The reshuffle in full

mike65

Sean Connick, Mary White and Ciaran Cuffe to become junior ministers.

Batt O'Keefe to take an economic portfolio, to be replaced by Mary Coughlan in Education.

Mary Hanafin to take a cultural role. Dermot Ahern to keep his job in Justice.

---

Several disgraces there, why bother?

Sean Connick is the sop for the South East, with Mary White who also keeps the Greens happy alongside Ciaran Cuffe. Everyone's happy!

Its worse than I thought. For some reason I got my Marys confused - the stupid one is now Minsiter for Education. :rolleyes:

Darsad

So Mary is to go back to school ! Not before time
All we need is Conor Lenihan as her junior and we would have a right class act !

IrishTonyO

And Mary Harney stays in Health, so now we wait for the vote of no confidence from Fine Gael and Labour

quad_red

IrishTonyO wrote: »

And Mary Harney stays in Health, so now we wait for the vote of no confidence from Fine Gael and Labour

Who would want that poisoned chalice?

Buford T Justice

quad_red wrote: »

Who would want that poisoned chalice?

To be fair, I don't think it'll be too difficult to do a better job than our present incumbents.

sceptre

Darsad wrote: »

So Mary is to go back to school ! Not before time
All we need is Conor Lenihan as her junior and we would have a right class act !

I'm sure the pair of them would do a fine job... yes,that's it... a fine job taking care of the nation's education needs. Conor Lenihan once worked for Denis O'Brien you know and Mary Coughlan has a variety of experience from her former jobs. To be sure, we're lucky to have them.

Ostrom

Coughlan? Education? I quit....

fontanalis

Yay the crisis is over, to the tents!

Ostrom

Have the greens received their bone yet?

quad_red

Fingers McGee wrote: »

To be fair, I don't think it'll be too difficult to do a better job than our present incumbents.

I'm not arguing that.

But what politician would want to step into that role? Given what's gone on, there are plenty more debacles left to be publicised.

You couldn't step into Health now without getting **** all over ye.

amacachi

Coughlan in education? FFS.

Some of the new departments' titles sound beautifully shoe-horned.

amacachi

Ah, some lovely debate already. Sweet Jesus there should be someone there who's allowed give them a cuff round the ear when they won't shut the **** up.

Starie1975

So no one for Gaeltacht Affairs.:mad:

Bob the Seducer

So the woman who thinks young people are emigrating for the hooley is now in charge of education while Batt gets to oversee employment, I'm overjoyed :rolleyes:

amacachi

The whole FÁS/training thing sounds like a complete cluster****.


Kenny is so ****ing bad. I honestly don't remember him being this bad at speaking.

Riskymove

Starie1975 wrote: »

So no one for Gaeltacht Affairs.:mad:

Pat carey....a Dublin TD

bigdogbarking

efla wrote: »

Coughlan? Education? I quit....

Should they now merge the politics forums with the humour one?

This Government is so far detatched from reality......

evilivor

efla wrote: »

Coughlan? Education? I quit....

Yes, but they're thankfully taking the big 3rd level research money away from her and giving it to Enterprise.

Buford T Justice

quad_red wrote: »

I'm not arguing that.

But what politician would want to step into that role? Given what's gone on, there are plenty more debacles left to be publicised.

You couldn't step into Health now without getting **** all over ye.

Its a dirty job but someone's got to do it. Lets face it, that shower of bumbling morons have had more than enough time to do something about it and have failed miserably. Quelle surprise if you ask me.

I think FF missed a great opportunity at the last election. if they had any cop on at all, they would have conceded defeat and left a FG Coalition take over, as everything was heading south at that stage. All they had to do was then sit back and say something like 'Now see what happens when we're not in power'. There would have been a vote of no confidence and a re-election within a year and they would have been back with their usual brand of smugness, but alas, their ability to duck, dive and weave has slimmed somewhat since the departure of aul bartholemew.

gandalf

fontanalis wrote: »

Yay the crisis is over, to the tents!

More likely "just went you thought things couldn't get worse!"

To the boats!!!

Ostrom

evilivor wrote: »

Yes, but they're thankfully taking the big 3rd level research money away from her and giving it to Enterprise.

To be managed by her predecessor... What 'big money' are we talking about exactly? The kind that leads to competitive technically trained graduates?

rightwingdub

I think the kids could teach Mary Coughlan a thing or two about manners and ladylike behaviour, I thought Aprils fools day wasn't till the 1st April.

O'Cuiv as social welfare minister and Hanafain demoted to sports and arts minister, Tony Kileen gets defence, is Harney still in Health?

Buford T Justice

efla wrote: »

To be managed by her predecessor... What 'big money' are we talking about exactly? The kind that leads to competitive technically trained graduates?

Yes, Better to have the jobs to employ people rather than train people for export if you ask me.

Ostrom

Fingers McGee wrote: »

Yes, Better to have the jobs to employ people rather than train people for export if you ask me.

I was thinking more along the lines of Intel, Genzyme etc - working the other way

maynooth_rules

As a teacher, effectivly having her as my boss makes me very worried. The woman deserved no portfolio whatsoever given the disaster she has been in Enterprise.

joey54

Brian Cowen think's we're all stupid. Does he think that by changing the name of a few of the departments everything will get better and the crisis will be over?

These idiotic name changes will end up costing the tax payer millions and are completely unnecessary for the times we live in.

It's time for real change and a general election!

maynooth_rules

rightwingdub wrote: »

I think the kids could teach Mary Coughlan a thing or two about manners and ladylike behaviour, I thought Aprils fools day wasn't till the 1st April.

O'Cuiv as social welfare minister and Hanafain demoted to sports and arts minister, Tony Kileen gets defence, is Harney still in Health?

