While Healy Rae didn't break anything, he's not going to fix anything either. He's not the problem, but he is a symptom.
Irish Politics
- Thread starter JakeC
- Start date
He's a fecking wanker who should lose his seat if you ask me. Cant believe anyone could support him or his family.
Kerry County Council didnt approve anything as such. 5 members voted for it, the rest abstained.
The 5 who voted for it are all publicans. Thats the facts. Embarrassing for Kerry.
You're right moses, he is a symptom alright I suppose. Politicians on all sides are unfortunately.
From what I can gather in the link below it was passed by 5 votes to 3 and their council was going to write to shatter asking for a change in the law.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0122/363832-kerry-council-rural-vote/
Nothing but a very cheap publicity stunt imo. His brother tried to submit their proposal as a Topical Debate in the Dail last week but it wasnt selected.
I find it disgraceful the rest of the Cllr's didnt vote no. The issue of rural isolation shouldnt be paired with drink driving, cheap political point scoring is all it is. Theres probably local elections going up or something.
So much work has gone into making our roads safer in the last 15 years. Its an insult that an elected offical could propose something so fecking ridiculous.
I find it disgraceful the rest of the Cllr's didnt vote no. The issue of rural isolation shouldnt be paired with drink driving, cheap political point scoring is all it is. Theres probably local elections going up or something.
So much work has gone into making our roads safer in the last 15 years. Its an insult that an elected offical could propose something so fecking ridiculous.
Yeah it was disgraceful, the man is treated like a God down there too.
I'm not to sure if the drink driving limit was raised to 2/3 pints in the areas he is talking about Deco that it would make any difference in the road fatality numbers. Even though a lot of people in rural Ireland don't drink drive or even go to pubs anymore you'd be surprised at how many still do. There's still a few that no matter what the limit is will never change their ways.
My boss comes from round there, he says he only gets voted in because he owns a pub and has legendary lock ins
Its cool FF are back 
whats wrong with this island?
Fianna Fáil has recovered ground to become the best supported party in the State for the first time since the economic crisis struck almost five years ago, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll.
The survey was taken on Monday and Tuesday of this week before the deal on the promissory notes which the Coalition parties are hoping will improve their standing.
Fianna Fáil gained five points since the last Irish Times poll in October while Fine Gael dropped six and Labour dropped two points.
Satisfaction with the Government is down three points while satisfaction with Taoiseach Enda Kenny has slipped four and he is now level with Fianna Fái leader Micheál Martin.
The scale of Fianna Fáil’s recovery is highlighted by the fact that support for the party has almost doubled since last April.
When people were asked who they would vote for if an election were held tomorrow, party support – when undecided voters are excluded – compared with the last Irish Times poll was: Fine Gael, 25 per cent (down six points); Labour, 10 per cent (down two points); Fianna Fáil, 26 per cent (up five points); Sinn Féin, 18 per cent (down two points); Green Party, 1 per cent (down one point); and Independents/Others, 20 per cent (up six points).
The survey was undertaken among a representative sample of 1,000 voters aged 18 and over, in face-to-face interviews at 100 sampling points in all constituencies.
The margin of error is plus or minus 3 per cent.
Undecided voters
The core vote for the parties compared with the last poll was: Fine Gael, 16 per cent (down four points); Labour, 6 per cent (down two points); Fianna Fáil, 17 per cent (up three points); Sinn Féin, 12 per cent (down two points); Green Party, 1 per cent (no change); Independents/Others, 14 per cent (up four points); and undecided voters, 34 per cent (up one point).
The undecided at more than one-third of the electorate is very high and indicates that big swings in support are likely to continue in response to events.
Lower middle-class and working-class voters are returning to the party while it is in first place among farmers and is the most popular party among the over-65s. Connacht-Ulster is its strongest region while Dublin remains its weakest area.
The Coalition parties have suffered in the poll and that, combined with the drop in the Government’s satisfaction rating, indicates the impact of the budget is beginning to be felt.
Fine Gael is down six points, the first significant drop it has taken in an Irish Times poll since taking office almost two years ago. The party is strongest among the best-off AB voters and weakest among the poorest DE category.
Fuel discontent
Mr Kenny’s rating has continued to slide and is at its lowest since he became Taoiseach.
The drop back in Labour Party support to 10 per cent could fuel discontent.
A notable feature of this poll is the surge in support for Independents and smaller parties who have surpassed Sinn Féin.
Fianna Fáil has confounded the critics who wrote the party’s obituary after its election disaster two years ago, with today’s poll putting it back on top of the political world.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2013/0209/1224329842553.html
whats wrong with this island?Fianna Fáil has recovered ground to become the best supported party in the State for the first time since the economic crisis struck almost five years ago, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll.
