No, Enda, no...

DublinWriter

I'm watching Enda Kenny right now at the FG ard fheis losing any chance he had of winning the next general election. He should quit his job as leader of FG and apply for job as a headline writer for the Evening Herald/Sunday World.

“Sack anyone who wastes public money!” *applause*

Really Enda? How do you propose sacking Civil Servants of any rank?

“Clear the A&E units of drunks!” *applause*

Really Enda? Any nurse will tell you that anyone presenting at an A&E, inebriated or not, still has to be checked out for all the vital stats, broken bones, etc. Shipping them all off to a drunk tank is both dangerous and irresponsible.

You know a party leader is desperate when he mentions all of the following topics in a party speech:

- The Planet Mercury
- Being the Party of Law and Order
- Michael Collins
- Google
- TXT messaging

*sigh* Looks like it’s going to be Fine Fail et al again until 2012.

Cork

All the hype youngsters seem to be texting. It is all the craze, it seems.

He also lifted stuff from David Cameron's recent budget speech on :

Analogue in a digital age

Maybe he should "google" to see where the quote came from.

For this - FG deserves opposition.

darkman2

Cork wrote:

All the hype youngsters seem to be texting. It is all the craze, it seems.

He also lifted stuff from David Cameron's recent budget speech on :

Analogue in a digital age

Maybe he should "google" to see where the quote came from.

For this - FG deserves opposition.

At least, unlike Bertie he can talk. Must count for something - hey wait it dosent.

Cork

I actually saw Enda speaking in Cork and despite his impersonations of JFK - He is like a teacher out of the classroom.

Taking material from a David Cameron

Conservative Leader David Cameron branded him 'an analog chancellor in a digital age,

Enda should know - do it right or do it wrong but do it yourself.

1000 lines - "I must come up with something original".

KerranJast

Heard him on Radio 1 today ("This Week"). He had some good ideas (which will probably be pilfered by FF anyway). Allowing the Prosecution i.e. the People to suggest an appropriate sentence in a serious criminal trial is good. The judge will still have independent decision but at least will have to explain why they didn't go with the suggested sentence. He waffeled a bit when the interviewer asked him if he would somehow punish judges who didn't follow the "guidelines". Also suggested free health care for under 5s which is good. Idiot of an interviewer asked him what poorer people would do when their kids turned 6. FFS they'd just have had 5 years of free health care compared to zero atm. They could surely save what they would have spent during those years. I'd argue the first 5 years are the most expensive for kids health care anyway.

DublinWriter

KerranJast wrote:

Heard him on Radio 1 today ("This Week"). He had some good ideas (which will probably be pilfered by FF anyway).

He had zip to offer. His speech last night reminded me of Portilo when he was at his most right-wing, blaming single mothers for the evils of the world and praising the SAS.

...also note how he wriggled out of saying no to a FG/PD coalition on the radio this morning.

There goes the opposition *sigh*.

The_Minister

KerranJast wrote:

Heard him on Radio 1 today ("This Week"). He had some good ideas (which will probably be pilfered by FF anyway). Allowing the Prosecution i.e. the People to suggest an appropriate sentence in a serious criminal trial is good. The judge will still have independent decision but at least will have to explain why they didn't go with the suggested sentence.

This will completely undermine the judges independence. It will open judicial decisions to public opinion not justice, by adding huge pressure to judges. It is the most retrograde move that one could make.
I was going to vote FF/PD anyway but now FG/Labour aren't even going to get a 5th preference.

SeanW

Sounds good. The judges (and some prosecutors) in this country are pantywaists. Sentences for serious crimes IMO should be open to public scrutiny. Too many people let away with serious crimes with suspended or light sentences, in my opinion.

You have to wonder why these people weren't charged with 415 attempted murders?

Pazaz 21

SeanW wrote:

Sounds good. The judges (and some prosecutors) in this country are pantywaists. Sentences for serious crimes IMO should be open to public scrutiny. Too many people let away with serious crimes with suspended or light sentences, in my opinion.

You have to wonder why these people weren't charged with 415 attempted murders?

Link dosen't work, it says i need to be registered ?

KerranJast

The key word is suggest not insist. Judges would still have final say on sentencing. It would simply be the case of the prosecution stating for the record what it thinks the most suitable sentence would be.

