Pascal Donoghue to World Bank

The childrens hospital fiasco, the bike shed, the RTE scandal i think he got the job for being soft on migration & spending on it. He was not a good guardian of our finances and its American companies tax loopholes that are making our economy good not any judgement on his part. he would have turned the taps off if he was any good and saved money not wasted it.

Might as well pin Maddie McCann on him while we're at it.

extremely debatable- he’s some of limited ability and vision. At best mid level material- the taxpayer funded political platform was a nice little launchpad for him- do you think the World bank are hiring pascal and his lisp for his amazing skills- Are they fcuk. He’s a great little door opener and network for them. Rotten to the core - everything that’s “wrong with Irish politics “ is rats like Donohoe

My first thought like many others, jumping from the sinking ship.

In my mind not really fair on those who elected him in his constituency to jump only a year into a five year stint but I suppose, what would a simple serf like me know ? 🤷🏻

Not an impossible conclusion. There does seem to be a problem with the higher levels of FG according to Shane Ross in the Sindo. He had one former FG minister claiming the party was led by donkeys. The Presidential Election fiasco can't have helped with grassroots confidence in the FG leadership.

I am not a fan of Paschal and someone said he delivered for his constituents, that is debatable, maybe he delivered for some of his more affable constituents but not for the less affable. Just look at some of the areas in the North Inner city that he was representing. I understand people electing him because he is a senior minister and we see that in every constituency, as people think "Oh he is a Senior Minister, they will be able to get things done for the constituency", just look at Harris and McEntee. All politicians that are in parties like FF, FG and SF it is always Party above all else, then family and crony's and then comes country and then constituency. Throw the plebs a few crumbs around election time and get elected.

In saying that he was a steady hand and did give people confidence in him in the roles that he was doing. Was he ambitious in those roles, in terms of driving the country, probably not, but then we as country are conservative and I think we prefer just a steady hand and it is that steady hand that has probably landed him the job with the world bank. I can understand why some people are angry towards him but lets face it most people if offered what he was offered they would be gone in a flash, I know I would, in fact if a company came in and offered a significant promotion and pay rise I would be handing in my notice to my current employer as fast as I could.

A step backwards for a leap forwards I would say.

You think he took a government role to somehow help the nation and not himself?

You placate the lobbyists, you get rewarded.

He’s just another leech.

Making fun of someone for a speech impediment, no matter how minor, just cheapens the rest of your argument, regardless of how much merit it deserves.

Either he did a competent job, or he did not; a good job is too subjective.

I am always suspicious of any commentator or journalist who links his future salary at the World Bank to his work as a minister; it's irrelevant, but it's used to set a certain narrative.

Yeah but no.

IFAC is a quango of ivory Tower academics put in there specifically to criticise the Government to satisfy the EU. They can shite on as much as they like but nobody in government will pay heed. The well paid dismal scientists in there know that too and play along. Well paid goons that offer little except the veneer of one alternative.... Don't spend.

There is a budget, technically called the estimates process. The first one is in October, cemented in December by the revised estimates process REV, but which changes with an Frev, a further revised estimates volume within the year that the original REV was for.

A budget for a particular year will make an estimate for the year after it. For example Budget 2019 (made in October 2018) will have an estimate for 2020.

To compare the budget sums made in October 2018 (Budget 2019) for the predicted expenditure in 2020 to the actual outturn of 2020, as ifac tends to do, is somewhat disingenuous.

To take that year as an example, there was no concept of Covid in the budget in 2019 when it was written in October 2018 but its in the FREV for 2020, and the outturn for 2020. Is it still correct to say that the Government was €20 billion out on its predicted spend in October 2018? Yes. And IFAC will state such obvious facts. But there was all that Covid lock down 'stuff' that had to be paid for.

The bump in 2025 largesse could be population growth, Ukraine or ipas expenditure or the one offs to protect 'the most vulnerable' from inflation. I'm not defending it, I'm sure lots of the increase was unjustified. But IFAC would be better served explaining why and what they would do differently.... And not the singularity of don't spend.