The survey was taken on Monday and Tuesday of this week before the deal on the promissory notes which the Coalition parties are hoping will improve their standing.
Fianna Fáil gained five points since the last Irish Times poll in October while Fine Gael dropped six and Labour dropped two points.
Satisfaction with the Government is down three points while satisfaction with Taoiseach Enda Kenny has slipped four and he is now level with Fianna Fái leader Micheál Martin.
The scale of Fianna Fáil’s recovery is highlighted by the fact that support for the party has almost doubled since last April.
When people were asked who they would vote for if an election were held tomorrow, party support – when undecided voters are excluded – compared with the last Irish Times poll was: Fine Gael, 25 per cent (down six points); Labour, 10 per cent (down two points); Fianna Fáil, 26 per cent (up five points); Sinn Féin, 18 per cent (down two points); Green Party, 1 per cent (down one point); and Independents/Others, 20 per cent (up six points).
The survey was undertaken among a representative sample of 1,000 voters aged 18 and over, in face-to-face interviews at 100 sampling points in all constituencies.
The margin of error is plus or minus 3 per cent.
Undecided voters
The core vote for the parties compared with the last poll was: Fine Gael, 16 per cent (down four points); Labour, 6 per cent (down two points); Fianna Fáil, 17 per cent (up three points); Sinn Féin, 12 per cent (down two points); Green Party, 1 per cent (no change); Independents/Others, 14 per cent (up four points); and undecided voters, 34 per cent (up one point).
The undecided at more than one-third of the electorate is very high and indicates that big swings in support are likely to continue in response to events.
Lower middle-class and working-class voters are returning to the party while it is in first place among farmers and is the most popular party among the over-65s. Connacht-Ulster is its strongest region while Dublin remains its weakest area.
The Coalition parties have suffered in the poll and that, combined with the drop in the Government’s satisfaction rating, indicates the impact of the budget is beginning to be felt.
Fine Gael is down six points, the first significant drop it has taken in an Irish Times poll since taking office almost two years ago. The party is strongest among the best-off AB voters and weakest among the poorest DE category.
Fuel discontent
Mr Kenny’s rating has continued to slide and is at its lowest since he became Taoiseach.
The drop back in Labour Party support to 10 per cent could fuel discontent.
A notable feature of this poll is the surge in support for Independents and smaller parties who have surpassed Sinn Féin.
Fianna Fáil has confounded the critics who wrote the party’s obituary after its election disaster two years ago, with today’s poll putting it back on top of the political world.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2013/0209/1224329842553.html
I don't think anyone really thinks the permits would cause many more road deaths, it's more about the message it sends out. Road deaths have been reduced because there has been a change of attitude towards drink driving, it isn't regarded as acceptable anymore. They're trying to get it to the stage that people never drink and drive, even if it's just the one on the way home or something. So giving out these permits would undermine the message they've worked so hard to promote, that it's never okay to drink and drive, even if it's unlikely to cause an accident. The fact that some people will never obey the law doesn't change the fact that the law exists, and for good reason.
Hang on, is someone actually saying that the Kerry council proposal to raise the drink drive limit is a good idea?! It's atrocious!
If you care that much about rural isolation then run a minibus or taxi service or something. It wouldn't cost much and would achieve the same thing, without, you know, killing people.
If you care that much about rural isolation then run a minibus or taxi service or something. It wouldn't cost much and would achieve the same thing, without, you know, killing people.
The Healy Raes are embarrassment.
Or you know, don't drink...
Amazing how people are just seemingly forgetting about the fact that this entire mess was primarily caused by FF, now I am not a FG or Labour fan by any means however the fact that we are more than likely going to see these shower of cnuts voted back into power in government is pretty sickening. Are people really that forgiving? We bitch and moan about the state of the country and now we are seeing the popularity go back to the shits who caused the mess.
I think we definitely need to form a party. Would wants a go at being party leader?
I think we definitely need to form a party. Would wants a go at being party leader?
Its all bollox Sparkles, the current Goverment when in opposition wanted the then Goverment to spend more! We are hampsters turning the same wheel. Nothing will change with any of them in charge. Martin will always get votes and is arguable less offensive than Kenny. It becomes about shit like that rather than actual politics.
