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Tandem Felix are a band of merry minstrels bred to sell you records and make you buy ill-fitting Fruit of The Loom t-shirts.
DUBLIN FOUR PIECE, Tandem Felix, have been making waves in the past few weeks, as the first songs from their forthcoming EP, Comma, made their way online.
The release marks a departure from their previous output, moving more into country-infused, Americana-influenced guitar sounds, tempered by lead singer David Tapley’s restrained vocals. Comparisons have been drawn to acts like Wilco and Kurt Vile, with the first few tracks released evoking laidback West Coast vibes.
We chatted to Tapley ahead of Comma’s release on the 29 April.
1. Tell us about Comma.
Comma is our new EP. Some of it was written a long time ago. Some of it was written recently. It took about 5 months to make because I am a control freak. It’s out on the 27th of April. Please give me yer money in exchange for it.
2. Why did you decide to release Nothing I Do Will Ever Be Good Enough as the first single?
I initially wanted another song, “Waiting In The Wings”, to be the first single. But people didn’t think that one was good enough.
https://soundcloud.com/tandemfelix/nothing-i-do-will-ever-be-good-enough
Click here to listen if embed fails to load.
3. Are you going to make any videos for the songs on Comma? What kind of decisions do you have to make when it comes to album artwork and videos for the music?
Yeah, we’re working on a video at the moment for one of the songs, “Union St. Blues”. It’s basically a vanilla live performance video but our engineer Stephen leaves halfway through to have a cigarette and it’s pretty much just him smoking for 2 minutes in silence. Videos should always be fun. I like the idea of people thinking that we’re goofballs by the carry on in our videos. Really, we take ourselves very seriously and hate smiling and parties.
4. What has been the band’s best gig experience so far?
We played the UCD L&H Ball on the MV Cill Airne, that swanky party boat down by the Convention Centre. Some girl told me mid-song that I was ruining her night.
5. And for you, as a spectator – what’s the best live performance you’ve ever seen in Ireland?
I saw Portishead at Electric Picnic last year. That was stunning. I was stunned.
6. Also, what’s your favourite Irish festival? To either play at or attend.
We haven’t played many festivals, but I really liked Knockanstockan last year. We saw some posh lad making dub music in the forest after all the other stages had closed.
At one point he sheepishly admitted to the crowd “I’m tryin’ me best!”
7. Jeff, one of Tandem Felix’s members, is also in the bands Jet Setter and SPIES – and you guys are are buds with Girl Band. Would you view Tandem Felix as part of any particular ‘scene’ in Dublin right now? And if so, how would you describe it?
The scene is good. Girl Band are doing really well and it makes me feel pride in my belly. We’re constantly stealing Jeff from Jet Setter and SPIES, so I think they hate me.
8. There have been line-up changes in Tandem Felix throughout the years. Do you write alone or with the band? How much changes with the music in the process of recording with everyone?
I tend to write alone. I can write a song in my bedroom in my pyjamas. When recording with others its much the same, but I guess I have to brush my teeth and put on a shirt first. When we mixed the EP, it was done by myself and Stephen our aforementioned engineer. We compromised on slippers.
9. The Guardian described your forthcoming release, Comma, as “music for divorcees”. What the hell does that mean, do you think?
Who knows! I guess It’s a hot market right now. 25% discount on all gig tickets if you can provide valid divorce papers.
10. Some attention in recent reviews has been paid to the lyrical content of the EP’s songs. When you write songs, which comes first – the music or the lyrics? Or does it matter?
Generally, I write the music first. The lyrics can sometimes be very last minute. I think if I sat down and wrote a “poem” and then tried to fit it to music, it would sound foolish.
And finally – Tandem Felix means happy at last. Are you?
In between the panic attacks.
Tandem Felix release Comma through Trout Records on 27 April, and the EP’s first live outing will take place in The Workman’s Club in Dublin on 15 May. You can buy tickets to that gig here.
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How can anyone with a conscience support Fianna Fail?
Voters have short memories plus there are an awful lot of fools out there who accept government and party spin without questioning or researching anything themselves
Good question, but remember for some the alternative is the economically illiterate Sinn Fein, who are busy telling everybody exactly what they want to hear. Populism at its very cynical worst.
