Machine Nation Irish Politician of the Year - Last Day for Nominations - Polling Starts Tomorrow

eoinmn wrote:

1. John Gormley for the sheer volume of work he has done over the last 12 months. Everyone can name something he has done recently that they agree/disagree with. That's a good sign. He has also managed to keep his party in coaltion through the roughest patch we've seen in a while.


2. Eamon Gilmore for simply being the leader of the opposition.


3. Kerrynorth of the PropertyPin for leading the charge against HomeChoice Loans!

Is Kerrynorth an identifiable politician? Otherwise we'll have to keep him in reserve for the Active Citizen award.

cactus flower wrote:

Auditor #9 wrote:

1. Eamon Ryan - He's in an important department and has got some ground on the terms attached to energy finds off the coast and he tends to keep a cool head on TV and a perpetual smile when all hysteria is breaking out around him and I think the country needs that. I think Gormley is also worth a nomination because he is starting small (with Monaghan planning etc.) and his heart is in the right place but I'm not nominating him now.

2. Batt O'Keefe - Again he kept his head cool when everyone was having a ciniption fit about the education cuts. Not that I agree with the cuts but this is about the best politicians and that means having to deal with shite under pressure and convince people that black is red.

3. Noel Dempsey - This guy is bulletproof. I think he'd deflect an anti-tank missile since Shannon - I'm not sure he's human at all. I still call him 'Dial-Up Dempsey' from the time when he was Minister for Brokeband but I think he should be renamed Iron Man.

Joe Higgins and Patsy McKenna deserve nominations too. Higgins for the reasons already mentioned and McKenna like Ganley for her conviction over Lisbon.

Great Auditor #9, but you've just driven a Hummer through The Rules of Nomination. The nominations are for the max. 3 politicians who have made the "most positive impact in the interest of the common good". You can also nominate the 3 who have done the most damage. So who should we count for what from your nomination?

Sorry Ceann Comhairle, I lost the head there for a second - nothing to do with a brown envelope or anything.

1, 2 I'll give to the Green Ministers Gormley and Ryan so - the country needs structural reform in terms of planning and planning restrictions and sustainibility - some FF bollixes are still trying to keep commercial zoned floodplain land in Ennis like that after the flooding disaster we saw this year. You have to have balls of steel to put up with the hystericism in this country from tools who want a bit of an empire in their backgarden.

3 Richard Bruton because he's right. And he makes a bunch of 'second best of a bad lot' a bit more palatable to the electorate who'd vote otherwise.

cactus flower wrote:

Is Kerrynorth an identifiable politician? Otherwise we'll have to keep him in reserve for the Active Citizen award.

No.
I knew that choice would be controversial!

Here is another controversial one...
Eamon O'Cuiv.

For his growing commitment to renewable energy and public transport.

No disrespect to KerryNorth: his day will come!

1. Richard Bruton TD: As already stated a capable speaker and knows his stuff. Well able to take Cowen and Lenihan to task. He has proven adept at landing punches on the government which previously known for wriggling away from hard answers.

2. Micheal D Higgins TD: basically for this speech

3. Senator David Norris: He has consistently held the banner for Gay Rights (and other minority rights) over the last number of years. He has never backed down and is not afraid of taking anyone on on Civil Unions including the Catholic Church!

Worst has to be Cowen, he didnt see this coming!

At the moment Richard Bruton, John Gormley, Joe Higgins and Joan Burton are streaking ahead, but there are a lot of other interesting contenders coming up behind them.

Mary Lou had a surprisingly good year.

That said I think nobody had a particular good year. It should be worst politician of the year and the closer to the bottom of the list the better a year it was for them.

SeathrúnCeitinn wrote:

Mary Lou had a surprisingly good year.

That said I think nobody had a particular good year. It should be worst politician of the year and the closer to the bottom of the list the better a year it was for them.

Nominations for the worst are also being taken, SeathrrúnCeitinn, and there is a special prize for the politician best fitting the description: "All mouth and no trousers".

I'll add Mary Lou to the nominations list.

zakalwe wrote:

its a toss up for cowen and gormley.

cowen for fecking up the economy over the past 6 years and gormley for proving that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

I like this angle. Highlighting the flaws in the system as quickly as possible is only doing a favour to future generations.

I'm abroad now so I cant really judge so well. Normally I would say Varadkar. For a beginner he's impressed me. O'Reilly as well, and of course Bruton.

Respvblica wrote:

zakalwe wrote:

its a toss up for cowen and gormley.

cowen for fecking up the economy over the past 6 years and gormley for proving that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

I like this angle. Highlighting the flaws in the system as quickly as possible is only doing a favour to future generations.

