FF to set up specialist nimby division

Diaspora

FF backbenchers group being set up

23 June 2006 09:01
A Fianna Fáil TD has confirmed that an organisation is being set up within the party. The group will be established along the lines of the powerful backbench grouping in the British Conservatives known as the 1922 committee.

Barry Andrews, Fianna Fáil TD for Dún Laoghaire, said that the organisers of the new committee would be talking to the party leader, Bertie Ahern, about its establishment.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland programme, Deputy Andrews said meetings of the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party could be slightly unfocused.

He said backbenchers were sometimes viewed as a half tolerated inconvenience. Too many of the meetings, he said, consisted of Government explanations rather than real discussion.

He added that the meetings can also be formulaic and a set-piece and there were never any votes on policy.

Watching this is going to be fun going forward

Diaspora

Ahern welcomes backbenchers group

23 June 2006 13:56
A Fianna Fáil spokeswoman has said the Taoiseach welcomes the initiative by backbenchers who want to set up a special committee so that they can have an input into party policy.

The spokeswoman said Mr Ahern's view was that the committee should operate through the party structures, and that he wanted to see TDs and Senators having the fullest possible input into party policy.

Earlier, one of the TDs setting up the committee, Barry Andrews, said backbenchers were sometimes viewed as a half-tolerated inconvenience.

Too many of the meetings, he said, consisted of Government explanations rather than real discussion. He added that there were never any votes on policy.


Deputy Barry Andrews of Dún Laoghaire, was speaking on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland programme.

Deputy Andrews confirmed that an organisation was being set up within the party along the lines of the powerful backbench grouping in the British Conservatives known as the 1922 Committee.

Can it be taken that backbencher TD's currently have no input into policy?

If so in light of Senator Tom Morrisey's recent exposure one wonders just how cohesive this government actually is?

bonkey

Am I missing something here?

How does one read that backbenchers are forming a group and conclude that its to further NIMBYism as the title suggests?

swiss

I don't know what to make of this. Backbenchers have never had much of a perceived role in core policy areas of any government that I can remember. To be frank my perception is that they generally shore up their own constituents and raise a peep when the government hits on 'button' issues that affect their constituency, but otherwise generally contribute little to the national landscape of the body politic.

So for me, this begs the question "why now?". I think the idea of giving backbenchers a bigger role in policy making is probably a good idea, but I just find myself wondering why they chose this particular time to make a stance (albeit a rather muted one IMO). Of course it could be argued that they simply took the "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it any more" stance, or that they were concerned about their Dáil seats in what is probably going to be a more hotly contested general election next summer and saw this as an opportunity to make a perceived larger impact at executive level.

Whatever the reason, I would be interested to see what becomes of this. Could this be a mechanism for a closer tie between government policy and 'grassroots' issues? Or merely a forum for disgruntled backbenchers to vent, without making any notable impact beyond lip service?

constitutionus

sounds to me more like theyre **** scared of losing their seats and want to look like theyre doing something instead of just sitting there (when of course they actually bother to turn up in the dail :rolleyes: )

remember even FFs internal assesment is theyre going to lose at least 21 seats. if that number rises to 30 or 40, which is not beyond possibility, then alot of these guys are going to be out on their asses. its not bertie whos in danger here come the election, its these guys