Who would you all Like? (Off Topic)

Altreab

Now that the horse trading for a new goverment has started who would we all like to replace Mr. Dempsey???

damien

Mary O'Rourke, the tram queen herself, so she can finish the work she started and get us all the universal 5mb broadband she had set out to get us before an election got in the way and he became the lady of the Seanad.

Altreab

damien.m wrote:

Mary O'Rourke, the tram queen herself, so she can finish the work she started and get us all the universal 5mb broadband she had set out to get us before an election got in the way and he became the lady of the Seanad.

oh god NOOOOOOOO NOT Bathtub MAry!!!

Perhaps Seamus Brennan .....He has a track record of taking on vested interests. Notice how over the last few years major road projects have finished either on time or ahead of time since he insisted that the NRA get their act together. He was moved from Transport when he started taking on the DAA and the Airport Unions.

Anyone got a better suggestion??

watty

Split the C and the sea.
DMCNR is wrong combination of things to look after. Communications shouldn't be in that Dept.

damien

watty wrote:

Split the C and the sea.
DMCNR is wrong combination of things to look after. Communications shouldn't be in that Dept.

It's being put under Enterprise.

Benedict XVI

Altreab wrote:

oh god NOOOOOOOO NOT Bathtub MAry!!!

Perhaps Seamus Brennan .....He has a track record of taking on vested interests. Notice how over the last few years major road projects have finished either on time or ahead of time since he insisted that the NRA get their act together. He was moved from Transport when he started taking on the DAA and the Airport Unions.

Anyone got a better suggestion??

I agree Brennan would be a good choice, he is the only FF minister that I have any respect for and was very strong in transport.

Are we having this discussion in the hope that Dempsey will be moved on or is it a definite.

The last man I want to see in the job is Cullen, if he gets it then I am off to get my gun, 'the democracy lark doesn't work.......'

viking

damien.m wrote:

It's being put under Enterprise.

back under enterprise? heh, musical ministries...

The last man I want to see in the job is Cullen

At least he'll talk the talk... "De oul' integration and de oul' connectivity is very important"

Seriously though, God help us all if "Mammy" gets any Ministry especially one that includes Comms.

lucernarian

damien.m wrote:

Mary O'Rourke, the tram queen herself, so she can finish the work she started and get us all the universal 5mb broadband she had set out to get us before an election got in the way and he became the lady of the Seanad.

Indeed, I still remember hearing her say that it would be nationwide by some time or other, years ago. I think that time has passed now:)

She may be a nice person, but madame O Rourke simply didn't know how communications worked. And I'll be mightily pissed off if Cullen gets it. I'm not sure who would get that portfolio anyway. If it's going under enterprise, then that should rule out Cullen.

rogue-entity

It still depends on who Fianna Fail forms the next government with. If they go for Harney and the Indo's we could see an election again before 5 years, it would be more instable than the rainbow. If they get into bed with the Greens, then I have similar doubts, the Greens seem to have their head up their arse when it comes to proper developments in this country, and I would say they would be more about trying to put taxes on petrol then getting us universal broadband. As unlikly as it will happen, I would love to see a FF/Labour co-alition. Ideally, with a Labour person getting the Ministry for Comms. Not likly to happen if it goes back under Enterprise instead of a seperate post on its own, I suspect the FF's dont want a socialist in charge of Enterprise, but I would prefer that, then Enterprise and Comms going to the business-loving PDs who would probably just let eircom do as it pleases rather than try and regulate it.

Do I want Dempsey back in there, no ****ing chance. He made a half-assed attempt to duplicate existing infrastructure with fibre mans instead of, perhaps, buying back eircom's infrastructure for less money (CPO anyone?)

Do I want Cullen in there, well, I dont know him personally, and I tend not to believe everything the media reports about him (Media Bias anyone?). That said, Cullen knows nothing about Communications, so no, he at least, knows something about Transport, best place for him, and Waterford's best chance at getting much needed infrastructure.

How about a minister from a rural no-broadband area like Kilkenny/Carlow? They would know a bit more about the unavailability of broadband in those areas, I cant really complain about not having broadband, I have one of the best lines in the country except for those in the higher-echelons of eircom. But, I complain about the price for what I get, I should be getting a service nearly 8 times faster for the price I am paying for my 3meg line.

Or, as someone mentioned before, how about a Minister that has no qualms taking on vested interests and near monopolies, maybe then we will see things happen.

Honestly, I dont know any one in government enough to say who could do what, but, anyone at this stage could be preferable to Dempsey, who I believe fairly earned his nick-name.

pjproby

hope you all realise that seamus brennan IS minister for social welfare, where he has vanished into obscurity.
he took on vested intersts ok such as dublin bus and caused bertie so much grief that bertie wanted to drop him from the front bench. he was given social welfare as a booby prize.