Comical Lenny

Revolution9

I've noticed in past weeks that an alarming number of people have stated that they would continue to support Fianna Fail if Brian Lenihan was to oust Cowen as party leader.

While Lenihan is clearly a better public speaker than Cowen (and by that I mean he can spin, lie and avoid questions with more ease and confidence than our current Taoiseach) I don't understand why he seems so popular to disgruntled Fianna Fail supporters.

Hasn't he proved to be just as incompetent and dishonest as Cowen? Why do certain people hold him in such high esteem?

Barname

Revolution9 wrote: »

I've noticed in past weeks that an alarming number of people have stated that they would continue to support Fianna Fail if Brian Lenihan was to oust Cowen as party leader.

While Lenihan is clearly a better public speaker than Cowen (and by that I mean he can spin, lie and avoid questions with more ease and confidence than our current Taoiseach) I don't understand why he seems so popular to disgruntled Fianna Fail supporters.

Hasn't he proved to be just as incompetent and dishonest as Cowen? Why do certain people hold him in such high esteem?

Charles Haughey when leader of FF stole cash from Brian Lenihan's snr Medical Fund

How could you respect the son for continuing his association with the nest of thieves that is Fianna Fail given that Haughey stole money that was collected for an operation and medical treatment?

Revolution9

Barname wrote: »

Charles Haughey when leader of FF stole cash from Brian Lenihan's snr Medical Fund

How could you respect the son for continuing his association with the nest of thieves that is Fianna Fail given that Haughey stole money that was collected for an operation and medical treatment?

Good God, that is an utter disgrace.
The amound of sleaze within that party is astonishing.

Monty Burnz

Revolution9 wrote: »

Good God, that is an utter disgrace.
The amound of sleaze within that party is astonishing.

And I believe that CJ was supposed to be great friends with Brian Senior. That takes some special kind of character.

But then Fianna Failure are riddled by people like that. It's more like a brain disease than a political party - and once you're infected you seem to stay that way.

Revolution9

Can anyone actually provide some explanation regarding the OP?

Maybe I just imagined the regard Lenihan is held in by FF supporters

AnonymousPrime

Lenihan gained a huge amount of respect when he was the first one to face down the Unions, and publicly the first Cabinet Minister not to give into lobbying groups with regards to funding.

I respect that, but I don't agree with a lot of his policy decisions

Monty Burnz

AnonymousPrime wrote: »

Lenihan gained a huge amount of respect when he was the first one to face down the Unions

When was that? The Croke Park deal was a massive win for the unions!

Mark200

I think he's doing a good job, in that he has been pushing for the cuts and tough decisions necessary to get the country back on track. He seems to be far more decisive than Cowen.

Revolution9

Mark200 wrote: »

I think he's doing a good job, in that he has been pushing for the cuts and tough decisions necessary to get the country back on track. He seems to be far more decisive than Cowen.

The fact the IMF are in town would suggest he's done a pretty awful job.

And the only properly tough decision he made was his decision to target the elderly with the medical cards scandal. He got it utterly wrong and soon backed down when the public spoke their mind.

How is that a good job?

Monty Burnz

Mark200 wrote: »

I think he's doing a good job, in that he has been pushing for the cuts and tough decisions necessary to get the country back on track. He seems to be far more decisive than Cowen.

Did you miss that he guaranteed all the bad debts of the banks, so that they are now the bad debts of the people?? Did you miss the fact that he was the minister of finance for the 3 years before Ireland went bust?

He is one of the main architects of the ruin of Ireland. Good job Brian!

maynooth_rules

Mark200 wrote: »

I think he's doing a good job, in that he has been pushing for the cuts and tough decisions necessary to get the country back on track. He seems to be far more decisive than Cowen.

Being decisive doesn't mean a person is doing a good job. Being decisive with the correct plan of action is what constitutes a person doing a good job. Lenihan has been laughably bad in the position. Remember, this is the man thaty said we would have the best bank bailout, and that it would initially cost 5 Billion I think he said. Thats not just wrong, that is catastrophically wrong. On top of that he reversed the cuts to high earning public sector workers. He may speak well, but look beyond that at what he actually says and does and you will realise that he is every bit as incompetent and out of his depth as Biffo

Greenman

Where did it all go wrong????

