Rivals July 2, 2020
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Uncategorized.trackback
I was wondering were the public cries of disappointment at non-promotion at Ministerial or Junior Ministerial level that have been apparent this past few days, and noted in comments here, unprecedented? Dara Calleary, the Government Chief Whip, had already indicated his displeasure and last night:
Mr Moynihan, who was the party’s chief whip, said Mr Martin had “insulted me and my community” by not appointing him a junior minister.
Moynihan went on to tell the Taoiseach and the citizens of the state what a terrible mistake had been made in not appointing him:
He said he is “very, very disappointed with being let down”. He said Fianna Fáil held two out of three seats in his constituency.
Mr Moynihan said he “worked extremely hard over nine years to rebuild (the) party, took a lot of stick in terms of picking candidates” but got “no thanks”.
“He has insulted me and my community,” Mr Moynihan said.
Politics. It’s thankless.
Though Calleary didn’t do too badly:
Dara Calleary, the Government Chief Whip, is a super junior minister who sits at Cabinet.
Mr Calleary has also been given responsibility for sport and the Gaeltacht.
And what of those who have decided not to accept an offer?
Earlier Fianna Fáil TD Jim O’Callaghan turned down an offer of a junior ministerial post.
And:
The outgoing Fine Gael Minister for Education Joe McHugh is understood to have also turned down a junior ministerial post.
Is that people positioning themselves away from a possibly deeply unpopular government? And one that may not be entirely popular with party memberships?
All told a most discontented lot. Were promises made prior to an election, where increases were expected and no necessity for FG to be in government with FF envisaged, which in the current more straitened times have proven impossible to fulfill? And here we are, only a few days into this administration. For all the smiling faces at the weekend it all seems very petty, not least given the pandemic. In some ways FG seem the most united of the lot.
Things can only get..?
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 
The Dublin West constituency has three piglets out of four slurping from the trough – Senior Piglets Leo Varadkar (Fine Gael) and Roderick O’Gorman (Green Party) and junior piglet Jack Chambers (Fianna Fáil). It’s definitely unfair.
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I notice none of the Green TDs who opposed the deal got jobs – I would have thought Neasa Hourigan, who was their finance spokesperson would have been in line?
The FF reaction, in particular, is an eye-opener: MM’s reign will not be long once his half a term ends.
As you say, FG are probably hoping to come out of this best placed to reap whatever credit this administration builds up with the electorate: taoiseach in place, FF sullen, Greens doing the mudguard gig….
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The FF reaction doesn’t bode well. A serious lack of discipline in the party. To be fair to Martin he was in a terribly difficult position with so many people hoping to get an important role.
I think O’Callaghan’s decision may backfire, the optics too of people giving out because they didn’t get the job they wanted looks awful in the current situation where so many are out of work or trying to get their businesses up and running again.
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Good point. Someone I was talking to who’s not a political junkie was appalled at the sense of entitled outrage from the FF crew.
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And this from a party which lost seats, is sinking in the polls and is only holding the Taoiseach’s chair by dint of very strange circumstance.
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The sense of outrage publicly expressed by some Fianna Fáilers did them no credit and yet more may come. The failure to promote Neasa Hourigan given her oppositional and gender role makes clear where Ryan places his priorities. I believe this saying is apt: revenge is a dish best served cold.
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A whole bunch of people who may never again have the chance to be ministers, after decades of involvement of the party…
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Yes. I think I understand (but do not sympathise with) Moynihan: beavering away since 1997, brings in a running mate, to see not only the ship-jumper Stephen Donnelly, but also the likes of the still-20-something Chambers who’s only a wet day in Leinster house when compared with Moynihan, getting promotions.
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I’ll never understand this “coming man” aura around Chambers, but I suppose his Junior role is a sop to the more arch conservatives in the party. Donnelly I’ll bet was promised something when he joined. Neither deserves to be a Minister.
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Unprecedented? Not at all. Same bullshit and whinging and play acting every time. It’s part of the dance. Keeps the pol corrs in business.
“The great careers all tricks
The fine arts all my arse
Business and politics
A cruel farce.”