Respect
Yep, buying a minibus, a taxi licence, taxing and insuring it and then probably paying some lad to drive it wouldn't cost that much at all especially to publicans already struggling to keep the doors open. There's a reason there aren't even taxi or hackney services in the type of areas he's on about. I know of four villages within a 20 mile radius that used to have plenty of taxi's servicing the area and because of the high costs mainly as a result of the governments feck ups in the recent past they are all gone out of business. Six of the pubs in those four villages have closed their doors as well, a lot of them having weathered many's a recession in years gone by. It's not just the Healy Rae's and the Kerry crowd that would be in favor of such a motion either, I know a lot of people in my neck of the woods that were agreeing with it.
And I know a lot of people who think gays are evil and would love to bring back capitol punishment. Doesn't mean they're not idiots.
As Jake says, if the taxi services are just so poor that they have to drive to get around, then they could just, possibly, maybe, not fecking drink.
Makes me genuinely upset to see how the country is going, after so many died for our 'freedom'
How do you mean is going? Between the church and governments that hadn't a clue what they were at or were only worried about lining their own and their buddies pockets, Ireland has mainly been a shambles of a country ever since the day we got our freedom. A quick glance of a history book or all those reports covering decades and decades of abuse and cover ups will show that. Even when we finally got our hands on a few pound we not a lone fecked it up for ourselves but also the next two generations or so.
The Healy Raes are not idiots. That drink driving thing is an absurd suggestion but shows their interest in a very real rural issue. Which is what it was supposed to do. There is more to their popularity than lock ins, but that is a good microcosm. They are elected locally and work better than any other TD I know to sort out the issues in their constituency. They are awful awful TDs where national issues are concerned but they represent their voters, and well. Most TDs serve neither their constitueny or the nation so the Healy Raes are ahead of most.
The will always get re-elected despite the above being common knowledge.
Blame the game, not the player.
That said I hate the pair of them.
The will always get re-elected despite the above being common knowledge.
Blame the game, not the player.
That said I hate the pair of them.
I agree in the sense we've never had a Peoples Republic, I should of said ''how it's turned out'' Connolly had it right ''If you remove the English army tomorrow and hoist the green flag over Dublin Castle, unless you set about the organization of the Socialist Republic your efforts would be in vain. England would still rule you. She would rule you through her capitalists, through her landlords, through her financiers, through the whole array of commercial and individualist institutions she has planted in this country and watered with the tears of our mothers and the blood of our martyrs.''
So.. has anyone's opinion on FG (Labour have already disgraced themselves in my eyes in this coalition) shifted since the IBRC deal?
Not in the slightest, I suspect and respect that many others may of though.
May I ask why not?
It's partially to do with a complete lack of respect for them I have for them as a party, on social issues first and foremost, as well as financial issues.
They can't screw us 99 times, spare us one and expect a heroes reception. The fact that they've done nothing different then what FF have done, speaks volumes too me.
Bailing out the banks, instead of the people, is ludicrous.
The fact is, the people are paying for what's not their fault.
Too right jake, none of this is the fault of the Irish, I mean its not as if huge portions of us were pissing away the huge money that was being made during the boom on 3 foreign holidays a year while rolling up to the building site of our investment propterty in a new Beamer like the gravy was never going to stop flowing is it?
Let's take one step further into history to see who voted FF in time and time again without a care about how corrupt they were or how hard they were screwing us as long as our pockets were full.
Let's take one step further into history to see who voted FF in time and time again without a care about how corrupt they were or how hard they were screwing us as long as our pockets were full.
I do find a crazy amount of responsibility-dodging overe here, just as much (and maybe even more) than I saw in the UK.
On the one hand, it can't be denied that most of your politicans take the piss almost as badly as any set in Europe (perhaps the Greeks and Italians are worse?), paying themselves huge wages and doing nothing but furthering their own agendas and lining their own pockets. Couple that with the power the Church still has over things (you want an abortion to save your life? Sorry love, this is a Catholic country) and it's a recipe for a leadership with its head in the clouds that doesn't give a feck about the plight of its citizenry.
That said, almost every person I've had this discussion with refuses to accept any personal or common responsibility whatsoever. It's always the fault of those chancers in power, who ripped off the people, then bailed out the banks. The common man and woman (and I don't mean every individual person, obviously) never did any wrong and was merely the victim... but that's blatantly not true.
Someone bankrupted themselves by taking out five mortgages on investment properties because they thought they'd make easy money... that's the fault of the banks, not them. Someone else can't afford their house repayments because they bought one much too large for their wages... again, that's the fault of the banks; they should never have been allowed that mortgage! FF ruined the country and show no remorse... well that's just typical of politicians, and you definitely can't attribute even a tiny bit of blame to the people who kept voting them in!
It strikes me that if the Irish want things to change, and of course a large percentage do, then they actually need to make those changes. At the moment, it just seems like the average person wants to shift all the blame to someone else whilst complaining loudly, but doing nothing about whatever it is that's causing them to complain!
