Labour up 10 points, could Ireland have its first agnostic Taoiseach

Pride Fighter

I am sure most here are aware of the latest opinion poll placing labour as the second most popular party in terms of polling support. In a recent newspaper interview Eamon Gilmore described himself as an agnostic. Could Ireland have an agnositic Taoiseach?? It would be great for Ireland IMO, he would not pander to the Catholic Church.

Opinions.

asdasd

The fifties called and wants it's fear of Catholic hegemony back, The problem with the Irish labour party is that they are in hock to Public Service unions, and that is not what we need right now. Nor are they going to do anything to help small time capitalists go large, or to get credit into the economy.

Of course I understand that capitalism is in bad odour at the mo, and the financial services deservedly so, but that aint a solution.

sink

I would rather labour not be the senior party in any government, regardless of the religious beliefs of it's leader.

deadhead13

He would get my vote - we would finally be rid of civil war party politics, over 80 years later.

Dave!

OP you got a link to the interview per chance?

I was not aware of this.

Pride Fighter

Dave! wrote: »

OP you got a link to the interview per chance?

I was not aware of this.

It was in either the independent or the herald about 2 weeks ago, it was a print interview. I'll try find it.

Dave!

hmmm here's one from 2007, but have to pay to read it

http://www.hotpress.com/archive/4154654.html

Pride Fighter

Dave! wrote: »

hmmm here's one from 2007, but have to pay to read it

http://www.hotpress.com/archive/4154654.html

Would you vote for them Dave?? You dont have to answer if you dont want and if you do I wont hold it against you on the 3rd History thread:D:D. I think a rational leader that does not believe Christian witchcraft is just the tonic Ireland needs.

Galvasean

Their leader being agnostic isn't enough to make me vote Labour. There's a lot of bigger issues I'd be more concerned about.

Dave!

Pride Fighter wrote: »

Would you vote for them Dave?? You dont have to answer if you dont want and if you do I wont hold it against you on the 3rd History thread:D:D. I think a rational leader that does not believe Christian witchcraft is just the tonic Ireland needs.

I gave them my first preference last time and as far as I'm aware Pat Rabbite isn't an agnostic! And I've been more impressed with Eamon Gilmore than Enda Kenny in recent months, so would probably have done the same again irrespective of his agnosticism.

But some added incentive I guess

2Scoops

Pride Fighter wrote: »

Could Ireland have an agnositic Taoiseach?? It would be great for Ireland IMO, he would not pander to the Catholic Church.

He would still pander to the church, albeit for purely political reasons.

Dades

Interesting! But anyone but Enda Kenny, tbh.

The Mad Hatter

Dades wrote: »

Interesting! But anyone but Enda Kenny, tbh.

Better Kenny than Cowen. Or Harney.

Dades

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

Better Kenny than Cowen. Or Harney.

Jasus, no.

Don't get me wrong I'm not advocating anyone else - but I'd take beezlebub over that weasel.

PDN

He has my vote. His religious views are irrelevant to me.

ChocolateSauce

I hate Harney more than any other elected politician. Only McDowell was worse. Anyway, I used to be FG, but then I met Enda Kenny and was throughly unimpressed. Now I'm labour, and I've only ever voted labour (Labour 1st, no second choice), not because I like them, but because they're they lesser of a bunch of twats. They've moved further left in recent years, further than I would care to tread.

Gilmore's religious views aren't really a factor for me. I doubt he'll do the kind of secularising I want to see; a party would have the secularisation of the state in their manifesto for me to consider religion as a pull factor.

Now the British lib dems, there's a party!

PS. I'd rather have a competent Christian than an incompetent atheist in the big chair.

Handsome Bob

Pride Fighter wrote: »

I am sure most here are aware of the latest opinion poll placing labour as the second most popular party in terms of polling support. In a recent newspaper interview Eamon Gilmore described himself as an agnostic. Could Ireland have an agnositic Taoiseach?? It would be great for Ireland IMO, he would not pander to the Catholic Church.

Opinions.

Oh I'm not falling for that one again! Don't underestimate the stupidity of the majority, they can't stand up to scaremongering.

lostexpectation

asdasd wrote: »

The fifties called and wants it's fear of Catholic hegemony back, The problem with the Irish labour party is that they are in hock to Public Service unions, and that is not what we need right now. Nor are they going to do anything to help small time capitalists go large, or to get credit into the economy.

labour reduced their hockness to the unions last week , read the papers.

