Fianna Fail efforts to oust Cowen underway

JONJO THE MISER · 13-01-2011 1:16am #1

There saying over on politics.ie that Newstalk is likely to report that Brian Lenihan and Micheal Martin have made some sort of agreement, with at least 20 Fianna Fail TDs expected to support a motion to have Cowen removed as leader.

JupiterKid · 13-01-2011 1:18am

Do they have the rocket capacity powerful enough to lift Biffo into outer space - to be ejected from our solar system permanently?

And then for all the FFers to follow suit...

TimeToShine · 13-01-2011 1:20am

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

There saying over on politics.ie that Newstalk is likely to report that Brian Lenihan and Micheal Martin have made some sort of agreement, with at least 20 Fianna Fail TDs expected to support a motion to have Cowen removed as leader.

There's the problem(s).

JONJO THE MISER · 13-01-2011 1:22am

If he is ousted or resigns surely they will have to call a election straight away.

jd007 · 13-01-2011 1:22am

I heard they're planning an assassination.

ger664 · 13-01-2011 1:22am

Why would they want to do that, who would want to be the leader the returns them with there worst election result. they'll leave biffo in place until after the eletion.

NoHornJan · 13-01-2011 1:25am

He doesn't need any other FF'ers help.

He's doing a great job of ousting himself...

OPENROAD · 13-01-2011 1:26am

ger664 wrote: »

Why would they want to do that, who would want to be the leader the returns them with there worst election result. they'll leave biffo in place until after the eletion.

Why wouldn't they?

FreudianSlippers · 13-01-2011 1:26am

From what I'm hearing the Greens are planning on retracting support next week unless something changes with Cowen.

starbelgrade · 13-01-2011 1:27am

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

If he is ousted or resigns surely they will have to call a election straight away.

No.

The Taoiseach is voted in by the government, not the people.

That's how Cowen got the job when Ahern stepped down.

starbelgrade · 13-01-2011 1:28am

OisinT wrote: »

From what I'm hearing the Greens are planning on retracting support next week unless something changes with Cowen.

Like a new hairstyle?

JonathanAnon · 13-01-2011 1:32am

Just watching the shows on the TV tonight, it was absolutely a new pathetic low for FF..... wheeling out Mansergh and Frank Fahy to defend Cowan.. after having Noel Dempsey and Tony Killeen yesterday... defending him unconditionally as one would a king (or a fuhrer)

There have been WAAAAY too many fcukups on Cowans part. He should have been gone after "gargle-gate"...

ejmaztec · 13-01-2011 1:34am

He'll go back into the film industry when he steps down and probably do a re-make of his last film, The Elephant Man.

maglite · 13-01-2011 1:37am

How long would you have to be Taoiseach to get a pension?

Trog · 13-01-2011 1:39am

The Greens have consistently held that they're retracting support once the finance bill is passed. FF need someone to step up to the plate and lead them to loss in the next election. That's why Cowen's still in place.

hotmail.com · 13-01-2011 1:43am

maglite wrote: »

How long would you have to be Taoiseach to get a pension?

Don't know about the pension, but after one day of being Taoiseach and he'll get a merc, a driver and garda protection for the rest of his life. He's only 51 now, quite a young ex-Taoiseach, so decades of that will add up.

Irish Wolf · 13-01-2011 1:50am

maglite wrote: »

How long would you have to be Taoiseach to get a pension?

Probably best to ask the Greens, they seem to have the system down with rotating ministers so they'd get the ministerial pensions.

mikom · 13-01-2011 1:55am

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

There saying over on politics.ie that Newstalk is likely to report that Brian Lenihan and Micheal Martin have made some sort of agreement, with at least 20 Fianna Fail TDs expected to support a motion to have Cowen removed as leader.

Same shit, different shovel.

brianthebard · 13-01-2011 1:58am

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

If he is ousted or resigns surely they will have to call a election straight away.

If anything it would be more likely for the government to finish its term.

thenutflush · 13-01-2011 1:58am

hotmail.com wrote: »

Don't know about the pension, but after one day of being Taoiseach and he'll get a merc, a driver and garda protection for the rest of his life. He's only 51 now, quite a young ex-Taoiseach, so decades of that will add up.

His dad died just before turning 52, according to wikipedia, so he might be predisposed to an early death...he'd want to start looking after his health or he wont make it to 60...

