Dublin - Metrolink (Swords to Charlemont only)

I mean they surely have considered every single word of the application by now 🤷 even if only one person worked on the project. There's really not that many pages, not 3 years work

Completely lacking in self awareness and full of hypocritical nonsense?

I would disagree, he has contradicted himself multiple times over the years. Prime example was one of his objections to the Luas were we should instead be building a metro, now one of his objections to the metrolink are that we should instead be building more light rail…..

The reasons he flip flops is nothing less than blatant obstructionism as he doesn't believe the city needs more public transport infrastructure at all.

That's nothing to do with the mechanics of the State. I'm referring to his understanding of how our State works.

Yeah absolutely, I don't agree with him on that (and other things too).

I'm not sure it has ever really worked for him tbh. I don't think most people have the bandwidth to try to digest what he says on matters of Government and his manner makes him hard to like. I'd say his political career is middling in terms of achievements, he's a bit of an underachiever imo relative to his capacity (although you can't deny the impact that the PDs had on Irish politics).

I didn't say he was, but he was a Minister. I don't believe ministers should be quiet when key departmental initiatives are delayed.

Also I'd look at their history and their inputs into the latest planning act.

Not the case though. He co-founded the political party (and was the "intellectual powerhouse") that had the most impact on Ireland since the foundation of Fianna Fáil. As a Minister, he was probably the most zealous in what he did in that cabinet (for better or for worse, because I know a lot of people hated him in that role).

A criticism you can levy at McDowell towards the end was how he let that government role on at the end, partly due to his own personal ambition (just got the leadership). Apart from that, he was clearer a "doer" in Irish politics. As I said, he arguably was "middling" in terms of what he did vs. his capacity, which is really down to his manner.

I really don't have an issue with Michael McDowell writing in the Irish Times and putting forward criticisms of government (as Garrett Fitzgerald did before him and Leo Varadkar is moving into too). I think he's "earned" that and it is always a useful perspective to have people who were senior in politics. This doesn't mean I agree with everything they say but it's healthy to have discussions.

I would see this very much as a guarded warning from Sweeney that the political system needs to put on the ‘big boy and girl pants’ and face some realities. I understand it has been noticed the political level enthusiasm for this mega project is lukewarm, and in his experience lukewarm won’t really cut it. At the moment it is plodding along through the planning process etc but within 12 months or whatever it’s into the action phase where money, disruption, willingness to face down opposition will feature. If there are more soundings like this from him in the autumn there could be trouble ahead.

The final approval stage is standard for large projects and comes after or during planning approval.

We can of course expect 'fresh consideration' given to luas and DART spurs from charlestown and clongriffen. I would say it's likely to be dropped at that stage or 'delayed until an assessment of alternatives etc.'