Firespinner wrote:

This will completely undermine the judges independence. It will open judicial decisions to public opinion not justice, by adding huge pressure to judges. It is the most retrograde move that one could make.

Judical decisions are already open to public opinion via the media and other forums. This would bring added transparency to the system.

The problem here at the moment is that there's too many people being locked up for petty crimes so there's a space problem and more serious criminals are released early to free up space. Also they are granted bail despite the protest of the Gardai for the same reason.

New_Departure06

I could not bear to vote FG in a General Election.

DublinWriter

New_Departure06 wrote:

I could not bear to vote FG in a General Election.

I was toying with the idea of voting FG at the next GE. After the 'gallery-playing' that was Enda's speach, I think I'd vote BNP over FG if they ever ran here.

Widgeon

DublinWriter wrote:

I was toying with the idea of voting FG at the next GE. After the 'gallery-playing' that was Enda's speach, I think I'd vote BNP over FG if they ever ran here.

I didn't see it. Was it that bad?

ferdi

jesus that man is a joke, he is not a party leader, he is for the most part ignored by the media and the public in general

pete

DublinWriter wrote:

“Sack anyone who wastes public money!” *applause*

Really Enda? How do you propose sacking Civil Servants of any rank?

At a wild guess, I'd say he might propose using the terms of the Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Act 2005

The Public Service Management Act 1997 introduced the broad framework for modern management practices in the Civil Service. That Act established a framework within which, subject to the Civil Service Regulation Act 1956, managerial responsibility, including powers of dismissal, for staff below the level of Principal Officer would be given to Secretaries General. The Public Service Management Act also envisaged that Secretaries General could delegate most personnel functions, other than dismissal, to senior civil servants. However, the practical implementation of these powers and functions is constrained by the Civil Service Regulation Act 1956, which reserves most disciplinary functions to Ministers. The Bill will remove those constraints.

Generally, each Secretary General or Head of a Scheduled Office will be responsible, by virtue of being the "appropriate authority," for managing all matters pertaining to appointments, performance, discipline and dismissal of civil servants below Principal Officer level. Each Minister will be the appropriate authority for civil servants at and above Principal level.

http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/index.asp?locID=243&docID=2129

New_Departure06

I disagree with Enda saying on "The Political Party" on TV3 that he would open the borders to Romania and Bulgaria when they join the EU. Especially as he did not qualify it by saying decisions by other Western EU states would influence a Kenny-govt's stance. Even some Eastern European countries are talking about imposing such controls e.g. Czech Republic. People in these 2 countries on average are earning 25% or less of what some of the new EU states are earning. This time around the British govt is being cagey about whether it will extend to Romania and Bulgaria the same rights to labour market access as it did to Poland etc.

Surely we should wait to see what other countries - especially Britain - do before deciding on this? I am glad the current govt has been hinting at controls on Romania and Bulgaria. It would be unsustainable for Ireland to be the only country allowing people in from these 2 countries.

I personally feel that in Dail Eireann, the fatcats have too much sway in all parties on this issue. We are told we need 40,000 migrant workers per year and indeed Enda repeated that mantra on the program. Well Enda, we are already getting 70,000 per annum. So that argument falls flat.

IronMan

DublinWriter wrote:

I was toying with the idea of voting FG at the next GE. After the 'gallery-playing' that was Enda's speach, I think I'd vote BNP over FG if they ever ran here.

What a truely outrageous and short sighted comment. You'd rather vote for a party of the ultra far-right, with known links to neo-nazis, than a centerist, democratically elected party. I'm not a FG voter myself, but that's the kind of waspish, off the cuff remark that seems to pass as fair comment around here.

FX Meister

I laughed at most of what he said. The place was just full of goons who would have clapped and cheered at anything he said. Watching his smug grin get wider as the crowd cheered louder was pretty funny. His ego is so big.
Did anyone see that other FG fool Dr. Bill Tormey on the Late Late last Friday? He came across like someone released from a mental home.

New_Departure06

FX Meister wrote:

I laughed at most of what he said. The place was just full of goons who would have clapped and cheered at anything he said. Watching his smug grin get wider as the crowd cheered louder was pretty funny. His ego is so big.
Did anyone see that other FG fool Dr. Bill Tormey on the Late Late last Friday? He came across like someone released from a mental home.

Tormey was wrong to suggest legalising drugs. But he was right to suggest compulsory health-screening for immigrants. The US has that after all.