Saying one thing but doing another - failing to lead by example

Biggins

Came across an interesting article and I post it to show just how hypocritical (a) our present parties are and (b) the continuing farce that is FAS.

Blogger exposes hypocrisy of four of the five main political parties
By Brian Whelan

While the opposition squabbles over the Táiniste's trip to the US to try and finally create some new jobs, one attentive Irish Web user has revealed the hypocrisy of all but one of our five major political parties.
Blogger and Web entrepreneur Michele Neylon revealed yesterday that only one mainstream political party is supporting Irish tech jobs by hosting their website inside the country.

Despite all their talk about job creation and trying to get some of the 293,600 people left unemployed by the mismanagement of the economy back into work, parties are failing at a basic level to support what could be our most important emerging sector.

So let's have a look at these findings:

Fianna Fáil's website is currently hosted in the US. Neylon explains they moved it there ‘temporarily' more than 18 months ago but have not switched back.
Sinn Féin, ever the true republicans fighting for a united Ireland, have chosen to follow Fianna Fáil's example and also host their site in the US.
The Labour Party host their website in the UK, while the Green Party have a more European vibe, as ever, using a Norwegian host located in the UK.
The only party with representatives in Leinster House that use an Irish host is Fine Gael.

Smaller parties who have elected councillors, such as Joe Higgins' Socialist Party, The Socialist Workers Party and Sinn Féin splinter group, Éirigí, all use Irish hosts.

Mr Neylon is not some crank blogger looking to find fault by picking through petty details, he is a businessman who has built one of Ireland's more successful technology companies, Blacknight hosting (of which he is the CEO).
He explained that his motivation was to see if parties who discuss building a knowledge economy and promoting Irish jobs ‘walk the walk'.
"If they were to host their websites in Ireland it wouldn't create hundreds of jobs," he explained. "But it would show that they at least were going to lead by example and walk the walk."

While the Government claims to have a ten-year plan to deliver a digital economy, findings like this can only leave you cynical about their actual intentions.
There are very few tech-savvy people sitting in Leinster House, anyone paying attention to the scaremongering over use of Twitter will easily recognise that.

With today's announcement that the Government plans to create 300,000 new 'smart jobs' we can only hope that they make good on this promise and provide good quality jobs suited to a nation of highly skilled workers.

Until I see real results I will remain cynical, and keep in mind the story of one newly unemployed Irish computer engineering graduate.
On the recommendation of the social welfare office he presented himself to the Government training agency Fás for ‘upskilling'.
However, despite having an advanced knowledge of computers and programming he was forced to take an ECDL computer course, providing training in the basics of email and word processing.

If this is what the Government considers training for ‘smart jobs' then it's possible we might need a smarter Government.

Source: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/blogs/ireland/blogger-exposes-hypocrisy-of-four-of-the-five-main-political-parties-p79.html

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Two things stand out for me.
1. As the writer has pointed out, many political heads (not just FF) are saying one thing but by their actions failing the very words they state.

2. As I was listening to yet more FF spin of "Job creation" the article exposes just one hole in their process of creating work and/or training for those jobs.

As I listened to RTE news (HERE) at 6 (which by the way, the reporter acknowledged FF latest stunt was very short of policy detail and actual information of how they were going to do it!) I had to laugh at this latest what is now, a third or forth publicity stunt this year alone dredged up by our political masters in this vein.
Imaginary jobs!

* Will the masses continue to fall for these stunts?
* Will the continuing farce that is FAS and the playing around with numbers (to suit FF I suspect) ever end and if its to end, what are possible solutions?
* Will the few remaining die-hard FF supporters wakeup and see the full picture?
* Will the parties stop taking the piss out of the public, thinking we are all dumb sheep and that we ALL fall for this crap or just willingly accept it?

Nehaxak

Maybe, just maybe, the respective parties who don't host here do so because the cost of hosting in Ireland is a bloody disgrace, the infrastruce here has been lagging for years as has both the quality and service. So at the time they went to get hosting, they either couldn't get what they wanted or the prices quoted were so bad.

Nehaxak

Not saying it's right either but if you cannot get the service, the quality or the ability you require here for a competitive price - then you've little choice but to go elsewhere.

Don't see being Irish, even if government or political, as a valid reason to buy Irish if you can do so elsewhere in Europe or the world for considerable savings, better service and higher quality than what is available here.

Liam Byrne

Nehaxak wrote: »

Not saying it's right either but if you cannot get the service, the quality or the ability you require here for a competitive price - then you've little choice but to go elsewhere.

