted notion that the Irish electorate is as sharp as a tack. Look at some of the apes we've elected for God's sake. But one thing the people understand very well is the propensity of the political class to look after themselves at our expense. That's why they've never (with the exception of Lisbon 2, when they were browbeaten with lies) approved any of the tricks the politicians have tried by way of referendum to give more power to themselves.

The notion that the people would buy the proposition that they could trust the government and all future governments to be fair and reasonable in the exercise of unspecified powers was ludicrous.  The people have more respect for the constitution and more understanding of its importance than the politicoes. the whole point of the constitution is to protect us against bad government and it's good to know the people still understand that and care about it, even if gobshites like Shatter and Howlin don't.

Feck Hardy...Very well put, but It's amazing how you can get a way with the above yet if
I was to and have said the same thing, only about this Country
I get hung out to dry for being a hater/Tea Bagger/ terrorist..take your pick! How can that be

Easy, Hardy's comments were not directed against one particular party but expressed instead a worry about how any future government might misuse these powers. You, on the other hand, reserve your vitriol almost exclusively for one party and do so in a manner that rarely rises above the level of name calling.

Eh...Nice effort but In leaving political parties to the side and focusing on the importance of the Constitution, be it here or in Ireland
... my point was and I'll ask again, how is it OK for Hardy to express his views which is identical to my own, and get a way with it,
not only get away with it but you're defending him yet I'm labeled a Terrorist/Tea Bagger 

Yes, Hardy did leave political parties to the side and focused on the Constitution. You don't leave political parties to the side, in fact almost your entire output is one sided attacks.

"how is it OK for Hardy to express his views which is identical to my own"

But his views are not identical to your own. His views are that it is wrong to give this sort of power to any party, your views are almost exclusively critical of just one side.

"yet I'm labeled a Terrorist/Tea Bagger"

It is entirely appropriate that you are labelled a Tea Bagger because your views mirror theirs so closely. The Tea baggers articulate an abhorance of big government that they only seem to have discovered since Obama took office.

The Tea party stuff was kicked off by Rick Santelli's rant about the Homeowners Affordability and Stability Plan in February 2009 which bailed out mortgage holders. It wasn't the TARP bailout for banks which occurred under Bush and which was much larger which riled up the Tea Baggers.

If you are really concerned about government getting too much power then there was plenty of material for you to work with during the Bush Presidency.

However your outrage, like the Tea Baggers, and unlike Hardy's is totally one sided.

[Tyrones own]

Exactly. I've never bought in to the often touted notion that the Irish electorate is as sharp as a tack. Look at some of the apes we've elected for God's sake. But one thing the people understand very well is the propensity of the political class to look after themselves at our expense. That's why they've never (with the exception of Lisbon 2, when they were browbeaten with lies) approved any of the tricks the politicians have tried by way of referendum to give more power to themselves.

The notion that the people would buy the proposition that they could trust the government and all future governments to be fair and reasonable in the exercise of unspecified powers was ludicrous.  The people have more respect for the constitution and more understanding of its importance than the politicoes. the whole point of the constitution is to protect us against bad government and it's good to know the people still understand that and care about it, even if gobshites like Shatter and Howlin don't.

Feck Hardy...Very well put, but It's amazing how you can get a way with the above yet if
I was to and have said the same thing, only about this Country
I get hung out to dry for being a hater/Tea Bagger/ terrorist..take your pick! How can that be

Easy, Hardy's comments were not directed against one particular party but expressed instead a worry about how any future government might misuse these powers. You, on the other hand, reserve your vitriol almost exclusively for one party and do so in a manner that rarely rises above the level of name calling.

Eh...Nice effort but In leaving political parties to the side and focusing on the importance of the Constitution, be it here or in Ireland
... my point was and I'll ask again, how is it OK for Hardy to express his views which is identical to my own, and get a way with it,
not only get away with it but you're defending him yet I'm labeled a Terrorist/Tea Bagger 

Yes, Hardy did leave political parties to the side and focused on the Constitution. You don't leave political parties to the side, in fact almost your entire output is one sided attacks.

"how is it OK for Hardy to express his views which is identical to my own"

But his views are not identical to your own. His views are that it is wrong to give this sort of power to any party, your views are almost exclusively critical of just one side.

"yet I'm labeled a Terrorist/Tea Bagger"

It is entirely appropriate that you are labelled a Tea Bagger because your views mirror theirs so closely. The Tea baggers articulate an abhorance of big government that they only seem to have discovered since Obama took office.

The Tea party stuff was kicked off by Rick Santelli's rant about the Homeowners Affordability and Stability Plan in February 2009 which bailed out mortgage holders. It wasn't the TARP bailout for banks which occurred under Bush and which was much larger which riled up the Tea Baggers.

If you are really concerned about government getting too much power then there was plenty of material for you to work with during the Bush Presidency.

However your outrage, like the Tea Baggers, and unlike Hardy's is totally one sided.

Yep...just as I suspected, caught out again lads with
another miserable effort to side step the double standards
that exist here...you're not fooling anybody, just so you know
#Haters