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As a person, Simon Harris

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    #32
    Darc19
    Registered Users Posts: 3,817 ✭✭✭Darc19


    freshpopcorn wrote: »
    I do think he tries his best but it's a brutal job he has. At least he's easier to listen to than Louise O'Reilly is she was minister for health.

    All I'll say is thank feck for that. She's comes across as someone that knows absolutely nothing about Healthcare and only opens her mouth to moan


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    #33
    St Tropez Betty
    Closed Accounts Posts: 61 ✭✭St Tropez Betty


    I wasnt a fan of him before covid 19 but then again he wasnt in the limelight as much.
    I think to be fair though he stumbled into this crisis as a boy and will strut out of it as a man.


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    #34
    banie01
    Registered Users Posts: 16,607 ✭✭✭✭banie01


    10pennymixup wrote: »
    Handsome....Is that you Anne Keller (or the ghost of)?

    Helen?


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    #35
    freshpopcorn
    Registered Users Posts: 30,371 ✭✭✭✭freshpopcorn


    Darc19 wrote: »
    All I'll say is thank feck for that. She's comes across as someone that knows absolutely nothing about Healthcare and only opens her mouth to moan

    I always think they could pull somebody better out of the bag for health than her!


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    #36
    Wanderer2010
    Registered Users Posts: 6,713 ✭✭✭Wanderer2010


    When he started the job, he had a full head of black hair and a youthful, enthusiastic vibe. Now the stress of the position has him with grey hair, a permanent stoop and he looks about 50.

    That was a poisoned chalice anyway, akin to letting a mouse in charge of a zoo. There was no way he could change anything about the top-heavy incompetent behemoth that is the HSE. Whoever gave him that job was laughing for months afterwards.


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    #37
    Ipso
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,995 ✭✭✭Ipso


    Wanderer2010 wrote: »
    When he started the job, he had a full head of black hair and a youthful, enthusiastic vibe. Now the stress of the position has him with grey hair, a permanent stoop and he looks about 50.

    That was a poisoned chalice anyway, akin to letting a mouse in charge of a zoo. There was no way he could change anything about the top-heavy incompetent behemoth that is the HSE. Whoever gave him that job was laughing for months afterwards.

    Why would anyone take it in the first place?


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    #38
    Wanderer2010
    Registered Users Posts: 6,713 ✭✭✭Wanderer2010


    Ipso wrote: »
    Why would anyone take it in the first place?

    I wouldnt say he had a choice. Young and wanting to make an impression for his future career, he had to say yes.


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    #39
    Wtf ?
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 343 ✭✭Wtf ?


    cj maxx wrote: »
    How he's doing in the job will be known in the next year or 2/3/4
    The government hasn't done anything spectacular yet in the face of COVID19
    What have they not done ?


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    #40
    RobertKK
    Registered Users Posts: 33,740 ✭✭✭✭RobertKK


    He caused a general election due to his incompetence and then an election result which took the focus away from the virus, made excuses to keep flights coming from European virus hotspots saying we are in the EU and couldn't stop flights, despite others doing it.
    Got a rugby match with Italy cancelled but allowed in thousands of Italians to infect Dublin.
    No advice on Cheltenham.
    When nursing home visits were stopped by the nursing home body, the department of health which he is head of said it was not their advice.
    He should have been replaced a long time ago, he played a blinder in the early days to spread the virus.
    Two areas where he failed are where the virus is hitting the most, Dublin where he allowed thousands of Italians to travel to with no screening or quarantine, and in nursing homes. It has cost a lot of lives.
    But a lot of people thinks he is playing a blinder.


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    #41
    Wtf ?
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 343 ✭✭Wtf ?


    RobertKK wrote: »
    He caused a general election due to his incompetence and then an election result which took the focus away from the virus, made excuses to keep flights coming from European virus hotspots saying we are in the EU and couldn't stop flights, despite others doing it.
    Got a rugby match with Italy cancelled but allowed in thousands of Italians to infect Dublin.
    No advice on Cheltenham.
    When nursing home visits were stopped by the nursing home body, the department of health which he is head of said it was not their advice.
    He should have been replaced a long time ago, he played a blinder in the early days to spread the virus.
    Two areas where he failed are where the virus is hitting the most, Dublin where he allowed thousands of Italians to travel to with no screening or quarantine, and in nursing homes. It has cost a lot of lives.
    But a lot of people thinks he is playing a blinder.
    Another Armchair critic ! So Funny ! What would you have done differently ?


