[POLL] Should Bertie Ahern resign as Taoiseach

gandalf

Ok it was requested so here is the only poll in Politics in ages. Should Ahern resign or not?

lostexpectation

I think the more accurate question would be will Ahern be Taoiseach next week.

gandalf

Jesus give them one poll and come out demanding more. Sorry this is the only poll at the moment!!!

Fecking peasants!!!

cast_iron

lostexpectation wrote:

I think the more accurate question would be will Ahern be Taoiseach next week.

Well if he's not taoiseach next week, i'll eat my hat!!

constitutionus

cast_iron wrote:

Well if he's not taoiseach next week, i'll eat my hat!!

why have you put a pizza on your head?

ta for the poll. in fairness if any issue deserved one this is it. probably the most crucial week in berties career

Dave!

Yes please.

Zebra3

If he had any decency he'd resign as a TD.

Ruu_Old

Zebra3 wrote:

If he had any decency he'd resign as a TD.

Agreed, out with thee, Bertie.

Heinrich

I reckon he will still be Taoiseach next week and will not resign.

He has a neck like a jockey's bollox and the electorate are sheep.

As Mr MacTurncoat remarked "...the people are entitled to the government they deserve"!

Your move next and may the biggest chancer win.

Dampsquid

He should definitely go. Accepting money as a loan and not paying it back in 13 years, makes it a gift. He also comprimised himself as taoiseach by having a financal obligation to business men.
If they were such close personal friends, then why was everything arranged through his solicitor.

Did anyone see Galloway on the late late last night, he was saying that when he talked to Bertie about the war in Iraq, bertie aggreed on everythign with him, while at the same time letting the US use Shannon. He's a Yes man.

I think the best thing to happen would be a general election before Christmas.

axelfoley

Dampsquid wrote:

He should definitely go. Accepting money as a loan and not paying it back in 13 years, makes it a gift. He also comprimised himself as taoiseach by having a financal obligation to business men.

Was he the only TD to take personal donations? Should we just have a witch hunt?

He did absoluely nothing aganist the law - ethnics legalislation or tax law.

He cooperated fully with the tribunerals.

More than the journalists yesterday. A case of double standards?

Computer53

Don't let those Blueshirt B######s grind you down

bonkey

And once again I'm amazed at the "newly registered user supports incumbent in face of strife" phenomenon.

When Israel attacked Lebanon, a chunk of new posters appeared, telling us how we all had it wrong, how Israel was positively saintly in the whole affair, and as for those Lebanese...well...the less said the better.

Then we have a Bertie scandal, and lo and behold, up they pop. September-registered, single-digit posters telling us that, sure, isn't Bertie doing a great job and sure, he didn't actually break any laws so everything is fine.

Jeez guys. Didn't anyone teach you that to be credible you register accounts before you need them, post occasionally on a wide range of subjects and then post this stuff when your party needs you?

Should Bertie resign? Undoubtedly.
Will Bertie resign? No, he won't.

Prediction: the next opportunity he gets, he'll be lambasting some other Dailer for doing something unethical and saying how such people have no place in politics. Anyone calling him a hypocrite will be made out to be the bad guy because Bertie is an honourable man who's done nothing wrong.

Akrasia

axelfoley wrote:

Was he the only TD to take personal donations? Should we just have a witch hunt?

He did absoluely nothing aganist the law - ethnics legalislation or tax law.

He cooperated fully with the tribunerals.

More than the journalists yesterday. A case of double standards?

If other TDs are accepting 'personal donations' then of course we should have a 'Witch hunt'. Do you think we should just look the other way when our public representatives are being influenced by wealthy individuals and corporations.

Bertie submitted documents to the tribunals, he has claimed to have cooperated fully with them, how do we know he is telling the truth? How would we have ever known about these payments if the IT hadn't stuck their neck out and published these details.

ressem

Under current rules as part of the ethics in public office act 95,

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZA22Y1995S15.html

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), a gift given to—
( a ) an office holder,
...
is given to the office holder by virtue of his or her office unless the gift is given—
(i) as a donation, or
(ii) by a friend or relative of the recipient and for personal reasons only, or
(iii) by virtue of an office (other than that by reference to which a person is an office holder) or position held or the status enjoyed by the recipient.

That leaves multiple loopholes for Ahern.
As a last resort, the secretary of the government is to determine whether the gift is by virtue of his office. As if that's a guarantee against corruption by ministers.

Huggles

Out with him.

He has played the loveable rogue all too often for me and the tears on tv the other night sealed the deal.

Bye bye Bertie. :mad:

Heinrich

If Bertie has to pay his own phone bill it will ruin him this time around with the enormous amount of people he had to ring to cook up his latest yarns!

Are there any more votes before the big day tomorrow?

PH01

C'mon lads what's the big deal? So Bertie Boy accepted a couple of K from some group of English based business heads in the early 90's, well before the tightening up of the rules governing TDs on the acceptance of gifts was introduced. What's the big deal?
Like where's the proof, or hint for that matter, of corruption in all this?
None!
Has Bertie become stinking rich in the meantime?
No he hasn't.

So, c'mon, lets give the good ol'Bass drinking anorak wearing Northside everyman politician a break?

PS: you guys should have been around in the 80's when some real bad **** was happening.

Ok locking this as well so as all discussion can go into the one place in the new thread here

The poll result is two thirds of boardsies that voted want Ahern out.