Would Berty make a good President.

Mike Murdock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123060830#Comment_123060830

If Bart Pat were that popular with the "Silent Majority", he'd have run as an Independent by now.

He's not popular with the electorate.

spaceHopper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123058175#Comment_123058175

He did a lot of good but he was the one, pumping up the property market talking up a soft landing and telling people who warned of the madness that they should go into a room with bottle of whiskey and gun. He left power in May 2008 by September 2008 the banks had collapsed. He was minister for finance and Taoiseach in the lead up to it and allowed them to cook the books which lead to the collapse. The is also a strong bang of corruption off him, between the dig outs and no bank account.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123060837#Comment_123060837

I'm fairly sure his first name is actually Patrick. Older sources have Patrick Bartholomew and newer ones reverse them.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123060837#Comment_123060837

……it has always been Bertie-what have you got against first names? For most politicians surname is what they’re known by but there are a few going back many years who were equally known by their first names too -Charlie, Garrett, Albert, Enda, Leo to name just a few

Oíche Na Gaoithe Móire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123061075#Comment_123061075

You can't say he's not popular with the electorate, he hasn't run for an election since 2007.

He retired as a TD, he was finished with that, running as an independent wasn't on his agenda.

If voters elect Lowry, who's financial corruption was proven by a tribunal, there's nothing to say Ahern wouldn't receive similar votes.

Mike Murdock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123062001#Comment_123062001

Running for the Aras as an Independent would have been feasible if he were that popular.

He's not.

Bart Pat Ahern = Bartholomew Patrick Ahern

Oíche Na Gaoithe Móire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123062021#Comment_123062021

If he was up against a group like Peter Casey, Adi Roche, Dana, and presidential elections are full of those type, he'd have a great chance.

Just because you can't stand him and most of the people you know don't like him doesn't mean anything. It's a tiny sample. There are areas of the country where a lot would vote for him.

Even one third of an old FF rural base is something many other candidates won't start with.

It's a bit like anti Trump talk, you don't know what a large silent group think.

jj880

No. Bertie wrecked the country buying elections with his giveaway budgets, tax breaks for developers and removing regulation. Here we are again with no lessons learned from Bertie and lads like him. He might make a good spoofer of a president but doesn't deserve it.

Sad thing is he has a good chance of getting it.

irish_goat

What's the real criteria for being a "good" President? You need to be able to speak well in public, schmooze with people from all backgrounds and have a small knowledge of the workings of government. You can rely on your respective expert advisors for pretty much all the major "powers" the President has.

With that said, Bertie would be fine at the job, but so would a lot of people.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123062136#Comment_123062136

You need a bit of gravitas - Bertie has that - I’ll bet many candidates running won’t have that if previous batches candidates are anything to go by - the electorate has been pretty spot on electing the best of a bad bunch in previous elections - I’m hoping they’ll do similar this time - but you can’t discount a novelty act and a bit of a social media viral activity to push them to the front - we did afterall vote Dustin the Turkey for Eurovision - hopefully the requirements of becoming a presidential candidate in the first place will prevent such nonsense from happening but no guarantees

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123061532#Comment_123061532

Checked this and despite loads of stuff, including for instance the Special Olympics recording his opening speech in 2003 as being by Patrick Bartholomew Ahern, he actually was born Bartholomew Patrick.

RnaG/TG4 used to say "Pádraig Parthalán Ó hEachthairn" too; but this is his birth registration on Ancestry (good thing to note here - if you're born in Ireland pre 1958, your mothers maiden name is available online. Don't use it as a security question!)

kneemos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123063477#Comment_123063477

The Dragons Den lad was a shoe in until something about brown envelopes was revealed at the last debate. Micky D was very lucky.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123062075#Comment_123062075

”Buying elections”?

Complete and utter balderdash. The electorate know full fcking well what happens come election time - it’s always “promises” and “good times” where possible that get politicians elected 🤪

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123063627#Comment_123063627

He was a complete and utter lightweight

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123064545#Comment_123064545

eh? You say balderdash then you admit it happens. Are you on the pints?

Bertie took it up a level during the boom that's for sure.

You do remind me of Bertie when he told anyone trying to talk some sense into him to go commit suicide. He tried to laugh it off when asked about it. A great lad. Example to everyone. Make him president.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123064616#Comment_123064616

again complete balderdash - and no I’m not “on the pints” - Bertie just like most of the politicians in the world at that time took the lead from the vast majority of economic advisors who believed there was nothing to worry about - when things went south politicians got the blame - not the greedy sh1tes who had amassed massive debt and half a dozen properties in Budapest off the plans that never got built - personal greed is a terrible thing and rarely admitted to

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058388652/would-berty-make-a-good-president

He does need somewhere to live tho, after his divorce he's been kipping on his mates couches for ages now.

