Enda Kenny issues grovelling apology to union leaders

gonedrinking

http://www.breakingnews.ie/election/news/kenny-apologises-to-begg-after-vested-interests-website-reference-494053.html

It seems Kenny folded faster than superman on laundry day. FG are going to get steamrolled in public sector pay negotiations. Doesn't bode well for future bailout talks either to have such a weak-willed, spineless man leading the negotiations.

HellFireClub

If Kenny had gone the other way on this, and stood up to these nation wreckers, he'd have sealed himself an overall majority, not that I'll be voting for him I might add, such is the public fury at the likes of O' Connor and Beggs who have been correctly called as having been up there with the developers, politicians and the bankers in relation to the state of the country now...

ilovesleep

gonedrinking wrote: »

http://www.breakingnews.ie/election/news/kenny-apologises-to-begg-after-vested-interests-website-reference-494053.html

It seems Kenny folded faster than superman on laundry day. FG are going to get steamrolled in public sector pay negotiations. Doesn't bode well for future bailout talks either to have such a weak-willed, spineless man leading the negotiations.

Not very inspiring I must have to say.

GalwayGunner

Ah Christ Enda - grow a pair!

.....just when I beginning to think that I could actually live with this plank being the leader of our country.

GSF

Where is the "grovelling" apology? if you actually listened to what he said (which admittedly is not reported well in the linked article) he explained why he considers the unions to be a vested interest. The article seems to be written in support of Thomas Byrne (an obsure FF candidate in trouble)

murf313

HellFireClub wrote: »

If Kenny had gone the other way on this, and stood up to these nation wreckers, he'd have sealed himself an overall majority, not that I'll be voting for him I might add, such is the public fury at the likes of O' Connor and Beggs who have been correctly called as having been up there with the developers, politicians and the bankers in relation to the state of the country now...

Sorry but how are unions "nation wreckers"?

Not that im a supporter of siptu etc but that just doesn't make sense.

aphex™

Now is not the time to be pissing off anybody especially a group with such a huge vote as the unions. He should start the media campaign against them the day after he gets into power. He's right to take it back if it stops things escalating right now.

I'll be voting for a strong government....

gonedrinking

aphex™ wrote: »

Now is not the time to be pissing off anybody especially a group with such a huge vote as the unions. He should start the media campaign against them the day after he gets into power. He's right to take it back if it stops things escalating right now.

Thats what I am hoping, but at the same time pretty much every public sector worker is going to be voting for labour anyway, so I don't think attacking the unions would lose FG votes.

jprender

“I’m sorry if David Begg is offended”

That's what Enda said.

He doesn't say that he is sorry for his original statement, or have I missed that.


I can call someone a boll1x, and then apologise if it offends them. The original statement can still stand though

murf313

gonedrinking wrote: »

Thats what I am hoping, but at the same time pretty much every public sector worker is going to be voting for labour anyway, so I don't think attacking the unions would lose FG votes.

Is that right? how do you presume that? I ma a public sector worker and I have no intention of voting labour.....

Typical irish economy post- presuming you know everything about public sector workers :rolleyes:

gonedrinking

murf313 wrote: »

Is that right? how do you presume that? I ma a public sector worker and I have no intention of voting labour.....

Typical irish economy post- presuming you know everything about public sector workers :rolleyes:

I'm basing it on the fact unions have been encouraging their members to vote left and also encouraged them not to vote FG:

http://tomasoflatharta.com/2011/01/12/unite-union-calls-for-a-left-vote-in-the-irish-general-election/

murf313

gonedrinking wrote: »

I'm basing it on the fact unions have been encouraging their members to vote left and also encouraged them not to vote FG:

http://tomasoflatharta.com/2011/01/12/unite-union-calls-for-a-left-vote-in-the-irish-general-election/

Just because the unions are encouraging it doesn't mean everyone is going to blindly follow what they say. I wouldnt piss on jack o'connor if he was on fire......

Its not just public sector workers who are in unions either by the way....

ilovesleep

gonedrinking wrote: »

Thats what I am hoping, but at the same time pretty much every public sector worker is going to be voting for labour anyway, so I don't think attacking the unions would lose FG votes.

Im not a public sector worker and I'm voting labour.

sollar

HellFireClub wrote: »

If Kenny had gone the other way on this, and stood up to these nation wreckers.

Anglo and the other basketcase of a bank didn't recognise unions. They ruined the country imo as the other banks then foolishly followed their path.

