politics
Wrap The Green Flag Around Me, Boys!
13/06/07 22:17 Filed in: Election
2007 |
Politics
Hopefully it will work, because political instability is not a desirable state of affairs.
Many on the (funda)mentalist wing of the Greens (and their buddies in the People Before Profit Alliance) are seething. Several of them were airing their views on the radio this evening. The issues that seem to exercise them most were the US military's use of Shannon and the co-location of private hospitals on public land.
The Shannon thing first. OK, so we all know that the US/UK invasion of Iraq wasn't a good idea, but they are in there now and are operating under a UN mandate. We can't turn back the clock, nor can the US just leave without clearing up the mess. Just deal with it.
Co-location: Now I'm not a fan of the PDs or anything, but I believe that Mary Harney has actually been doing a good job at Health. The problems in our health service will not be solved just by throwing money at it, but instead by using the resources we invest in the service more effectively. This means taking on the vested interests, tackling the inefficiencies, facing up to the unions, and enlisting the private sector in areas where they can do a better job than the public sector. Co-location is one of these areas. But the attitude from some quarters is that the private sector is intrinsically evil and must be kept away as a matter of principle. But if the way is made clear for the private sector to get beds onstream quickly, they will do it because demand for private beds is huge. And if private patients are in private beds, that means that public beds are freed up for public patients, leading to shorter waiting times. Locating private and public hospitals alongside one another also makes sense in that facilities can be shared, lowering the investment needed for the public service and also the cost to the private patients.
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"The People Have Spoken!"
31/05/07 22:51 Filed in: Politics
Now that the
election is over, the Mahon Tribunal goes back to
work. Every day this week on Today FM's The Last
Word, whenever Matt Cooper has covered the
proceedings of the Tribunal, text messages flood in
(no pun intended) saying "Leave Bertie alone! The
people have spoken."
Does the fact that Bertie Ahern has more or less won another term as Taoiseach mean that no-one can question the source of his finances? That no-one has the right to query the inconsistencies in his account of how he bought his house? "Sure it was only small sums of money", seems to be a favourite theme.
What if more serious allegations had been made?
Let's say it was alleged he had mugged a pensioner. "Sure pension day is only next Tuesday, she'll manage till then. The people have spoken!"
Or if it was alleged that he went on a cocaine'n'whores bender in Brussels during an EU Heads of Government Summit. "He's a single man. Surely he's allowed to let off a bit of steam when he's away from home? Leave him alone!"
Does the fact that Bertie Ahern has more or less won another term as Taoiseach mean that no-one can question the source of his finances? That no-one has the right to query the inconsistencies in his account of how he bought his house? "Sure it was only small sums of money", seems to be a favourite theme.
What if more serious allegations had been made?
Let's say it was alleged he had mugged a pensioner. "Sure pension day is only next Tuesday, she'll manage till then. The people have spoken!"
Or if it was alleged that he went on a cocaine'n'whores bender in Brussels during an EU Heads of Government Summit. "He's a single man. Surely he's allowed to let off a bit of steam when he's away from home? Leave him alone!"
Clouds, Silver Linings, Etc
25/05/07 22:38 Filed in: Election
2007 |
Politics
Well, it
looks like we will have to endure another five years
of Fianna Fáil in government. I hoped that we might
get a change, but the electorate thought otherwise.
The vote for both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, and the
seats won by both parties are well up on 2002.
Enda Kenny can hold his head high after this election. Fine Gael look like they will regain all the ground they lost in 2002 and more. There is a tendency in political parties when they are not elected to government for the leader to resign. I hope that Enda Kenny resists this path. He should remain as leader and build on the gains made in this election. Pat Rabbitte is the leader who should walk the plank in this election. Labour have stagnated under his leadership.
So that's the cloud, where is the silver lining?
Sinn Féin. They were going to win ten seats. They were going to call the shots on who would form the next government. Their poster girl, Mary Lou McDonald was going to take a seat in Bertie's own constituency. They got their holes kicked, big time.
Independents. Pretty much wiped out. Sadly, that gobshite Jackie Healy-Rae will be around for another five years, but most of the "hospital" candidates look set to lose out.
Still waiting on the first count from Laois-Offaly…
Enda Kenny can hold his head high after this election. Fine Gael look like they will regain all the ground they lost in 2002 and more. There is a tendency in political parties when they are not elected to government for the leader to resign. I hope that Enda Kenny resists this path. He should remain as leader and build on the gains made in this election. Pat Rabbitte is the leader who should walk the plank in this election. Labour have stagnated under his leadership.