Some people are stupid, some see no alternative and what’s on offer is a joke!
No doubt FF were in power at a time when the crisis happened
What I do question is whether having FG in power during the same period would have resulted in a different outcome
They would have had received most of the same advice from economists, civil servants etc
They would have received the same assurances from the banks, accountants etc
They would have received the same pressure from lobbyists from the business sector who pushed for relaxed regulation
FG pushed and promised more to stimulate our property bubble in the general election and never once did they stand up in a budget and shout NO we must stop
So yes FF don’t deserve our vote but would it have been different
Stephen,
“economically illiterate Sinn Fein, who are busy telling everybody exactly what they want to hear.”
Apologies dude, but was SF not screaming for the last 5 years that austerity has been overdone, while the other parties pursue it with more and more vigor at each budget, only to ease off magically at election times?
Ads it turns out, the economists support SFs view of the real-world and acknowledge that austerity is being over-done,
I acknowledge that 10 years ago, SFs economic policies were not based on sound footing. That has been addressed by the party both North and South by hiring real-economists (not civil servant state paid ones). In other words, they addressed their weakness and turned it into a strength.
I am sorry, but its FF/FG/Labour that are completely economically illiterate. They have managed to destroy an economy through decades of poor banking regulation, cowboy loan books, and suicidal austerity packages.The 3 partys keep selling the suggestion that SF are out of touch, but the reality is, SF are the only party with a workable and sustainable solution. To continue to pursue FF/FG/Labour policies give weight and sustenance to Einsteins definition of stupidity.
Fully agree with you Phillip. FG would have done exact same or worse. However, FF does let some very very questionable people into party. From that guy shot at last week with 20k in the car something not sounding right about that. To last election leaving a woman run in wicklow whos brother and father are some of the biggest gangland figures out there.
Plus FF were highly connected to church over the years and come out last week saying they are anti choice on abortion without even consulting the people who they know the majority want to stop burying head in sand over girls going to UK.
Its hipoocracy that’s why I wont vote for FF
Liam, I guess you could apply the same to FG, Labour and Sinn Fein too.
FG- incompetent party led by an utterly incompetent man. The bullshit spun at the last election by FG that there would be no tax increases, 100k jobs created etc.
Labour – perpetual liars gorging on power and status. To hell with the poor or elderly.
Sinn Fein – still lying about their past and current criminal links.
Led by a dictator for 30 years. The party that happily plunders expenses etc. Why wasnt anyone held accountable for theft of printer cartridges?
The common denominator here is the electorate. We, sadly, elect these people and appear to be happy to do so.
Fact is, we aren’t capable of running ourselves. Our selfish, greedy cute hoor mentality makes sure proper democracy will never catch on.
Im not defending FG, but as an analogy, if a murder occurs, you prosecute the perpetrator, not the bystander who might have taken a shot if the perp didn’t.
Sham Rock, in a normal court of law, the murderer and the accomplice would be tried… and jailed. You are not an innocent bystander, if you encourage the murderer (using your analogy)
Is that the illiteracy that proposed 3 yrs ago of using the national pension reserve to boost the domestic market and jobs market by making finance available for the SME and construction industries. Now when 100 of SMEs have gone to the wall and the construction trade have been forced to Australia and Canada, Rabbite proposes the same to re start the economy.
So the one Party that opposed the over drive of free market economics are illiterate!
Just keep pedalling that establishment rubbish for the people are not buying it!
Bruce what current criminal links?
“Good question, but remember for some the alternative is the economically illiterate Sinn Fein, who are busy telling everybody exactly what they want to hear. Populism at its very cynical worst.”
I love it when people berate Sinn Fein for their economic illiteracy. I mean, how would you describe the other parties? Brian Cowen: nobel prize for economics?
I was having a pint with a Garda friend recently & he was complaining about the lack of over time he is now getting & how this present government is tearing our society apart.I asked him who he would vote for in a general election tomorrow? “Fianna Fail,sure at least they had us all working” he said…we are doomed.
And he was quite right in his assessment the sooner FF are back in power the sooner we begin to get moving again
On what basis? Deluded nonsense.
Cheaply bought Francey.
Direct Democracy. It’s a long shot, but it would kill gombeenisim over night.
