Willie O Dea to stand for re-election?

liammur

I see we have the misfortune that o dea has decided to stand for re-election. Surely even he and his most ardent of supporters must realise the man was a complete flop and totally out of his depth. The region would be better served with fresher faces and more intelligent people.

Practically 0 jobs into region in 13 years of unprecedented growth in the country.
No upgrade to our hospitals, which are in a desperate state.

Berty

liammur wrote: »

The region would be better served with fresher faces and more intelligent people.

As you started the thread, who is your opinion to replace him?

liammur

Berty wrote: »

As you started the thread, who is your opinion to replace him?

I would like to see an independent run, someone who knows the concerns of the people and what the region needs.

Berty

liammur wrote: »

I would like to see an independent run, someone who knows the concerns of the people and what the region needs.

Like who? There must be a candidate you're thinking of right now who would be suitable.

(1)Somebody who can suddenly pull jobs out of their hole?
(2)Somebody who can find that invisible money in the health service / exchequer to fund our hospitals and schools

It all good and well knocking people because the world has changed but just because somebody offers you "HOPE" with a fresher face exuding intelligence it does not mean things will change. Willie O'Dea has been in the political life long enough to make an ass of himself of more than one occasion but a fresher face would be the opposite. Give them 20+ years in local / national politics and they will likely suffer the same ill fate.

molard

for what wiilie has do for us, filling in potholes he should be working in the council not in the dail.

Agent Smith

liammur wrote: »

I would like to see an independent run, someone who knows the concerns of the people and what the region needs.

liammur

Agent Smith wrote: »

That kid can't be any worse than o dea was

Middle class limerick & surrounding areas need to be protected. That's what I would be looking for in the next election. There are no jobs for graduates and the whole focus seems to be on regeneration.

Limerick_Lass

He may change his mind and go for the presidents job

Berty

Limerick_Lass wrote: »

He may change his mind and go for the presidents job

Throw his hat into the ring I guess. I think there are 7 people interested now.

liammur

Berty wrote: »

Throw his hat into the ring I guess. I think there are 7 people interested now.

Well as they say, if the likes of o dea or ahern got the president's job, it would be time to emigrate for sure.

Kess73

Berty wrote: »

Like who? There must be a candidate you're thinking of right now who would be suitable.

(1)Somebody who can suddenly pull jobs out of their hole?
(2)Somebody who can find that invisible money in the health service / exchequer to fund our hospitals and schools

It all good and well knocking people because the world has changed but just because somebody offers you "HOPE" with a fresher face exuding intelligence it does not mean things will change. Willie O'Dea has been in the political life long enough to make an ass of himself of more than one occasion but a fresher face would be the opposite. Give them 20+ years in local / national politics and they will likely suffer the same ill fate.

Similar arguements get made in terms of FF staying in government. People and governments who do poor jobs should not be voted back in on the basis of better the devil you know.

Why reward failure and incompetence?

O' Dea's main achievements seem to be his various court appearances, and the fact that he gets people medical cards and other such things that people are entitled to anyway.

If he wants to deal in medical cards and potholes then he should be a local councillor, and not trying to waste a seat in the Dail.

I would have no problem with seeing a younger type like Joe Leddin or similar try his hand at Dail level.

If the same old heads keep getting voted back in over and over regardless of performance, how are we ever supposed to find out if there are genuine contenders out there who could do the job in the proper manner.

Berty

Kess73 wrote: »

I would have no problem with seeing a younger type like Joe Leddin or similar try his hand at Dail level.

If the same old heads keep getting voted back in over and over regardless of performance, how are we ever supposed to find out if there are genuine contenders out there who could do the job in the proper manner.

First off. Im not pro FF. Im not anti FF.

You would like somebody to "try their hand" at Dail Level.

Is that what we need though? Somebody to go through a steep learning curve before getting up to speed?

liammur

Berty wrote: »

First off. Im not pro FF. Im not anti FF.

You would like somebody to "try their hand" at Dail Level.

Is that what we need though? Somebody to go through a steep learning curve before getting up to speed?

I doubt there is a steep learning curve. Look at the likes of dempsey/o dea/cullen. Pure dead wood. If any of these guys came up a steep learning curve, I'd hate to have seen where they were before that.

People give politicians far too much respect, the steep learning curve probably is more about how to claim expenses after 30 years of milking the system.

Kess73

Berty wrote: »

First off. Im not pro FF. Im not anti FF.

You would like somebody to "try their hand" at Dail Level.

Is that what we need though? Somebody to go through a steep learning curve before getting up to speed?

I never questioned whether you were pro or con with regards to FF, nor do I care where your political allegiences may rest as it makes no difference to me.


I would have no problem with someone having a steep learning curve, afterall the people in power right now are mainly made up of names with years and years of supposed experience and they seem clueless.

You seem to highlight the fact I used the phrase "Try their hand".

