Mary Harney has left the building

by Des - None Thu Jan 20, 2011 00:22

At this particularly painful time in Irish history, we must keep calm and avoid panic at all costs. Ms. Harney's dynamic leadership of our health service has been taken from us, but I am sure that our Taoiseach has a suitable candidate in mind to continue her policies. When I urge people not to panic, I of course, exclude anyone who is ill and does not have health insurance.

by patient Thu Jan 20, 2011 10:20

This coordinated set of Fianna Fáil departures evidently is set up for two reasons:

i). To ensure Micheál Martin gets them through the election (he is awaiting in the wings btw)
ii). To expose the folly of the Greens and most especially Ryano and Gormley.

Bravo !

The Greens are now watching how a cute hoor party will self-destruct and regenerate, Gormley should
have listened when he was told that he was now playing with the big boys. He refuse to do so and in this
case what emerges is political naievete and unscrupulousness. I give him 12 months and expet that the
corporate PDs who own his party will get another pretty boy to head up the Green movement. They don't like
women in the Greens and have built their party on traditional sexist lines.

Latest resignations , Ahern (D) , Killeen (T), Harney (M), Martin (M), O Keefe (B) > this list will continue

by patient Thu Jan 20, 2011 10:45

Greens are left exposed on the Chessboard.

calls from 'the oppostion' to make haste with the Finance Bill 2011 and dissolve the Dáil.

it's like a square-dance tbh..

LIVE: RTÉ One is broadcasting a special programme showing Dáil proceedings from 10.38am. You can also watch it LIVE on http://bit.ly/IDZs

by not even impatient Thu Jan 20, 2011 12:33

Hanafin is nowhere to be found, and apparently the whole world gives a shit about the snarling dogs of Fianna Fáil.

Greens are in crisis meeting (odear)

by hmmm Sun Jan 23, 2011 16:15

They will be taking their positions upon the opposition benches on Tuesday, having written letters to
An Taoiseach (but not Úachtarán Fianna Fáil)

....

by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite party Sun Jan 23, 2011 16:42

..for at last Dev's decendant has suddenly discovered his social conscience in his cellar and is pumping it up for the salvation of the party his grandda delivered unto us before his ascent into the celestial realms of FF where he sits with CJH on his right hand, and Saint John McQuaid at the sinister flank, awaiting the elevation of Blessed Bertie the Cutest to the great Aras hole in the O zone.

The rough beasts are aslouch. And the worst are still full of passionate conviction.

by andy Sun Jan 23, 2011 18:04

there are five candidates (I think) for the post of Úachtaran of Fianna Fáil :

O Cuiv
Hanafin
Lenihan B
Lenihan (Kebabs)
Martin

Hanafin was the late entry, possibly because the cough is so low-esteemy that she doesn't get it and
needs it explaining. Interesting then that focus would be on O Cuiv, when clearly the moderates want
Micheál Martin TD.

personally I am uninterested in who cattle-drives them through the PR-STV system, all I want to know is
if the letters drafted by the greenies were received and if they will be leaked to us, because Gormley only
confirmed that those letters were sent 7-8 mins into the conf at the Merrion today.

(I also believe hanafin was pushed forward to avoid the gender-balance accusation by the FF grassroot
and has'nt a HOPE)

by Louise Mon Jan 24, 2011 17:28

I agree with what you say about Harney's health legacy.

But you say that St Luke's is gone.

It isn't yet. yes she did get it taken over by the HSE to run down and close. but it aint gone yet - and the new govt will hopefully save it. make sure to ask election candidates on your doorsteps about St Luke's.

The Save St Luke's Campaign is still up and running - see www.savestlukes.ie

by Des - None Mon Jan 24, 2011 22:24

Yes, no doubt Martin is the front runner, Mary is your token women as a gesture to gender equality and Conor will be aiming at the FF ethnic vote:)

by bored (ish) Tue Jan 25, 2011 19:50

The only effect that the last few days has had on me is to convince me that politicians
fight incredibly hard to get onto the media and if they sneeze there is a scrum !

The fact that the media spends a lot of time (and money) chasing people who evade, obfuscate
and twist the truth is more about continuing failure with regard to our sense of political perception:

Politics is about men, it always was and it will always be so because there is a lack of lateral thinking
in Ireland, we allow a bunch of dudes in suits dominate air time rather than encourage reportage
about the political effect of policy VIS poverty, impoverishment, lack of representation and lack of
women's voices in the Dáil.

marginalisation and alienation are scary things, I do not think that the extent of political failure
over 14 years will become apparent until the GE. Every single issue that was guillotined, ignored,
and put on the back-burner will bite them in the arse imo. There has been a refusal to acknowledge
that Ireland is a society, a culture and a place where people live (or try to exist)

+

WE ARE NOT SOLELY AN ECONOMY WHEREIN A BUNCH OF MEN GAMBLE OUR FUTURES AND
IGNORE THE EFFECT OF THEIR POLICIES.

by children_of_lir Tue Jan 25, 2011 22:32

Lest we forget women like" Bloody" Mary Harney who gambled with oridinary Irish people's lives when she set out to destroy social medicine.

"WE ARE NOT SOLELY AN ECONOMY WHEREIN A BUNCH OF MEN GAMBLE OUR FUTURES AND
IGNORE THE EFFECT OF THEIR POLICIES."

I have to thumbs down at "Bloody" Mary's acolyte - Professor Drumm's- first chief executive of HSE 2005-2010 - summation of Harneyis achievements in office:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2011/0125/12....html

by teeny bit impatient Wed Jan 26, 2011 10:55

Mary Harney had since 2006 achieved the Taoiseach's confidence in everything that she did.

This was re-iterated post the 2007 election. More than anything else (and this is becoming increasingly
obvious ) Fianna Fáil failed most spectacularly in their inability to change, the winded arrogance was set
into a basic principled formula : 'Everyone is wrong always and we will bring the country down to prove it'.

Fianna Fail/PD/GN kept going on that same mantra through everything and the only people whom it
served was they and their families, they ignored without reference their public duty (as servants) and
once elected set about utilising our parliament for their own private (unmandated) hobby-horses.

I will NOT be voting because there is little in the way of safeguard for the people, hiding as the government
do behind their facsimile of democracy and ceremony.

I want to know where she spent the billions, which is what 1/4 of our annual budget amounts to over her tenure?