The year in guff 2013

Following last year’s round up, we turn again to the realm of political blather – and it’s like we never left. A five month abortion debate, social media panic and the near overthrow of democracy in October counts 2013 as a bonanza year for spurious hooey. A personal favourite was Senator Healy Eames’ contention that women will soon be travelling to Ireland for terminations, likewise this post could have been composed entirely of conflicting lines from Eilis O’Hanlon. The weight of waffle was overwhelming at times so further suggestions welcome in the comments.

 Companies in Ireland pay close to the correct amount of tax

– Eamon Gilmore

Has President Berlusconi been known to be misogynistic in the past ?

– asks Mary Wilson 

In short, [Clare Daly] has the kind of strong, handsome face that appeals to a wider male constituency than the hard left.

– Eoghan Harris never short of sharp analysis

Like a lot of people, I underestimated Enda Kenny, he’s been nothing short of a phenomenon

– Simon Coveney

Any time bombs are used to target innocent civilians it is an act of terror

– Barack Obama

I would like to thank the Four Seasons Hotel.

-Nora Owen and Judge Judy conclude a lengthy unemployed bashing interview

The country breathed a collective sigh of relief as the electricity outage strike was called off.

–  no shortage of balance RTÉ News

oppression haters

–  John McGuirk identifies the real enemy

Finest police work anyone has ever seen in the world at any time

– Boston bombing coverage was hard going at times

Twitter is the Seanad of the people

– Dominic Hannigan

Enda Kenny has been the number one promoter of abortion in Ireland

– Spokesperson for Boston based ‘Students for Life’ on RTÉ News.

It exclusively extolled left-of-centre thinkers, including some quite extreme figures. All non-leftists mentioned were implicitly traduced. Worst of all, it excluded the majority who occupy the middle ground and who carry little or no ideological baggage.

– Dan O’Brien and the tiresome name-calling of the reactionary left.

Hook: Have you been watching Mario Rosenstock?

Vincent Browne: I have yeah.

Hook: What do you think of his impression of me?

hhh

It is a bit late at night for conspiracy theories

– Noonan dismisses speculation during the IBRC liquidation or a plan later revealed to be called ‘Project Red’

The decision of the trade unions is one that they have made

– an awkward order of business for an Taoiseash as Croke Park II results came in

The conclusions of the report are the conclusion of the the report and the report concludes..

– Pat Rabbitte spending too much time with An Taoiseach

It is the politics of class warfare which I hoped was long forgotten.

– Shane Ross enjoyed the 1913 centenary

In every battle, there are deserters and we have had a few

– former left wing politician Eamon Gilmore

I would always have been comfortable with the label of pro-choice but never have had to define that or reason it out for myself

– Colm Keavney

It sounds like someone got carried away while designing the website

Bill O’Herlihy definitely not advising Government and the tobacco industry

I have just come from another heavy day spent reducing the living standards of the Irish people.

– Pat Rabbitte

Sinn Féin does a huge disservice to socialism and the great socialist leaders and thinkers of Ireland’s past with its exercise today.

– Comrade Damien English defends the property tax

I think people underestimate the steel, determination and patriotism of Labour parliamentary party members.

Brendan Howlin

A very capable Minister, but also visionary European

– Noonan popular with EPP adviser Siegfried Muresan

Ruairi Quinn wants a communist state in Ireland

Deputy Tom Barry on efforts to eh, further remove state involvement in funding education

Let’s be truly liberal and stand against this illiberal culture.

– sadly Gay Mitchell’s intervention came too late for the abortion debate

Delighted to see NNI finally doing something to protect newspapers’ intellectual property. That principle more is important than the detail

– The Irish Times Health Correspondent Paul Cullen and ‘the detail’ being Irish newspapers threatening domestic violence charities while trying to undo the internet

It’s time politicians stood up and said they’re not afraid any more

– Minister Rabbitte on arrival of social media

It will take a great deal more than the expenditure of hot air and windy rhetoric in basketball arenas to achieve a successful outcome in this battle

– SIPTU statement during the Croke Park waltz

Standard of TD is higher because of dynasties

– according to third generation Deputy Dara Calleary

I believe that we will one day read in the history books about this period that the crisis brought Europe even closer together, the continent is currently enjoying a very fortunate era.

– German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble

If this is the backwoods, I’m glad we’re in it

– Edwin Poots and the Stormont abortion debate in a nutshell

We have also reduced the cost of borrowing to the State. This is probably the greatest saving of all. One only had to read the report on the front page of the Irish Independent

– strictly reliable data from Deputy Martin Heydon

We pray for courage – the kind of courage that is needed to look the truth in the eye and to call it as it is, without yielding to self-deception or bowing to convenient compromise, scrupulously avoiding ambiguous language which cloaks the true horror of the situation and reduces its seriousness in public.

– Cardinal Sean Brady