John Bruton RIP

Met him once doing a clinic in the local hotel. The woman ahead of me barking that she wanted new windows n doors in council house. Me in next saying I got knocked for planning for my business.

He was after being taoiseach n I remember saying to myself - sod that traipsing around the country on a rainy Tuesday listening to this crap.

He told me apply again - I did n got the nod. Dunno if he pulled any strings or not but a daycent skin nonetheless

Bruton was able to rise above such narrow closed mindsets, he had a skill in drawing them out. Even in death he has made such people look very foolish. Far worse than any VAT on children's shoes.

Bruton knew the importance of statesmanship, and is one of those who successfully dragged those blinkered people who were more concerned with destruction at worst / or petty symbolism at best - back into the democratic process. He kept a close eye on those who wanted to destroy the ROI from within, and forced them to change "strategy".

Both from the point of view of those who styled themselves to be "freedom fighters" or those who viewed themselves as druglords who thought they could act with impunity, while living in the lap of luxury. He fought against the destructive mindset.

The Criminal Assets Bureau (brought in by Bruton) and the SCC worked hand in hand to solve this.

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History will look at him as one of those generation of politicians who got the outcasts of Irish politics who behaved like savages, to behave like dignified human beings, and eventually, getting that subset to grow up and cop themselves on.

While some in Irish politics were insular, petty, backward, and local in mindset. Bruton looked beyond that towards Europe and a brighter future for the Republic.

It is thanks to politicians like Bruton that Ireland now has enormous "soft power" at the heart of Europe, and beyond. Something only other countries can envy, and many of whom are nations who are of a much larger populous.

When history looks back on Bruton he will be viewed in a very favourable light, helping set Ireland up for the 21st century.

Even Gerry has the decency to respectful today, although he cloaks it as Gaeilge, as he knows his supporters who will be most disappointed by this fact can't actually read it.

And no one likes a funeral with no soup and sambos after. You'll be the talk of the parish.

It's a hell of a comment on our political class when the best thing one can say about a dead Taoiseach is that "he did no harm".

:/

So you expected him to lie? He wasn't afraid to give his opinion whether you agreed with it or not. And he drew many people out because of it. It was almost as if he was waiting for the reaction

The Reality is Bruton was giving an alternate viewpoint to the PR job of Padraig Pearse who cleverly tied with Gaelic mythology and symbolism. Romantic republicanism is only a very recent invention.

Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of Ireland from the annals of Ulster going way back knows that Irishness is far more complex than Pearse's simplistic PR job. Irish people are a mix of Nordic/Viking, French, Anglo-Irish, and Celtic. Ireland was a "European hub" long before the term hub was coined. There used to be Irish clan v Irish clan, some with Vikings some without, old Irish vikings fighting New Irish Vikings. Sure Dublin has a GAA club called Naomh Olaf's. After the man with Viking lineage turned Monk/Saint.

That was globalism medieval style.

My point is Bruton thought in much broader sense like St Olaf, he did not think of "Irishness" in the narrow Pearse Republican narrative, he did not think in an insular parish pump manner, or Republican Gaelic Mythology.

Years ago I probably would not have agreed with Bruton's comments, but as I got older and matured. Moved away from the flag waving symbolic narrative, you do have to think was it worth it? What did it achieve? And were their viable alternatives? He had the courage to question the prevailing narrative many trot out, at the very least he got a reaction with the comments, at best he made people think. Reassess their viewpoints, etc

He was head and shoulders above the leaders of today. A man of integrity, albeit with views that not everyone agreed with. It strikes me that statesmanship is missing nowadays and it appears to be all me fein. Well that's how I feel about it.

I know it was a different time and we have moved on a bit, but the days of Bruton were not easy to navigate either. He was respected in life and will be respected in death.

May he rest in peace.

He was a what we call now, a WUM... wind up merchant... said for reaction and to annoy, hurt and disparage people.... he has a record of that..

I don't expect lies but from a politician , a prime minister I expect levels of diplomacy, good judgement and cop on.... and not that level of BS....

If something similar was said by a French PM about their revolution... a lot less docile a reaction..

He seemed like an honest politician and had Ireland's interests at heart.

RIP.

I look at it this way he gave as good as he got. No doubt there are certain cohorts hammering him on other areas of social media far worse than this thread. But that says to me showed he stood by his viewpoint to think broader, not being swayed by the narrow more popular ones. Bruton wanted Ireland to get out it's backward provincial type thinking. He really manages/managed to draw certain gombeens out with such comments. Helped to lift the mask a bit IMO.

He was very consistent with his comments and was invited to speak in plenty of forums during the "decade of centenaries". Giving the "alternate view".

Plenty of politicians today go missing, go vague, obfuscate, or decline to comment when asked to address difficult subjects. Bruton was not afraid to give his opinions. You knew where he stood like him or not. He was not beholden to a very recently invented narrow ideology, and narrative.

There is an account over on X and the comments are just disgraceful about someone who has just passed away.

Twitter is a cesspit and there’s a rabble of Irish users there (usually rabid Republicans or far-right conspiracy theorist loons) who spend all day being useless blobs of impotent rage on it. They are to be pitied really - they wake up being an angry loser and it’s all down hill from there for them.

Not much chatter about him here (none in AH for example) and other forums outside the news itself.

Forgettable guy? Bit like Patrick Hillary, the man before the big bang

For some reason cannot register thanks on your OP, so thanks .

Not really baffling. The country started to get a bit of money and one side said "let's be careful about this" and the other said "mansions, hookers and SUVs for all"

Of course the minority coalition partner got the obligatory kicking too.

There were scandals . Mobile phone licences being granted under shady deals , ESAT carry on , Michael Lowry and don't forget all the " aides/ family members " employed by Dick Spring and his party in government .

Don't think that reflects as much on Bruton though as it did on the individuals involved and he was open about cleaning house which had he been 'cuter ' like those that followed , would have saved his party's politically .

People were annoyed over that and FF promised the earth and much more, with the good financial position the country was reaping after 3 years of clever economics by the Rainbow government.

Disappointing that they didn't get back in on the next GE though . We definitely would have avoided the worst of the crash .