Yeah… You mention the exact issue with DD… It’s a long shot. A really long shot…
Well I think you find that they’ll dip their snouts as deep into the expenses trough as anybody else and be only too prepared to ride the gravy-train. Dublin TDs travelling the length and breath of the country at considerable tax payers expense to tell people how hard done by they are..
Yes Wanderarch – a long shot that people would vote for people that must by definition serve the peoples wishes – better to let FF & FG take turns & perpetually bitch about it. Sure Jaysus if we had that power ourselves we’d have to take responsibility. The blame game is easier than that – isn’t it?
I was more referring to the idea that in order to get anywhere close to becoming any way important in the gov, DD would need to ramp up their public appearances.
Also, yes – in Ireland it is easier to vote for the old reliables. It’s all we’ve ever done, so yes. It’s easier to vote for what you know than it is to vote for what you don’t. I don’t know who, or what DD is, what they stand for, I had a vote in the recent Meath bye-election and I didn’t hear about the candidate until the day after the election. So yes, I’m not gonna vote for someone I don’t know. I’m gonna vote for what I know. That’s not my fault, it’s DD’s. Get public. Get face to face. Get seen and heard.
What basis have you for such claims, or is it just your own personal bias?
@STEPHEN
Not only did fianna fail fiddle as Rome burned, they put mechanisms in place that allowed the criminals get away with it. They propped up and protected their wealthy friends and tired the hands of whomever succeed them. It is disgusting to me that by losing the election and spotting rhetoric they have been absolved off their sins
Which current government has spent two years protecting. They all cut from same cloth. Just their grandparents had a different view on a treaty
Actually, if you want to go that far back, the party that became fianna fail refused to recognise the democratic majority vote to accept the treaty. They dragged us into a civil war that held the state back for decades. They then managed to give us a constitution that has kept us in the dark ages. Their founder was a scoundrel ergo lined his pockets and made his family very wealthy. A tradition they keep to this day although I respect lemass and lynch
Well said Shane, a party founded on corruption and the rejection of democracy. The British knew what they were doing when they didn’t shoot the traitor amongst the pack.
Yes,his escaping the firing squad, escaping prison and not being available when Collins needed him we always suspicious
I genuinely cannot tell the difference between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. It seems to me that Fine Gael is the Irish Conservative Party and Fianna Fáil is the Irish Conservative Party. To be honest there’s not much of a reason to vote for either of them. You’d think they would want to form a coalition or merge or something as they are basically the same party filled with the same sort of gombeen eejits.
FG is the party for rich gombeens, and FF is the party for wanna-be rich gombeens.
If I were to try to get some sort of reform to #Irish politics there are 2 fundamental things that I would do first.
1. Make voting mandatory. The amount of people who “couldn’t be bothered” yet moan about the result for the next 5 years drives me nuts. In Malaysia yesterday people were queuing up 3 hours before voting time, in Kenya a few months ago it was 8 hours yet people here couldn’t care less. Put the vote on a Sunday or even over 2 days and then there is no excuse for not voting.
2. Put in a mechanism whereby if a Minister is clearly incompetent then the decision to sack them is not just down to the Leader of the Party and the political machinations in the background, it is down to the people. Give each person a probation period like in any job and then decide if they are good enough to carry on. Being a Minister in Government is the only job in Ireland that I know of where you can publicly make an absolute balls of a mess yet still turn up every month to get your wages.
“I have solved this political dilemma in a very direct way: I don’t vote. On Election Day, I stay home. I firmly believe that if you vote, you have no right to complain. Now, some people like to twist that around. They say, ‘If you don’t vote, you have no right to complain,’ but where’s the logic in that? If you vote, and you elect dishonest, incompetent politicians, and they get into office and screw everything up, you are responsible for what they have done. You voted them in. You caused the problem. You have no right to complain. I, on the other hand, who did not vote — who did not even leave the house on Election Day — am in no way responsible for that these politicians have done and have every right to complain about the mess that you created.”
George Carlin 1996.
Of course the voter who got out of bed and voted in a perfectly competent and honest politician who drove the country from strength to strength would have had every right to complain that Mr Carlin was a lazy arsehole!
Good ideas ! But THEY aren’t listening
Stupid !
