O'Malley says Ahern must clarify tribunal evidence

The Irish Times this morning, Thursday 27th March.

At last another prominent politician sticks their head above the parapet. Niall O'Brolcháin joined the voices of disgruntled councillors this week and now it's Fiona O'Malley, potential new leader of the PDs.

If this starts to go down the tubes for Ahern now, should the opposition start calling into question the support given to him by his cabinet colleagues? Could/should Green Party and Independent TDs who support the Government also start coming under serious fire over this?

Auditor #9 wrote:

O'Malley says Ahern must clarify tribunal evidence

The Irish Times this morning, Thursday 27th March.

At last another prominent politician sticks their head above the parapet. Niall O'Brolcháin joined the voices of disgruntled councillors this week and now it's Fiona O'Malley, potential new leader of the PDs.

If this starts to go down the tubes for Ahern now, should the opposition start calling into question the support given to him by his cabinet colleagues? Could/should Green Party and Independent TDs who support the Government also start coming under serious fire over this?

No, no and no again.

Bertie will not budge until Bertie-time is right. The energies of the Greens and others in government will be best spent in getting on with the jobs they are mandated to do.

I know there's a fine line here between expecting FF and BA to be responsible for themselves and the rest of us standing idly by but when faced with the immovable object that Bertie is, those who would put the Greens and Indpendents under 'serious fire' should aim their fire at the immovable object and not at those who are trying to do the business of running the country.

I maintain (on the promise of chocolate cake to EVM if I am wrong) that Bertie will not go until after Lisbon because he will go on his own terms and want to finish on a high note.

Unless of course Lisbon fails and we're into a very interesting scenario...

FF have a whipping boy for the economy/lisbon/collective governmental incompetence / arrogance in bertie and a whipping girl for health in Harney. Hannifin is getting it in the neck for her arrogance on education. This will leave Cowen and Brian Lenihan and possibly Dermot Ahearn debating the leadereship. I don't know how Cowen is still given a free ride by the press given his inability to add...., but there you have it.....

No-one in FF wants to be put at the helm at the moment. Bertie will go when he wants or is charged for misleading the tribunal (don't hold your breath)

Kate wrote:

Bertie will not budge until Bertie-time is right.

Victor wrote:

Bertie will go when he wants or is charged for misleading the tribunal (don't hold your breath)

I think the concept that Ahern is immovable by anyone but himself is completely wrong.
When the right placed people decide they don't want him anymore, he'll be out in two shakes of a nannygoat's tail.

Now Harney is at it as well.

It's time now for FF to salvage something from this mess otherwise the O'Deas and Biffos of the FF world will make serious enemies their own party if they haven't already.

A lot changed with Carruth's evidence last week - the arse is fast disappearing from Ahern's stories and politically it would be better to grab this by the throat and hold it at a distance from you. Watch out for the media swooping in otherwise..

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

Kate wrote:

Bertie will not budge until Bertie-time is right.

Victor wrote:

Bertie will go when he wants or is charged for misleading the tribunal (don't hold your breath)

I think the concept that Ahern is immovable by anyone but himself is completely wrong.
When the right placed people decide they don't want him anymore, he'll be out in two shakes of a nannygoat's tail.

I think evm0197 and my mutual appreciation society still don't differ on this issue. The Greens should have been out with something similar before this. Gormley will have to be forthright in his comments if he is not to play second or is that third fiddle?

I believe this is gonna end in an undignified manner and the longer it goes on, the more undignified it will be. Hes in schtook and theres no mistakin'

He is like a limpet on a rock. I well remember Phil Hogan who had only been Minister for a wet week resigning over some idiotic faux pas to do with an innocuous press release.

It all confirms my theory that only FF is really hungry for power and the rest would rather pick up the cheques and stay in opposition. This is a tragedy and makes a mockery of so called democracy.

Rte managed to find some random esb statement to lead the 3o'clock news

The total amount of money in question is now over £450,000 over a ten year period according to the Irish Times.

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/frontpage/2008/0329/1206144877731.html