James Simmons
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Squeals from a piglet muscled away from the trough “I am bitterly disappointed for the people of Limerick that the 3rd city of the Republic and economic driver of the Mid-West has been completely overlooked for either senior or Junior Ministerial appointments. I have been inundated with messages from people who feel let down and grossly insulted. There are 3 Government TDs out of 4 in Limerick City, yet Micheál Martin has felt it appropriate to insult all the people of Limerick City with this decision. It’s strange if he thinks that we can deliver 3 out of 4 after this!” https://twitter.com/willieodeaLIVE?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
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Willie O’Dea out of the traps too now
I am bitterly disappointed for the people of Limerick that the 3rd city of the Republic and economic driver of the Mid-West has been completely overlooked for either senior or Junior Ministerial appointments. I have been inundated with messages from people who feel let down and grossly insulted. There are 3 Government TDs out of 4 in Limerick City, yet Micheál Martin has felt it appropriate to insult all the people of Limerick City with this decision. It’s strange if he thinks that we can deliver 3 out of 4 after this!
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Quite surprised at O’Dea’s vehemence, and to talk openly of inevitable electoral failure too. I thought getting the PFG based showed Martin had support, but it seems like he’s loading plenty of guns that could fire down the line.
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Who’s the “we” Willie refers to who will deliver 3 out of 4.Is he con firming the blueshirts and the Broy Harriers are as one from now on to time immemorial?
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It looks as if Willie O’Dea means delivering 3 Government Seats of 4 – FFFGGG – Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Greens, Gombeens – four legs of this coalition stool.
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Willie is no slouch;on the guitar; he should have received one of the arts ministries.
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Only 40 per cent of the FF, FG, and Grns Dail TDs have been given ministerial positions. So these ministers have a very heavy workload.
Why not expand the ministerial pool to 50 per cent or more of the govt. TDs? This would relieve work stress on existing ministers and at the same time mitigate discontent among TDs whose obvious talents are being overlooked.
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Sure why not make all TD’s from the eco-capitalist alliance rotating ministers? 🙂
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The regional thing shows how hollowed out the political system has become. The judgement on Martin will be on how much patronage and clientilism he delivered to his constituency first, then Cork and later Munster. Little or no comment on the qualities of ministers and their ability to do the job they are paid for.
Healy-Raeism rules OK.
How depressing
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Hasn’t it always been like that Jim. Jobs and council houses for the relations and supporters, perks and money in the pocket for the politeeeeeshians. The media (or what passes for it) acquiesces in all this.
How depressing is right.
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“I want to devote more time to strengthening our great party by making it a more attractive option for young voters”
I wonder what Jim O’Callaghan thinks FF can offer young people, and why he’s the one to do it? They’d want to hide Jack Chambers…
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The thought occurs to me that the Greens might dodge the bullet here: FF could end up as the mudguard party this time.
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It’s funny when I was reading your own comment yesterday that was outlining the disposition of the parties something along those lines struck me too.
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I mean the argument they have that if they don’t have a choice – which is very open to critique, needless to say in this company – because we face a existential planetary crisis does have a resonance in a period of Extinction Rebellion etc etc I know from talking to people who are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Not so sure FF has that sort of excuse! 🙂
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2 piglets out of 3 from Dublin-Rathdown – Senior Piglet Martin and Junior Piglet Madigan slurping from Trough – piglet Richmond muscled away, on rations. Perhaps Richmond piglet will try a slurp or two from a Euro-trough?
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Sinn Féin, shedding crocodile tears, regrets absence of Unionist piglet in Seanad.
“Sinn Féin Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile, from Belfast, expressed his “disappointment and frustration” on Twitter over the lack of northern representation.
“So much for “the Republican Party”, so much for “the United Ireland party” and so much for the Greens actually supposed to be an all-Ireland party!” he tweeted.
His party leader Mary Lou McDonald also expressed her disappointment.
“I think it’s important that northern society is represented within the Oireachtas [the Irish Parliament] and I think it’s also important that unionist voices – people from the unionist tradition – are also heard, so yes, that’s a disappointment,” she told the BBC’s Sunday Politics.”
The crocodile could have instructed its foot-soldiers to elect Ian Marshall in the Seanad elections – but chose not to do that. https://www.ianmarshall.info/post/micheál-martin-s-shared-island-pledge-a-farce Mr Marshall can investigate other troughs – perhaps Mr Varadkar can investigate the Euro-Trough option?
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