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Ministers not qualified enough?

  • 24-03-2009 9:43pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 827 ✭✭✭


    Do you think certain Ministers shold have some qualification in there area?
    Eg, Minister for Fiannce should have a degree in Economics. As some of them just havent a clue...


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,398 ✭✭✭MIN2511


    NO


    It's like saying Mary Harney should be fit/study medicine.... Not gonna happen....

    Or Bertie should have studied the art of "criminology"




    mean joke-sorry :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,013 ✭✭✭leitrim lad


    brian lenehan is a barrister by trade so he is in the right general field,how ever i think he would be more suited in dermot ahearns job.
    mary coughlan is doing us no favors anyone agree , and biffo is a little easy wound up to be leader i would say he suffers with his nerves as well and you would need nerves of steel for that job


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 811 ✭✭✭mal1


    I'm sure that most of the senior civil servants are qualified in their respective fields and are actually making most of the major decisions


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 911 ✭✭✭994


    mal1 wrote: »
    I'm sure that most of the senior civil servants are qualified in their respective fields and are actually making most all of the major decisions

    fyp.

    And Coughlan isn't there for her talents, she's there to win votes in Donegal and not threaten Il Duce.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 15,515 ✭✭✭✭admiralofthefleet


    be careful, brian lenihan got an A in his lego on the leaving cert


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,013 ✭✭✭leitrim lad


    john gormley got badly caught on q&a the other night ,when he was put on the spot and told about his hot air comments


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 10,431 ✭✭✭✭Saibh


    Think Biffo had a career as a clown before he became a politician


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,361 ✭✭✭Boskowski


    Ye and then they even rotate. Like they were environment 3 weeks ago and now they're health or defense.

    I know this isn't how our political system works but you would think they'd have to have some sort of clue. Some of these clowns are clearly lost in situations where they have to speak for themselves (no advisors around).


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,031 ✭✭✭Lockstep


    I'd be curious as to how this would:

    Minister of Defence: ex army officer?

    Minister of Transport: Bus driver


    or something
    etc


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,815 ✭✭✭✭galwayrush


    Saibh wrote: »
    Think Biffo had a career as a clown before he became a politician

    I thought he was a nude model for budding artists.:D


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,815 ✭✭✭✭galwayrush


    I'd settle for Ministers to have a reasonable I.Q. to be able to speak properly and most important, to put the needs of the country ahead of any self interest.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 10,431 ✭✭✭✭Saibh


    galwayrush wrote: »
    I thought he was a nude model for budding artists.:D

    He only did the nude model for laughs - he is a clown after all :p


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,510 ✭✭✭Hazys


    Compare Obama's CV to Cowen's :eek: How does Cowen earn more than Obama?

    Obama's CV:

    Following high school, he moved to Los Angeles in 1979 to attend Occidental College.[24] After two years he transferred in 1981 to Columbia University in New York City, where he majored in political science with a specialization in international relations[25] and graduated with a B.A. in 1983. He worked for a year at the Business International Corporation[26][27] and then at the New York Public Interest Research Group.[28][29]

    Obama entered Harvard Law School in late 1988. He was selected as an editor of the Harvard Law Review at the end of his first year,[35] and president of the journal in his second year.[36] During his summers, he returned to Chicago where he worked as a summer associate at the law firms of Sidley & Austin in 1989 and Hopkins & Sutter in 1990.[37] After graduating with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) magna cum laude[38][39] from Harvard in 1991, he returned to Chicago.[35]

    Cowen's CV:

    After secondary school, he attended University College Dublin where he studied law. He subsequently qualified as a solicitor from the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland, Dublin.[1]

    Sorry for the shameless copy & paste from wikipedia


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78,574 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    Cian92 wrote: »
    Do you think certain Ministers shold have some qualification in there area?
    Eg, Minister for Fiannce should have a degree in Economics. As some of them just havent a clue...
    Not quiet. If that was the case, if you wanted a cabinet re-shuffle, every minister would need multiple qualifications.

    Ministers need to be managers and leaders, with a certain level of education and cop on.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,604 ✭✭✭✭ArmaniJeanss


    Its a flaw in the system.
    There are only ~83 elected representatives on the government side of the house (and by population ratio thats massively more than most countries), so it is statistically unlikely that you going to have an outstanding candidate amongst those 83 for each of the key ministerial portfolios.

    Is there a case for going with a more American system whereby a Taoiseach is directly elected by all the population (as opposed to just the people of Laois/Offaly or Dublin Central).
    And the Taoiseach and his advisors can then select the best people from all 4,000,000 of us to be a minister. So if Richard Bruton is the best candidate for Finance thats who a FF Taoiseach selects -
    If some otherwise unelectable Professor in Trinity has the best understanding of Transport requirements then select him etc etc.


    Edit: Fcuk it anyway, I thought I was in politics forum hence the serious reply.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,061 ✭✭✭✭Terry


    I'd just like them to have morals.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,779 ✭✭✭Carawaystick


    or Arithmetic skills


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,094 ✭✭✭✭javaboy


    Or bank accounts.
    Or memories.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,013 ✭✭✭leitrim lad


    all of that would help alright ,if a bus driver got minister for transport it would really help they all would have satnavs and new busses and there wouldnt be a safe taxi anywhere


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 56 ✭✭slamman


    Before i start i just want to say I have nothing against overweight people, i am over 20 stone myself. But how in the name of god can Mary Harney possibly do a good job looking after the nation's health when she can't even look after her own health!!!!


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  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 93,552 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    javaboy wrote: »
    Or bank accounts.
    beat me to it

    they also need real accountability they need to know that it's not jobs for the boys ( can anyone name the ministers for health and their achievements ?? )

    we need statesmen, people who look beyond the next election

    we need people who can take unpopular decisions , now it's a given but had some tough decisions been taken earlier during the good times we wouldn't be as deep in it as we are. And I don't mean cutbacks to balance the books but something a bit better than that , maybe not a new deal but something.

    and we need all the bad news out in the open so we know that things can't get worse, honesty should be a qualification


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,013 ✭✭✭leitrim lad


    normally when a person is under pressure they shed weight but not our mary she keeps on rolling :confused:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,061 ✭✭✭✭Terry


    slamman wrote: »
    Before i start i just want to say I have nothing against overweight people, i am over 20 stone myself. But how in the name of god can Mary Harney possibly do a good job looking after the nation's health when she can't even look after her own health!!!!
    High 5

    And the kiddie show with the really hot presenter chicks (I babysit sometimes).


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 547 ✭✭✭iseethelight


    Mary doesn't know she's under pressure. She thinks she's doing a great job-we are all too stupid to realise her genius.

    I wish they'd stop lying


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,013 ✭✭✭leitrim lad


    according to her the more people on trollies the better keep the beds free:D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 547 ✭✭✭iseethelight


    exactly and if their on trollies they can be rolled away when someone important visits
    who wants sick people clogging up hospitals


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