So that's the cloud, where is the silver lining?
Sinn Féin. They were going to win ten seats. They were going to call the shots on who would form the next government. Their poster girl, Mary Lou McDonald was going to take a seat in Bertie's own constituency. They got their holes kicked, big time.
Independents. Pretty much wiped out. Sadly, that gobshite Jackie Healy-Rae will be around for another five years, but most of the "hospital" candidates look set to lose out.
Still waiting on the first count from Laois-Offaly…
Decisions, Decisions
23/05/07 22:36 Filed in: Election
2007 |
Politics
Adds Thursday 7.25AM:
I have tidied this post up a bit, to add in the bits
I forgot last night.
And so, tomorrow is "Make Your Mind Up" day.
After three weeks of claims, counter-claims, accusations, rebuttals, photo-ops, debates, soundbites, stunts, acres of newsprint and hours of broadcasts, we get to the point where we mark our preferences next to the candidates offering themselves for election.
I have given a lot of thought to where my top preferences will go. There is no doubt that FF and the PDs have managed the economy well, but at what social cost? House prices have risen exponentially in the last ten years, to the point that first time buyers are taking on huge amounts of debt over very long periods. Yet rising house prices are seen as a good thing. Many are forced to the outer limits of the commuter belt in order to find suitable housing that they can afford. Thousands of people doing daily 150km round trip commutes is not good for the economy, the environment, the communities within which these people live, nor indeed for the commuters themselves or their families. But as Bertie himself said in a Morning Ireland interview last Monday we should at least be "tankful" that these people are in Athy, Arklow and Portlaoise, and not in Baltimore (I presume he means Baltimore, Maryland, as opposed to Baltimore, Co Cork), Sydney or London. A superb "Let them eat cake" moment.
The health service is a mess, but to be fair, Mary Harney is at least making an attempt to straighten it out. Unlike her two predecessors, who were reluctant incumbents of the role. Micheal Martin presided over what was probably this government's most forward-thinking policy initiative - the ban on smoking ion the workplace - yet he did nothing about the nursing home crisis.
There is a potential time bomb down the road for the Education system. Provincial villages have become commuter towns overnight and their schools are reaching bursting point. There have been 2000 new houses built in Sallins, Co Kildare in the last ten years, but they still don't have a secondary school. They have to go the already overcrowded schools in Naas. We had the dreadful situation in Laytown, Co Meath, where there were no places for 90 school starters last September. Expect to see this happen more often within a semi-circle with an axis that stretches from Drogheda to Arklow.
Back in 1999, when the first National Development Plan was launched, we were promised motorway links between Dublin and all the major cities in the state by 2006. That has been revised back to 2010. The Dublin Port Tunnel was two years late, several million Euros over budget and one metre short in height. Two new LUAS lines were built in Dublin, but they did not intersect. Bordeaux built their "LUAS" at the same time as Dublin, and all three lines intersect.
Ten years into this government and still we rely on imports of oil for our energy. There has been sod all effort made at creating a policy on long-term energy security. We're lucky at the moment that the dollar is so weak. Can you imagine the price of oil if $1 was worth more than €1? This is a pressing issue and there has been virtual silence from all parties on it. We need to look at increasing dramatically our renewables, and at least talk in a rational way about the prospect of nuclear energy.
I'm going to vote for change. Ten years is long enough to be in government and get your policies implemented. After that, arrogance sets in. It's like that shit that comes out whenever a party has been in power for a long time - the opposition front bench don't have enough ministerial experience and therefore can't be trusted. Tony Blair had no experience before he became prime minister of the UK and he did alright (his role as Bush's bitch notwithstanding.)
There is also a local reason behind my decision. The party standing in Laois/Offaly after the 2002 election was FF 3, FG 1, PD 1. Four to one in favour of the current government. I don't believe that this accurately reflects the wishes of the Laois/Offaly electorate, and a 3:2 split would be more appropriate.
The policies of the various parties are broadly similar, so the decision is who is the most competent and trustworthy. FF and the PDs have produced some excellent ministers like Brian Cowen and Mary Harney. But they have also had some chumps like Noel Dempsey, Dick Roche and Martin Cullen. Hopefully FG/Lab/Greens will be a lot better at managing the country than FF/PDs. They can't be much worse.