Húrin

As a recent defector from the Greens I'll probably vote Labour next time round anyway. In fairness I doubt that Gilmore's agnosticism will make a difference. It's not as if Bertie or Cowen ever ran on a "Catholic" platform, and their policies are the target of plenty of criticism from various Catholic sources.

lostexpectation

i think labour still has some nostalgia for the church

Rev Hellfire

I think anyone who doesn't come out with a statement like "burn all churches" will get the short straw from good citizens around here

Personally I feel as long as they can separate their religious opinion from their political agenda I'd vote for the most competent individual, which unfortunately doesn't seem to leave many candidates standing woe is us...

lostexpectation

Rev Hellfire wrote: »

I think anyone who doesn't come out with a statement like "burn all churches" will get the short straw from good citizens around here ha ****ing ha

Personally I feel as long as they can separate their religious opinion from their political agenda I'd vote for the most competent individual, which unfortunately doesn't seem to leave many candidates standing woe is us...

well hopefully their political agenda would to separate politics from religion, and religion from state.

lostexpectation

the spainish governement are battling away over their to get rid of the church monster, i think labour here has shorter memories

ChocolateSauce

Sadly, I don't think there is a single TD from any party who is vocal in their support for a strictly secular state.

Húrin

ChocolateSauce wrote: »

Sadly, I don't think there is a single TD from any party who is vocal in their support for a strictly secular state.

maybe that's because there are more pressing issues to broadcast about nowadays.

ChocolateSauce

Húrin wrote: »

maybe that's because there are more pressing issues to broadcast about nowadays.

No, it wasn't on the agenda when there weren't "more pressing issues", by which I assume you mean the current economic crisis.

Bottle_of_Smoke

Theres plenty more agnostic, even atheist politicians, just not in their interest to discuss it. Could see Harney, Cowen, Bruton, McDowell being disinterested in Christianity privately

fitz0

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

Theres plenty more agnostic, even atheist politicians, just not in their interest to discuss it. Could see Harney, Cowen, Bruton, McDowell being disinterested in Christianity privately

Pity they're arseholes.
Harneys the worst of he lot of them. And if she's an athiest I hope she doesn't come out and say it. She would do the already poor reputation of atheism more harm than any christian could dream of!:pac:

CerebralCortex

fitz0 wrote: »

Pity they're arseholes.
Harneys the worst of he lot of them. And if she's an athiest I hope she doesn't come out and say it. She would do the already poor reputation of atheism more harm than any christian could dream of!:pac:

Reputation? Why would atheism have or need a reputation? Apologies if I sound pedantic and off topic.

Dades

CerebralCortex wrote: »

Apologies if I sound pedantic and off topic.

There's a topic?!

tbh I don't think there's much validity in speculating about politicians' religious leanings, without anything to back it up. But maybe a few of them will join Atheist Ireland.

asdasd

Reputation? Why would atheism have or need a reputation?

You're all very shrill.

robindch

asdasd wrote: »

You're all very shrill.

Better than being wrong, though?

asdasd

Better than being wrong, though?

better to be right and unshrill.

Rev Hellfire

It's the internet, its serious stuff.

Rev Hellfire

Dades wrote: »

But maybe a few of them will join Atheist Ireland.

That wouldn't work, atheist Ireland is fighting the man, they'd only take politicians who aren't into politics.

CerebralCortex

Dades wrote: »

There's a topic?! .......

I actually don't know I'm just frustrated by the idea that atheism would rely on a reputation, makes it sound almost like a religion itself dare I say.

asdasd

I'm just frustrated by the idea that atheism would rely on a reputation, makes it sound almost like a religion itself dare I say.

Lots of things need reputations. BTW I think you all atheists are of the shrill type who would have been ultra-religious back in the day. People dont change intergenerationally, and in the secular West we have the descendents religious puritans, the shrill self righteous and the santimonious purveyors of group think are on the atheist left.

Where it may well be safer to keep y'all.

CerebralCortex

asdasd wrote: »

Lots of things need reputations. BTW I think you all atheists are of the shrill type who would have been ultra-religious back in the day. People dont change intergenerationally, and in the secular West we have the descendents religious puritans, the shrill self righteous and the santimonious purveyors of group think are on the atheist left.

Where it may well be safer to keep y'all.

Huh?

The original question was just a question I don't see where the shrillness came from?

asdasd

I'm just trolling :-)

You guys are not takin the bait so im off.

Dades

So long (and thanks for all the fish).