Bertie Ahern. (1 Viewer)

[jane]

Anyone have an idea who brought/bought Mary Harney to the Superbowl. Starting prices for tickets this year were 7K US, and I very much doubt she was sitting in the nosebleed section. Would say her ticket could of been worth 40K? Who knows.

This is what I'm wondering, like. It's pretty not-entirely-legal for a government official to take such 'gifts' from a private company, innit? I mean, if it was the State of Arizona, that would be one thing, and I'm not sure it would bug me if it was an 'official' gift, it's just that when it comes to the Super Bowl, I don't think ANY state government has enough pull to get a ticket. Only a major corporation would have the clout.

But I'm slightly less worried about how she got to the Super Bowl and significantly more concerned about whom she met with in the US, apart from the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins University Hospital, and what exactly those meetings were about. Sorry to employ another crappy metaphor so soon after my last one, but taking advice on health care from the US is like asking Bertie for advice on buying his girlfriend's aunties a house using....oh, wait. Confused now.

 

[Goff]

It's not illegal, no. And, as such, entirely legal.

However, the fact that it goes agin the Ethical Codes of Practice in Public Service rules that they're allegedly obliged to follow, would make it slightly dodgy. Only slightly though. If you're a cunt, like certain overweight Health Ministers.

Health, me hole.

Geebag.

But. of course, it was a business trip, so all kosher.

Cunt.

 

[broken arm]

what is funny is how stupidly pathetic the ammounts of money are, okay 30k is probably the biggest sum yet, but it's all been 5k here, 4k there... come guys, if you're going to risk your intergrity and carrer on some shady deals, at least have the dignity to do it for top dollar

we're all so lame

they undersell the development of the country to the same degree they undersell their corruption.

 

[jane]

It's not illegal, no. And, as such, entirely legal.

However, the fact that it goes agin the Ethical Codes of Practice in Public Service rules that they're allegedly obliged to follow, would make it slightly dodgy. Only slightly though. If you're a cunt, like certain overweight Health Ministers.

Health, me hole.

Geebag.

But. of course, it was a business trip, so all kosher.

Cunt.

I'm not entirely sure it's legal in the US, or at least it's illegal in some states, but it doesn't surprise me that it's not illegal here. Or that it really matters, since the law doesn't apply to certain stormy-blue-eyed ministers.

Business trip, yah, totally. Health care is business now anyway. I wish I could have been sitting in on some of those meetings, you know, when she'd let her hair down a little. "You should hear them, whining like we owe them something." Because Mary, no matter how Ireland turns against you, corporate biomedical giants will always understand.

 

[Boozin]

What gets me is that people in this country have become so jaded by this sort of corruption from FF that they are just willing to accept it these days. You dont hear people really giving out about it or wanting to do anything about it.

Bertie survives vote after vote of no confidence and the people just accept it.

The dublin city transport system is a shambles, the health care system is getting worse by the day but for some reason there's still an air of "ah well, sure he's doing his best"

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day, now this girl is very smart and knowledgeable about politics, she actually said "well i know he's a bit currupt but really FF have been in power so long, i dont trust anyone else to run the country, so ill probably vote for him in the next election"

Its just the mass indifference to this that really grinds my gears

 

[jane]

There's such a serious commitment to that 'better the devil you know' approach to life here, and it fucking drives me mental. It helps to keep people from being held accountable for their actions or for taking responsibility themselves.

People will vote FF in again. For the very reason nothing ever changes here. Despite overwhelming support for gay marriage, an improved health service, better services overall, they won't happen. Because people will vote in the people who will refuse to make the changes and then fucking bitch and moan when nothing changes. You can't have it both ways. You can't have a good health service by voting in the parties who want to privatise it. You can't have a good transport service by voting in parties who want to do nothing but build roads.

 

[therealjohnny]

There's such a serious commitment to that 'better the devil you know' approach to life here, and it fucking drives me mental. It helps to keep people from being held accountable for their actions or for taking responsibility themselves.

People will vote FF in again. For the very reason nothing ever changes here. Despite overwhelming support for gay marriage, an improved health service, better services overall, they won't happen. Because people will vote in the people who will refuse to make the changes and then fucking bitch and moan when nothing changes. You can't have it both ways. You can't have a good health service by voting in the parties who want to privatise it. You can't have a good transport service by voting in parties who want to do nothing but build roads.