Bertie, cowan and mccreevey where collecting the wrong taxes that was a terrible idea. Maybe a few decent tax policies and less developer friendly tax breaks could have saved us

Its ridiculous to see unions as nation wreakers..... just reading too much independant newspapers i think.

sollar

gonedrinking wrote: »

I'm basing it on the fact unions have been encouraging their members to vote left and also encouraged them not to vote FG:/

You have it all wrong if you think people follow everything their unions recommend. Anyway people don't only vote on work issues.

Miap

Have to disagree with the sweeping statement that all public sector workers are voting labour! I am a public sector working and im voting FG!

Ronin247

People keep missing the point with Enda.He is going to be the next Taoiseach and so all he has to do is not get involved in a bitter argument which as GSF said was started in support of Thomas Beirne a FF candidate.

FF and Labour will throw as much sh*te at Enda this week as they possibly can.I will judge Enda on his performance when he is in office but, as Richard Bruton discovered, it doesnt pay to underestimate him.

niallers1

aphex™ wrote: »

Now is not the time to be pissing off anybody especially a group with such a huge vote as the unions. He should start the media campaign against them the day after he gets into power. He's right to take it back if it stops things escalating right now.

I'll be voting for a strong government....

How do unions have a huge vote.. This implies that anybody who is a member of a union cannot think for themselves?

Bullseye1

And people laugh at Fox News. This is biased BS.

aphex™

niallers1 wrote: »

How do unions have a huge vote.. This implies that anybody who is a member of a union cannot think for themselves?

I think that if the union and FG had a media fight that over the next week the union members might not keep in mind how it started and things could escalate to the point that your opinion is unduly swayed against voting for a strong government.

thebman

It does seem the article title has little to do with the content and the title of this thread is even more misleading again.

How is saying sorry if your offended a grovelling apology to union leaders :rolleyes:

Some people wish Enda was more of a plank than he is apparently and want to mislead other people into believing their works of fiction.

Anyone can take one sentence out of context too, for all we know he said it sarcastically!!

dowlingm

sollar wrote: »

Anglo and the other basketcase of a bank didn't recognise unions.

You're wrong in the case of INBS:
http://www.iboa.ie/inbs/press/2011/02/10/irish-nationwide-staff-urged-not-to-cooperate-with/

doc_17

Yeah it wasn't a grovelling apology. Kenny got his message out and in classic style is now trying to kinda maybe sota roll back but not really. As a union member I didn't realise I was in the same category as Fingers and Seanie!

jimmycrackcorm

doc_17 wrote: »

Yeah it wasn't a grovelling apology. Kenny got his message out and in classic style is now trying to kinda maybe sota roll back but not really. As a union member I didn't realise I was in the same category as Fingers and Seanie!

But the unions were vested interests. The teachers unions were claiming that they were partially responsible for the boom because of our "highly educated workforce". So they got their benchmarking in return. Examine how much the unaffordable public sector pay bill has climbed in the last 10-12 years and tell me that the unions aren't in any way responsible for it....

doc_17

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

But the unions were vested interests. The teachers unions were claiming that they were partially responsible for the boom because of our "highly educated workforce". So they got their benchmarking in return. Examine how much the unaffordable public sector pay bill has climbed in the last 10-12 years and tell me that the unions aren't in any way responsible for it....

Imagine (or maybe you don't need to!) you had a child in a shop and the child kicked up a stink and wanted something and you didn't want to buy it to them. Do you let them stew or cave in and give them what they want?

The buck stops with the men writing the cheques. Everything else is noise imo. Either you are the leader or you are not. And just because you come under pressure from unions doesn't mean you have to give in!!!

Maybe unions are vested interests but so are many other, private sector, groups like IBEC and ISME. They lobby and get (some) of the things that they want (see the recent minimum wage reduction as proof of that). Are they only a "vested interest" that needs tackling? Or is that ok?

Yes the pay & pension bill is high but there are 105,000 people drawing a PS pension and that get lumped in with the pay bill.

But Kenny didn't apologise for his comments - from what I can see.

fliball123

sollar wrote: »

Anglo and the other basketcase of a bank didn't recognise unions. They ruined the country imo as the other banks then foolishly followed their path.

Bertie, cowan and mccreevey where collecting the wrong taxes that was a terrible idea. Maybe a few decent tax policies and less developer friendly tax breaks could have saved us

Its ridiculous to see unions as nation wreakers..... just reading too much independant newspapers i think.

The last 3 people are ps and the banks along with the ps appointed regulators fcuked up the country

doc_17

fliball123 wrote: »

The last 3 people are ps and the banks along with the ps appointed regulators fcuked up the country

So the entire PS is down to 3 people? And you just happen to take the worst 3?

