Exactly Kerry. This proposal of no confidence in James Reilly was worthwhile insofar as it was an opportunity for public to see that for all their handwringing and fake wails over last few days Labour will put up. Now it’s time they shut up so we can see them for what they are, Fine Gael lackeys.

Was very enlightening to see Ruaraí Quinn on the BackToSchool series last night and his contempt for the Deis school teachers/parents’ protests.

Massive irony , but then again why are they surprised at opposition parties playing what they call unattractive politics , there is no attractive politics , and oppositions oppose , as we can see by the current performance it doesn’t seem to matter which party is elected they all manage to consistently let the people down and leave us to despair for someone to take some smart decisions and do the right things for the people, these health cuts while paying unsecured bonds billions is an example of exactly what nobody voted for in the elections alas it looks like this is what we are getting…

have to add that i don’t think last nights program on dept of education did Quinn or his “advisors” and favours… just cemented in my mind more how much of a bully boy/girl any minister can be

agree with you there Kop .. and who were those kids he had as advisers.

very easy for the “advisors” to say cut this and that….. what worries do they have on their over inflated salaries…..

They can start with the grossly over exaggerated pay packets and ex ministers pensions and perks. Enough is enough.

Point of order. Even if we write off ALL the bank debt, we’re still left with a huge deficit so these cuts still need to be made anyway.

Croke Park agreement should never have been signed and needs to be ripped up now. Those are the unpleasant but all too true facts.

Collinde.

If the money that was given to the banks is taken off state hands and put in as part of the overall banking solution for the Euro, then it makes the difference between survival of this state and generational stagnation.

We’ll still have to cut the cloth to measure but it will not be at such an economically destructive price to us.

We had a €20 billion deficit BEFORE any bank debts were taken into account. That’s because we are spending three quarters of the health budget on wages and also because we are paying our consultants three times what the Germans pay theirs.

They’re doing a “Greens” and hanging in there long enough to make sure they all get their TD’s pensions.

Shameful.

I hope the people who voted for them see them for what they really are…they have constantly ignored their grass roots supporters and are now as right wing as their bedfellows…The Labour Party is no more!

“Labour backbenchers appear to be more concerned with holding onto their own seats and remaining in power than in fighting for a just and social society.”

That’s not just Labour Backbenchers, that’s politicians everywhere.

stating the obvious there Damocles.. look at quinn’s program last night. he couldn’t care less about the promises he made before fore he got in power. C’est la vie was one of the flippant remarks he made about students protesting over the education fee hikes.

Damocles

I was highlighting the difference between the stated Labour parties and their actions. The following is taken from the Labour Party wed page;

“Our ideas & policies
Labour will continue to put forward new ideas and policies on our vision for a fairer and better Ireland, for a Fair Society that is built on a prosperous and sustainable economy, personal liberty and social solidarity.”

I wonder could we actually take a case against them for false advertisement?

Is a manifesto binding in law or is it simply a statement of intent?

“CONSTITUTION OF THE LABOUR PARTY
What Labour stands for:
The Labour Party believes in tackling the underlying conditions which generate the systematic and deeply rooted inequality which people experience. The achievement of equality requires that society be reorganised with the specific objective of a more equal distribution of wealth and power.”

On the membership sign up page it states

“I wish to join the Labour Party and I subscribe fully to its aims, objectives, and policies. I agree to abide by the Party’s Constitution”.

So now the question is do non-elected Labour party members have the right to seek the dismissal of elected Labour Party members whom they believe to not abide by the CONSTITUTION OF THE LABOUR PARTY? Regardless of it being a manifesto binding in law or is it simply a statement of intent.

I might just join and try it out?

Comment of the week !

True but then we could open up an argument on why every portfolio would be better served by taking the entire running of it away from career politicians because in reality nobody needs any qualification to secure which is arguably the most important and powerful jobs in the country.
Keeping the HSE within the sphere of politics at least gives us a chance every so often to use the only weapon democracy gives us….voting them out and replace them with someone who will make a change and will finally deliver a full functioning, equal and fair health servi…………….someone who will articulate their hollow promises better. :P

It’s not an unfair idea.

