Progressive Democrats do they have a future ?

Belfast

If they do not come up with some fresh ideas, then they have run their course.

Irish politics in general needs new ideas to get us out of the problems we are heading in to.

I do not think these ideas are going to come from the main parties.

mike65

I think its a bit late for that.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055377890

Mike

NewDubliner

Belfast wrote: »

If they do not come up with some fresh ideas, then they have run their course.

The brand is damaged beyond any kind of redemption. What with their support for questionable politicians and the disgracefully wasteful 'decentralisation' scam, they've been exposed as being quite far from the lofty moral high-ground of decency and cost-effectiveness that they claimed as their own.

ateam

The party leader, Cannon has said the party is no longer viable. So that's it.

They brought about deregulation and cut taxes, and won over the country to the idea of consent regarding the National Question. They weren't that bad were they?

Bob the Builder

ateam wrote: »

They weren't that bad were they?

They became that bad.

leninbenjamin

I feel they were something to admire initially; at least the had clear objectives early on which is sadly something missing from Irish politics. but they achieved them and pretty much lost all impetus; they didn't even have enough of that lust for power that keeps the rest of them still at it.

spadder

"The last sting of a dying wasp" - Mcdowell could have been refering to the PD's. What a mess they have made of the health service.
They were a Lap dog of F.F. Watch the greens go down the same road.

pablomakaveli

They're the party that people love to hate.

To be honest though i dont find any of the other parties that appealing either.

A new party with good ideas would be very welcome but thats just a dream really.

irish_bob

spadder wrote: »

"The last sting of a dying wasp" - Mcdowell could have been refering to the PD's. What a mess they have made of the health service.
They were a Lap dog of F.F. Watch the greens go down the same road.

how exactly is the health service the pd,s fault , do you think it was up there with canada,s before mary harney came along

SlabMurphy

Looks like their on the way to breaking up. Who says their isn't good news about these days
It just goes to show what passes for politics in this country is really just a circus. One of the allegedly main reasons stated by Dessie O'Malley at the time for leaving FF to form the PD's was because he was for the Anglo Irish agreement and Haughey was against it. A year later they were back in coalation with each other - but this time O'Malley was agianst the agreement and Haughey was for it

FFS, Monty Python couldn't make it better.

jmayo

irish_bob wrote: »

how exactly is the health service the pd,s fault , do you think it was up there with canada,s before mary harney came along

Well how long has Matta Harrie been there and just look at her achievements.
The creation of the HSE which was meant to replace the health board beauracy, but in affect has just added to it since there was no rationalisation of administration functions, in fact there has probably an increase.
The only thing being rationalised is patient care, with the myth of centralisation of services (centres of excellence), before any infrastrucure is put in place to allow patients be transferred over the greater distances.

Oh they finally managed to wrangle a deal with the consultants, she has presided over colocation which basically means building a private hospital on public lands, let rich investors use it as a way of reducing their tax (much like hotels were previously used) and then the taxpayer will help fund all these private hospitals and clinics by sending public patients to them.
Oh and I forgot the 10 beds over three years, the list of cancer care cockups that nobody is responsible for since it is always a systematic failure :rolleyes:

It is not all her fault but IMHO she has done shag all basically for all the waffle. Now the great question is will anyone grab the bull by the horns and shake up the whole system, perhaps Mr McGuinnes ?

Belfast

spadder wrote: »

"The last sting of a dying wasp" - Mcdowell could have been refering to the PD's. What a mess they have made of the health service.
They were a Lap dog of F.F. Watch the greens go down the same road.

It was a mess before Mary Harney took over. it still is a mess.
Her main concern seemed to be hospital queues and whether the service be paid for by the tax payer or private insurance.

The real question is why is the health service so expensive and why are they so poor at diagnosing diseases correctly and curing them.

This is one of many areas the PD and other parties are lacking any new or better ideas.

irish_bob

SlabMurphy wrote: »

Looks like their on the way to breaking up. Who says their isn't good news about these days
It just goes to show what passes for politics in this country is really just a circus. One of the allegedly main reasons stated by Dessie O'Malley at the time for leaving FF to form the PD's was because he was for the Anglo Irish agreement and Haughey was against it. A year later they were back in coalation with each other - but this time O'Malley was agianst the agreement and Haughey was for it

FFS, Monty Python couldn't make it better.

des o malley didnt go into coalition with fianna fail and charlie haughey untill 1989 , four years later and ive never heard of o malley having been opposed to the anglo irish agreement , never heard of the shinners being that supportive of it either for that matter, i mean when did sinn fein ever support any thing fine gael orchestrated

SlabMurphy

irish_bob wrote: »

des o malley didnt go into coalition with fianna fail and charlie haughey untill 1989 , four years later and ive never heard of o malley having been opposed to the anglo irish agreement , never heard of the shinners being that supportive of it either for that matter, i mean when did sinn fein ever support any thing fine gael orchestrated

Well your probably correct it was 4 years later, but he did become against the Anglo Irish agreement, said it disillouned the unionists and should be renegoiated.