FreudianSlippers · 13-01-2011 2:03am

starbelgrade wrote: »

Like a new hairstyle?

THey've suggested he start by taking the marbles out of his mouth.

Riamfada · 13-01-2011 2:04am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E_VeC1XAtY

charlemont · 13-01-2011 2:06am

jd007 wrote: »

I heard they're planning an assassination.

Hopefullly it happens..

ArtSmart · 13-01-2011 2:07am

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

There saying over on politics.ie that Newstalk is likely to report that Brian Lenihan and Micheal Martin have made some sort of agreement, with at least 20 Fianna Fail TDs expected to support a motion to have Cowen removed as leader.

yeah, reckon the jig is up meself. caught off-guard by SF. who'd a thunk it.

ArtSmart · 13-01-2011 2:09am

brianthebard wrote: »

If anything it would be more likely for the government to finish its term.

ha ha. i know FF have balls that a frozen monkey would envy, but ha ha ha LOL.

Trog · 13-01-2011 2:17am

You know what pisses me off? All the things to go after Cowen about since he became Taoiseach, and it's a game of golf that does the trick. Why couldn't this have happened over a real issue? Like the bank bailout or NAMA or pretty much any major decision he's made?

hotmail.com · 13-01-2011 2:22am

thenutflush wrote: »

His dad died just before turning 52, according to wikipedia, so he might be predisposed to an early death...he'd want to start looking after his health or he wont make it to 60...

I'm still getting over the surprise of hearing that he was 51 on Monday.

brianthebard · 13-01-2011 2:33am

Trog wrote: »

You know what pisses me off? All the things to go after Cowen about since he became Taoiseach, and it's a game of golf that does the trick. Why couldn't this have happened over a real issue? Like the bank bailout or NAMA or pretty much any major decision he's made?

All those things were policies, which even if you disagree with them are what he's supposed to do. There's a heavy scent of illegality surrounding this game of golf however which he is not supposed to do. The fact that there might be a push against him by the party on this issue makes the questions of legality appear even stronger.

ArtSmart wrote: »

ha ha. i know FF have balls that a frozen monkey would envy, but ha ha ha LOL.

I can definitely see a new leader being able to settle a few green party fears, tell them they can come out with a u-turn announcement that now that Cowen is gone the coalition is back on track, and try and convince the greens to stay on for another six months to a year, at which point they'll tack on another six months to a year and the term is up.

patwicklow · 13-01-2011 2:37am

Well good riddance to him..

Capt'n Midnight · 13-01-2011 2:43am

Trog wrote: »

You know what pisses me off? All the things to go after Cowen about since he became Taoiseach, and it's a game of golf that does the trick. Why couldn't this have happened over a real issue? Like the bank bailout or NAMA or pretty much any major decision he's made?

Did he agree to help out Anglo Irish while on the gold course ?
That's the €43,000,000,000.00 question.

mikom · 13-01-2011 2:45am

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

agree to help out Anglo Irish while on the gold course

QFT.

StupidLikeAFox · 13-01-2011 2:47am

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Did he agree to help out Anglo Irish while on the gold course ?
That's the €43,000,000,000.00 question.

He knew they were in serious bother when he did include them in the guarantee.

Riamfada · 13-01-2011 2:55am

Who won the game of golf?

beanie. · 13-01-2011 2:57am

Grimes wrote: »

Who won the game of golf?

Anglo, clearly

Trog · 13-01-2011 3:02am

brianthebard wrote: »

All those things were policies, which even if you disagree with them are what he's supposed to do. There's a heavy scent of illegality surrounding this game of golf however which he is not supposed to do. The fact that there might be a push against him by the party on this issue makes the questions of legality appear even stronger.

Look, the fact of the matter is that no wrongdoing or inappropriate conversation was brought tolight by the fact that two men in high powered positions played glof together. Neither was there anything wrong in Cowen not telling the public about a golf match. He's entitled to a social life, and even though it's not the best PR idea to be seen socialising with the head of a bank which then failed and needed bailing out, he's still entitled to have all the games of golf he wants with him.

Capt'n:
Did he make the decision on the golf course? It's irrelevant. What's relevant is that he made the decision and it was the wrong decision. There's enough there to kick him out on legitemate political grounds.