Don't see being Irish, even if government or political, as a valid reason to buy Irish if you can do so elsewhere in Europe or the world for considerable savings, better service and higher quality than what is available here.

If we all thought that way we'd be rightly screwed.

What I think is hilarious is the double-standards; people who would think nothing of getting someone in India or wherever to build their website "because it's cheaper", and yet if you went to buy their product online from Amazon or wherever they would immediately start cribbing about high costs of doing business in Ireland and excusing their own higher prices.

Biggins

One of the points Nehaxak, is that they have been bleating at us continuously to "Buy Irish, support the home economy, etc... bla, bla..." but as we have seen many a time, they say one thing but they themselves do another!

Nehaxak

Yeah I got that point alright Biggins and I agree with you on it, it is hypocritical. I was just lazy not to express that in my replies as I'm on the iPhone here and it's a right arse to type on and correct spelling

Liam Byrne

Biggins wrote: »

One of the points is Nehaxak, is that they have been bleating at us continuously to "Buy Irish, support the home economy, etc..." but as we have seen many a time, they say one thing but they themselves do another!

+1 I remember Matt Cooper interviewing someone from FF who was complaining about the grass for Croke Park being grown in the UK, and I texted in pointing out FF's double-standards re the FF website being developed by an American outfit.

The FF answer : "Well it was done by the crowd that did Obama's website, and sure we could all do with a bit of Obama" :rolleyes:

We could; but FF forking out for a similar website certainly doesn't get us Obama himself - we're still stuck with the incompetent and corrupt idiots from FF.

Eliot Rosewater

I wrote a letter to the Irish Examiner about this issue about the time FF American-designed website was launched. I can't search their archives though.

For what it's worth, I don't think political parties or Irish people in general have an intrinsic moral responsibility to buy Irish, but if you are preaching that gospel then you should abide by it yourself.


On a personal note, I use Mr Neylon's company Blacknight for all my online needs, and all I can is that they've been an absolute pleasure to work with. The quality, professionalism and cost-effectiveness of their services put those of the Irish government (and other private companies) to absolute shame.

mikom

Lenihan renews plea to consumers to shop at home

Shoppers should spend more money in the run up to Christmas to help fund the health and education systems, Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan said today.
Mr Lenihan has previously urged shoppers to do their “patriotic duty” and resist the urge to avail of bargains in the North
The Minister said today the situation whereby consumers are pouring into Northern Ireland to take advantage of currency differences and the recent lowering of VAT rates in the UK was having a detrimental effect on the Irish economy.

“When you shop in the State, you do help the taxpayer,” he told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme today.
“If you shop at home this Christmas, and shop a little bit more this Christmas and if you recognise that money is going to help educate your children and care for people in hospitals and pay for our medical expenses, which the State has to pay for, I think you’ll realise that it is important to shop at home.”

He accepted the currency differential between the euro and sterling was a “big factor”, but said that as Ireland is locked into the euro system, the Government was powerless to act.

Mr Lenihan called on consumers to “pull together” at this difficult time for the Irish economy.

“We have to face up to the fact that we are in difficult times and if we make those sacrifices now, it will be better for all of us and our children in the future.”

From here..... http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1203/breaking23.html

goat2

that is what we call job creation, giving it to other countries, plenty talent in this country to do the web layout for them , what a waste, they should do as they say, create jobs for their own.

Revolution9

Reminds me of last Christmas, when they paid a French company in the region of €300,000 for that ugly eye-sore of a Christmas Tree on O'Connell Street.
At the time, the government were urging consumers not to travel to the North for Christmas and January sales shopping, but to buy Irish instead!

FreudianSlippers

Revolution9 wrote: »

Reminds me of last Christmas, when they paid a French company in the region of €300,000 for that ugly eye-sore of a Christmas Tree on O'Connell Street.
At the time, the government was urging consumers not to travel to the North for Christmas and January sales shopping, but to buy Irish instead!

I hope we don't have to see that thing again this year

Biggins

...Not forgetting abut the FF posters that were printed outside our borders - or the Dundalk Constituency of Ahern printing leaflets to buy Irish in the south - only the leaflets were printed and bought in the north!
Then there is this...

Parties fail to follow the shop local mantra
Mark Hilliard

THREE of the four main political parties have admitted to sourcing printing services from outside the Republic of Ireland. The acknowledgements come on foot of a debate over whether or not it is deemed 'unpatriotic' to shop outside of Ireland, and in particular, across the border.

