Brendan O'Connor's Bertie U-Turn

Priori · 25-03-2012 06:19PM #1

Here's what Brendan O'Connor wrote about Bertie in 2008, after he resigned as Taoiseach (I'll highlight the more relevant bits in bold):

So. Happy now? Was that all worth it? With a media that is given to blowing up fits of indignant rage about everything from Kevin Myers to Dustin the Turkey, this was perhaps inevitable. This was the ultimate fit of righteousness. And now it's over and everyone has calmed down a bit. And what have we achieved exactly?
We have forced a change of leadership in Fianna Fail. In fact, in reality all that has happened is that the change in the leadership of Fianna Fail was pushed forward by a few months, maybe a year.
Was that worth suspending the running of the country for a year for? And now, as Eoghan Harris said on the Late Late, they will presumably come for Cowen. Cowen has become a kind of god this last year, the unquestioned, untested messiah who is going to save us all and save Fianna Fail. And who knows, maybe he will.
He is a popular choice as Taoiseach, he was charming and funny taking leaders' questions the other day; he seems like his own man; and Fianna Fail has stayed unified -- on the surface anyway.
But I wouldn't like to be Cowen now, would you? Is he really going to be a better leader than Bertie Ahern? Is he going to be more perfect? Is anything necessarily going to be improved now?

And here's the same Brendan O'Connor, writing in the SINDO today:

Brendan O'Connor wrote:

DON'T like Bertie Ahern. Never did. Never got it. Tried to respect that other people did, even though I found that hard. I had one personal experience with him and I thought it and its fallout revealed him and his people to be a fairly tough crew.

The Mahon tribunal, in so far as we can read between the lines, doesn't reveal a very nice person either -- a liar, and a guy who was clearly unyielding enough in his dealings with the women in his life. The tribunal reckons he lied through his teeth about pretty much everything. He certainly lied to it about some things. And really, it was brazen at times. You have to wonder why he wouldn't just come clean. What was he hiding?...

stoneill · 25-03-2012 06:21PM

I had his nasaly drawn out voice in my head while I was reading it.

dory · 25-03-2012 06:22PM

We really need to STOP READING HIS STuFF!!

Fishooks12 · 25-03-2012 06:22PM

Brendan O Connor is a waste of skin

This is the same lad who said talk of the property bubble bursting was "nonsense!

California Man · 25-03-2012 06:24PM

Listened to that clown O'Connor years ago when he was all pro Iraq invasion. Muppet.

Cavehill Red · 25-03-2012 06:26PM

Ah yes, this Brendan O'Connor, the same meathead shill who was touting property as a smart ballsy move in late 2007.

It should be a criminal offence to mislead the public as often as this prick does.

Wild Bill · 25-03-2012 06:29PM

If only O'Connor was the only one.

His piece was part of a Sindo campaign against Moriarty in early 2008. You folk really need to stop focusing on personalities/individuals and get the big picture.

You are being manipulated like a collie maneuvers a flock of sheep!

The Establishment needs to ditch Bertie in order to continue his policies via the FG/Labour Regime.

Tweedledum/Tweedledee.

Bertie will stay out of prison and keep his pension so that the establishment of FF/FG/Labour can continue to screw the country.

And the bleating sheep (aka, the Irish majority) will rotate their useless votes between the three. :cool:

Aidric · 25-03-2012 06:29PM

A complete and utter meathead. The guy genuinely makes my skin crawl.

Fishooks12 · 25-03-2012 06:31PM

Wild Bill wrote: »

If only O'Connor was the only one.

His piece was part of a Sindo campaign against Moriarty in early 2008. You folk really need to stop focusing on personalities/individuals and get the big picture.

You are being manipulated like a collie maneuvers a flock of sheep!

The Establishment needs to ditch Bertie in order to continue his policies via the FG/Labour Regime.

Tweedledum/Tweedledee.

Bertie will stay out of prison and keep his pension so that the establishment of FF/FG/Labour can continue to screw the country.

And the bleating sheep (aka, the Irish majority) will rotate their useless votes between the three. :cool:

What?

