johnfás wrote:

I wonder what the thinking behind continuously putting Willie O'Dea on is. How many times will he remind us that he is a solicitor, an accountant and an all round very qualified person?

He is one of Fianna Fáil's attack dogs and he does his job well by obfuscation and bluster.

He has an agressive debating style that consists of repeating the same word over and over again before forming a vaguely coherent sentence. He's useful to wheel out in these situations because he is absolutely and utterly shameless. Pat Carey would be better from an FF point of view because he is competent but there is a whiff of humanity and empathy from him. I will be interested to see how Gilmore performs tonight.

unaligned wrote:

He has an agressive debating style that consists of repeating the same word over and over again before forming a vaguely coherent sentence. He's useful to wheel out in these situations because he is absolutely and utterly shameless. Pat Carey would be better from an FF point of view because he is competent but there is a whiff of humanity and empathy from him. I will be interested to see how Gilmore performs tonight.

It will indeed. Its all there for the taking.

Exactly - I don't think that O'Dea is what they want at all at this moment. All he will do is come out and be rude, repeating the party soundbite which he has been fed again and again. This is one of the situations where that won't wash.

That said, I wonder how many people actually watch Q&A.

unaligned wrote:

He has an agressive debating style that consists of repeating the same word over and over again before forming a vaguely coherent sentence. He's useful to wheel out in these situations because he is absolutely and utterly shameless. Pat Carey would be better from an FF point of view because he is competent but there is a whiff of humanity and empathy from him. I will be interested to see how Gilmore performs tonight.

Willie O'Dea is quite good when you want to shout down the opposition and muddy the waters of an issue.

Gilmore should do well - he's got all the ammo and 2 or 3 bazookas. So not doing well would not do.

Willie only has his hanky.

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

Gilmore should do well - he's got all the ammo and 2 or 3 bazookas. So not doing well would not do.

Willie only has his hanky.

Speak for Ireland, Eamonn !

This was a Hare Kiri budget and it has to be asked if the Government haven't thrown in the towel. Touching children and the elderly is clearly a no-no and touching education in general is totally contrary to what we should be doing if we want to establish foundations for future and current generations - for all.

The country is up the creek and the government could well be taking the parachute.

Very disappointed with Gilmore so far. The audience are doing his job for him so O'Dea is still getting mauled.

unaligned wrote:

Very disappointed with Gilmore so far. The audience are doing his job for him so O'Dea is still getting mauled.

Me too: sounds and looks like a civil servant.

The fact that the audience is performing better is a sign of the times.

Absolutely. This is a snapshot of what they'll get on the doorsteps. I almost feel sorry for Willie O'Dea, where are the real decision makers?

unaligned wrote:

Absolutely. This is a snapshot of what they'll get on the doorsteps. I almost feel sorry for Willie O'Dea, where are the real decision makers?

Where are the real decisions ?

Well O'Dea knew he was on a hiding to nothing on this anyway and under the circumstances is doing quite well.

Given that FF wouldn't have touched Education or the fecking medical card issue with a 100FT Barge Pole if they didn't have to - it really begs the question as to how dire the financial situation in the country really is?

If the situation really is this bad - well then we are back to 1981 - and this time its FF having to clean up their mess of broken promises,inflated public wage bills and unrealistic public expectations - if we are back to something close to that - well now that really would be something and means that the next 4 years are going to be really really interesting.

How do I send a text to QandA

I want to remind people that class sizes of 20 for upto 9 year olds was also a 2002 FF promise

unaligned wrote:

Very disappointed with Gilmore so far. The audience are doing his job for him so O'Dea is still getting mauled.

Well it's a relief that people are finally letting it out. A FF councillor on ClareFM today said there was revolution in the air - it sounded like he was going to blow with it of course - but things won't change until people open their eyes - abren los putas ojos

Edo wrote:

Well O'Dea knew he was on a hiding to nothing on this anyway and under the circumstances is doing quite well.

Given
that FF wouldn't have touched Education or the fecking medical card
issue with a 100FT Barge Pole if they didn't have to - it really begs
the question as to how dire the financial situation in the country
really is?

If the situation really is this bad - well then we
are back to 1981 - and this time its FF having to clean up their mess
of broken promises,inflated public wage bills and unrealistic public
expectations - if we are back to something close to that - well now
that really would be something and means that the next 4 years are
going to be really really interesting.

