General Irish politics discussion thread

Not sure going down a route about the NHS is going to be successful.

I'm sure there are equally horrendous statistics about our own health service.

Ivana Bacik very angry today with the Healy Rae's telling them to shut up in the Dail.

Will she hold her seat?.

I can't help you if you don't understand English

Was MON appalling enough a health minister to lead FFG so you think?

Yes sky news are famously never ones to over-exaggerate a story 🤣🤣🤣

And the health system in NI is definitely all SFs fault despite the DUP sharing power with them and the tories being the main drivers of the decimation of the NHS definitely had nothing to do with any faults in the NI health service

21,634 homes completed in the first 9 months of the year reported by RTE, that's an average of 28,845 if the same rate is kept going for the next 3 months

SF are promising 60,000 but how does the current figure compare to the promises FFG made?

The Daily Mail calls it for 29 November - I think they (and Roderick) will be proved right.

FG sources are quoted saying

"We're going to party like it's 2007 - and romp back into power like Bertie Ahern's Fianna Fail did".

I assume FG will flatly deny this claim but it has a ring of truth and the denials will not be too emphatic because FG know voters won't object to a spending blow-out, especially if it is disguised as "once-off" or "non-core" or whatever you please i.e. the last three Budgets.

Many voters are too young to have voted for Bertie's FF and most of the older voters like to pretend the massive increase in public spending back then had nothing to do with the crash.

Oh also, did anyone hear Micheál Martin on the Group Chat podcast today? He was very grouchy with the 3 hosts… Didn't like Richard Chambers' line of questioning regarding Gaza, and really didn't like all 3 of them and how they asked questions about housing…

He doesn't like to be challenged on any issue. The government have tried to present themselves in a positive light on Gaza saying loads of good stuff but doing very little that would annoy the US.

MM or Richard Chambers?

Quite possible - it would be no surprise if he decided to just make stuff up. Irish Pol. Corrs. have been perfectly useless over the past year other than as messengers for favoured politicians. When was the last time a Pol. Corr. broke a story, not something handed to them? Remember their panic the morning that Micheál said he had a big announcement - they had missed the referendum revolt, then Leo resigning, and then Eamon (still walking dead amongst us like Joe Biden). They all thought Micheál would follow suit. None of them saw Jack Chambers coming.

But it is still significant that this is on the front page announcing the general election and we haven't heard a peep out of FG in reply (correct me if I'm wrong). I assume someone will eventually ask FG if it's true and they will deny it. But they won't say anything to dispel the impression among the electorate that Budget 2023 proves FG are now the biggest spenders.

Nothing. Israel on the other hand is another matter but then again you know that.

No, there is also investigative journalism. The only kind you see in the movies.

The new problem in Ireland is that our Pol Corrs (i.e. journalists who inhabit Leinster House) seem to get stories only from their favoured politicians and don't ask awkward questions. Even worse - they are blind-sided by the big stories - Leo gone, then Eamon, now Heather, and here comes Jack Chambers!

Many of these journalists end up working for those same politicians when they are in government. That is a scandal you won't hear about in the media. I think they don't even see a problem.

Jennifer Bray on today's Irish Times politics podcast made a point that she's tired of getting people on twitter say she's just doing whatever before she gets a nice government job and said she's been offered a job 4 times and turned them down 4 times.

Thought it was interesting.

I have no reason to believe she isn't. Do you?