Thats the spirit!

It almost inspires me think about registering to vote

 

[Raudi Raus Schinkel]

I'm content with the Government we have.

Even if Bertie is abusing his power, it's better than those Fine Gaelers

they arent fit to run a creche

And I come from a long line of Fine Gael party workers

 

[ratmonkey]

You can't have a good transport service by voting in parties who want to do nothing but build roads.

And they can't even get that much right.

 

[Raudi Raus Schinkel]

hey guise, we need roads for commerce, and trains for getting to work.

some of us, who sometimes work in the middle of the sticks, need cars for getting to work, or are we to run an underground to ballydehob?

California has enough highway to go around the world 8 times

 

[JohnnyRaz]

Anyone have an idea who brought/bought Mary Harney to the Superbowl. Starting prices for tickets this year were 7K US, and I very much doubt she was sitting in the nosebleed section. Would say her ticket could of been worth 40K? Who knows.

i heard she was sponsered by dunken doughnuts. She was wearing a branded mou-mou.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

I'm content with the Government we have.

Even if Bertie is abusing his power, it's better than those Fine Gaelers

they arent fit to run a creche

And I come from a long line of Fine Gael party workers

ah go on outta that. i'd rather have fine geal wasting the whole lot by not having a clue what they were doing

 

[Raudi Raus Schinkel]

ah go on outta that. i'd rather have fine geal wasting the whole lot by not having a clue what they were doing

fine for you to say when youre in nz for a year.

 

[magicbastarder]

when my old primary school is still using prefabs built in the early 80s, and given our recent blast with affluence, i would expect FG couldn't do worse.

 

[Space]

when my old primary school is still using prefabs built in the early 80s, and given our recent blast with affluence, i would expect FG couldn't do worse.

I'd like to know how it could actually be any worse.

 

[Raudi Raus Schinkel]

well read all about it, the last time FG were in power, then try and imagine

 

[magicbastarder]

the last time FG were in power, they and labour negotiated ireland's low corporation tax rate with the EU, which FF inherited and used to claim they were the reason for economic growth in ireland.

 

[Raudi Raus Schinkel]

yeah yet nearly everyone thinks that if they vote fine gael and labour, we'd have higher corporation tax

last-ditch attempt to stay in government.

I thought Fitzgerald and Dukes were good leaders

Kenny is a whole different story.

 

[Pedronimus]

What gets me is that people in this country have become so jaded by this sort of corruption from FF that they are just willing to accept it these days. You dont hear people really giving out about it or wanting to do anything about it.

Bertie survives vote after vote of no confidence and the people just accept it.
Its just the mass indifference to this that really grinds my gears

Its not just indifference. Its more complex than that.

Alot of the older generation voters are from a time when to diddle the system was lauded. Declaring as little to the tax man etc... And so really couldn't give a shit. Micheal Lowry continually tops the poll in his constituency as will Bertie Ahern.

Then there are people who are prepared to accept a certain level of corruption for perceived benefits of having that person in power.

There are people who vote completely for personal gain and have no concern for the greater good.

There are people who simply can't put 2 and 2 together and get 4. The kind of people who still say Charlie Haughey was a good man, and there is a frightening amount of them.

To label all politicians and the whole system as being entirely corrupt really doesn't help anyone. Most politicians are normal humans. Some are foresighted and would like to affect real change. Most are just there to serve and keep people happy and the ones that shout the loudest get heard. Some are just pigheaded and stupid. And some take bribes. Like any fucking group of people.

 

[Pantone247]

I don't think people don't care, I just think Berite has been so brazen about it and so, basically, 'fuck off and leave me alone, you don't know what you're talking about and I don't have to explain myself to you' and in a way he's right, who's going to stop him? Me? You? Huh?

Raudi is right on the other point too, if you get rid of Berties (and you won't) who do you want in charge? The last Election was embaressing, Enda Kenny grinning like a big fool, Pat Rabbite winking and giggling, Trevor Sargent who had to go to get the Greens into a simple coalition?

I'd rather see Bosco in power