On the one hand, it can't be denied that most of your politicans take the piss almost as badly as any set in Europe (perhaps the Greeks and Italians are worse?), paying themselves huge wages and doing nothing but furthering their own agendas and lining their own pockets. Couple that with the power the Church still has over things (you want an abortion to save your life? Sorry love, this is a Catholic country) and it's a recipe for a leadership with its head in the clouds that doesn't give a feck about the plight of its citizenry.
That said, almost every person I've had this discussion with refuses to accept any personal or common responsibility whatsoever. It's always the fault of those chancers in power, who ripped off the people, then bailed out the banks. The common man and woman (and I don't mean every individual person, obviously) never did any wrong and was merely the victim... but that's blatantly not true.
Someone bankrupted themselves by taking out five mortgages on investment properties because they thought they'd make easy money... that's the fault of the banks, not them. Someone else can't afford their house repayments because they bought one much too large for their wages... again, that's the fault of the banks; they should never have been allowed that mortgage! FF ruined the country and show no remorse... well that's just typical of politicians, and you definitely can't attribute even a tiny bit of blame to the people who kept voting them in!
It strikes me that if the Irish want things to change, and of course a large percentage do, then they actually need to make those changes. At the moment, it just seems like the average person wants to shift all the blame to someone else whilst complaining loudly, but doing nothing about whatever it is that's causing them to complain!
The Irish are brilliant at being the victims.
That's the English's fault!
That's the English's fault!
I did notice jake's comments in post 102 essentially saying it was the fault of the English 
The fact that ye have had seventy years to change things but haven't, and are still suffering in the same way as your friends/lovers/enemies/cousins/brothers/buddies/rivals/teammates in the UK suggests it's less "it's all the fault of the English!" and more human nature to pass the buck and play the victim. feck, it's not any different in England, trust me. No one is ever personally responsible for something bad.
Unless you're David de Gea, of course, and then you're personally responsible for everything.
The fact that ye have had seventy years to change things but haven't, and are still suffering in the same way as your friends/lovers/enemies/cousins/brothers/buddies/rivals/teammates in the UK suggests it's less "it's all the fault of the English!" and more human nature to pass the buck and play the victim. feck, it's not any different in England, trust me. No one is ever personally responsible for something bad.
Unless you're David de Gea, of course, and then you're personally responsible for everything.
Thats bollocks and all, Ireland has changed beyond recognition in the past 70 years.
Lack of personal responsibility is a generational thing, but it makes a particularly unhealthy bedfellow for the national victim mentality.
Lack of personal responsibility is a generational thing, but it makes a particularly unhealthy bedfellow for the national victim mentality.
The same people that are probably about to put the feckers back into power again?!
No different to those who'll vote for Michael Healy Rae in the hope that their potholes get fixed and they get to drive home after a few.
As bad and all as Healy Rae is made out to be from what I can see he does his best to look after those that he represents let it be fixing pot holes or trying to do what he deems as saving rural Ireland. Its the corrupt accountant for Drumcondra types that are the ones to keep an eye on and the ones that'll do the damage.
Yeah I'm sure honest Mick and Jackie have never pulled a stroke in their life, apart from using Dail phones to call in votes to his reality show, obviously.
It's the system and the voting habits of the public that's the problem.
It's the system and the voting habits of the public that's the problem.
Although what he did wasn't right I honestly think it was more than just winning a reality TV show for him but more about winning the prize money for the charity he was representing. As a tax payer I wouldn't have that much of a problem with the 2500 odd euro phone bill that was clocked up that time.
You're spot on about the system and the voting habits of the public being the problem. We've no one else to blame but ourselves for the mess we're in when its all boiled down.
You're spot on about the system and the voting habits of the public being the problem. We've no one else to blame but ourselves for the mess we're in when its all boiled down.
Nail on the head here.
Its a sad state of affairs, even worse in a way it makes feck all difference who we vote it the mess is now so big its incredible.
A certain amount of personal responsibility does need to be taken but people weren't taking out numerous mortgages/remortgaging off a hunch, bad advice, and a pinch of greed on both ends made for a disastrous concoction. In saying that most people in the country merely advanced themselves to a satisfactory of living, and now have been flung back into struggle, they don't deserve this.
It is a pisstake that the Taoiseach gets paid more than Obama!
How about everyone who wants to drink late throws a fiver into a hat to pay for a taxi/minibus from the local taxi company or even a lad with an estate care. Let the publican make up the difference and you actually put a little bit of money back into your local economy and get home without breaking the law.