My biggest problem with our current political system is that people are going back to Fianna Fail because they don’t like the politics of… Fine Gael? I’m a lefty-ish and I can see that Fianna Fail are just a less competent, lazier and more obviously corrupt Fine Gael, and that’s faint praise for Fine Gael.
Why on earth would you vote for fianna fail.
I think amalgamating these two parties would do more for Irish politics than anything else such as conscripting voters.
Brilliant article Lisa,bloated bullies indeed,nothing will change in this country if we don’t change it
FF completely deserve the blame for dragging this country down – no question as far as I’m concerned. But considering the decisions they took that fuelled the housing bubble and the bank guarantee etc I doubt that a FG government would have made any significantly different moves given their political philosophy is largely the same and they would have been basing their decisions on pretty much the same set of figures. So to some extent FF were victims of being the party holding the parcel at the wrong time. Though that might be a reason its hardly an excuse. That, imo just points to the fact that the system as we know it really needs a revamp.
I’ve noticed that the tide of arrogant FF self entitlement is oozing it’s way back into public debate. This is a party which, in my opinion should have been disbanded by legislation and had the majority of their corrupt leadership imprisoned. That they even have the shameless audacity to rewrite history and put themselves forward for reelection in the face of the utterly incompetent and enormously damaging manner they destroyed our country tells you all about their mindset. I’ll tell you when I will consider voting FF, when Ahearn goes to Jail and Cowan hands back his pension and finally, when FF agree to pay the tens of thousand of unjust debt they have foisted on my family and my 3 month old daughter out of their party funds. Until then, shut up and keep your canvassers off my property and your cretinous make believe patriotism off our airwaves. You have no shame, no decency, and if there is a shred of hope left for this nation, you have no future in it.
disbanded by legislation…i like it. can I subscribe to your newsletter
If FF get in to power again them yes we are the true clowns of Europe . And deserve every thing we get . . If we had any brains at all we would support any party that promotes a from of DD giving some power back to the people . As a nation we have suffered enough at the hands of the cowens the endas and berthis .
I would certainly vote for a credible alternative so long as they are right wing socially conservative politicians who will fix the potholes in my area.
Grand roads we have down here, sure pity nobody to drive on em as they’ve all emigrated. Ever see the connection?
To put it in Corkonian terms, we stick our arses in the air and shout “Flah me now!” and put a signpost indicating clearly the point of entry and then we react with pop-eyed shock and indignation when it hurts and they won’t stop.
Once you pop you just can’t stop…
I find it interesting that you start of by saying how proud you are to be Irish then launch into what amounts to an attack on the collective intelligence of the Irish people.
Fianna Fáil is regaining trust mainly because of its constructive performance in opposition. It has not engaged in opportune style politics and condemnation for condemnations sake but rather has taken a sensible approach to life in opposition.
From a members perspective Fianna Fáil is in a process of renewing itself as a party, it now has the largest youth wing in the country and over 20,000 paid up members. The party has become more democratic internally allowing the voice of members to be heard more clearly.
People voted for change in 2011 and a new style of politics. What they got was more of the same in the Dáil and a government with a massive majority that quickly became arrogant and out of touch, even the Labour Party abandoned its own members not to mention selling their very soul to the highest bidder.
It is not surprising that people are loosing faith in the current coalition after their cynical approach to politics and unrealistic election promises that they never intended to deliver on.
This does tend to be standard practice here. Those who are very vocal on their support for “Ireland” tend to have very little good to say about Irish people and Irish culture, so what exactly is the “Ireland” they’re championing? Go figure.
And if people vote for change in 2016, you seriously believe a man who sat at cabinet whilst his leadership destroyed the country can deliver this? Michael will revert to type.
Is that Hugh with Michael – aww what a lovely couple!
Well in fairness I didn’t exactly hide the fact that I’m a member of Fianna Fáil
But what is most cynical is the media bias given to FF being the only alternative. The same conservative viewpoint trotted out again and again by the same conservative news media. You may not like it but forums like this offer a different view, and a view that is gaining popular support. Thanks to open forums like this and despite the best efforts of party hacks, the majority on this site at least are seeing through the b.s.
Actually I’m quite a fan of the journal, I find the ability to question articles that I disagree with as well as discussing them with other readers very refreshing as well as entertaining.