In my eyes anyone who has never had a particular role will be doing exactly that. Afterall if the only choices we can have for TDs and the like are people who have already been there in government, then we suddenly end up with a very short list of choices in terms of who can be voted in.

If the likes of O'Dea and co are an example of the quality that 20+ years experience in the Irish political system brings, then I can think of no stronger arguement for younger blood that has not been corrupted by such a system.

Leddin I picked as just one example as I am fairly familiar with his profile and some of what he has been involved in , I am sure that there are other names that could be thrown into the ring as genuine contenders with the potential to be very good in a TD role.

Berty

Sorry I re-read my comment starting with "First Off" and it seems rude.

What I meant to say was

"I should point out from the start just so everybody is clear"

Kess73

Berty wrote: »

Sorry I re-read my comment starting with "First Off" and it seems rude.

What I meant to say was

"I should point out from the start just so everybody is clear"

It is no big deal as I did not find it rude.:) Whether you were pro or anti FF made no difference to me at all in the context of the discussion tbh. It was/is an exchange of opinions, nothing more, nothing less.

kilburn

We need to smash the political dynasties and shake it up abit.
Although i would wonder who could go forward for a nomination as the current lot seem incompetent

Amazotheamazing

The guy should be judged by his achievements, anyone care to list them?

I think he's been completely useless has had long enough to show us what he can do. Time for change.

Cookiemunster

Unfortunately because he gets potholes filled and streetlamps fixed he will walk straight back in. Thats the problem with our political system. TDs are more interested in protecting their seats than doing their actual jobs, and they protect their seats by doing what Wille does.

liammur

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Unfortunately because he gets potholes filled and streetlamps fixed he will walk straight back in. Thats the problem with our political system. TDs are more interested in protecting their seats than doing their actual jobs, and they protect their seats by doing what Wille does.

I'd buy that but for the fact that the guys in Galway also fill in the pot holes, but have brought thousands upon thousands of IDA jobs into the city in IBM, SAP, Boston & S just to name a few. Cork has even got more jobs again.

Raiser

There's a Pothole outside my Nanna's House that needs filling in.

I think I will ask Willie O'Dea to make sure its taken care of.

Then I can vote for him blindly for the next 50 years until he retires to a Gold-Plated Villa in The Bahamas and leaves us all to fester in our forgotten City.

- Surely Wayne Dundon would get more votes than Willie O'Dea at this stage?

daveob007

Its the whole political system that needs a shakeup,not just the current government.
Don't be fooled by the others either,will they give us back our income levy,pension levy or haelth levy,or undo all the bad stuff the ff and Gormless have done. NO THEY WILL NOT.
what ff and green have taken from our left pockets,fg and labour will go after our right pockets.
I will never vote O Dea again for my own personal reasons but have no confidence in the rest either.
Ordinary working taxpayers will always take the hit no matter who runs the country.

Kess73

Raiser wrote: »

There's a Pothole outside my Nanna's House that needs filling in.

I think I will ask Willie O'Dea to make sure its taken care of.

Then I can vote for him blindly for the next 50 years until he retires to a Gold-Plated Villa in The Bahamas and leaves us all to fester in our forgotten City.

- Surely Wayne Dundon would get more votes than Willie O'Dea at this stage?

Gis a Job.

Gis twenty quid and I'll fill the pothole for her.

Hell I even have the right accent for it.

topper75

O'Dea shot himself in the foot. But he is an able man (requests by Berty to name someone more able are not answered yet on the thread) and it is a shame he was only given the junior education and then the defence portfolio, as you can't do much with those. Shame he didn't have more influence (the guy knows both law and accounting).

I'll shake my vote up next time round alright but it'll be the 2,3,4,5 that'll be shuffled.

apochraphy

The question at the top of this thread Should o'dea stand again? is really the wrong question.
It should be Why is he not standing up in court for perjury?

And what he said about the greens on the Late Late on friday was shocking. Well not so shocking as id expect as much from him.
i refer to when he said that the greens should not be tweeting and saying that they were against a government idea when the party has decided to go that route. i.e they should shut up and tow the line.
I am para phrasing what he said but i was shocked and angry at Tubridy letting him away with that.
The guy (O'Dea) is as one poster here mentioned part of the whole "Dynasties" that we have in government, He is a relic of an old system and he should be up in court.

Kess73

topper75 wrote: »

O'Dea shot himself in the foot. But he is an able man (requests by Berty to name someone more able are not answered yet on the thread) and it is a shame he was only given the junior education and then the defence portfolio, as you can't do much with those. Shame he didn't have more influence (the guy knows both law and accounting).

I'll shake my vote up next time round alright but it'll be the 2,3,4,5 that'll be shuffled.

Shame he did not show much evidence of this knowledge before his less than flattering recent incidents where he tried to bluff and bull his way rather than falling back on his keen legal mind.