If you won a carpet factory in a poker game and had no idea how to run it who would you get to run it? Someone with knowledge of running a carpet factory? Someone with knowledge at least of running a factory? Someone with at least some management experience? Or a former schoolteacher?

I’ll grant you that Ireland isn’t a carpet factory, it’s a lot more complicated than that. (Probably, I know nothing about how carpets work, I’m more a user of carpets).

I’m more of a muncher of carpets ;-)

I’m not saying it’s an unfair idea, it might actually work but for anything remotely like it to be instigated it’ll take an admittance from government that they failed the country in health and they will willingly secede power to someone outside of the political elite to give us what is our rights as citizens…a fair, equitable and non discriminating health service and that ain’t gonna happen…..it’s blatantly obvious that these people close ranks when one of their own has his ability questioned…. to hell with the people, it’s one of their own facing the criticism…they can’t have that happening.

Cutting 130 million from health on one hand then paying them damned bondholders 600 million with the other speaks volumes about this government and the contempt they have for us.

No one expects anything discussed on this site to actually happen, Dermot.

Anyway, don’t some of the bond holders employ people in Ireland? What happened to protecting Irish jobs?

Not sure if serious about the last bit :P

Damocles, possibly the carpet factory is a bad analogy considering the amount of carpetbaggers we seem to be inhabiting Leinster House.

A fruit tinnery then or an electrical components factory, don’t focus on the least relevant part of the analogy.

Jesus, the finicky focus on irrelevant details you people have may go some of the way to explain why the governance of this country consists a number of people talking and doing bugger all.

A Doctor with financial interests in his own set of private hospitals.

Massive conflict of interest on show.

So you think people with aboslutely no knowledge of the medical profession would be better placed to dictate HSE policy?

Just because someone is a doctor doesn’t equate to them spending money wisely, whether in the HSE or in any other department. I would think that people who need to use the health service regularly, ie the general public, might have a better idea.

@ Damocles. yes someone who is not a former doctor would be much better placed to be in that position. someone with more businesslike like sense, Same for the government too. They should be trained to be in their position. massive conflict in interest here

Who has a better understanding of the medical system, someone who works in it or someone or who uses it?

Isn’t that a bit like suggesting that I’d understand the pub trade because I drink in them?

I think you’d do a better job of running a pub than any publican Damocles. But in this instance running an organisation just because you were a part of it does not make you the best placed. non so blind as them on the inside. nudge nudge wink wink.

I don’t think any of these muppets know what they’re doing. They’re all in it to be sitting on the right side of the Dail, try to take each other down by whatever means necessary.
I agree that a doctor with experience is a better fit for the position, but as others pointed out there’s a massive conflict of interest there. AND while unsecured bondholders are STILL being paid it’s all just posturing anyway.

“I don’t think any of these muppets know what they’re doing.”

They must be politicians.

Damocles, just because he knows how the human body works does not mean he knows how to run a government department. In his time as minister he has treated his coalition partner junior ministers with contempt, being named in the Stubbs Gazette for debts associated with a private nursing home he is involved in (which falls within the remit of his department) and he has also cuts services and hospitals that, directly before the election, he swore he’d resign before cutting. I think of the balance of evidence that he has put it beyond doubt that he does not know what it is he is doing.

Would a banker or a farmer be any better in terms of policy?

Ministers don’t run departments, senior civil servants do that. Ministers dictate policy.

Damocles its a long time since he was a full time practicing doctor . Between his nursing home interests and private work on top of his political wages he is doing very nicely for himself and far removed from the hardcore frontline that medical staff in our hospitals are struggling to uphold !

Shouldn’t you go off and wash a few glasses or something?

Norman,I dont wear glasses .Ps Did you play for Leeds Utd.

So do ye use paper cups in “the bar where you work”.Namesake only but cudos for the recognition.:-)