Benny_Cake · 25-03-2012 06:32PM

I do wonder sometimes if the Sindo isn't some massive attempt to troll the country. No doubt they'll be blaming the usual enemies - anyone who has ever expressed a vaguely republican sentiment, the sneaking regarders in RTE, public servants, the Labour Party, and Reichskanzler Merkel.

ChunkyLover_53 · 25-03-2012 06:37PM

He should have stuck to Stand-Up and not that Mrs. Browns Boys sh1te, don't know what the BBC see in it.

danger mouse · 25-03-2012 06:41PM

Id love to see oul bertie spend a few nights in Mountjoy... Oh a guy can dream

Wild Bill · 25-03-2012 06:42PM

Fishooks12 wrote: »

What?

I refer you to my post that you just quoted!

If you need it in braille, apologies, no can do. :cool:

Logical Fallacy · 25-03-2012 06:52PM

He hasn't really said any contradictory within the two pieces.

oppenheimer1 · 25-03-2012 07:00PM

ChunkyLover_53 wrote: »

He should have stuck to Stand-Up and not that Mrs. Browns Boys sh1te, don't know what the BBC see in it.

Thats Brendan O'Carroll Picture and we're talking about Brendan O'Connor [URL="http://www.anphoblacht.com/news/images/2006/03/02/oconnor.jpg] Picture [/URL]

Wild Bill · 25-03-2012 07:01PM

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

He hasn't really said any contradictory within the two pieces.

He went from sneering at the removal of Bertie to saying he always knew Bertie was a crook? Good enough for me!

But then the Sindo is a specialist in twisting and turning to advance the O'Reilly/Harris poison.

My God! - am I looking forward to slaughter in Indoland when O'Brien/Desmond breach the walls of the putrid fortress.

Replacing Tweedledee with Tweedledum to be sure - but the massacre will be a pleasure to watch

Toby Take a Bow · 25-03-2012 07:02PM

Wild Bill wrote: »

I refer you to my post that you just quoted!

If you need it in braille, apologies, no can do. :cool:

Dear God, indicating that a newspaper has a particular slant on the Moriarty Tribunal hardly makes you an oracle. If you want to let 'the sheep' in on your secret knowledge, you might think of adopting a less condescending tone.

tonycascarino · 25-03-2012 07:03PM

Brendan O'Connor, much like alot of people, only goes whatever way the wind is blowing

steelcityblues · 25-03-2012 07:05PM

Go over to the Saturday Night Show thread, and plenty of clueless folk who think he is a 'great' presenter, and forget about his pro FF musings every Sunday.

He is where he is because he does not rock the boat.

Logical Fallacy · 25-03-2012 07:13PM

Wild Bill wrote: »

He went from sneering at the removal of Bertie to saying he always knew Bertie was a crook? Good enough for me!

But then the Sindo is a specialist in twisting and turning to advance the O'Reilly/Harris poison.

My God! - am I looking forward to slaughter in Indoland when O'Brien/Desmond breach the walls of the putrid fortress.

Replacing Tweedledee with Tweedledum to be sure - but the massacre will be a pleasure to watch

Once again, that is hardly contradictory. In the first he is basically calling the removal of Bertie a Pyrrhic victory, he doesn't say he likes Bertie, he says it's ****ing sad to see such pointless focus on achieving a result which was always going to happen a few months down the line.

Not a fan of his, but I reckon this thread will be filled with people who can't see far enough past their dislike him to actually read what he said.

Coriolanus · 25-03-2012 07:14PM

I don't read papers or watch tv much, but he looks like a cùnt in those ads so that's what I have to form my opinion on him.

Nodin · 25-03-2012 07:16PM

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

Once again, that is hardly contradictory. In the first he is basically calling the removal of Bertie a Pyrrhic victory, he doesn't say he likes Bertie, he says it's ****ing sad to see such pointless focus on achieving a result which was always going to happen a few months down the line.

Not a fan of his, but I reckon this thread will be filled with people who can't see far enough past their dislike him to actually read what he said.

Quote:

DON'T like Bertie Ahern. Never did. Never got it. Tried to respect that other people did, even though I found that hard.

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/an...e-3060504.html

Brendan O'Connor March 9th 2008

Quote:

We have seen the greatest minds of our generation destroyed by madness and we have seen the greatest politician of our generation and his government rendered impotent by that madness at the very time we need them most.

