Politicians

CAPSLOCK365

Are there any of them aren't money-grabbing, hypocritical, power-hungry bastards?
Do any of them make a difference or are they all interchangeable?

having looked at the candidates in my area for both council and european elections, I can't say that i'd trust any of them to do anything worthwhile if they were elected. None of them have an ideology. None of them have a vision of what they would like the country, or Europe, to evolve into.

Biggins

This might help in tracking your local TD and discover how useless he/she really is.
New site - Keep track of them here: http://www.kildarestreet.com/

ednwireland

i've always been of the opinion that the system you have to go through to get elected makes you climb the greasy pole, by the time you get elected you have lost any morals or beleifs you may have had when you started (applies to politics, politicians anywhere). maybe dail representation should be like jury duty but who would oversee that ? maybe a national lottery ?

KerranJast

The main problem in Ireland is our TDs are glorified local councilors. Even on busy Dail days the majority of FF and FG backbenchers aren't in because they are at funerals, schools matches, public events i.e. face time with the public. Because multiseat constituencies are so tight vote wise, they are effectively constantly in election mode.

thelordofcheese

CAPSLOCK365 wrote: »

Are there any of them aren't money-grabbing, hypocritical, power-hungry bastards?
Do any of them make a difference or are they all interchangeable?

No, all politicians are exactly the same. Clones, you might say. All cut from the same lazy sterotype.

Biggins

Was reading in yesterdays paper that such is the hatred for some of the FF mob that a lot of them are actually dropping the FF logo from their posters and leaflets going around at present.

...comes as no surprise to be honest.

Celticfire

CAPSLOCK365 wrote: »

Are there any of them aren't money-grabbing, hypocritical, power-hungry bastards?
Do any of them make a difference or are they all interchangeable?

having looked at the candidates in my area for both council and european elections, I can't say that i'd trust any of them to do anything worthwhile if they were elected. None of them have an ideology. None of them have a vision of what they would like the country, or Europe, to evolve into.

What's stopping you from running for election then? Anyone can put themselves forward for any of those seats. Or is it just easier to tar everyone with the same brush?

ben bedlam

Irish politics has a horrific, terminal cancer that is burning the stomach out of this country. Lets take Fianna Fail. Full of slimy, sweaty, fat, pug-faced, middle-aged right-wing balding men. Not one of them a human being with any redeeming qualities; pure filth. Every one of them mindlessly obey and defend a truly pathetic party that has failed in government. How I lament at how Fianna Fail ministers so quickly demean themselves singing the praises of 10 years of failure. Have these people any sense of self worth? is there any noble cause that any one of its members can say they will stand up for no matter what? The answer is no. The sad thing though, is that any person with morals who wishes to become a politician, cannot make a difference in Ireland with these wretches in power. Change can never come from from Fine Gael either, whos biggest differece is that they can merely offer a Jack Johnson to Fianna Fails John Jackson.

Aidric

Celticfire wrote: »

Anyone can put themselves forward for any of those seats.

It was a sad day when someone whispered those exact words in to the ears of Jackie Healy Rae.

thelordofcheese

ben bedlam wrote: »

Lets take Fianna Fail. Full of slimy, sweaty, fat, pug-faced, middle-aged right-wing balding men. Not one of them a human being with any redeeming qualities; pure filth.

I hear that they like to fist kittens while drinking the tears of orphans.

Aidric

I think that Ard Fheis video was a watershed moment for Fianna Fail.

Biggins

Biggins wrote: »

Was reading in yesterdays paper that such is the hatred for some of the FF mob that a lot of them are actually dropping the FF logo from their posters and leaflets going around at present.

...comes as no surprise to be honest.

Agamemnon

Biggins wrote: »

Urgh, I'd rather look at giant, flashing neon FF logos rather than Gareth Turbidy's face. It's a sad state of affairs when Ryan is the best-looking one in the family.

Melange

CAPSLOCK365 wrote: »

Are there any of them aren't money-grabbing, hypocritical, power-hungry bastards?

I've personally met and dealt with many who don't fit this description in the slightest. Not every person who takes part in the world's second-oldest profession resemble those in the world's first-oldest.

having looked at the candidates in my area for both council and european elections, I can't say that i'd trust any of them to do anything worthwhile if they were elected. None of them have an ideology. None of them have a vision of what they would like the country, or Europe, to evolve into.

To be fair, you can't expect those seeking to be elected to a local council to have a national vision. Theirs is a world of potholes, and is meant to be such. What's worrying is that our political system forces our national legislators to focus on local issues, when this should be the domain of county and city councillors.

ART6

For years we have slumbered in a rosy glow of affluence and didn't notice what was happening in our body politic. Ah sure, we all knew that politicians were crooked, but it didn't matter much. I can remember times when anyone I spoke to said that all politicians were on the make, but that was just how it was. Now suddenly the good times are over, and the press is starting to tell us about outlandish expenses and outrageous waste of our money, of graft and nepotism and sheer blundering incompetence. Now, hopefully, the people are beginning to wake up.

Like the Japanese admiral Yamamoto said (I think it was he) said after Pearl Harbour: "I fear that what we have done is to awake the sleeping tiger."

Biggins

There is a line I heard somewhere (someone will place it).

"The government should be afraid of the people, not the people afraid of the government."

Couldn't agree more...

Professey Chin

Biggins wrote: »

There is a line I heard somewhere (someone will place it).

"The government should be afraid of the people, not the people afraid of the government."

Couldn't agree more...

" The people should not be afraid of their government, A government should be afraid of their people"
V for Vendetta

Hmmmmm masked guy causing a revolution. Ideas!!!

Biggins

Ultimate Chin wrote: »

" The people should not be afraid of their government, A government should be afraid of their people"
V for Vendetta

Hmmmmm masked guy causing a revolution. Ideas!!!

Thats the one. Cheers.

Ideas? O' yea. "Cry havoc and let lose the dogs of war!" on the Dail!

Elliemental

I still believe the majority of Politicians get into politics for all the right reasons. It's just once they get elected, it's gets very complicated.
Besides, Politicians are quite like Social Workers. You don't really hear about them until they screw up, and that warps the public perception of them.

Oh I dunno, maybe i'm being inexcusably naive?

Melange

Elliemental wrote: »

I still believe the majority of Politicians get into politics for all the right reasons. It's just once they get elected, it's gets very complicated.
Besides, Politicians are quite like Social Workers. You don't really hear about them until they screw up, and that warps the public perception of them.

Oh I dunno, maybe i'm being inexcusably naive?

Nah, not really. There actually is an awful lot of idealism in most aspiring politicians, but that idealism is soon tempered or even crushed by the conflicting demands and priorities of the job. If you're a Taoiseach or government minister, it's very difficult to implement a policy without it harming something else, or it costing money that the state can't really afford to spend. Electoral politics really is one gigantic balancing act for the most part.

Biggins

Melange wrote: »

Nah, not really. There actually is an awful lot of idealism in most aspiring politicians, but that idealism is soon tempered or even crushed by the conflicting demands and priorities of the job. If you're a Taoiseach or government minister, it's very difficult to implement a policy without it harming something else, or it costing money that the state can't really afford to spend. Electoral politics really is one gigantic balancing act for the most part.

Couldn't agree more.
I have dabbled myself and all I found at local level was a percentage which falsely slandered, back-stabbed, pressurised as much as possible against those that were honestly out to do real good.
All just to climb the political ladder.
The genuine ones, the ones that wanted to fight against local closures, kids hospitals cut-backs, etc were the ones being held back by the wanna-be careerist politicians.

Its disheartening.