Yes, amazingly Harney has kept her portfolio.

jacool

So how much will it cost for all the stationery for these new departments then?
Also, why isn't FAS included in Education and Skills ?
And yet, my crystal ball sees them being returned next time round !

peasant

The Dept of Education is to become the Dept of Education & Skills
The Department of Enterprise & Trade is now to take responsibility for Innovation.
The Department of Social & Family Affairs will become the Department of Social Protection.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0323/tracker_politics.html

Is this the Biffo version of Newspeak?

You couldn't make it up if you tried

joey54

maynooth_rules wrote: »

Yes, amazingly Harney has kept her portfolio.

Cowen was never going to pass that dept. onto a FF Minister. And sure isn't Mary Harney an Independent now? That's some post for an Independent TD to get in the Dail!

Liam Byrne

Fingers McGee wrote: »

I think FF missed a great opportunity at the last election. if they had any cop on at all, they would have conceded defeat and left a FG Coalition take over, as everything was heading south at that stage. All they had to do was then sit back and say something like 'Now see what happens when we're not in power'.

In all fairness, if that's the "great opportunity" that you reckon they missed, then there's something seriously wrong.

They missed the opportunity of using the boom to shore up finances to see us through the inevitable crash.

And the mentality above is the reason that we don't have a decent government in this country; it's never about what's good for the country, only what's good for the parties themselves.

As for any truth in the above, I'm not that gullible. And ask any manufacturer and farmer and they'll know that what you reap at any particular time is based on the season before......most Irish people aren't that thick and gullible (even though FF would like them to be, and some obviously are).

As for the shuffle......it's still the same deck of (house of) cards......still the same bunch that voted "confidence" in O'Dea & O'Donoghue......still the same that are unacceptable........pointless PR stunt !

joey54

Liam Byrne wrote: »

As for the shuffle......it's still the same deck of (house of) cards......still the same bunch that voted "confidence" in O'Dea & O'Donoghue......still the same that are unacceptable........pointless PR stunt !

How long more can we let Cowen and Co. away with this? Something must be done, we are being taken for fools!

Darsad

sceptre wrote: »

I'm sure the pair of them would do a fine job... yes,that's it... a fine job taking care of the nation's education needs. Conor Lenihan once worked for Denis O'Brien you know and Mary Coughlan has a variety of experience from her former jobs. To be sure, we're lucky to have them.

I assume Your extracting the Urine !

leincar

Mother of sweet devine God. I moved back to Ireland to educate my kids. Now we have Coughlan as Minister of Education. I really give up.

Ah well maybe she can pronounce million.

gandalf

I can't believe Tony Killeen has gotten a promotion given the scandal of him petitioning for the early release of criminals charged with extremely serious crimes. I guess its just business as usual for FF.

the_dark_side

I watched the reshuffle announcement live on RTE, and I had been wrongly hopeful of some ground breaking decision that would somehow instill a sense of new hope and confidence in the nation.... instead I listened to Brian Cowen deliver a half hearted statement detailing the names of those who are to be appointed to vacancies, and ministers that are allocated new portfolios.... followed by a few paragraphs of the same tired old rhetoric we hear day in day out, of how great the government is and how they will lead us through this quagmire they helped create.... while his beleaguered looking cabinet sat staring vacantly in front of themselves, with the exception maybe of Brian Lenihan.
Hopeless display

mike65

Gormley just knows doesn't he?

steamengine

May as well be shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic - time to lower out the lifeboats.

bon ami

God help the Children of Ireland. Mary C as Minister for Education . Bad language will become a new subject in the Leaving Cert and a new Maths Syllabus will be launched where 2=1.

jpfahy

I despair for the future of our country with Brian Cowen in charge

maynooth_rules

What in gods name does it say about us, the electorate, that this government has lasted 3 whole years, and has an ok chance of lasting the full length. It is nothing short of embarrassing.

joey54

Why inflict Mary Coughlan on Education? As if education hadn't taken a hard enough hit with the revelation of grade inflation. I however find it hard to see any other option other than grade inflation to repair the damage Coughlan will cause!

jpfahy

Three Marys. The most competent (or should I say least incompetent) demoted, the other two looked after.....wtf?

quad_red

A woman who compared the IDA's promotion of Ireland to 'Einstein explaining his theory of evolution' is the new Minister for Education and Science.

Absolutely superb.

damoz

ignore

damoz

maynooth_rules wrote: »

What in gods name does it say about us, the electorate, that this government has lasted 3 whole years, and has an ok chance of lasting the full length. It is nothing short of embarrassing.

i believe it says we live in a democarcy, with a democratically elected government which runs for a 4 year term.

if only there was an opposition with the talent to improve things. there isnt.

joey54

damoz wrote: »

if only there was an opposition with the talent to improve things. there isnt.

Well things can't get much worse so I'd like the oppurtunity to give them a shot!

token56

"Mary Coughlan will remain as Tánaiste"

Really, I mean really?

So if something does happen to Mr Cowen she is in charge, still.

bette

quad_red wrote: »

A woman who compared the IDA's promotion of Ireland to 'Einstein explaining his theory of evolution' is the new Minister for Education and Science.

Absolutely superb.

It's a question of percentials! After all, it's important to say!

fontanalis

maynooth_rules wrote: »

What in gods name does it say about us, the electorate, that this government has lasted 3 whole years, and has an ok chance of lasting the full length. It is nothing short of embarrassing.

Wait until it keeps happening again.

Highly Salami

token56 wrote: »

Really, I mean really?

So if something does happen to Mr Cowen she is in charge, still.

Maybe he is trying to protect himself against assassination attempts?