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/an...s-1311528.html

Continuity Wolfe Tone · 25-03-2012 07:20PM

You missed this quote:

We have seen the greatest minds of our generation destroyed by madness and we have seen the greatest politician of our generation and his government rendered impotent by that madness at the very time we need them most. Mark my words, we are only beginning to count the cost of this madness.

If someone were to smash up that rags printing presses he would be doing mankind a great service.

It's not just Brendan O'Cpnnor, it's the entire paper and its culture thats the problem, not individuals. If the usual suspects where to leave they would be replaced by people who would spout the same crap, push the same agenda.

Persiancowboy · 25-03-2012 07:20PM

Wild Bill wrote: »

If only O'Connor was the only one.

His piece was part of a Sindo campaign against Moriarty in early 2008. You folk really need to stop focusing on personalities/individuals and get the big picture.

You are being manipulated like a collie maneuvers a flock of sheep!

The Establishment needs to ditch Bertie in order to continue his policies via the FG/Labour Regime.

Tweedledum/Tweedledee.

Bertie will stay out of prison and keep his pension so that the establishment of FF/FG/Labour can continue to screw the country.

And the bleating sheep (aka, the Irish majority) will rotate their useless votes between the three. :cool:

Is that you Mary-Lou?

Logical Fallacy · 25-03-2012 07:22PM

Nodin wrote: »

Quote:

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/an...e-3060504.html

Brendan O'Connor March 9th 2008

Quote:
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/an...s-1311528.html

I'm gonna say this one more time, for the cheap seats up the back.

How is that saying that he "likes" Bertie???? Or are we beyond the point of a separation between an acknowledgement, flawed or otherwise, of what someone has done and being able to dislike them?

lividduck · 25-03-2012 07:22PM

Continuity Wolfe Tone wrote: »

You missed this quote:

If someone were to smash up that rags printing presses he would be doing mankind a great service.

It's not just Brendan O'Cpnnor, it's the entire paper and its culture thats the problem, not individuals. If the usual suspects where to leave they would be replaced by people who would spout the same crap, push the same agenda.

EH, heres a novel idea, if you don't like it, do what I do, dont buy it!

Continuity Wolfe Tone · 25-03-2012 07:24PM

Persiancowboy wrote: »

Is that you Mary-Lou?

Shinners! Shinners?! They're Everywhere! And there out to get us and eat our babies!

You'd fit in well at the SINDO.

TeddyTedson · 25-03-2012 07:26PM

Yes but his sneering at the removal of B B Bertie was more of a reflection of his thoughts about Cowan is what I'm gathering from reading it anyway.

Like him or hate him, in fairness to the bloke he asks people on his show the questions we'd like to ask ourselves. A lot of other presenters try to stay on their guests good side. You have to respect that at least.

Cavehill Red · 25-03-2012 07:27PM

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

I'm gonna say this one more time, for the cheap seats up the back.

How is that saying that he "likes" Bertie???? Or are we beyond the point of a separation between an acknowledgement, flawed or otherwise, of what someone has done and being able to dislike them?

Describing Ahern as "the greatest politician of a generation" isn't an acknowledgement of any reality - it's a blunt, partisan fanboy cheer, and self-evidently infers that O'Connor not merely liked the man but actively cheerled for him in the national press many years after it was demonstrated that Ahern was both bent and had mismanaged the national economy into its worst ever depression.

Nodin · 25-03-2012 07:29PM

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

I'm gonna say this one more time, for the cheap seats up the back.

How is that saying that he "likes" Bertie???? Or are we beyond the point of a separation between an acknowledgement, flawed or otherwise, of what someone has done and being able to dislike them?

.....that would require "nuance". If you can point out where that nuance appears in the article referring to Bertie as the greatest politician of our generation .please do so

Doc Ruby · 25-03-2012 07:29PM

Continuity Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Shinners! Shinners?! They're Everywhere! And there out to get us and eat our babies!

You'd fit in well at the SINDO.

I'm fast reaching the stage where I might even give the shinners a vote, if they
a) ditched the communist nonsense
b) cut all ties with the IRA
c) put a workable economic plan together

Brendan O'Connor's Bertie U-Turn

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