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    #42
    Beechwoodspark
    Registered Users Posts: 15,407 ✭✭✭✭Beechwoodspark


    I am bemused by him as a person.

    Won’t be able to judge his performance as minister until this crisis is over.


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    #43
    Beechwoodspark
    Registered Users Posts: 15,407 ✭✭✭✭Beechwoodspark


    Wanderer2010 wrote: »
    When he started the job, he had a full head of black hair and a youthful, enthusiastic vibe. Now the stress of the position has him with grey hair, a permanent stoop and he looks about 50.

    That was a poisoned chalice anyway, akin to letting a mouse in charge of a zoo. There was no way he could change anything about the top-heavy incompetent behemoth that is the HSE. Whoever gave him that job was laughing for months afterwards.

    He does seem to have prematurely aged in the last few years.


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    #44
    Jonybgud
    Registered Users Posts: 463 ✭✭Jonybgud


    Wtf ? wrote: »
    Another Armchair critic ! So Funny ! What would you have done differently ?

    Your question was answered in spades and that's your best reply?


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    #45
    Wtf ?
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 343 ✭✭Wtf ?


    Jonybgud wrote: »
    Your question was answered in spades and that's your best reply?
    I want to hear what could have been done if you had been running the show ?
    Enlighten us Messiah ?


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    #46
    Jonybgud
    Registered Users Posts: 463 ✭✭Jonybgud


    Wtf ? wrote: »
    I want to hear what could have been done if you had been running the show ?

    With a palette as large as that I could mix a blend of ministerial genius and paint myself into the history books by elevating our fair nation to a wonderland of wellbeing and generous excess with no room for want or doubt.

    Your question is childish and nonsensical, before asking for our insights please grace us with some of yours.


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    #47
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 6,192 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    He has a terrible dour demeanour for a politian job


    But the perfect personality for the job,in that he is listening to the experts and doing what he told by experts and has overseen a complete overhaul of the health service in space of 2 months


    I did like,his intention to overhaul nursing/care homes when this is over....things cant be left go back to way,they were healthcare wise across the board


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    #48
    cannotlogin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,172 ✭✭✭cannotlogin


    I don't think most of us know him personally so it's not really fair to judge him on anything other than as a politican.

    The health portfolio is a poison chalice anyway- can anyone name a successful health minister? No one ever makes a success of it or delivered anything of meaningful success.

    He comes across as a lot more sincere & personable than the majority of politicians.

    His appearance on the children's tv programme was excellent in getting the points across so children could understand and I can't think of any other politican who would have done it and done it so well.

    He is presiding over the largest health crisis in our life time and Ireland appears to be coming out of it better than a lot of countries. I'm sure a lot of the decisions aren't taken by him but even so.

    Give the man a break.


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    #49
    Church on Tuesday
    Registered Users Posts: 3,858 ✭✭✭Church on Tuesday


    mr_fegelien wrote: »
    He's pretty handsome but his voice sounds like a fecking cartoon so ruins it

    From out of nowhere!


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    #50
    andekwarhola
    Registered Users Posts: 4,638 ✭✭✭andekwarhola


    cj maxx wrote: »
    The government hasn't done anything spectacular yet in the face of COVID19

    What could they have done better, save restricting travel in and out of the state? They closed down schools early and - for a party like FG to be fair - closed down the publican and construction industries while guaranteeing people that have lost their jobs at least 1400 quid a month minimum and giving guidance to banks re: moratoriums etc.

    I'm no supporter of FG and never will be but this is a time where governance is needed, not politics and grandstanding. Look at the UK or US for a more sobering view.


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    #51
    theballz
    Registered Users Posts: 1,272 ✭✭✭theballz


    Went to school with him. Really nice chap, he’s doing a great job.


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    #52
    JohnnyFlash
    Registered Users Posts: 7,055 ✭✭✭JohnnyFlash


    We have never had a Minister of Health who was popular while they were in office. Noel Browne is now seen as a true reformer, but was despised at the time. His policies effectively brought down a government.

