Will he take the job as an Taniste next December or retire ?
Since becoming Taoiseach he has had only 1 issue to deal with and he delegated to a bunch of useless doctors while pissing away our money...
I don't understand why he would do it that way and run the risk of getting dragged kicking and screaming out of the FF leadership if as you say he has already decided in his own mind he won't be leading FF into the next GE and being tanaiste means little to him.
If he is planning to announce in say May next year that he is stepping down as FF leader, well why not do it six months earlier and put to bed any strife within the party over the issue.
"He came off as a bit cold sympathising whereas the Higgins have a warmth about them,especially Sabina."
Micheal Martin lost two children. The Higgins lost a dog.
He'll say what he's saying now regarding that, that he won't be stepping down when he transfers office. Even if he's asked will he lead them into the GE he'll say yes. And then when he announces he's stepping down he'll say it like "on reflection, I have decided to step down to give a chance to someone else to lead with a fresh approach" yada yada
Here he is in January 2020 saying he won't go into coalition with FG.
But he'll be pressed hard for absolute clarity on his intentions in the run-up to the handover. If he is planning to step down as FF leader before the GE why not announce it then? If he is still insisting he is staying on at the point his enemies in the party might very well take him at his word and launch a heave.
I expect between March and June 2023 there'll be an announcement of a leadership contest.
I don't think MM will step back right away but once he steps away from Taoiseachs office he has nothing else to go for in politics.
Fixed the housing crisis did he? Did he fu@#
Tbf it seems like,what the obvious outworking of health services being overrun is
It has happened(as said in derry with this country),india,america,italy etc ...why would it be any different in the free state??
Im no particular fan of this government,nor lockdowns,but to claim,they dont save lives is a bit ludicrious.....surely stands to obvious reason what they do,as blunt as they may be?
And if my aunt had balls she’d be my uncle…exactly what this whole mania was based on. “What if” scare mongering. The type you’ll never be wrong with even though it never happens. Yawn 🥱
Surely they prevent 'ancilary' deaths,by stopping health services being over-whelmed and collasping??
If yous had a heart attack/serious car crash etc,if the hospiteals overrun/collasped you simply wouldnt have treatment (pretty sure this happened in derry at one stage!)
That must be why Ireland’s death rates sits in parallel or even above countries with lower restrictions. This myth that restrictions save lives is the real anti science crap. At best they delay some deaths
Often hear this red herring pulled up. On a personal level this is deeply tragic and he has my sympathy on that. But that’s irrelevant to the job of Taoiseach- which he willingly chose to undertake. If that in any way effects his ability to do this immensely important public service role (for which he is extremely well remunerated I might add) he simply should not be there.
No fan of the man but he has buried 2 kids.
Did anybody manage to catch the funeral today where he was sympathising with the family?
Ashlings dad had him grabbed by the arm and was shaking his head as he spoke to him..thought he looked very serious whatever he was saying.
He came off as a bit cold sympathising whereas the Higgins have a warmth about them,especially Sabina.
Just on the death rate thing..
That's because anyone who dies within a month of a test in England is a covid death..so their numbers are inflated..
Anti-science?? Ahahahha.
The facts show for themselves on the dangers of the virus to what sectors of the population.
The ineptitude of the health service isn’t my fault. That lies with those who have been in power consistently over the last few decades, FG and FF.
The state of the health service despite the billions thrown at it every year is the fault of well paid failures like MM. It’s not my fault, and my rights shouldn’t be impinged for two years because of it.
Affected a minority of the population and despite that the entire population lost a huge amount of their rights over the last two years.
This kind of nonsense annoys me and is based on bullcrap notions.
Had measures not been introduced then far more would have been directly affected and potentially even died. Furthermore, you would would have seen far more people who needed treatment for other ailments being untreated because the medical professionals were too busy dealing with covid patients.
As for people losing their rights, is people's right not to die or the right to medical treatment not more important in your view?
Lets have a discussion on MM based on facts and not your anti-science crap.
Blander than vanilla ice cream.
State at absolute insane levels of debt which will be paid by those the virus had little impact on.
Utterly shameless.
The man who broke the country twice.
Someone said we could 've had Boris. I put MM above him. What's the problem? Btw I don't judge a Govt on just how they handle a pandemic.
In which case all anyone can look at is the numbers. Fewest deaths, highest and quickest vaccination programme, level of economic activity maintained.
I'm no defender or voter of FF or FG but I bet every Boards.fr/es/py/ug/whatever is full of people saying their country has handled Covid the worst. Some are probably even saying "I wish we had NPHET and Martin". My friends in England and the US certainly think Ireland have handled it better.
I think MM could have done with a better pr team.
He doesn't appear to relate to social media, and definitely doesn't have his finger on the pulse of the general public.
He needs to be more positive and advertise when the numbers are going the right direction.
A politician who comes across ass been afraid of being a taoiseach.
He may want to lead his party in the next election but can't see the party backing him.
He always came across as a decent and honest person.
Leo will come out smelling of roses when he takes the rains and relaxs any remaining restrictions that are left by then.
You're not even thinking about what you say are you?
All the global statistics show that Ireland has weathered the pandemic, scientifically and financially better than most other nations of the World developed or otherwise.
Our death rate per head of population compared to Britain is half. Half!!!!!!
We have maintained positive economic growth throughout and through careful treasury management have supported any business and individual employee for as long as it was needed.
Our vaccination rate and speed is, again, one of the very highest in the World!
I hate to have to remind people, but it's a **** pandemic. The worst thing that can happen globally next to a World War.
Of course, It doesn't suit the narrative of the lazy, feckless ditch hurlers, who wouldn't themselves lift a finger to get involved in politics or improving their own communities. They'd much rather sit on their holes giving it the "bleeding gubbernment Joe" all day and night.
Have some mistakes been made? Definitely. Would the gift of more knowledge and time have led to a different strategy at different junctures? Absolutely. Do we need to learn lessons for future national crises? Any Country would be mad not to.
But the inconvenient truth is Micheál Martin has been a good Taoiseach in the crisis. A man of decency and clear headed consideration. Hard working and openminded. Steadfast in anxious times.
You may disagree with me of course, but cast your eye around the World and ask yourself what other Country would you have preferred to go through this nightmare in.....
I just can't see it happening, he'll stand down before transfer of Taoiseach role to Leo but of course I could be completely wrong, I just think he's done with it all and has achieved everything he set out to achieve.
He'll be the shortest ever serving Taoiseach when he steps down on December 15. I bet John Bruton is delighted to loose that title
So do we take it that if he goes through with the handover, he definitely intends to lead FF into the election? It wouldn't make sense to me for him do that with the intention of standing down at some point before the election, but not tell anyone.
Becoming Taoiseach as Fianna Fail leader is a lot easier than being a Fianna Fail Taoiseach who retires without a major scandal in fairness 🤣
For a long time, he was looking very likely to have the unwelcome legacy of being the first FF leader not to serve as Taoiseach.
I think he was desperate to avoid that, and once he got into office, it was mission accomplished. He had no agenda or plan of what he wanted to do or how we wanted to lead the country. I think he just wants to see it out without any major scandal.
I make that mistake myself all the time. Add to that the fact that the only cabinet ministers I can ever think of are FG ones with the exception of Donnelly who isn't doing FF any favours in my book.
I just can't see that he or FF have any vision for the country. In the past FF always had leaders with a very clear vision of who they and the party were l. Whether you liked it or not you knew who as a voter they were but he has nothing.
If you sat a first time voter down to explain the options in an impartial way how would you even describe the current FF.
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