http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ire ... 69081.html



http://www.finegael.ie/our-people/tds/olivia-mitchell/

A thousand punts was small fry really.
What was galling was the clip of her on the news giving evidence at the castle. A big smile on her face, laughing to her counsel, just braizening it all out. Wearing an expensive coat so she'd look good on the cameras.

Yes, smiling and wearing a nice coat is always a surefire indicator of guilt.

a bit of humility would be nice. Instead of her doing an impersonation of Ross O'Carroll Kelly's mother

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/bre ... ing44.html

I suppose on the basis that the party is already in disrepute, fair enough.

Scum.

Enda Kenny says the tribunal was a finding of fact.

FG Internal committee exonerates her.

The Good Burghers of Knocklyon and Ballyroan will of course take this into account at the next voting.

FF/FG strike again...

Voter memory is short and by dealing with this in the here and now the voters will not I believe generally remember this as being a FG issue.

What they will remember is that the promises that FG and Labour have made have been as liardy as FF and thieving as the Greens.

Right now FG and Labour have broken their promises on multiple fronts. They are in my view in an even worse political dimension to that of FF who officiated over the creation of the situation as they promised to do something about it but reneged on those promises.

Right now I see that there will be significant retribution taken upon FG and Labour, including Olivia Mitchell, at the next election. Good riddance to the lot of them.


We need a True Irish party here.

So, we'll be voting in FF and Sin Fein? That'll be a great improvement.

Or will it be some ULA group, who are "anti-austerity" without a single credible alternative? I hate that slogan, it's about as nonsensical as "Pro-life". I mean, who exactly is "pro-austerity"? It just happens to be the only option when you have no money.

I certainly won't be voting either FF or SF (or FG or Labour or Green or any independent of any relationship to FF or FG or recent governments etc.))

There is probably need for a new principled party. One that will give voters EXACTLY what they say.

I want to see a massive reduction in public service costs. Both numbers as well as payment.
I want to see the Banks slashed and the former executives held to account.
etc.
etc.
FG and Labour promised much, had opportunity, but have done nothing much at all.

I'm with you but.... there are approximately 300,000 public servants in Ireland, or just under 10% of eligible voters. When you factor in voting-age children voting the way their parents tell them, you're looking at fairly large number of turkeys who aren't exactly going to vote for Christmas.

It might be stated that actually nearly 40% of the entire population is one step away from dependency on government cheques and funding for their survival.

OK - Prove it they say.

Roughly speaking
300,000 public servants
50,000 in state owned semi-states, quangos etc.
120,000 pensioners
(150,000) Direct dependents of the above
100,000 Contractors whos key incoming derives from service provision and contracts emminating from government.
500,000 Those on unemployment benefit or training or some other state sponsored dependancy or that may have a family dependancy or such
(250,000) other dependents of those immediately above.
50,000 Farmers on various government supported aid schemes etc.


I'm not entirely sure of my numbers so this is indicative only and open to correction but take account of the above indications and I think most people in Ireland are very much depending on the government providing them with direction (of a financial sort) for their lives. And they know it.

And that's why change is hard.

It's a bit like that Brazilian gangster who had control of the Favellas that I was watching in the movie Fast Five. The government has these people under the whip of control.

They know it but unlike other races are unwilling to take action cause inherently it has allowed them to become dependent on handouts and thus laziness.

There are only 49,997 farmers

I sometimes think that corruption is like pregnancy in that :-

" you can't be a little bit pregnant "

I get quite annoyed that politicians , despite being paid handsomely both through salary and expenses and also through guaranteed pensions , that they find the need to accept so called " donations ". To my mind , it doesn't matter if they are so called small. After all , multiply a small " donation " by frequency and it approximates to a " large donation ".

I saddens me that some politicians who are elected by the " People " to serve the best interests of the "People " gravitate to self serving , morally reprehensible , illegal and fraudulent practices for the sole betterment of themslves and of those corrupted individuals tendering the bribe.

Discredited and dishonoured they walk before us..........