    I'm not comparing Harris to Browne, but Harris did manage to get Sláintecare passed through both houses with cross-party support. The health budget increased by 4 billion a year under his tenure. He comes across as caring, considered, and fundamentally decent during this extraordinary time we all find ourselves in.

    He's either portrayed as a bumbling idiot, or some sort of Machiavellian right-wing monster. The reality is probably being a dude who got into politics because he wanted to do so out of some genuine calling for public service, and now finds himself as a figurehead. I'd cut the young fella some slack.


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    #53
    Irish Steve
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 6,521 Mod ✭✭✭✭Irish Steve


    What has been very much evident is that regardless of the occasion, front and centre on the media, or in a piece for kids that probably didn't get shown outside of the kids channel, Simon Harris comes across as being on top of the information, with or without a tele prompt in front of him. No "um", "er" "you know" or thinking space, he is very capable of thinking on his feet and doing so very well, and it has distinguished him from many politicians both here and abroad.

    Every interview I have seen him give in recent weeks has been clear, usually informative and understandable, and those are qualities where he has been visibly and massively different in the right sense when compared with a whole range of people, across a number of countries.

    Yes, early on, in common with a lot of other countries, mistakes were made, but bigger mistakes were being made by other places, and have been made since, even with even more evidence from the preceding countries.

    Right now, we seem, and there's a way to go yet, to be getting a better level of control than most other countries have been able to, and some of that is very much down to the clear direction and leadership that has been shown by the front line team, of which Simon Harris is one.

    In some respects, I hope he can be left in place for some time to come so that the massive issues that still have to be addressed can be dealt with by someone who has been through the worst of this emergency, and come out of it looking a lot better than many of his counterparts in other countries.

    Shore, if it was easy, everybody would be doin it.😁



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    #54
    Richard Hillman
    Registered Users Posts: 12,033 ✭✭✭✭Richard Hillman


    Very creepy individual. I reckon he was the type of kid that used to wear a 3 piece suit and get invited to birthday parties as a favour to his parents


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    #55
    Church on Tuesday
    Registered Users Posts: 3,858 ✭✭✭Church on Tuesday


    Richard Hillman wrote: »
    Very creepy individual. I reckon he was the type of kid that used to wear a 3 piece suit and get invited to birthday parties as a favour to his parents

    Not FG and never will be, but the man is happily married with a child.

    He is also doing a decent job at a tricky time.

    Creepy he is not, more respected.


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    #56
    SouthWesterly
    Registered Users Posts: 6,594 ✭✭✭SouthWesterly


    Having worked in his department, the guy works hard and is generally liked unlike a former health minister who is currently his boss.


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    #57
    freshpopcorn
    Registered Users Posts: 30,371 ✭✭✭✭freshpopcorn


    theballz wrote: »
    Went to school with him. Really nice chap, he’s doing a great job.

    Was he able to pull?


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    #58
    PhilOssophy
    Registered Users Posts: 2,114 ✭✭✭PhilOssophy


    Beechwoodspark wrote: »
    He does seem to have prematurely aged in the last few years.

    Wouldn't you, if you were trying to raise a sunken ship with a piece of thread.
    Still, imagine what Louisa would have done - saw her interviewed recently and all she could talk about was renters!


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    #59
    TuringBot47
    Registered Users Posts: 991 ✭✭✭TuringBot47


    Richard Hillman wrote: »
    Very creepy individual. I reckon he was the type of kid that used to wear a 3 piece suit and get invited to birthday parties as a favour to his parents

    Bizarre comment and more a reflection of your mindset.

    I'd no strong opinions on him before joining this thread, but he strikes me as an introvert. Nothing wrong with that. You can perform a job and not be natural in front of the camera. People seem to expect politicians to be 50% performers/actors/dramatic speakers.


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    #60
    sabat
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,896 ✭✭✭sabat


    Richard Hillman wrote: »
    Very creepy individual. I reckon he was the type of kid that used to wear a 3 piece suit and get invited to birthday parties as a favour to his parents

    Yep, you could see during the referendum campaign that he was getting a buzz from being in with the cool kids for the first time in his life.


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    #61
    FFVII
    Registered Users Posts: 1,382 ✭✭✭FFVII


    Record breaking figures on trolleys


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