What if some idiot tried to compare the entire private sector to Seanie or Fingers just cos they were in important positions and did disastrously? don't you think that'd be a tad unreasonable?

jimmycrackcorm

doc_17 wrote: »

Imagine (or maybe you don't need to!) you had a child in a shop and the child kicked up a stink and wanted something and you didn't want to buy it to them. Do you let them stew or cave in and give them what they want?

How appropriate that you compared unions to a kicking and screaming child.

He wouldn't debate on VB and now this, and this is the guy that could be running the country in the next few days, go grow a pair Enda :rolleyes:

Tim Robbins

gonedrinking wrote: »

http://www.breakingnews.ie/election/news/kenny-apologises-to-begg-after-vested-interests-website-reference-494053.html

It seems Kenny folded faster than superman on laundry day. FG are going to get steamrolled in public sector pay negotiations. Doesn't bode well for future bailout talks either to have such a weak-willed, spineless man leading the negotiations.

I think you're wrong.

If Kenny took a hardline he'd be accussed of been like the neo-liberal blood sucking PDs. A clever move by Kenny.

thebman

doc_17 wrote: »

Imagine (or maybe you don't need to!) you had a child in a shop and the child kicked up a stink and wanted something and you didn't want to buy it to them. Do you let them stew or cave in and give them what they want?

The buck stops with the men writing the cheques. Everything else is noise imo. Either you are the leader or you are not. And just because you come under pressure from unions doesn't mean you have to give in!!!

Maybe unions are vested interests but so are many other, private sector, groups like IBEC and ISME. They lobby and get (some) of the things that they want (see the recent minimum wage reduction as proof of that). Are they only a "vested interest" that needs tackling? Or is that ok?

Yes the pay & pension bill is high but there are 105,000 people drawing a PS pension and that get lumped in with the pay bill.

But Kenny didn't apologise for his comments - from what I can see.

In fairness the unions need to cope themselves on a bit. The screaming child analogy may be right but realistically they have to grow up as this will just lead to privatisation of all public services where possible as the taxpayers will eventually lose the will to fund these services that are ever more expensive and we are almost at that point now.

Yes the public sector also pay taxes but they aren't the majority contributor or voters and so they will lose out if the rest of the nation loses interest in funding their sector and wants it privatised.

The public sector can scream the service will be crap but sometimes we have to go with crap services we can afford over good services we can't where they are good and in some cases they are expensive and not up to scratch.

I don't have a problem with good public services but I expect them to be good. Where they are not they should be shut down.

What the unions don't realise is everyones patience is wearing thin with their demands and if they strike, the public will most likely side with the government right now and any move to get those services from elsewhere, cheaper.

lmimmfn

This is B$ and just an attempt to appeal to the masses of unionised workers out there. Theres nothing wrong with it, you just have to look beyond whats being portrayed in the media, i.e. get some extra unionised folk voting for you.

The_Thing

Once the Blue-Shirt's hard-on for Merkel and her policies subsides he will need to start work on a grovelling apology to the Irish people for failing us when we most needed a saviour.

Middle-class FG will defer naturally to wealthy elite

Dannyboy83

Michael O'Leary reckons people should vote Fine Gael:
http://video.ft.com/v/799686241001/O-Leary-Ireland-needs-IMF-reforms

Says Labour are just a mouthpiece for the unions, and the unions are as guilty as the bankers and developers in the rape of Ireland.

Hayte

I love how unions and unionism can literally be blamed for anything. Its like socialism in the States. Don't eat that rat poo bubbah! You might catch socialism!

If you have the temerity to blame the unions, the senate, the banks then at least be honest enough to realize that the real underlying problem is "politics as usual". The same old cronyism, the same old nepotism, the same old same old where everyone that wields great wealth and political power gets paid first and stays friends.

At this point you could elect Jesus Christ to the highest political office and he would still be beholden to the same vested interests. Interests which probably don't align with your own unless you also happen to wield great wealth and political influence.

Sparkyd2002

As far as Im concerned the two major unions only represent Public sector workers. they have as Michael o Leary points out been instrumental with the banks and government through Social Partnership, in driving wage costs up and therefore the cost of doing business as well as the cost of living. No one group is to blame for the catastrophe but if we are allowed point the finger at other groups then equally we should be allowed criticise these particular organisations also. I agree with previous posters saying Enda needs to grow a pair and stick to his guns on this.