Gilmore for Taoiseach?

[muppet]

I'm hearing Kenny is going to win from a very anti-Kenny FG person.

Nice succinct post as always Lone Shark.

Our metropolitan media crave Dublin-centric leaders, this doesn't go down very will in the rest (read vast majority) of the constituencies. As a result the 'vote for me an' I'll sort out them feckers up in Dublin' ticket works all too well in these areas and we get a parliament full of gombeens. Their objective, rather than governing or representing us, seems to be to extract as much money for themselves and their cronies (Health Boards nominees, VEC Board Nominees, County/Urban Councils, School Boards, Semi-State Boards etc and their very lucrative expenses). [I am aware of a man who sat on 3 such boards/committees at the same time which met in the same town, often on the same day, and he claimed expenses for round trips for each of them]

We get what we deserve.

I am beginning to hope now that Fine Gael completely implode. The shock of facing another 7 years of 'Fianna Fail unchecked 'might waken people up. Gilmore might actually have to move from his tabloid talk comfort zone to avoid a collapse of our political system which might actually be the best thing that could happen. 

[Billys Boots]

Just as a matter of interest, why do you (and so many Mayo/Connacht people) feel the need to turn the FG leadership contest into a Connacht v. the world debate? I haven't heard anyone from Meath suggest that any opposition to Bruton or unfavourable comment on him is because he's from Meath.

Perhaps they feel that such an attitude has worked well for Ulster folk.

[Bogball XV]

Just as a matter of interest, why do you (and so many Mayo/Connacht people) feel the need to turn the FG leadership contest into a Connacht v. the world debate? I haven't heard anyone from Meath suggest that any opposition to Bruton or unfavourable comment on him is because he's from Meath.

Perhaps they feel that such an attitude has worked well for Ulster folk.

well we managed a president out of it, although connacht will probably try and claim her on ancestral grounds.  And as for big gerry, well, he hasn't gone away, except he sorta has i suppose.

[magpie seanie]

Perhaps Connacht people feel that they haven't got their fair share from successive governments over the decades and are a bit pissed off about it. Mad notion I know.

[Hardy]

Seanie - with respect and with reference to Lone Sharks excellent summation of the ills of Irish politics, I think that's part of the problem. People seem to think that politics is about getting your share of the goodies. And I may be wrong, but Connacht people seem to me to think that more than most.

If Connacht people want to conduct the FG leadership debate on the basis of a pro-Connacht bias and anticipated favourable distribution of goodies for Connacht, then they can't have it both ways by complaining about a perceived anti-Connacht bias on the part of everyone else.

[Lone Shark]

Perhaps Connacht people feel that they haven't got their fair share from successive governments over the decades and are a bit pissed off about it. Mad notion I know.

The debate about whether the western seaboard is over funded or under serviced is a big one which it would probably serve this thread well not to get into, but just out of curiosity, I wonder do the people out west ever consider that possibility the cause of the problem, as opposed to the solution, is their constant resorting to sleeveen stroke types who get elected on the basis of sticking it to them lads up in Dublin.

It's all very well when you win the Independent lottery and your local yahoo suddenly finds himself as the casting vote in a tight situation, a la Jackie Healy Rae, but even then you get a lot more small sweets but still no say at the important meetings where the real decisions are made. You get a lot of new extensions to schools and potholes filled in, but has JHR managed to get any real new sustainable employment out to South Kerry?

Electing lads on the basis of shoving up the holes of "the D4 meedja" is a failed strategy and the people of the western seaboard, and rural Ireland in general, might do well to rethink a strategy. Decisions are made at cabinet level - rather than electing muppets and then complaining that there's no one from out west in power (or worse, someone like O'Cuiv, who's in there out of tokenism and nepotism and couldn't give a flying shi'ite about anyone who's not in Galway west) how about actually looking at your list of candidates and asking if you would be happy for that person to have an important ministry - in many cases, due to the lack of talent out the sticks, that person will get it sooner rather than later.

I accept that this is a long way away from the Enda debate, since in fairness he'd be a perfectly good minister I reckon, however it's hard to blame some people from tarring all western TD's with the one brush when you see some of the clowns that have been sent back.

(I accept that there have been plenty of Callelys, Jacobs, Foxes, Burkes, Kirks and general Twerps from out east as well, but nothing like as high a ratio)

[Bogball XV]

Perhaps Connacht people feel that they haven't got their fair share from successive governments over the decades and are a bit pissed off about it. Mad notion I know.

I sympathise and agree with you, but it's not a reason for promoting yet another overblown schoolteacher to leader of the country (beats an account clerk from a hospital all the same). 
The talk on politics.ie is that kenny may survive, but that the majority of FG td's will vote against him, i'd be shocked if he survives for much longer on the foot of such a victory, although, I'd also be surprised if he survives at all today.

