They’re back? April 16, 2016
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Uncategorized.trackback
The coalition that is? Looks like it may be back to the future if reports in the IT are correct.
Following intensive discussions in recent days and renewed requests from acting Taoiseach Enda Kenny, senior Labour figures are increasingly convinced that they should explore a new coalition deal with Fine Gael and the Green Party.
FF won’t say no – though as IEL as noted they must wonder what they’re getting out of this given that they could have a partnership government along with all the trappings deal.
And:
Labour Ministers and TDs will speak to their constituency members this weekend about a possible return to government with Fine Gael.
As one experienced political observer put it to me this morning, ‘That’s going to be some members meeting!’
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 
RTe Reporter said Labour will be offered 1 senior and 2 junior ministries!! Enda met Joan, Brendan and Alan!!
Enda must have a death wish!
Remaining Labour Councillors(51) would have to have a death wish to allow this!
Of course Joan and Brendan need never run again and Alan and the brother have plenty money!
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IF THEY GO FOR THIS SURELY IRISH LP ARE FINISHED?
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But, Mercs!
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dmoc made a great point yesterday about how the LP could get Taoiseach’s nominees as well. They’ll go for it I bet.
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Still amazing if they do. It’ll finish them off, surely. Only Howlin’s seat would be safe. He’ll finally be leader! Chairman one hand clapping.
PDs did manage to gain a few seats in a previous election even after being in govt. (going from 6 to 10), but hard to see Lab doing that.
Shows what careerists they are. And they’ll lose what little working class support they have to the Shinners and AAA/PBP. If the Greens stay out then they’ll lose what little middle class support they have.
*
BTW, straws in the wind: no shocker here to anyone that the coming years are not going to be boomtime – and some of the issues will be blowing from the US. Fracking bubble burst about a year ago (you’d not know it from MSM coverage), and the Tech Bubble 2.0 seems to be in early stages of going also (and unlike the first tech bubble pop in 2000, I don’t think this one will be televised). They’ll work very hard to keep the crash quiet as long as possible, to allow smarter money to sell out.
A friend works for a tech company here in Portland (which has been hopping with tech jobs and $). Their company had a wave of layoffs; apparently very few of his former co-workers are finding work —– which is most unusual. Before they could walk in a door and get hired. Something seems to be shifting.
If so the results will be very widely felt; a phenomenal amount of funny money has been sloshing around, and looks like the bills are coming due.
America sneezes, etc.
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They’ll work very hard to keep the crash quiet as long as possible, to allow smarter money to sell out.
The first Great Recession was a roaring success – public bailouts all around, and no prion time for anyone. The second time around, they’re aiming to avoid even the prospect of temporary embarrassment before moving to the ‘welfare for the rich’ stage.
And meanwhile, TTIP – the multinational corporations finally being able to just ignore local legislatures and courts – rolls on towards becoming a reality.
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Not ‘finished’ in the sense of disappearance. The LP brand will just become a flag of convenience for what are essentially career independent politicians – Dublin 4’s answer to the Healy-Raes of this world.
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Could it all be a cunning plan by Micheál to get an FF overall majority after a year?
If in addition to Enda and Paschal (Bobby Ewing), we also had to listen to Posh Voiced Shane , Mattie the Pro-life, Katherine the Yank, Joan the Moan, Brendan “(Mussolini/FEMPI)” and Alan “Power Drug” etc for 12 months, there might even be an insurrection!!!
Coul you wish for a more unpopular gang to agitate against?
I can’t believe my luck!
So cheer up! Those whom the Gods wish to destroy, they first make mad!
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Sorry, I forgot, we can blame Jack “FEMPI” O Connor as well!!
I’m going on the tare to celebrate!!!
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From the Local: We coul have Callan’s Kicks LIVE in the Dáil as a Bonus!!!
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“Fianna Fáil has drawn up a list of key areas where it will demand guarantees from Fine Gael. It wants the minority government to adopt a 2:1 ratio on public service spending over tax cuts in future budgets.”