Also anybody who talks about mainstream media bias towards Fianna Fáil must be having a laugh. I witnessed a complete obituary of the party by the mainstream media after the last election. They completely wrote us off as dead and gone.
And since then the media have been giving FF such a hard time, asking them the hard questions regarding their collective and individual responsibility for the “most disastrous and corrupt government in the history of the state”
Hugh, your candour at admitting to being an FF is refreshing, sad as it is that you choose to support such an organisation. Answer me one question, as the party who has economically destroyed the state in the 30s, 50s, 70s, 80s and 00s (a consistent record you’ll agree), what has changed such that another period of FF power won’t produce the standard outcome?
None of the party’s deserve our ear!!! All we listen to is bullshit & reporters are exactly the same.
Great article Lisa but it does leave us completely optionless. Exchanging FF for FG has done nothing for us and “the new FF” is merely mutton dressed as lamb. Corruption doesn’t just go away after 2 years it takes far longer to root out that greedy self serving streak (Ivor Callely just last week). We need a new political party to serve as some contrast to the current right wing conservative dishwater, I thought Labour could’ve been that party but they’ve literally pissed their chance away.
Welcome back the British I say. After 800 years of their management there was still a country standing. Yes it went through famines and any number of ‘revolutions’ (let’s not forget that the citizenry of Ireland didn’t run home to take up arms in 1916 either, much was the British response post 1916 that did that!), but we still had a country. Now with almost 100 years of self governance we have bankrupted the country, sold the deeds of the Dail to the Troika, sent countless generations abroad to emigrate, & come up with nothing better than Paddy FF or Paddy FG to vote for! Ask any number of people who has left ireland is there a better way of doing things in any of the countries they’re exiled to and you’ll probable hear a resounding yes (as well as no, lets not get too rose tinted!). Oh, and the country was never so unified as when the British were here!
Tripe. To suggest we were better off under British rule is just rubbish. It’s people like you that have us in this mess, always looking for a dig out from some kindly greater power. Time to grow up.
1.) For the love of god go get yourself a dictionary and look up the word ‘sarcasm’.
2.) How is the notion of British rule linked to “…have us in this mess.”. Last time I checked Fianna Fáil brought the country to its knees through its policies, and an unfortunate timing of world recession.
3.) Where do I ask/state/insinuate/suggest/make believe that Im “…always looking for a dig out from some kindly greater power.”. – Is that not already the situation we’re in with the Troika having economic sovereignty over Ireland? Did they not give Ireland massive loans as exactly that ‘dig out’?
4.) It still stands that Ireland, under Irish rule, brought itself to bankruptcy and ceded economic sovereignty (which could be argued to be far more important a loss eg the purse strings adage) all with 92 years (if you agree with date of independence). Ireland also has had a legacy of 16 Taoisigh, at least 4 can be argued to be corrupt. That’s not a good track record.
5.) You merely ranted in your comment without substance.
6.) You seem to be an idiot.
Fianna Fail gave us the celtic tiger which now they are being damned for by people forgetting that FG in their manifesto actually wanted greater public spending in 2007. Labour are a joke – they have been taken over by liberal middle class intellectuals whose only care is for a leftie utopia rather than the basic needs of the Irish people like food on the table, jobs, teachers in the classroom, special needs assistants for special needs children , good healthcare, solving debt issues etc… It is interesting to note that Gilmore is more vocal on gay marriage and abortion than on the basics of people being able to live a reasonable existence. Real labour party people like Tommy Broughan being forced out as a result of the takeover. This is the reason Labour will be hammered at the next election. The rest apart from the Greens and a few independants are a joke, populist fools.
So given the absence of a new venture I’ll be voting FF , Green or independent.
I think Martin is trying his best to change FF for the better my only concern is once they get back in power , the gombeen men of old will make a stab at taking over again.
Ah don’t be hurting them with the truth, do what Lisa does and comfort them a lie instead, they prefer that.
I hear ya , can’t let the truth get in the way of a good “ireland is shite” rant.
FF did not give us the Celtic tiger. it was the previous FG/LAB governments policies that resulted in the economic growth that occurred up until 2004, after that all economic growth was a lie perpetuated by borrowings and lies about the true state of our economy.
