Irish politics discussion thread

Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton has accused protesters who heckled her during an event in Dundalk today of sullying the reputation of the town.

is this even possible

she seems to be a very bad politician, can we say this? joan burton seems to be very bad at most aspects of the job of being a politician.

awful. how did she get elected? she has zero charisma. an awful person for all to see.

found out (social welfare) bill

I have time for her but yes, that wasn't great. Iran Dundalk has an awful contrary rep. Surely they were only bolstering the reputation, not sullying it...

I know it's early but I find I'm already worried about budget.

Instead of 'Iran' I meant 'I mean'.

huh i dunno it kind of worked for me

be worried about the budget. we've gotten very blase about the aul 'billion' as a figure but it's a long fuckin way to chop multiples off an economy of our size in successive years. to use a clumsy metaphor- the first year is the easy and kind of obvious stuff; get off the bus a stop early, cut down on the desserts, climb the stairs to work. the bulk of it is in slowly changing up yr habits over a longer time. the last couple of pounds (jaysus remember the pound lads?) is lol lettuce soup and black tea. we don't need to get to that last stage if we can handle the second stage like grownups and don't force europe to send us to the fuckin priory.

if the public sector deal emerges (and it looks pretty likely tbh, don't mind the guardmanning displays) and they pluck up some courage to means test those social welfare payments that as yet haven't been that'll go a long way (and things that, like the property tax, both badly needed doing in any case- which isn't something enough people are saying about this govt imo, that the cuts have been applied in a manner that has shaped a very faulty system into something a little more logical).

if they can dampen expectation of an eased budget after the ECB deal (and guess who has already tried to fuckin scupper that?) and force this one through it'll have been some achievement over three years imo. probably see them fucked out at the next election, of course, but one can only serve as one is permitted when the population is a pack of cunts i spose.

Yeah, all of that but also USC, etc. employers getting twitchy, we're getting secretly expensive to employ again...

none of the economies we should be striving to emulate are cheap to employ people in though. and none of them are low-tax.

i swear i'm not a leftie, but these are p much indisputable facts unfortunately.

I grew up with high tax over 50% - even on paper round. I have seen incredible benefits however I would not have faith in current (or previous) government to use the taxes properly. In fact, thanks to USC, I'm probably nearly as high and no, every day we're shown how mismanaged it all is. I'm not talking about Croke or public service pay as a whole but things like HSE, infrastructure, etc.

Are we tho? Im every day on luas and bus, ive no complaints of them at all, and the pieces of dub i see arent all pretty but theyre clean. My brother had a p serious bike accident in oct and was discharged after plastic surgery and a cat scan two days later at a cost of 120 quid. Etc etc.

Who's going to bat for this week's cute hoor technical groupie?

miriam lord assassinates him in the (hateful new website btw) times. She's capital g great.

Who's going to bat for this week's cute hoor technical groupie?

miriam lord assassinates him in the (hateful new website btw) times. She's capital g great.

I love her. Passed her at a rally and she has a real imp-ish smile!

For Ming I have nothing. Think he's badly placed now but it does seem like total hypocrisy.

That said he has nothing on 'that's not me on the tapes with me on them meeja witch hunt' Lowry.

Reading a lot about IT redesign. Seems badly thought out. Quite Irish (sorry!) to test something 'live' as it were.

Self hate is no hate

Read the article. Quite vicious I thought.

Re-design is all over the place.

I know this isn't political per se but I do think RTÉ are going a bit over the top with papal coverage.

shower of jesuits themselves of course

I thought Rabbitte was being taken to task for their anti-catholic slant.

You cant please all of the steeple all of the time huh

Okay. Lowry. Why? Just... Why? He must be an amazing local TD. Is there not a consequence to all this nonsense?

never mind that, mchugh otm re that fuckin clown mcgeever

look, you'll not understand this, but the more a rural national figure gets lambasted by the establishment/media/whatever totem, the more of a 'fuck you' shoulderchip attitude will grow locally towards dublin.

this is regardless of rights/wrongs or the damage done to the country as a whole or to the area in specific.

i hate irish ppl so much most of the time.

I say you wont understand it, i obv dont understand it but it is an observable fact. "didnt he get the roads done" as if technicians weren't designing and laying out roads through the NRA via EU funding from 9-5 every fucking weekday in their local council. As if the electoral area would be traversed by nothing but fuckin monster trucks without the local gombeen crook. Despair of the fuckin lot of them.

Fair play to Gilmore, though

huh

i wouldn't have predicted that. interesting to see how it develops from here- unions would like to think this was a govt-breaker but i doubt that v much (tho that of course will depend heavily on how said govt deals with this knockback)

It's interesting alright. Where will savings come from? Do we still need to make savings? I've gotten lost in all the political spinning from all sides!

I cannot fucking believe rte nine o clock news running a big story on a dodgy abortion clinic in the states. News editorial doesnt get much more disgraceful or obvious, fox level shit.

Hush DMac, don't question RTE, Breda O'Brien's"research" or any of the hysterical misquotations. Every time you question what's going on a baby cries.

Fairly disgusted with Matthews. Pure 1950s guff. Two referenda over the years and still he and his ill claim they are talking for the majority. Infuriatingly undemocratic!