Barname

Revolution9 wrote: »

Good God, that is an utter disgrace.
The amound of sleaze within that party is astonishing.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/probe-digging-for-truth-on-pound200000-lenihan-op-cash-403551.html

Details of payments from the Leader's Allowance account, where Haughey banked some of the donations to medical fund, emerged at the Moriarty tribunal and more than £200,000, for which no explanations have been given, was lodged to the account.
It was reported that Ms Foy's recollections are that the extra £200,000 in the Leader's Allowance account may have substantially made up by donations to the fund to pay the late Mr Lenihan's medical expenses.
However, it emerged that a £20,000 donation from the Irish Permanent intended for the medical fund was diverted through an account in Irish Helicopters, a company co-owned by Haughey's son, and ended up in another account for Haughey's benefit.

Irish scum

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

This is an awful thing to say but as far as I can see a lot of people started praising him when he became ill. They didn't want to be seen criticizing somebody in his position.

Revolution9

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

This is an awful thing to say but as far as I can see a lot of people started praising him when he became ill. They didn't want to be seen criticizing somebody in his position.

I think you may be right.

Although it is admirable he didn't retire and continues to fight cancer while taking on the undoubted stress of his role, it shouldn't excuse him from being slated for his awful tenure so far as Minister of Finance.

cazzak79

Revolution9 wrote: »

I think you may be right.

Although it is admirable he didn't retire and continues to fight cancer while taking on the undoubted stress of his role, it shouldn't excuse him from being slated for his awful tenure so far as Minister of Finance.

i think brian cowan is alot more at fault than brian lenihan

Revolution9

cazzak79 wrote: »

i think brian cowan is alot more at fault than brian lenihan

And Bertie Ahern more so than Cowen.
Still, Lenihan has been a disaster as Minister for Finance and keeping us in the dark over the past few weeks over the IMF as well as out right telling lies about is enough to put a large amount of disgrace on his doorstep.

Rabble Rabble

In terms of keeping us in the dark - I have no idea, but my guess is they didnt want this bailout. Ireland being funded until next year. It was the recent deposit run on the banks which caused the bailout.

There is some obvious orchestration of this whole thing. The BBC and UK press has gone wild on this, but Ireland is never normally reported. Osbourne wants to give money when not asked, so it becomes a British "issue" - and of course this causes British people, or Irish people who watch the BBC etc. to move their deposits out of the banks.

Ireland has been out manoeuvred here quite handily. The government may have wanted to restructure the banks, and keep a good banks letting the rest rot - that would have spread "contagion" to the creditor banks. Instead Ireland faces 4 years of austerity to get the general deficit under control as well as paying for banks which are financed by British, German banks. none of the money will work as a stimulous, this is a continuous drain on the economy for years, but letting the banks fail would have spread the paid to the creditor countries.

flutered

i watched a program on a chanell named france 24 this afternoon, two items sprang immediatly to mind, they said merkle made a bad call last week, secondly they said the irish tax system was wrong, we were more interested in buying flat screened hd tvs than paying tax,

Monty Burnz

Rabble Rabble wrote: »

Ireland has been out manoeuvred here quite handily. The government may have wanted to restructure the banks, and keep a good banks letting the rest rot - that would have spread "contagion" to the creditor banks. Instead Ireland faces 4 years of austerity to get the general deficit under control as well as paying for banks which are financed by British, German banks. none of the money will work as a stimulous, this is a continuous drain on the economy for years, but letting the banks fail would have spread the paid to the creditor countries.

What good banks? There are no Irish banks that are not bankrupt, with the possible exception of PTSB (for the time being).

Revolution9

Gotten a little off topic, and I have seen posters in the "Cowen to address the nation" thread say they would like to see Lenihan take over from Cowen but that thread is way to active to discuss it properly so I'll pose the question again:

Why does Lenihan remain so popular despite his poor tenure as Minister of Finance and his apparent lies to the Irish people?

AnonymousPrime

Monty Burnz wrote: »

When was that? The Croke Park deal was a massive win for the unions!

Before that. Back when the croke park deal seemed like a bad deal for the unions.

goose2005

Revolution9 wrote: »

I've noticed in past weeks that an alarming number of people have stated that they would continue to support Fianna Fail if Brian Lenihan was to oust Cowen as party leader.

While Lenihan is clearly a better public speaker than Cowen (and by that I mean he can spin, lie and avoid questions with more ease and confidence than our current Taoiseach) I don't understand why he seems so popular to disgruntled Fianna Fail supporters.

Hasn't he proved to be just as incompetent and dishonest as Cowen? Why do certain people hold him in such high esteem?

Along with Mary Hanafin, he's one of few ministers who can project the appearance of competence - note that I said "appearance."