The Aras would be good for him.

Maybe Boyle Sports could open a branch in the Phoenix park so he could have the odd flutter to improve his fortunes

Jim Herring

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123064701#Comment_123064701

He needs another dig-out? 🤔

FFS

Akrasia

Ah thats a very cynical way of looking at it. Sure Phil the plumber is mates with Bertie, he can do up some of the bathrooms, and Paddy the plasterer can cover some of Mickey D's stains he left around the place, and Stevo the sparks can install some underfloor heating to the kennels out the back where Georgie the grayhound trainer keeps the dogs when they're laying low for a few weeks…

Oscar_Madison

Go Bertie!

Bertie for President !

Vote A-hern (as Bush used to call him) No.1

Strumms

he’s 73. He gets a significant pension from his political career for nowadays doing nothing. If he wants to work he can. He has a website, he’s doing a good bit and will obviously charge for his appearances….

https://www.bertieahernoffice.com

if I was him I’d at his age, stick to his pension, his bits and pieces appearances and relax… seems a big of an ego trip wanting that gig at his stage in life.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123064741#Comment_123064741

I’ve got news for you - for the last number of presidential elections it’s been an ego trip for all of the candidates - wallflowers don’t elect to put themselves forward for President of Ireland.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058388652/would-berty-make-a-good-president

Ireland votes man as president who drove the country into banking meltdown and caused Ireland into economic collapse and led to the IMF needing to be brought in.

It shredded Irelands international reputation and it's seen as corrupt "...Wild West of the financial markets.." ever since.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123058175#Comment_123058175

Just a recession? Are you having a laugh. Banking collapse and IMF and a bailout. Building sector never recovered, housing never recovered. And this muppet ignored all the institutional warning, and accelerated us faster and so much deeper into crisis.

Internationally it would a disaster for Ireland reputation if he stands never mind gets in.

You have to ask who would he be doing it for? Not for Ireland interest that's for sure. And if it's not for Ireland best interest what does that say about him.

Esel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123060837#Comment_123060837

Parthalon as Gaeilge, apparently..

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123064903#Comment_123064903

“Ireland votes man as president who drove the country into banking meltdown and caused Ireland into economic collapse and led to the IMF needing to be brought in.”

That’s quite a claim - and Bertie did all of that by himself? Personal greed of a significant % of the population and lack of restraint had nothing to do with it at all no? Or economic factors way out of Irelands control? Or lack of accurate central bank data along with appropriate actions to curb the rise in spending? It was Bertie that did it- OK.

jj880

Bertie removed all kinds of regulation and gave crazy tax breaks to wreck the economy. It's a fact. Bertie was at the wheel.

Attempts to tar the public as greedy are pathetic. You always get the apologists with the "global issues" angle as if that should let him off the hook. Maybe we can blame global issues for him saying he'd no bank account.

If he was in power now he'd have no problem with vulture funds buying up full housing estates, renting them out to us and paying next to no tax. He'd call it "much needed investment". He ruined the country's balance sheet for generations with his policies. He should be afraid to show his face nevermind being talked about for a presidency.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123060839#Comment_123060839

The "playing the orange card" thing was FF spin and nothing else. There was a good cop/bad cop thing being done with Bruton and Spring

Canary Wharf happened because Major was unwilling to accept talks without token single-sided decommissioning.

FF got exceptionally lucky that the Belfast Agreement was basically there on a plate.

The campaign would be very focused on Bertie's finances and the various lies he told, even more than the disastrous decisions taken by Government's he led.

I don't think he'll run, and he wouldn't win. He's pretty toxic for people aged approx 33-50.

One bizarre thing seen in recent months; he appears on radio shows and podcasts and is interviewed as if he is an entirely legitimate figure, no mention of the disgraceful incidents that marred the last couple of years of his time as Taoiseach.

AyeGer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058388652/would-berty-make-a-good-president

Yes Bertie, I think you would be a reasonably good choice for President.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123065356#Comment_123065356

“The campaign would be very focused on Bertie's finances….”

That’s the real reason his chances wouldn’t be good - personal financial fitness and probity. We can argue all day on why did Ireland suffer so much economically and what caused it and likely never to agree - but there’s no disputing that aspect of his past- only Bertie would disagree 🤪