Yes indeed. You don't think the Govt. will fall do you ? It could be a slow destruction of FF if they stay in starting with the local elections next year. This could get grisly.

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

How do I send a text to QandA

I want to remind people that class sizes of 20 for upto 9 year olds was also a 2002 FF promise

bump

unaligned wrote:

Very disappointed with Gilmore so far. The audience are doing his job for him so O'Dea is still getting mauled.

I think he's playing it right. Stand back and let the people vent at the Minister.

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

How do I send a text to QandA

I want to remind people that class sizes of 20 for upto 9 year olds was also a 2002 FF promise

On the same topic - any chance that the permanent pensionable teachers would go back to the ATM and make a deposit back in order to save the jobs of their younger and non permanent colleagues- or which there are thousands given the mental way in which you have to go about securing a permanent position in a school - a system fully endorsed by the unions? - yeah thought not.

The country is going broke folks - all the raging begrudgery against the bankers, property developers and everybody who was successful by playing the same rules etc etc will nothing to stem the tide - maybe its time for some of greying generation to cash in the 2 houses in Ireland and the other in tuscany/spain (And I know a hell of lot of these people) in order to fund their own health costs.

That's always been the mistake of the Irish opposition. If the tables were turned O'Dea would absolutely savage Gilmore.

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

unaligned wrote:

Very disappointed with Gilmore so far. The audience are doing his job for him so O'Dea is still getting mauled.

I think he's playing it right. Stand back and let the people vent at the Minister.

Whats Labours alternative?.....................Thats why he's staying quiet.

Edo wrote:

Well O'Dea knew he was on a hiding to nothing on this anyway and under the circumstances is doing quite well.

Given that FF wouldn't have touched Education or the fecking medical card issue with a 100FT Barge Pole if they didn't have to - it really begs the question as to how dire the financial situation in the country really is?

If the situation really is this bad - well then we are back to 1981 - and this time its FF having to clean up their mess of broken promises,inflated public wage bills and unrealistic public expectations - if we are back to something close to that - well now that really would be something and means that the next 4 years are going to be really really interesting.

I don't think we're going back to the 1980s. I think its that other place - uncharted waters. In the 1980s the State was indebted: now individuals and the Banks are, and to a much, much greater extent. Emigration was an escape valve in the 1980s and some economies were O.K. Now we're in an unprecedented global economic crisis. The bail out is only a finger stuck in the dyke. Also people are different now, and more inclined to question it when they are fed a line.

**post before this

unaligned wrote:

That's always been the mistake of the Irish opposition. If the tables were turned O'Dea would absolutely savage Gilmore.

The majority of people have a latent distrust or fear of Labour and FG and anger towards them can be easily stirred up. FF can do this well, we only have to remember Brian Cowen around GE time shouting Richard Bruton down on the news at one about dipping in the Pension Fund.

Auditor #9 wrote:

**post before this

unaligned wrote:

That's always been the mistake of the Irish opposition. If the tables were turned O'Dea would absolutely savage Gilmore.

The majority of people have a latent distrust or fear of Labour and FG and anger towards them can be easily stirred up. FF can do this well, we only have to remember Brian Cowen around GE time shouting Richard Bruton down on the news at one about dipping in the Pension Fund.

Exactomondo -FG and Labour normally get landed in power when FF self destruct over opposition to their own policies - I hope the current Gov survives - purely because FG will clean up the mess if asked to do so - but like the 80's it will be hard and tough - the international economic climate will be, like the early 80s ,extremely inclement and will not help matters , Labour will come along for the trip for about 2 years until they cant stomach anymore of the pain and there will be pain - they will then bring down the government to try and as usual unsuccessfully avoid the meltdown that will happen as FF bounce back into power as our saviours and continue to implement the FG policies now that the hard choices are over - Deja fecking vu all over again.

Well in fairness he wasn't staying quiet either. There are times imo when the public are genuinely angry and vocal, to keep a lid on it and allow events to happen. You do remember how the opposition attacks on Ahern went a bit wrong last summer ? As in a poll increase.

Well I think Gilmore was definitely better off letting the audience savage their man for a change. The schoolteacher from Corofin in CLARE was disgusted - great FF territory around there.