Who should be the next leader of the PDs?

Tim Robbins

Who should be the next leader of the PDs?
I say O'Gorman. Push the liberal agenda and give Irish voters a choice of voting for a genuine liberal party.

mike65

I'm not sure it really matters.

Mike.

themurt

Tim, do you mean John Gormley for leader of the Greens or Colm O'Gorman for leader of the PD's? or am I having a moment and forgetting someone?

Tim Robbins

themurt wrote:

Tim, do you mean John Gormley for leader of the Greens or Colm O'Gorman for leader of the PD's? or am I having a moment and forgetting someone?

Sorry typo of the century, O'Gorman.

cavedave

Ayn Rand?
I know she is dead but no one is perfect. I reckon the PD's do need to be radical to survive. Maybe moving the party to righter wing more libertarian is the way to go?

Jackie laughlin

What do you mean by a liberal party? Do you mean economic liberalism or "moral" liberalism or both? O'Gorman was talking about joining the Labour Party at one stage. He must have very great reservations about PD economic policies.

themurt

O'Gorman would certainly make for an interesting leader of the party but I wonder how much of his politics would get drowned out by issues from his past and his sexuality, and in turn would voters in more conservative areas be concerned by those same issues enough to vote against him as opposed to with the party.

I think Colm O'Gorman may be interested in the position of leader, his opinion piece about the survival and future of the PD's on their website might be construed as an early attempt to rally the troops:

http://www.progressivedemocrats.ie/press_room/2380/

Whoever emerges to take up the job I hope they're tough enough for it as it woun't be easy to rebuild, a strong focus on the local elections in 2009 will be needed along with some very energetic candidates behind a strong leader.

Colonel Sanders

Is Colm O'Gorman a REAL PD? His slogan in wexford was 'Believe in Change'. Coming from a man who was running for a party that had been in government for 10 years suggests maybe the PD title was a flag of convenience?

Tim Robbins

cavedave wrote:

Ayn Rand?
I know she is dead but no one is perfect. I reckon the PD's do need to be radical to survive. Maybe moving the party to righter wing more libertarian is the way to go?

Hillarious...

ScottishDanny

There are 2 of them.
PD1 "I propose me. Any seconders?"
PD2 'silence'
PD2 "I propose me. Any seconders?"
PD1 'Silence'

themurt

So I guess it's not going to be Tom Parlon....

http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0710/parlont.html

Rineanna

Martin Sheen....or should I say Josiah Bartlet? That man can do anything.

themurt

Rineanna wrote:

Martin Sheen....or should I say Josiah Bartlet? That man can do anything.

QFT! My sig says it all!

wexfordman

Colonel Sanders wrote:

Is Colm O'Gorman a REAL PD? His slogan in wexford was 'Believe in Change'. Coming from a man who was running for a party that had been in government for 10 years suggests maybe the PD title was a flag of convenience?

The "Believe in Change" was a reference to politics in wexford, we have had 25 years almost (now going to be 30) of the same representation in wexford, 2ff,2fg and 1 lab (the exception being when twomey was initialy elected, we had an independent for two years till he went FG), and the point was that the stagnant represention had not servet wexford well, irrespective of who was in government.
Wexfordman

purple'n'gold

Colm O’Gorman has two chances of ever being elected TD in Wexford. Slim and nil, and slim has just left town.

Jackie laughlin

Wexfordman,
If his reason for wanting to be elected to the Dail was to get goodies for Wexford, then two points arise. Firstly, his being a PD would be irrelevant in that regard. Secondly, I understand the PD position to be against this type of politics.

purple'n'gold

wexfordman wrote:

The "Believe in Change" was a reference to politics in wexford, we have had 25 years almost (now going to be 30) of the same representation in wexford, 2ff,2fg and 1 lab (the exception being when twomey was initialy elected, we had an independent for two years till he went FG), and the point was that the stagnant represention had not servet wexford well, irrespective of who was in government.
Wexfordman

Actually he was having a dig at John Browne.

nesf

O'Gormon, no. Bluntly he has no real political experience ergo a bad choice for party leader. He's never held a seat etc.

Fiona O'Malley would be a far better choice. Continue the dynasty and all that.

lancemotown

Dick Cheney or Paul Wolfowitz...or Richard Perle


or Francis Fukuyama