I'm abroad now so I cant really judge so well. Normally I would say Varadkar. For a beginner he's impressed me. O'Reilly as well, and of course Bruton.

Varadkhar gets a vote from me too when we're making a shortlist. He's like a terrier on a shinbone and he seems quite knowledgeable on many areas. I thought Seán Sherlock looked capable in the Dáil too for a beginner and our FGer down here Joe Carey is another youngfella I feel is down to earth and worth a mention as he's a hard worker and has a thick Clare accent like myself.

There is Dáil TV on the portal here on the right if you need to have a look at how they are going.

1. Richard Bruton. Everyone else has nominated him, but he has been brilliant this year

2. James Reilly. He's done a very good job in health.

3. Brian Hayes because I think he's done very good in Education.

I'm aware it's a bias list and I wanted to pick one from the government side, but I really couldn't think of anyone who has done a good job.

This is becoming rather repetetitive

1. Richard Bruton - the man every one wants to be Finance Minister

2. James Reilly - for showing that there is a real alternative to Harney in Health

3. Leo Varadkar - not so much for himself personally but for being a representative of a stronger Fine Gael opposition.

The list may be somewhat one-sided but who on the government side could you include? The government has been a disaster from the start. - Lisbon was a disaster as was the budget.

If you had to pick someone from the other parties, who is there?
From the FF side, possibly Batt O'Keeffe, simply because he hasn't yet rolled back his "cuts".
For the Greens, I suppose John Gormley, simply because he is the leader. They seem to have only got a few baubles for their support - a bit like the Indians selling Manhattan for a few buttons. Even the bicycle grants and the car tax changes seem a bit dubious to me - it would be more green to give grants to bicycle repair shops and to reduce car tax the older a car is.
For the PDs, I suppose Ciaran Cannon for facing reality
For Sinn Féin, it would have to be Mary Lou for her campaign against Lisbon although she sames to have faded into obscurity again
For Labour, it would have to be Joan Burton for her opposition to the bank guarantee scheme. The Labour party does seem to be a bit old and grey.

For the worst politician of the year, I nominate Mary O'Rourke. I used to like her but I think the time for her sort of politics - saying one thing and then voting the other way - has gone.

Who raised the barrier on this site and let all these FG’ers in?
Suddenly it’s like the invasion of the body scratchers around here.

I know this post is off topic, but I think the maintenance of standards is an important issue for all concerned.

1.John Gormley has been a great leader of the Green Party as he has led it to a rise in the opinion polls, a surge in membership and a quickly-established reputation for calmness and pragmatism in government. He has implemented 2 carbon budgets, an improvement in insulation standards in housing, a new motor-tax regime which is significantly better than previously, overseen a continued growth in WEEE and changed the face of Irish environmental policy at an EU level. With the fact that the Greens have become far more important to the stability of this Government, his ability to implement the Green agenda will only increase and will go to the electorate as a leader of the Green Party with a burgeoning list of policy successes.

2.Richard Bruton is a superb finance spokesperson for Fine Gael. His vision, clarity of thought and prescience all combine to make him one of the few people in the Dáil whom I would trust with the nation's finances. He has a great media presence, he speaks clearly, lucidly and correctly and he shows up the inconsistencies of government policy well. If the Government falls, he would be the best pick for Minister for Finance as I don't think Labour has someone of his calibre who has a reasonable chance of actually getting the job who would be better.

3.Mary Harney, she's the only politician with any vision for the health service and while the Opposition bleat and moan about her tenure as Minister, I have yet to hear them propose a convincing alternative. She has implemented hygiene audits, gotten some headway with the consultants and overseen an improvement in Ireland's standing in the European Consumer Health Index. She has the mandate of the people since the Health Action Group Independents lost their seats in the last election while she was returned to the Dáil in spite of an active campaign mounted to remove her.

Haven't read the all posts, as I was rather tired of looking at FG names.

Did you nominate tonys? Who do you think are worthy'ish?

Personally, on a national level, I find no one deserving of nomination.

Didn't FG's/Labour economic manifesto project much the same growth figures for our economy as FF's? Hardly instilling much confidence in my jaded heart, I can tell you.

tonys wrote:

Who raised the barrier on this site and let all these FG’ers in?
Suddenly it’s like the invasion of the body scratchers around here.

I know this post is off topic, but I think the maintenance of standards is an important issue for all concerned.

tonys, we do not want the sort of party political sniping from P.ie occurring here. Calling other people who don't agree with you, "body-scratchers" is unacceptable and diminishes the warm and friendly manner of discussion which we wish to foster here.