Last week, the Labour party defended itself when it was revealed that it had opted to go to a company in the North to deliver its election posters for the 2009 local elections.

Sinn Féin, Fine Gael and the Greens have all admitted, to varying degrees, that they have gone outside of the Republic at times to source printed goods.

Responding to criticisms on the issue, the Labour party said it had been using the same company in Co Antrim for the last number of years and saw no issue in doing so.

Fianna Fáil, which came under fire following claims that finance minister Brian Lenihan had implied cross-border shopping trips from the Republic were unpatriotic, was the only party to completely dismiss using any foreign printing services for election posters or other material over the past five years.

In a statement last week, the party said: "Regarding print companies, Fianna Fáil has not used companies outside the Republic of Ireland."

Fine Gael says it has used printing companies in Europe, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Sinn Féin, an 'all Ireland' party, uses printers on both sides of the border, while the Green Party, also an 'all Ireland' organisation says it prints in both the south and across the border, but specifically in that case only because its candidate is sitting in the Northern Ireland constituency of the upcoming European elections.

It also admitted to sourcing some printed goods, such as mugs with the party logo, from the UK because they have better recycling options.

March 1, 2009

Source: http://www.tribune.ie/article/2009/mar/01/parties-fail-to-follow-the-shop-local-mantra/

"Recycling options" ??? For mugs!
Is that the best excuse they can come up with for buying mugs across the sea and having them costly shipped over here?

Yep, say one thing to the masses - then do the exact opposite themselves!

“Labour have been the worst offenders. It is ironic that Labour who claim to promote jobs, have not alone blighted the city with posters, but had their posters printed in Northern Ireland, allowing vat and tax to be paid outside the State.”

Source: http://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/13039

dvpower

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

I wrote a letter to the Irish Examiner about this issue about the time FF American-designed website was launched. I can't search their archives though.

IIRC at the time, FF were saying that the website was just one part of what the American company were doing. It was supposed to be part of a whole new media communications strategy. It wasn't very clear what they meant by that, but whatever it was, it doesn't seem to have materialised.
I remember they organised a session with the head of the company, who was a big figure in new media in the States. A pile of Irish bloggers went along to the event expecting to get some insights from the guy, but they were pissed off to discover that it was basically just a FF website launch.

Liam Byrne

dvpower wrote: »

It wasn't very clear what they meant by that, but whatever it was, it doesn't seem to have materialised.

Par for the course for FF, methinks.

dvpower wrote: »

I remember they organised a session with the head of the company

That's Cowen happy, so!

goat2

Revolution9 wrote: »

Reminds me of last Christmas, when they paid a French company in the region of €300,000 for that ugly eye-sore of a Christmas Tree on O'Connell Street.
At the time, the government were urging consumers not to travel to the North for Christmas and January sales shopping, but to buy Irish instead!

shows, they were helping in breaking this country, giving the last few shillings to anyone but the irish electorate who badly need a job, how that money would have helped families last and this christmas.

Flimbos

The shortsightedness by these parties is incredible. How they can go ahead and use non-Irish businesses whilst asking us to buy Irish and assuring us that they want to protect Irish jobs amazes me - did they not think anybody would check who designs/ hosts their website.

The cost could not be a factor, compared to the waste that is commonplace on a daily basis, holding off on that last round in Galway would probably have covered the difference.

As leaders (or potential leaders) of the country, and as politicians who would like us to believe what they say, they need to lead by example!

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

I use Mr Neylon's company Blacknight for all my online needs, and all I can is that they've been an absolute pleasure to work with. The quality, professionalism and cost-effectiveness of their services put those of the Irish government (and other private companies) to absolute shame.

+1
I also use Blacknight and have found them to be a superb, reliable, professional company.

Nehaxak

Nehaxak wrote: »

Maybe, just maybe, the respective parties who don't host here do so because the cost of hosting in Ireland is a bloody disgrace, the infrastruce here has been lagging for years as has both the quality and service. So at the time they went to get hosting, they either couldn't get what they wanted or the prices quoted were so bad.

Hosting prices in Ireland aren't particularly high... sure they're higher than other countries but usually you get better tech support and uptime from Irish companies than the foreign ones, so you easily make up the cost difference. And TBH Irish hosting isn't much when you count it as a years investment for any business.

I used to work for a medium sized hosting company, and frankly while we had a number of government contracts (county enterprise boards or such) they were all an absolute pain in the ass to work with. The government all expect longer credit terms simply because they're the government, and they have have unrealistic expectations of what to receive from both website design and hosting. IMO they're the most annoying type of customer by far.