Comhrá - the general chat thread

[JaneJeffer]

Hi Craicnetters!

I was looking for the other thread and see it's fallen way down the list so I decided to make a new one for all our daily musings ☘️

The leniency in sentencing violent crime in this country is shocking. That poor girl. I hope he is discharged and gets everything he deserves 😠

Of all the traybakes, fifteens would be my least favourite.

I absolutely adore champ! I'd eat a big bowl of it without anythign else! (but an extra knob of butter on top)

I don’t understand the mindset of some judges in Ireland, I really don’t. It’s like they don’t see women as full people or as deserving proper justice. And they still have that old notion of the importance of protecting a man’s reputation at all costs. It’s disheartening.

There's a thread on Craicnet about light sentencing in Ireland if anyone wants to contribute.
It's sickening the sentence that Judge Tom O' Donnell has handed down.
Hopefully it will be appealed.

How could Cathal Crotty's Liaison Officer Commandant Paul Togher go to court and say he was "...exemplary....courteous..... professional.......disciplined " - this after Crotty admitted to the crime but only after being shown CVTV proving it was him.

It's like John Kiely going in to court to help get Kyle Hayes off. I know it was another man Kyle Hayes attacked but why stand up for these thugs?

He got away with it too.

I really hope Nicola appeals it. It feels like the whole country is behind her.

Jack Chambers. He is about 11. He can't be in charge of the economy.
(Maybe he will be amazing...)

I thought the same.
But not the bit that he might be amazing.
Apparently he was Director of Elections for FF and they were delighted with their success in the Local and European elections. So he's appointed Minister of Finance.
FFS

Mind you I thought Simon Harris had no "proper" job experience, I'm not sure he finished his college degree, he then worked as an aide to Frances Fitzgerald a FG politician and he's doing well now as Taoiseach - he says the right things.
He appears to show empathy and has a common touch.

Well he might be fabulous. Wee Jack.
Simon Harris's hair is getting stranger.
This is all very odd. I wonder what Bertie thinks.

"Good politician" aside, I can never understand how we can put people in charge of departments in a discipline they have no experience of. Experienced accounts = Minister for Finance, Doctor/Nurse = Minister for Health (I know Leo used to be a doctor but note the word experienced!) Farmer = minister for agriculture etc. It just proves that the departments are actually ran by senior civil servants. And they don't get voted in!

I fully agree.
I believe Ministers should be appointed to a Ministry because of their skillsets not because they organised a good election campaign.
Is Paschal still around?
If so, why couldn't he take up the reigns of Minister for Finance again.
I know it's Fianna Fáil's "turn" but running a country is more important than political parties having their "go" at different senior positions. 🙄

Oops "the reigns" should have been "the reins".

Morto

Civil servants go through a highly competitive recruitment and promotion process and a lot of on the job training. They have to think and plan not just one the five-year or ten-year scale of our Development Plans, but way beyond that to balance budgets and needs. Departments have corporate memories going back through the history of the state, stuff that worked, stuff that didn't.

Politicians think on much shorter time scales - what is going to win them votes in the next election.

What emerges from them working together, conforming to a programme for government but also pivoting to meet the unforeseen, such as Covid. is what gradually gets us where we need to go. Or not, sometimes.

My dh works in a big publicly funded organisation. There are finance people who are very strict on how money is spent and check expenses claims and query everything. And there are big bosses who splash the cash which doesn't really exist and cause massive holes in the budget with personal schemes. I imagine civil servants in top jobs might be better than politicians at running things. I may be wrong.
Id put Paschal in charge for the next few months. He knows everyone and everything.
I swear my phone alters things to make me look stupid.

Are we all staying up late for UK election results?
Is Jack Chambers up to something?
Is summer just around the corner?

We had the weirdest weather on the walk to the polling station: sun splitting the skies and really strong wind blowing us back down the hills. After I put all that effort in to get voting I’m going to switch the telly on at 10pm and watch a wee bit at least 😀

To answer your questions @eggandonion
No I won't stay up for the results.
I'll look at the exit poll news at 10 and perhaps the 11pm news.

Jack Chambers up to something - i think it's a giveaway budget just prior to an earlier than people thought it would be, general election.

I'm in Dublin and it certainly wasn't summer weather.
I thought Hurricane Beryl had reached our shores it was so windy.

It was really windy here yesterday...cloudy today with some drizzle.
Trying to work out what channel to watch election on.
Jack kept saying no election until next year...surely he wouldn't fib.

Haha ! a politician who wouldn't fib
You're having a laugh.

We're laughing at them running with the boxes. You don't see much of that in these parts

It’s not dignified , the box trot 😂

I was hoping Pippa Hackett would get leadership of the Greens. ☹️

Father Jack Hackett has more common sense than any of the Greens

😂

Hi Jane I hope you're keeping well. I spent some time on MN a while ago but for some reason I couldn't join the chat. It was a chat about a school Reunion. I joined the Reunion chat. In the chat some Mums said they would love to caint as gaeilge. I'm going to try to learn Irish by reading Pros don Mheanteistimeireacht. I'll get to chat about Peig, well that's the plan!!! I'm from Dublin but moved to NI many moons ago. NI is my home. I used to visit a lot but life and family stuff got in the way. I'd really love to chat online. I'll chat again and maybe start a few chats. I had a few technical problems for a while. I hope I'll be able to join in. Wish me well. Sean leat

Blast from the Past!

I'll have to get an Irish dictionary