Brian: He's supposed to make policies, but he's supposed to make the right policies, which, as leader of the country, he failed to do. There's a whiff of illegality to the golf, but until proof turns up it remains a whiff. Rumor has no place in politics. Bad policy does.

Generally:
If we (or rather our representatives) are not willing to kick someone out based on political issues, but are willing to kick them out based on who they socialise with then we've failed as a political vehicle.
Even if the decision was based in a corrupt agreement with Seanie, we still shouldn't need to know that to see that it has turned out to be a terrible decision politically.

Politics is for the people to decide on, law is for the courts.

beanie. · 13-01-2011 3:04am

ArtSmart wrote: »

caught off-guard by SF. who'd a thunk it.

Brought down because of his sporting activities, who'd a thunk it

Nevyn · 13-01-2011 3:10am

All deposing him and getting someone else to step up will do is stall and delay the general election, it's moving the chairs about on the Titanic.

Mr Benevolent · 13-01-2011 3:42am

Who cares? The tiger has bolted.

kincsem · 13-01-2011 4:07am

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Did he agree to help out Anglo Irish while on the gold course ?
That's the €43,000,000,000.00 question.

I now divulge that there was a James Bond versus Goldfinger golf match for very high stakes.

beanie. · 13-01-2011 4:10am

Thaedydal wrote: »

All deposing him and getting someone else to step up will do is stall and delay the general election, it's moving the chairs about on the Titanic.

Can't delay it by too much, 2 by elections in March will surely mean a GE.

marcsignal · 13-01-2011 4:23am

jd007 wrote: »

I heard they're planning an assassination.

yeah, they're going to lure him into the snug in the dail bar, with the promise of free pints, and then get mary harney to sit on him :pac:

ArtSmart · 13-01-2011 7:26am

brianthebard wrote: »

.

I can definitely see a new leader being able to settle a few green party fears, tell them they can come out with a u-turn announcement that now that Cowen is gone the coalition is back on track, and try and convince the greens to stay on for another six months to a year, at which point they'll tack on another six months to a year and the term is up.

two words

by-elections

(em is that one word or two

)

JohnathanM · 13-01-2011 10:45am

maglite wrote: »

How long would you have to be Taoiseach to get a pension?

As I understand it, he will receive a full pension if he clings on until the end of March and completes a term. That explains all the election dates floated, and this sh'te about maintaining unity for Paddy's day. After all that has been done to the people, Cowen can still only think only of himself - a true Fianna Fail man, for sure.

Biggins · 13-01-2011 10:50am

Originally Posted by maglite
How long would you have to be Taoiseach to get a pension?

One for every four years served I'm told.
So if your a TD like Harney has for 26+ years... plus any higher paying positions for office/roles held, beyond a standard TD rate, the pension(s) payable per week get a higher rate.

Gunsfortoys · 13-01-2011 10:54am

Thaedydal wrote: »

All deposing him and getting someone else to step up will do is stall and delay the general election, it's moving the chairs about on the Titanic.

This.

If they wanted to get rid of him they would have done it quite a while ago. This is another ridiculous tactic to further prolong a GE. How out of touch can you be to try and fool people with this crap?

beanie. · 13-01-2011 2:19pm

Looks like it's game on.

Biggins · 13-01-2011 2:22pm

DenisNaughten

Strong rumour around Leinster House that the Taoiseach will call election this evening. Interesting few hours ahead!

http://twitter.com/DenisNaughten

fontanalis · 13-01-2011 2:23pm

It seems like only yesterday that they couldn't wait to get rid of Bertie and plonk in Cowen.

Biggins · 13-01-2011 2:26pm

Independent TD Michael Lowry has confirmed that he will not support a new nominee for Taoiseach in the event of Fianna Fáil changing its leader.

Deputy Lowry, whose vote is crucial to the Government's majority in the Dáil, said 'if Fianna Fáil want a new Taoiseach, they should call an election.'

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0113/politics.html

beanie. · 13-01-2011 2:33pm

Lenihan on the way back from Belfast, and I heard Hanafin is leading the charge and could be new leader.

tonycascarino · 13-01-2011 2:35pm

beanie. wrote: »

Lenihan on the way back from Belfast, and I heard Hanafin is leading the charge and could be new leader.

she's not much better

Fianna Fail efforts to oust Cowen underway

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