[Bogball XV]

I accept that this is a long way away from the Enda debate, since in fairness he'd be a perfectly good minister I reckon,

I'd be happy enough to see him as a minister, is he jeopardising his chances of this by clinging on and forcing a battle over this? 
I suppose he sort of has to try and fight as it's likely whoever leads FG will be next taoiseach, it's just that if it's Bruton, it's also likely he'll have more power, hmm, maybe I'd prefer Kenny to stay on, but that leaves the option that they might actually lose the next election to FF.

[Hardy]

It's beginning to look as if Bruton and/or his advisers have made a right horlicks of the whole thing anyway. It may be, as I mentioned before, that Kenny forced their hand, but to go into a leadership contest without being sure of your numbers, as they seem to be doing, seems an awful slapdash approach and not what might be expected of the man they want to put forward as the brains to lead us out of the abyss.

Also, the whole conduct of the debate has to be immensely damaging to FG. Why are they conducting it in the media, with representatives of both sides lining up on every current affairs programme to slug it out and slag each other in public? Madness. The electorate is the parliamentary party. There's no need for election broadcasts. Why are they not keeping their mouths shut until it's over? And these are the people who want us to trust them to be clever, innovative, united in a common mission, etc?

[Lone Shark]

Seanie - with respect and with reference to Lone Sharks excellent summation of the ills of Irish politics, I think that's part of the problem. People seem to think that politics is about getting your share of the goodies. And I may be wrong, but Connacht people seem to me to think that more than most.

If Connacht people want to conduct the FG leadership debate on the basis of a pro-Connacht bias and anticipated favourable distribution of goodies for Connacht, then they can't have it both ways by complaining about a perceived anti-Connacht bias on the part of everyone else.

Said quicker and better than I managed.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

I will accept that a proportion of any constituency electorate hope for a Minister of some sort to help solve the ills of their locality, that is part of the problem for the country as a whole. It is a major part of the reason that the Dublin/Eastern Seaboard electorate does not want THEIR Taoiseach too far from the kitchen door. I do believe however this is not the reasoning being used by the vast majority of Connacht and Western contributors here. We may have the same trust issues with the so called well oiled politicians who swarm around the hornets nest. We have seen where the Berties, Charlies, Cowans of this World has got us. I think a lot of Connacht people would see a Connacht or Western Taoiseach as likely to consider us before the removal of services rather than by a sort of freebie ice-cream vendor.

Connacht first for the cuts, last for the roads.

(Still want our fckn gas though)

[Bogball XV]

I will accept that a proportion of any constituency electorate hope for a Minister of some sort to help solve the ills of their locality, that is part of the problem for the country as a whole. It is a major part of the reason that the Dublin/Eastern Seaboard electorate does not want THEIR Taoiseach too far from the kitchen door. I do believe however this is not the reasoning being used by the vast majority of Connacht and Western contributors here. We may have the same trust issues with the so called well oiled politicians who swarm around the hornets nest. We have seen where the Berties, Charlies, Cowans of this World has got us. I think a lot of Connacht people would see a Connacht or Western Taoiseach as likely to consider us before the removal of services rather than by a sort of freebie ice-cream vendor
Connacht first for the cuts, last for the roads.

(Still want our fckn gas though)

Last for the roads, now that reminds me of someone - Pee Flynn anybody?  A shining example of western power - i'm not for a minute tarring enda with that brush, it was just to highlight that all westerners aren't exactly selfless knights in shining armour

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

I will accept that a proportion of any constituency electorate hope for a Minister of some sort to help solve the ills of their locality, that is part of the problem for the country as a whole. It is a major part of the reason that the Dublin/Eastern Seaboard electorate does not want THEIR Taoiseach too far from the kitchen door. I do believe however this is not the reasoning being used by the vast majority of Connacht and Western contributors here. We may have the same trust issues with the so called well oiled politicians who swarm around the hornets nest. We have seen where the Berties, Charlies, Cowans of this World has got us. I think a lot of Connacht people would see a Connacht or Western Taoiseach as likely to consider us before the removal of services rather than by a sort of freebie ice-cream vendor
Connacht first for the cuts, last for the roads.

(Still want our fckn gas though)

Last for the roads, now that reminds me of someone - Pee Flynn anybody?  A shining example of western power - i'm not for a minute tarring enda with that brush, it was just to highlight that all westerners aren't exactly selfless knights in shining armour

Jaysus I shake with anger when I hear that feckers name. You ignored the first part of that sentence Bogball, we are generally first for the cuts. You wouldn't want to be to far from Galway or Letterkenny if you get struck down with cancer, taking even longer to get to either on our crap roads. It takes well over an hour for Belmullet people to get to Castlebar alone never mind at least an another 1 & half (2 & half at busy times) to get to Galway.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

A Cavan friend of mine use compare Mayo & Ulsters relationship when it comes to complaining to that of Kerry & Ulsters in football. Mayo are the kingpins of complaining without a shadow of a doubht, but they resent (managing to moan about moaning) the Peace Process in Ulster since the 1990's allowing the Nordies to overshadow the Heather County at times. The last time the Ulsterfolk challenged Mayos reign was back in the 1960's.

[Farrandeelin]

Funny the way this thread has gone, from the heading to this Mayo v everyone else...