FF/FG/Green Government - Part 3

This is one of your first contributions to this exchange complete with your opinion on why LPT was brought in and you've doubled down on that "haimes" opinion quite a few times. As I said it's just one opinion against another. We differ and that's life.

LAs have over €200m+ outstanding in rent, some of it for decades, up to 30% in business rates in some places, and up to half their parking fines. As they say they've got form.

FF went from 71 seats in the 2007 GE to 20 seats in the 2011 GE. This is what Martin wants to rehabilitate.

Regards...jmcc

I believe they know how unpopular the idea is, but they are desperate for somebody to fill the seat of the presidency to stop the other parties from gaining the power that would be needed to 'bring down the show', were they to somehow get in during the next GE. While the president isn't directly involved in the politics of the Dáil etc... they do have responsibilities that coincide with the Dáil and Seanad.

The President's powers include:

• Appointment of the Taoiseach, members of the Government, judges and other officials;
• Summoning and dissolving the Dáil, and convening the Oireachtas;
• Signing legislation into law and/or referring Bills to the Supreme Court;
• Representing the people of Ireland;
• Acting as Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces.

One thing that springs to mind from this list is MM recently calling for a rethinking of our neutrality. A president like Bertie could give FF more lease for statements such as those, and would ultimately hold the keys to make the changes happen.

They also could have an effect on bringing about another GE, seeing as they are losing popularity quickly for this upcoming one, this could be a sign that they are already hitting the panic button. During certain political events such as emergency elections (for example), the president is highly involved in the processes of the election. This is straight out of the statute book:

2. —(1) During the continuance of the present national emergency, the Taoiseach may, whenever he so thinks proper, advise the President to direct that a general election shall take place and, upon receipt of such advice, the President shall (save as is otherwise authorised by the next following sub-section of this section) direct by proclamation that a general election shall take place.

So, if Sinn Féin were to get in and form a coalition with FF for example (which I don't think is a good idea for SF personally), then they could potentially try and swing the tides back the other way. That might sound a bit far fetched, but I don't think they could turn this one around without something of that magnitude anyway.

Never said it was going to happen to be clear, just that FF were panicking. It is implied that I wouldn't put it past them but you could say that about anything sure. What do you feel is the reason they would risk putting Bertie in for a presidential election?

Looks like there's trouble over Finance and who gets to sit in the big chair.

And, of course, Varadkar is at the centre of it.

Regards...jmcc

Varadkar is just a liability to both FF and FG at this stage.

Regards...jmcc

Ahern is a crook but he would still run rings around the caliber of FF today. Don't know why the party leadership would readmit him to the party.

The problem seems to be that Finance is part of the agreement and this is just Varadkar being Varadkar. Martin has been such a weak leader of FF that there may be an expectation that he'll just agree to FG keeping Finance. Even the Indo seems somewhat surprised at McGrath's smackdown of Varadkar.

Regards...jmcc