Ah yeah, sure lets forget the last 5 years happened, lets forget that FF saddled this nation with billions & billions of euro worth of death, lets forget they fuelled a property bubble that led to the construction of shoddy homes, the dog boxes in the IFSC, Priory Hall, the ghost estates dotted all around the country, the back-handers and brown envelopes for rezoning of land, the current health system, lets forget the findings of the Moriarty Tribunal.
Stephen, I know that you’re just voting FF because their pro-life stance. How simple minded can you be? You will vote for them just because of one issue? Are you bloody mad?
I know FG’s polices weren’t a whole lot different, but they did not make those mistakes, they weren’t in Government from 1997 – 2011, they didn’t destroy out healthcare, they didn’t saddle us with billions and billions of debt. Unfortunately, their election manifesto offered a lot, and frankly it was unrealistic, we bought into it because we were on our knees. But they could not do a lot with the mess they were left with.
I would honestly be for legislation that anyone who votes for FF must publicly declare it, as if you do, you haven’t learnt a thing in the last 5 years. If they get elected, we are truly a nation of f*ck-wits, who deserve everything we get, as we’ll never learn. Bloody Parish politics!
Dublin lad have u forgotten the IRBS bill already. FF gave us the illegal prom notes to bail out corrupt banks. FG/Lab regal legalized these into the IRBS bill. A piece of mid night stroke politics to circumvent the Hall case reaching the Supreme Court.
All f fail leaders end up disgraced does this not bother there supporters.
It’s not disgrace it’s”retirement”
In answer to your question Lisa it is because the politicians from of all parties are so poor people prefer the devil they know. At least no disappointments then. Imagine FG has within 2 years pissed away the largest majority in the history of the state. I’d mention Labour but their not worth it. Statesmen and patriots my arse we do not have them just those who see an easy job inherited from the dad, brother etc,.
Irish all her life …..yet she’s only 85 % sure & she’s a Fine Gaeler. God helps us .
It’s obvious why the pro aborts like Lisa don’t like Fianna Fáil and its not about their economic failings of the past, because reality is, every political party has its economic failings of the past. It’s because they are conservative and mostly pro-life and right wing and that really annoys Lisa and the rest of the lefties on this site who they are just throwing their articles at because they need to keep the customers happy, Cha Ching!
Sometimes it helps to actually read what the author has written prior to posting. Like what you clearly didn’t do
I did read it, what’s your point?
Really? You may not be able to see past one single issue but don’t assume other people are similarly afflicted.
I love how all the mad holy joes are always Fianna Fail… such a cliché
I wasn’t always a Christian and back then I was pretty much a secularist but very much conservative and pro-life and nothing has changed in my views there. So stephen tells you nicely to put your stereotypical cap back in its box.
@stephen you really need to start reading the stuff u r commenting on.
Stephen the article is about economics, which is what most people in the country are primarily concerned with.
Stephen,
What is your address? I’ll pop over with some paint and scrawl ‘Fianna Fail Voter’ on your house. Just so people can be wary of you, avoid you in the street etc.
Best for all that way.
Thank for that party political broadcast on behalf of Fine Gael
Sounds like someone didn’t read the article.
You’re part of the problem if you think criticizing Fianna Fail is an endorsement of Fine Gael.
Writing an opinion piece about Fianna Fáil is so original. What next, will Lisa take a swipe at the Catholic Church:
Lisa McInerney: How can you be a woman and Catholic? Lisa ticks all the boxes……………..
Great piece Lisa, however there is one scenario you didn’t consider and that is that FF and FG are actually one party and the big con hoisted on the Irish is that they are two. How often will the loyal opposition support one and other, they should have destroyed each other many times over but haven’t, most recently FF deputy leader perjured himself to discredit a person running against him, if FG really wanted to they could have gone after him but no, instead he was let off the hook. This is only one example, there are countless others out there.
Alot of bombast noise, pub talk analysis.
Can someone explain how FF is supposed to have caused the world wide fall in asset prices ? Did they cause the 1929 depression as well?
Tom the fact is the banking crisis happened on there watch no excuses its a fact.
And Bertie should be canonized
Tom,
FF, FG, Labour put the Financial Regulator role out there for a reason. The three Partys then allowed used that regulator as a scapegoat when the bubble burst internationally, but Ireland was found to have a total farce of banking regulation. You were all the same.