Some might say that they can't be bothered voting, and that their vote won't make any difference. Seats have been won and lost on a handful of votes in the past, so every vote does count. I remember my father telling me about the count in Mayo last time round. I can't remember the exact details, but if a small number of votes had gone in another direction, Enda Kenny would have lost his seat and Jim Higgins would be challenging Bertie Ahern for the top job now. Instead, it was Higgins who lost his seat.
The time has come. Let's see what the other lot can do.
And so, tomorrow is "Make Your Mind Up" day.
After three weeks of claims, counter-claims, accusations, rebuttals, photo-ops, debates, soundbites, stunts, acres of newsprint and hours of broadcasts, we get to the point where we mark our preferences next to the candidates offering themselves for election.
I have given a lot of thought to where my top preferences will go. There is no doubt that FF and the PDs have managed the economy well, but at what social cost? House prices have risen exponentially in the last ten years, to the point that first time buyers are taking on huge amounts of debt over very long periods. Yet rising house prices are seen as a good thing. Many are forced to the outer limits of the commuter belt in order to find suitable housing that they can afford. Thousands of people doing daily 150km round trip commutes is not good for the economy, the environment, the communities within which these people live, nor indeed for the commuters themselves or their families. But as Bertie himself said in a Morning Ireland interview last Monday we should at least be "tankful" that these people are in Athy, Arklow and Portlaoise, and not in Baltimore (I presume he means Baltimore, Maryland, as opposed to Baltimore, Co Cork), Sydney or London. A superb "Let them eat cake" moment.
The health service is a mess, but to be fair, Mary Harney is at least making an attempt to straighten it out. Unlike her two predecessors, who were reluctant incumbents of the role. Micheal Martin presided over what was probably this government's most forward-thinking policy initiative - the ban on smoking ion the workplace - yet he did nothing about the nursing home crisis.
There is a potential time bomb down the road for the Education system. Provincial villages have become commuter towns overnight and their schools are reaching bursting point. There have been 2000 new houses built in Sallins, Co Kildare in the last ten years, but they still don't have a secondary school. They have to go the already overcrowded schools in Naas. We had the dreadful situation in Laytown, Co Meath, where there were no places for 90 school starters last September. Expect to see this happen more often within a semi-circle with an axis that stretches from Drogheda to Arklow.
Back in 1999, when the first National Development Plan was launched, we were promised motorway links between Dublin and all the major cities in the state by 2006. That has been revised back to 2010. The Dublin Port Tunnel was two years late, several million Euros over budget and one metre short in height. Two new LUAS lines were built in Dublin, but they did not intersect. Bordeaux built their "LUAS" at the same time as Dublin, and all three lines intersect.
Ten years into this government and still we rely on imports of oil for our energy. There has been sod all effort made at creating a policy on long-term energy security. We're lucky at the moment that the dollar is so weak. Can you imagine the price of oil if $1 was worth more than €1? This is a pressing issue and there has been virtual silence from all parties on it. We need to look at increasing dramatically our renewables, and at least talk in a rational way about the prospect of nuclear energy.
I'm going to vote for change. Ten years is long enough to be in government and get your policies implemented. After that, arrogance sets in. It's like that shit that comes out whenever a party has been in power for a long time - the opposition front bench don't have enough ministerial experience and therefore can't be trusted. Tony Blair had no experience before he became prime minister of the UK and he did alright (his role as Bush's bitch notwithstanding.)
There is also a local reason behind my decision. The party standing in Laois/Offaly after the 2002 election was FF 3, FG 1, PD 1. Four to one in favour of the current government. I don't believe that this accurately reflects the wishes of the Laois/Offaly electorate, and a 3:2 split would be more appropriate.
The policies of the various parties are broadly similar, so the decision is who is the most competent and trustworthy. FF and the PDs have produced some excellent ministers like Brian Cowen and Mary Harney. But they have also had some chumps like Noel Dempsey, Dick Roche and Martin Cullen. Hopefully FG/Lab/Greens will be a lot better at managing the country than FF/PDs. They can't be much worse.
Some might say that they can't be bothered voting, and that their vote won't make any difference. Seats have been won and lost on a handful of votes in the past, so every vote does count. I remember my father telling me about the count in Mayo last time round. I can't remember the exact details, but if a small number of votes had gone in another direction, Enda Kenny would have lost his seat and Jim Higgins would be challenging Bertie Ahern for the top job now. Instead, it was Higgins who lost his seat.
The time has come. Let's see what the other lot can do.