Who'd want to be a FF'r these days? They are actively being hunted down on the "un-named" site. I wonder will they set up an alternative site of their own one of these days?

rockyracoon wrote:

Who'd want to be a FF'r these days? They are actively being hunted down on the "un-named" site. I wonder will they set up an alternative site of their own one of these days?

tonys is hardly being "hunted down", if tonys had been more respectful, there would be no issue. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect here.

I wasn't implying that tonys, per se, was being hunted on this site. I should have stated such. mea culpa AT. However, FFs do seem to be experiencing, rightly or wrongly, a sense of alienation and dare I say a bit of persecution on the un-named site. Hence, as with things FF, I won't be surprised if they put up a site in competition with the un-named site. Dat's all.

rockyracoon wrote:

I wasn't implying that tonys, per se, was being hunted on this site. I should have stated such. mea culpa AT. However, FFs do seem to be experiencing, rightly or wrongly, a sense of alienation and dare I say a bit of persecution on the un-named site. Hence, as with things FF, I won't be surprised if they put up a site in competition with the un-named site. Dat's all.

Oh that's grand Rocky, and I would be the first to question a hunt of a particular group of posters on the site. We all have views and we must all be respected and we can have a rigorous and robust exchange about a subject without a resort to insults and the like.

FFers are welcome to set up their own site, perhaps they could model it on Labour Home or Conservatives Home in the UK?

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

tonys wrote:

Who raised the barrier on this site and let all these FG’ers in?
Suddenly it’s like the invasion of the body scratchers around here.

I know this post is off topic, but I think the maintenance of standards is an important issue for all concerned.

tonys, we do not want the sort of party political sniping from P.ie occurring here. Calling other people who don't agree with you, "body-scratchers" is unacceptable and diminishes the warm and friendly manner of discussion which we wish to foster here.

On the one hand you need to get off your high horse and try to get a sense of humour, the “body scratchers” was said in jest, on the other hand if I ever have something serious to say, I’ll say it as I see fit. I’m not now nor ever have been particularly interested in what “we” want.

rockyracoon wrote:

Haven't read the all posts, as I was rather tired of looking at FG names.

Did you nominate tonys? Who do you think are worthy'ish?

Personally, on a national level, I find no one deserving of nomination.

Didn't FG's/Labour economic manifesto project much the same growth figures for our economy as FF's? Hardly instilling much confidence in my jaded heart, I can tell you.

As I said in an earlier post, like yourself I see no one in particular worth mentioning.
On the Government side the Greens have done well I think, nothing spectacular but getting on with some progress in their own areas.
I find the most popular nominations on the opposition side lamentable but not surprising.
Dr. Reilly; a mouth and a hypocrite with it.
Leo; just a mouth without as far as I remember a single positive thought or word in his head.
Burton; praise for her seems to me to be more dependant on a general anti bank feeling rather than on any policy she as announced. She objected to the bank guarantee, but what was her alternative? She doesn’t have one which is not surprising as neither does anyone else so far as I can see.
Bruton; seems capable certainly, but his last test of the election manifesto was a dismal failure, FF were able to drive through it at will.

Rocky wrote:

1. Richard Bruton. Everyone else has nominated him, but he has been brilliant this year

2. James Reilly. He's done a very good job in health.

3. Brian Hayes because I think he's done very good in Education.

I'm aware it's a bias list and I wanted to pick one from the government side, but I really couldn't think of anyone who has done a good job.

Brian 'What kind of racist blueshirt idea is that ?' Hayes!!

He maybe had a good year on the school debating team way back or when he snitched on the more popular boys(particularly that boy with the gammy eye that got more than him in his french vocab test) but not in a million liftimes would I put him forward as a leader/politician of note.

Here's hoping he becomes FG leader.

Ps. Hello Rocky. sorry about the negativity on my first reply to one of your posts but like, Brian Hayes, seriously....

tonys wrote:

on the other hand if I ever have something serious to say, I’ll say it as I see fit. I’m not now nor ever have been particularly interested in what “we” want.

Well once it is within the bounds of the Charter there should be no issue with that.

Slim Buddha wrote:

Richard Bruton for being the only politician who understands economics in Dail Eireann.

Joe Higgins for continuing to articulate an alternative vision from outside Dail Eireann.

Second that Slim - you beat me to it. I came on to nominate Joe Higgins as the best politician in Ireland for his enduring committment to rectifying social and economic injustices and his wonderful parliamentary and speaking skills. He is the most genuine politician we have in Ireland - who accepts only the average industrial wage from his salary entitlement as a TD. He's funny, humane, intelligent and stands out as a great human being in an arena where upholding the best of human values is often sneered at and/or written off as 'naivety'.