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/election-2016/threat-to-kenny-as-deal-for-government-clears-way-for-leadership-heave-34632278.html
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perhaps it on’t be coalition but occasional support?, while they say that in this new Oireachtas and the opposition needs and can vote more with government and this is mature law making they are doing when they vote with FG on various bill when it could be deals they made over entirely different issues.
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“No government? No problem.
Ireland Thursday sold EUR750 million of 10-year bonds at a lower yield than when it last tapped the market two weeks before its inconclusive election at the end of February…
Meanwhile, Ireland’s composite purchasing managers’ index stood at 60.7 in March, indicating continued strong progress in an economy that grew by a staggering 7.8% in 2015. That has driven Ireland’s debt as a share of gross domestic product to below 100% from 120% in 2013; it is set to continue falling. Unemployment has fallen rapidly, and the Irish rate is now well below the eurozone’s.”
http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2016/04/14/irish-bonds-a-vote-of-confidence/
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Marian’s D4 Dinner Party at RTE!
Theyre here and you’ll be sick listening to them in the coming months.
Yes you guessed the two TDs at the Dinner Party To-day-the two luvvies Katherine Zappone and Eamon Ryan.
Marian displayed her usual “objectivity”.
“A-a-Are we just going to make the same mistakes again! Paschal Donoghue said he was being asked to open the cheque book to solve the Luas dispute.” The clear underlying assumption was that the bust was caused by paying people too much and spending too much on public services. Not a word about the greedy Irish and international rich who poured money into property inflation and who were protected by government, opposition, The Central Bank, the ESRI, the ECB, IBEC, IFA, The ICTU and the entire Irish elite except Prof Morgan Kelly . But the new agenda of the elite must be served! Keep down pay and public spending!
Neither Eamonn nor Katherine demurred from Marian’s basic assumption.
Later Marian criticised those who deride British nationalisn(Brexit etc) while saying failing to criticise the two wings of Irish nationalism for failure to form a government.
The underlying assumption is that nationalism is bad whether it is that of the oppressor or of the oppressed trying to recover sovereignty.
Eamonn and Katherine were big on DAIL REFORM. There was no mention of the only political reform which would make any difference-recallibility of TDs by constituents! The only effect of the Dáil reforms they advocate (some of which have merit) will be to prolong discussion but the outcomes for the general citizenry will be the same.
They might even have a token lef TDt at the dinner party next week!
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Came across this recently. Alexis de Tocqueville claimed that the most dangerous moment for a a bad government was when it begins to reform- so bring on fg + friends and/or ff + reform!!
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Fergal, Eric Hoffer in ‘True Believer’ (1950) makes the same statement; don’t know if he was paraphrasing T or not.
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If it’s seized.
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Interesting comment from IT. “Resignations from the … parliamentary party”. Given that there’s only 7 of them, and JB, AK47 & HOWL are likely to have snouts in trough, which of the remaining 4 are they alluding to?
Sherlock? Penrose? O Sullivan? Ryan?
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/beleaguered-labour-party-s-options-are-limited-and-risky-1.2612650
QUOTE: Going back into government would certainly expose Labour to a torrent of derision from its opponents and much of the media. It would cause ructions in the party and probably provoke resignations from the organisation and possibly the parliamentary party.
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Heheh, yeah, not a lot of scope for resignations.
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It is “an outrage” that the Provisional Republican Movement has “sought to re-write history and claim direct continuity from 1916”, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has said today….
“What remains as a direct challenge to the unique status of 1916 is Gerry Adams and a party incapable of accepting that it waged an illegitimate war against a democratic republican tradition directly enabled by 1916,” Mr Martin added
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/micheál-martin-slams-sinn-féin-over-claims-of-1916-links-1.2613809
“the Fianna Fáil leader’s obsession with Sinn Féin is bizarre, extending not only to his refusal to enter Government, but to dominating Fianna Fáil events as well”.-Gerry Adams.
Fianna Fail “has long since given up any notion of bringing the Republic proclaimed in 1916 to fruition.It has, under recent leaderships, become the party of commercial interests and gombeen men that Liam Mellows foretold would accept partition in their own interest.”
http://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/39316
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If Labour get 3 Taoiseachs nominations to the Seanad, who will get them?