PS saw the news on the cancer thread, good to hear and best wishes for speedy recovery.

Tks fingers all crossed.

Pat wasn't pulling either side on their assertions, unfortunately that's a biased position against the side that can back theirs up.

Very true:

"EVERYONE WANTS THE BABY TO BE SAVED" v "I think there is a reasonable middle ground..."

It's not a very level playing field.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0501/389642-abortion-legislation/

He said that the new legislation was about saving lives, both the life of the mother and the life of the unborn, and that it restates the general prohibition on abortion.

Mr Kenny said that the Government was determined to put in place a process that would not divide the country.

Mr Gilmore said it is already legal in Ireland to end a pregnancy where there is a risk to the life of a mother.
However, Mr Gilmore added that a failure of successive governments had led to continued uncertainty.
He said that the proposed legislation will provide a workable solution to vindicate the rights of women, and to ensure that women's voices will be heard.

Not even touching this.

If a woman is refused an abortion, she can appeal to a committee, which must meet within seven days of her request, and report within another seven days.

Well, it's like re-running a referendum, they eventually hear you if you say the right thing.

But even what's proposed is being fought tooth and nail and will divide the dail and lose the govt votes. I agree it's limited and far from ideal, but idk what more was ever likely to happen right now. Three experts or six seems to be the focus, which obviously couldnt be further from framing the discussion around the right to choose, but it does exclude the other position of 'every embryo is an eternal soul' so as to ensure an outcome where otherwise you might not get one.

sucks but politics, ireland, etc

I dunno, I think they're all stepping in to line. They all got to rebel but nothing has changed but that's the votes at the church gate sorted.

I think what's awful is the idea that a woman I might know might be interrogated about what I think is their (if they were feeling polite, their partner's) choice. It's distressing to think in a country where we have had symphysiotomies, Magdalene laundries and Our Lady in Drogheda it doesn't look like it's changing any time soon by which I mean we would trust that the adults in this country, regardless of gender, would have the ability to decide in an intelligent, reasoned manner for themselves.

That's exactly where I was coming from above. It infuriates me that as a woman my voice is never going to be enough, that jokes like Michael Healy-Rae and Ronan Mullen could be seen as credible voices on the matter and given coverage. IT WILL NEVER BE A CHOICE YOU HAVE TO MAKE, YOU BACKWARD FUCKS.

Clearly otm. Mullen is an eel.

Do you remember how he treated those ladies who went into the Daíl? Unreal.

How have the Iona Institute and their ilk such prominence when unelected?

Or medical training.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/misogyny-behind-state-controls-on-women-s-reproductive-rights-1.1381768

My first time in Dublin since January. I cannot believe the amount of anti - choice shit out there. Saw a truck driving a billboard down the quays. Awful.

One was parked up at St. Stephen's Green as well. Noticed posters are hung up very high. Obviously keen to avoid average joe being able to take them down. Can't wait for this to be over. At least RTÉ aren't putting them on all the time, I wonder did complaints from listeners overbalance shock value.

Still, at least brave steps such as banning menthol fags are being taken. Okay, that's actually a good thing but still, very annoyed with pretty much all politicians now.

Did see Ming at The Breeders though last week. I just can't stay mad at him when he seems perhaps the most normal of the lot at times.

I am now starting to warm to Leo and Enda thanks to Callan's Kicks. Truly a clever ploy by FG!

I managed to avoid anything until today, dunno how. it's just background noise, a losing strop and everyone knows it.

I have no belief that this is a losing game on part of pro lifers. I think it's been lost by pro choice side on emotion. Opposition keep hammering on not letting facts or scruples stand in the way. John Lyons today was shocking on the radio. All "you knows" and umming. The pro lifers have their script, they're going to come at you STOP BEING SO UNPREPARED.

This is not a bloody "can't we all just get along" type situation. Learn your grief, talk to advisors and be ready.

Grief should be brief.

I suppose this isn't surprising but to hear it discussed so informally kind of is. I mean... how does someone behave in such a partisan manner for a private business v their own country?

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/financial-services/ex-anglo-directors-deny-misleading-central-bank-over-bank-bailout-1.1440889

Christ he's appealing to patriotism now!

well, i wouldn't normally - like, i just don't get the motivation. surely they knew their jobs were toast, would they really do this just for the sake of another couple of weeks?

I dont think.you get to bank executive level by looking at the bigger picture consequences tbh

My first time in Dublin since January. I cannot believe the amount of anti - choice shit out there.

I think it's desperation. They know they are losing this one. And their material proving rather counter-productive, pushing people away from them.

You think, DV? It feels to me that they are crowing victoriously. I also wonder whether legislation will ever be used if it successfully passes.

The banks thing... If only they'd kept quiet rather than ruining it for all of us (NB this is a joke).

http://www.thejournal.ie/admobile-company-drops-youth-defence-after-rape-crisis-incident-969637-Jun2013/

Youth Defence, meanwhile, said that they had not instructed the driver to park on Leeson Street.
“Youth Defence did not instruct the mobile ad to park anywhere on Leeson Street or on any other street for that matter,” said Clare Molloy who added that the furore was a “horrible and exploitative effort by abortion campaigners to use rape victims to attack the pro-life message”.

LOL whut?!