You want a name I would trust more than O'Dea in a Dail seat?

Michael Noonan.

I would have more faith in him not being an embarrassment whenever he opens his mouth than O'Dea. I would also have more faith in Noonan fighting Limerick's corner in the Dail than O'Dea.

Now I am no Fine Gael apologist and I do view them with a degree of wariness, but then again my attitude is why reward a political party or figure who has proven incompetent with another term rather than gamble on another party or individual who may or may not do better.

Granted the other options may turn out to be no better, but the only way to find out to to let them have the same go at running the current that the current failures have had.

Some will disagree with me on that, which is fair enough as it is only my own opinion, but better the devil you know is not the way to go when failure has been the only real result.

topper75

apochraphy wrote: »

The guy (O'Dea) is as one poster here mentioned part of the whole "Dynasties" that we have in government,

You and that other poster need to learn what dynasty means. It means he inherited his position of power from being member of a certain family. This does not apply to O'Dea so I don't know what ye are on about. Also you can't have dynasties in a democracy. The people have free choice to vote them out. If they didn't, you have to accept it that the candidate is elected on merit regardless of their relations. If you can't accept it, you are not a democrat.

Kess73 wrote: »

You want a name I would trust more than O'Dea in a Dail seat?

Michael Noonan.

Credit for proposing a name. More than others did.

However, if Michael wasn't good enough as boss of Fine Gael, how is he good enough for the people of Limerick? I know that sounds smart, but it's an honest question at the same time and one Limerick people have to ask themselves at the next ballot.

Kess73

topper75 wrote: »

You and that other poster need to learn what dynasty means. It means he inherited his position of power from being member of a certain family. This does not apply to O'Dea so I don't know what ye are on about. Also you can't have dynasties in a democracy. The people have free choice to vote them out. If they didn't, you have to accept it that the candidate is elected on merit regardless of their relations. If you can't accept it, you are not a democrat.



Credit for proposing a name. More than others did.

However, if Michael wasn't good enough as boss of Fine Gael, how is he good enough for the people of Limerick? I know that sounds smart, but it's an honest question at the same time and one Limerick people have to ask themselves at the next ballot.

I actually suggested Joe Leddin as a name earlier as well.:p More as an example of potential new blodd than as an experienced Dail head though.

Fair enough on the comment about Noonan as the boss of FG, but when he was a minster when FG were in government, it would seem that Noonan has things like improvements in the Regional Hospital and direct involvement in businesses setting up in the Raheen industrail estate to his name. So it could be argued that he has more to his name, in terms of stuff for Limerick, in less time as part of a government than O'Dea has achieved in more time.

Also if Noonan not being good enough a leader of FG is to be held against him, should the fact that O'Dea has never even been in contention for leadership of FF be held against him?

I'm sure others here can put forward good arguements as to why either of the names I suggested would be unsuitable for the role of being a minister from Limerick who could do more for Limerick than our most recent version, but I will always fall back on my own arguement that lack of achievement should not be rewarded with another term just because a person is familar in the role.

Amazotheamazing

topper75 wrote: »

O'Dea shot himself in the foot. But he is an able man (requests by Berty to name someone more able are not answered yet on the thread) and it is a shame he was only given the junior education and then the defence portfolio, as you can't do much with those. Shame he didn't have more influence (the guy knows both law and accounting).

I'll shake my vote up next time round alright but it'll be the 2,3,4,5 that'll be shuffled.

Leaving aside the stuff O'Dea should leave to local councillors, what has he achieved for the city, or even the country?

Amazotheamazing

topper75 wrote: »

However, if Michael wasn't good enough as boss of Fine Gael, how is he good enough for the people of Limerick? I know that sounds smart, but it's an honest question at the same time and one Limerick people have to ask themselves at the next ballot.

Noonan was a capable minister when he was in the front bench for Fine Gael and is the only person getting real hits in against FF at the minute.

Aesop

Couldn't agree more Kess73, why keep a regime in power that has brought the country and the mid-west area in particular to it's knees. How badly would Fianna Fail need to mismanage this country before people would knock Fianna Fail off their first preference?

Willie O'Dea has been a disaster for the mid-west region and you need no further than look at the job creation numbers from the IDA. Limerick continues to be an unemployment black spot. Shannon airport continues to be downgraded as an international airport. Regeneration seems to have only succeeded in spreading a localized problem to a larger area. Meanwhile there seems to be no improvement in crime within limerick city and the city center businesses are leaving en-masse.

Wille was at his best cozing up to the real leaders in fianna fail and getting rewarded for his loyalty. His portfolio's are an indication of how even within Fianna Fail of how he was viewed. Now that he has made a complete mess of his position within Fianna Fail party, some here would vote him back in again. For what so he can be a political pariah in an opposition party that got slaughtered in an election?

Really how bad does it have to get before we send him on his way.