Will Siptu get one through Jed Nash or even Jack O Connor himself.
The SIPTU leader was always given a seate seat once upon a time-remember senators Mickey Mullen and Fintan Kennedy
Remember Joan needs Jackif she is to survive!
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The Sindo is reviving the notion of the “Left Alliance”, but given the Soc Dems have already denied the story, seems to be an editorial pipe-dream!
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/burton-plots-left-alliance-to-prop-up-kennys-minority-government-34633894.html
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Catherine Murphy @CathMurphyTD https://twitter.com/CathMurphyTD/status/721701150374957058
Article not accurate socdems not in coalition talks with labour (that doesn’t rule out SDs, GP, FG, FF, SF, AAA-PBP) 😛
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a ‘left’ alliance- cough , cough
a rainbow alliance- dark blue, blue and sky blue
George Orwell!
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😉
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I’ve jus listened back to Marian’s D4 Dinner Party on RTE. It is worse than I thought!
Listen here: http://www.rte.ie/radio/utils/radioplayer/rteradioweb.html#!rii=b9%5F20971290%5F70%5F17%2D04%2D2016%5F
The guests were Katherine Zappone TD, Eamonn Ryan TD, Superintendent O’Brien (Interpol), Julie O’Neill , former GS of A Government Department, Prof Mac an Bháird, Business and Finance, DCU.
The combination of Marian’s prejudices and the composition of the panel made the programme grossly unbalanced.
The questions to the politicians were in the nature of a “love-in”
Unbelievably Eamonn Ryan was never asked to account for his 4 years in the diastrous FF-Green government (2007-2011). He was not even introduced as a former Minister but as leader of the Green Party
Zappone was not asked why she withdrew her Bill to stop disadvantageous changes to lone parents benefits in the Seanad and abandoned them to the tender mercies of Joan Burton who proceeded to bring in the changes. She was allowed to say she was “passionately committed to equality” without question or challenge.
O’Brenwas a bit at sea on the politics
Mac an Bhaird pointed to the fact that there was a danger in “auction” politics as the state faced uncertain times.
O’neill pointed to the merits of a “rainbow government” as we had with John Bruton, Dick Spring and Proinsias De Rossa.
As I said earlier: Marian displayed her usual “objectivity”.
“A-a-Are we just going to make the same mistakes again! Paschal Donoghue said he was being asked to open the cheque book to solve the Luas dispute.” The clear underlying assumption was that the bust was caused by paying people too much and spending too much on public services. Not a word about the greedy Irish and international rich who poured money into property inflation and who were protected by government, opposition, The Central Bank, the ESRI, the ECB, IBEC, IFA, The ICTU and the entire Irish elite except Prof Morgan Kelly . But the new agenda of the elite must be served! Keep down pay and public spending! Beware of auction politics! Not a word about the fact that the financial assets of the super-rich are now 40 billion above peak boom level(2006)? And not a penny wealth tax is being paid on it while people are paying tax on their homes and double tax on their domestic water supply.
Neither Eamonn nor Katherine or the others demurred from Marian’s basic assumption.
This is full bown propaganda of the rich paid for by licence fees.
How the poorest 90% exist never impinged!!!!
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This is what FG-Labour are facing into!
GAME IS UP FOR IRISH RELIANCE ON FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
AND IRELAND CAN DO NOTHING ABOUT IT-NO EFFECTIVE SOVEREIGNTY
From Sunday Business Post-17/04/2016 Jack Horgan-Jones
“The problem for Ireland is that while we loom large in the rhetoric on tax avoidance, our real power in this world is naught.—-
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Well spotted Paddy – and this change in economic climate is going to effect the country far more than whether Tweedle-Dum or Tweedle-Dee lead a (minority) government.
There’s a huge opportunity for the real left here to start promoting a path based on investment in non-transnational cooperative-based production as well as the collective ownership and transparent control (I’m deliberately avoiding the word ‘nationalisation’) of natural monopolies and finance.
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Actually I see nothing wrong with transnational cooperatives – it could make sense, especially in the context of partition.
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