A New Government

[LadyEloise]

It looks like the Government Formation Talks are coming to a close and an agreement has been reached.
Mícheál Martin up first for Taoiseach - we, Irish have either short memories, are very forgiving or are stupid.
I won't forget where he sat when Ireland gave in to European pressure and unsecured bond holders got their money, when Irish homeowners were put out of their homes - and they wonder why there is a housing crisis .
He was also Minister for Health, God help us.

He was part of those awful FF led governments - remember Bertie and Brian Cowen.

I am disgusted again by Irish politics.

He did bring in the smoking ban, we'll give him that. I'm actually a bit twitchy about new people doing anything, the past few months have been full of angst. I wonder who could effectively organise everything, get the economy back on track and fix all our social issues. A dictator!
I remember a horrible picture of the old FF front bench, when most of them resigned and about six grey men were trying to be the government.

I don't mind having the coalition but giving MMartin the plum job.
Hell no !!!
He sat by ( in cabinet) ) while his FF mates fu*ked the country.
He may be a nice man but he was there with Bertie and Cowen.

I think it's good the Civil War opponents are finally putting their hostilities to rest.
They were all on the one side once anyway, looking for Irish freedom.

He had a period of leave I think when his dd was ill and died, and he was foreign minister so not in charge of much crisis stuff back in the day. He was the 'cleanest' of the old ministers. I wonder if Leo will go after a big European job or something, or if Simon Coveney will.
I remember the relief when Enda and co were in charge for the visit of Queen Elizabeth, they looked half sensible. Poor Brian Lenihan though.
i wonder how long this potential government will last?

Well first the childcare sector it looks positive enough, my understanding from what I read was that it'll all now be under Education, a merging of departments with more state funding.
However I do share your reservations about Micheál Martin though. I haven't forgotten but I am hoping he has learned.
Remember though this isnt what the people voted for. (Although to be honest I am glad Sinn Féin arent in power.)

We have short memories, indeed.

Oops, posted too soon.
Short memories in one way.

Though I'm glad to see centrism being the order of the day. A bit of a relief, everything seems so febrile now.
Looking forward to seeing the programme for government for a good nit pick!

No one voted for Martin to be Taoiseach but I suppose leo wasn't voted in either. I don't understand giving him first go at power to be honest is there not a lot of things leo is in the middle of that he'd like to see out.
I don't have a short memory, FF never get my vote these days. I had no home the last election, I've no love for SF but there's so much FG are getting painfully wrong. One of those things is health and I don't understand as Simon seems to have worked hard the last few months and, mistakes aside, tried his best to do a good job.

Can't believe FF are getting back in...I haven't forgotten.

Interesting to see Catherine Martin's husband, also a GreenParty TD, Francis Noel Duffy abstained from voting for the Programme for Government.

Considering his wife was the chief negotiator for the Green party in the negotiations, I'd love to be a fly on the wall in their house.

I can’t believe we will have MM as Taoiseach but I would rather him than Mary Lou.

A lot of Greens don't seem happy, I wonder will they agree to play nicely. Otherwise there are a clatter of independents.

MM lives near where my late sister RIP did in Cork. We met him a few times, most memorably at the Andrea Boccelli concert in the barracks on the Northside back in 2005. It was a fabulous venue, great weather and a great concert. I had come back specially for it. There's some useless info for ye!

Anyway, MM is a gentleman. But I have no love for FF, and he might need to watch his back for the long knives.

The good thing about Coalition is everyone has to work together, so I have an open mind. Anyway FF are so far down the polls they are touching the grass. Interesting times ahead.

Mm has been in Dublin since lockdown I read in a newspaper so it must be true. But where, maybe in Berties spare room? Or in the lodge with Leo and Matt?
He was quite brave to declare as pro choice. But he does waffle on. Dh knows him very slightly. His wife is supposed to be quite dynamic.

I don't like his politics - being a minister with the likes of Bertie and Cowen - but the thought of losing two children, my, that is so heartbreaking.

He kind of kept his head down, didn't he, during the end game. I'm sure he is pleasant, he's been around long enough to know people in Europe and Britain with Brexit happening. But....
The UN thing seems to be very exciting (whatever it is). Poor Canada.

Dreadful, sad news from Castlerea.

I only heard the bare bones - what jh happened?

Random letters in there sorry

@eggandonion I'm so angry over that and so sad for his family and friends.

One of the papers called the man who shot the guard 'a well known nuisance' - every town has one!
7Days have you heard yet, I can never recall who is in NI - it was a detective involved in an altercation which ended in him being shot, the baddie got hold of his police weapon.
I need a March payslip for Covid payment to prove I was working. I get old paper ones - I haven't been in work to pick it up! February one was in my handbag which I haven't used in months.

A well know nuisance is not someone who shoots a Garda 15 times, it's someone who causes a bit of trouble, a bit of petty theft, drunk and disorderly etc. I wonder how many suspended sentences this guy had. The Judge in Longford loves handing down suspended sentences. I wonder is Castlerea the same. No wonder they think they can do anything they like. I'm getting fed up with it now.

I assume it is code, like known to the gardai. But the situation escalated., unpredictably.

Noooo MM is the new Taoiseach.
He, who sat with Bertie and Cowen and led the country to the brink of ruin and destroyed many lives. But saved the bankers.

I'm happy for Leo.
If anyone is breaking open a bottle and sleeping til noon tomorrow, its Leo not MM.

If FF and FG can work together we might have a stable government for longer than a couple of years, which should be a good thing.

I thing MM will struggle as Taoiseach, I'm not sure he has the likeability to take it on at the moment, I think there'll be a lot of muttering no matter what he does.

If they do ok, then FF and FG will have a majority on their own after the next election. If they fuck up we are looking at a SF led government which I really don't want. Either way the Greens will lose out.

I too wish Leo all the best (and a bit of a rest).