Only 200 people held 70 billion euro worth of bank loans. It took those developers only 15 years to accumulate that 70 billion of debt.
The apologists on the FF/FG/Labour side, all claim that they didn’t know what was going on… FG shot down Peter Matthews (a FGer with a banking background) request for Patrick Honohan (Our Central Bank Governor) to come and tell the Oireachtas what exactly the Central Bank was now doing to manage the credit crises.
All 3 partys are hypocritical and out of touch with economic reality and unfortunately, it doesn’t look like they have learned anything from the last 5 years.
Well it should involve a cannon or other large gun and a wall
FF may not be responsible for all the bad florida mortgages in the toxic mbs’s and clo’s that led to the worldwide banking crisis. Nobody is suggesting this tom.
They are however responsible for the Irish soverign assuming the private debts of a failed banking system. They did not have the courage competence or backbone to make the correct decision for the Irish people when it was asked of them. This gross incompetence and direliction or their duty to the people who elected them is why no Irish person of good conscience and charracter should ever vote for these swine again.
In addition to hoisting the banking debt on the backs of the Irish taxpayer FF are also wholly to blame for the gaping hole in the current account budget, brought about through years of corruption, mismanagement and bribery of the unions.
We are in our current financial position because of FF.
While it is true to say that the current government are every bit as incompetent and cowardly when it comes to standing up for the Irish people, this is no sound reason to “give FF another chance” FF is an organisation that is rotten to the core. Lets not forget that their current leader was a high ranking cabinet minister througout the period they destroyed the futures of many of our citizens. Despite the talk of “renewal” they are still not worthy of our respect or serious consideration.
FF deserve nothing but contempt for what they have done to us. They need to be eradicated.
You forgot to mention we need to borrow €30,000,000,000 extra this year as the banks need more money or they go bankrupt. All because FF and the bankers thought it was the right thing to do that night at 3 in the morning. Any other country they would be jailed for destroying the country.
Right wing, conservative parties continually get elected because irish people are right wing conservative people by nature. It’ not rocket science. We defer to authority. We bow to bankers, consultants and judges because they are generallly right wing conservative people. No one ever gave labour a chance in this country. The most forward thinking left leaning people in this country all had a socialist lean to them but people rarely gave them a chance. Evnen today, after the most destructive recession this country ever suffered, people are still going to vote fg and ff. The labour party is being blamed for the continuing hardship. I can guarantee without a single doubt in my head that we wouldn’t be deep in rcession, struggling with divisive social issues if irish people had voted left in ny of the previos 35+ elections we had.
Vote DDI. Put a veto on politicians’ criminality. Simple
FG and Labour are doing all the dirty work but its FF that will reap the rewards. How many times has this happened in the past.
Slow news day?
Ireland is not a true Republic. It is a Dynasty carved up into little fiefdoms. And the ruling “masters” are only concerned about themselves and their little “court”. People need to get rid this yoke off our backs and assign these dynasties to the past forever.
What is happening in Ireland is not unique, just look a icelands recent election. I think people forget 3 things when looking at these polls. 1 is they afaik only contact people with landlines, 2 there is à 2% Margin or error on thèse things. And 3 thé ammount of undecided and independend dwarfs thé what i like to call thé troika party. Thé local élections will give us a better picture of whats happening with the electorate.
Sorry. About the fadas, think my phone randomly changed to French lol
…and the random punctuation god damnit!
Ah yes; FF at present are just doing exactly the same thing as what FG and Labore were doing up to two years before the last election in 2011 –
You couldn’t turn either which way without listening to them rattle way on Vincent Browne (you couldn’t keep them off that show) or on newspaper columns. Where are they now?
Notice a pattern? Don’t be fooled folks.
well they did plant forests, build massive amounts if council housing stock. I could go on. they messed up, but we do know in our hearts that can speed up our recovery. that’s the answer to this reporters question if our loyalty to a once great party. it will be hard for any party to clean up after fine gael.
Bullshit.
ask nicely, please britain would you run our country again, as we havnt a clue where to start….we want you to run everything..then mayb our country men /women can come back to stay.
Just get the boat.
Irish very insular in their outlook.
