FF/FG/Green Government - Part 3

Darragh O'Brien in one of the papers begins an article talking about Sinn Féin. This is the minister who didn't deliver one "affordable" home last year. But but Sinn Féin...

Interestingly in the same article he says that "we have effectively banned big investment funds from bulk buying traditional family homes".

They've done no such thing.

From a procedural aspect it means that the ambassador in that country also gets ejected which would leave any Irish in Moscow by themselves. Keeping embassies up and running is an essential part of ending any conflict and isn't to be done on a whim regardless of what has happened.

I couldn't tell from the picture what paper it was in but I guess it must be. You can see the article on his twitter account...

https://twitter.com/DarraghOBrienTD/status/1497939912733171718?t=jJTuJYiny7MxT_4YXlyVww&s=19

But but but Putin calls it a peacekeeping operation, surely that gives him a pass in your eyes.

Putin is bombing the place to kingdom come blanch.

I wouldn't criticise them for not expelling the ambasassor. As you say there is protocol to follow.

The bit I'd criticise them for is that they are running around the media and social media saying the ambassador should be expelled. Yesterday Fianna Fáil elected/nominated representatives were circulating a petition demanding the expulsion of the ambassador. There was talk of Fine Gael doing similar today but I haven't seen it. Several of their TDs have called for the ambassador to be expelled.

Are they just trying to be popular? People see through members of government parties, that constantly vote along government lines, calling on the government to do something. And they should be criticised for it.

Plenty of them outside the embassy for a photo op over the weekend.

Pretty much the expected response, 0 nuance there 😀. 0 for effort as well, come on and contribute some critical thinking instead of just stalking all the government threads with pantomime replies.

The FF and FG (if true) messing about there is pretty stupid, luckily the cabinet won't just follow, expelling an ambassador has real consequences for people (including Irish people), it shouldn't be done on a popularity vote. Diplomacy is taught for a reason.

No problem to be outside an embassy in protest, its visible and can be broadcast, but someone needs to be inside the embassy.

Again, no nuance, no critical thought.

Why might it make sense to maintain diplomatic relations when a war is going on? Let's start from the very basics and see where we get to, as much fun as "government trying to take advantage of a war" narrative might be. Why would a military(legitimate or not) ensure there was diplomatic channels to facilitate contact? Why would a country not expel or imprison that contact? (I know, worms everywhere).

The photo ops outside the embassy were part of the same "messing" you refer to. Billy Kelleher MEP even went to the bother of making a sign calling for the ambassador to leave. Tweeted that he was driving all the way from Cork and would drop the ambassador to the airport. Beyond childish.

Just did the maths. 32 signatures to the FF petition. More than half the PP. Who decides party policy in this area? The minority? Or some unelected party officials? If that were another party it would probably be described as "chilling".

Again I don't think we should expel the ambassador due to the implications it would have for our embassy and our citizens that rely on it. Just here to call out this shite from people who should know better.

More of the patronising but still avoiding the difficult question

The EU will probably take action on diplomats this week, whither your theory on negotiations then?

Quite a self serving sidestep on the poisonings conundrum too. NOBODY knew that they had stopped and NOBODY had recieved assurances they would stop.

So once again, stop patronising people your protestations have evidently run out of road.

I never said anything about backbenchers/parliamentary party's.

There were also valid reasons for not trusting British intelligence that you had even been given and for expelling.

I mean if we're going to start expelling diplomats, it shouldn't just be the Russians. Saudi and US can go just as easily

Chickens coming home to roost.

Because more hot heads like yourself are what's needed...

Just on a point of order, but how would expelling a diplomat stop that?

You and I know it won't and cant.

Would you be in favour of joining NATO or sending lethal aid to Ukraine?