Forget Irish political parties .. not competent …
Ask Beppe Grillo of Italian “5 Star Movement” to run candidates in the next Irish election.
Ask him here: Twitter: @beppe_grillo
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Star_Movement
Which people are no insular in their outlook?
Most political thinking Irish people suffer from a political Stockholm syndrome:
Stockholm syndrome, or capture–bonding, is a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and sympathy and have positive feelings toward their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them. These feelings are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims, who essentially mistake a lack of abuse from their captors for an act of kindness.
… http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Stockholm+syndrome <
Most Irish politicians at the top suffer from a narcissistic personality disorder:
Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance and a deep need for admiration. Those with narcissistic personality disorder believe that they're superior to others and have little regard for other people's feelings. But behind this mask of ultra-confidence lies a fragile self-esteem, vulnerable to the slightest criticism.
… http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/narcissistic-personality-disorder/DS00652 <
And to fix the problem they'll need Seroquel and other help:
Seroquel (quetiapine) is an antipsychotic medicine. It works by changing the actions of chemicals in the brain.
… http://www.drugs.com/seroquel.html <
I'm just kidding…………………
In Italy, people tired of the constant corruption in their government – formed an anti-corruption party – the 5-star Movement and managed to get elected in February/ make up a third of the new government.
They may have to form a coalition with centre-left to form a new government but it’s a new party with regular people in place – not the same old system which hasn’t been working for the majority.
Lisa have you considered the concept of Learned Helplessness in regard to the electorate.
The American sociologist Harrison White suggested in his book Identity and Control that the notion of learned helplessness can be extended beyond psychology into the realm of social action. When a culture or political identity fails to achieve desired goals, perceptions of collective ability suffer.
Application of Learned Helplesnness
An example of learned Helplessness in the real world is the training of animals. Seligmans’s theory is applied in modifiying animal behavior. Animal trainers use learned helplessness on circus animals like tigers and elephants for this animals to be more suitable for control. A strong and huge animal like the elephant is capable of escaping the circus whenever it wants. Have you ever wondered why it does not escape?
It is because this elephants are trained even when thay are little. Elephants are chained to a big iron ball to prevent the elphant to escape. This feeling of helplessness grows inside the elephant. The animal will try to escape but it will fail due to the weight. The elephant will grow thinking it is uncapable of breaking the chain even though a full grown up elephant could easily break its oppresion. So the elephant is now conditioned not to escape because it has learned he is helpless against its enviroment.
No one is drifting back. People haven’t forgotten. Voters are responding in opinion polls simply to wake up Enda and Eamonn !
FF “We’ll be back …. the Irish electorate has the memory of a goldfish”
One of the best ways to reform Fianna Fáil is to join it. Political parties are not amorphous sinister organisations that exist in secret lairs plotting the downfall of the nation. Fianna Fáil is made up of the people in your community who care about politics enough to meet together once a month and discuss policies. They bring their discussions to the candidates who help bring the policies the membership want to the people.
Fianna Fáil is whatever it’s members make it and it reflects a broad swathe of Irish society. If you feel that FF doesn’t represent you, then join it and make it represent you. The party has a massive and growing youth wing that is starting to greatly influence party policy, the first sign of which is the Seanad Reform Document drawn up by the Ógra leadership. Every new member who joins to campaign for a change in the way FF runs itself strengthens the force for reform in the party. So join us and make a difference.
Why should it be reformed when it’s complete annihilation is infinitely preferable to anyone who has the interests of this nation at heart and an intelligence quotient greater that a two week old puppy? Why do we need FF at all? They represent everything that is wrong with the Irish character, self delusion, arrogance, parochialism, corruption, venality and then list goes on. I don’t think FG or Labour are by any means competent, but FF have demonstrated that they have the self control, foresight and fiscal responsibility of your average crack addict. The only decent thing they could have done was apologise to the electorate and voluntarily disband, they are a blight on this land.
Why would anybody in their right mind join that pestilent organization? It should be declared illegal. There is no greater threat to the well being of Irish people than Fianna Failed.
This was a Party recruitment broadcast on behalf of FF ! We will be back for more gombeenism !
So, let’s throw democracy out of the window then because it’s convenient..
Have you ever considered a career in politics? I’d vote for you
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