Why has our government only tinkered with the problem

[Disillusioned democrat]

The UK GE was just over 6 months ago and the resulting coalition government has already found its feet and through a severe, but IMO fair austerity budget won over the bond holders to reduce their cost of borrowing.
By way of contrast, FF/GP have been in office 3 years now, had the full benefit of time and the best advice available as the crisis unfolded, and have yet to deal with the issue. In the meantime the problem has gotten so bad that Europe feels it necessary to step in and gracefully relieve Cowen and Lenihan of any influence they had on policy, and are effectively now running the show to the extent that they believe it’s the opposition’s responsibility to row in behind the disastrous decisions FF/GP have made or risk all sources of funding being turned off – a black eye for democracy in any man’s language.
My question is this…why the phuck didn’t the government do anything sooner and let it come to this point where we are in effect a colony of Europe? FF the Republican Party….me bollox they are…Brian Cowen is now Europe’s Governor General with no real power, just a ceremonial clown.

 

[Astral Peaks]

Any number of reasons:
1. Cowardice
2. Incompetance
3. Laziness
4. Fear

And so on and so on ad infinitum.......

This is FF we are speaking of!

 

[Dunlin3]

Any number of reasons:
1. Cowardice
2. Incompetance
3. Laziness
4. Fear

And so on and so on ad infinitum.......

This is FF we are speaking of!

All of the above and they thought the magic economic growth fairy would come and get people to buy loads of houses again and make it all go away!

 

[Astral Peaks]

All of the above and they thought the magic economic growth fairy would come and get people to buy loads of houses again and make it all go away!

What, there is no Growth Fairy???????????

I dont accept that!

Uncle Brian said there was one just around the corner!!!

If I kept going forward I would see it.

 

[slumdog1971]

It's hard to disagree with the opening post.

FF are the problem. I think they still believe that what is good for FF is good for the country.

In another country, even an other time in this country, Brian Cowen and Brian Lenihan would be tried for treason even if it is only for the most stupid decision ever taken in Sept '08 to guarantee Anglo Irish and INBS for all their debts.

Shocking and disgraceful is how I describe what they have done to this country by the sheer stupidity of their decision.

 

[Astral Peaks]

Even if we accept that there may well have been little alternative to this decision on the 29th Sept '08, given the sheer brazen effontery of the banks in lying so completely, nevertheless as they have now come to see how catastrophic that decision was, surely any person with the slightest bit of integrity and even only a passing awareness of the principle of personal responsibility should now simple apologise and resign with some dignity?

This will be the greatest failing from this whole debacle, the death of integrity as a desirable character trait in politics.

Brian Lenihan is a SC, he has worked in the Library and is surely aware of the importance of standing over your decisions/opinions and taking responsibility for them?

 

[Scofflaw]

I don't believe the Coalition has done any worse than any other party could/would have done. Messrs Lenihan and Cowan took sharp decisive steps to address each issue as it arose and we are in a better place today for it.

Regards,

Scofflaw

 

[Aristodemus]

Lenihan is a joke. Whoever his PR man is certainly deserves a bonus for he has managed to make a lot of people think he's doing a great job. It's incredible to think that if FF ditched Cowen and replaced him with lehnihan there is every chance they would come out of a General Election in a very strong way.

 

[Mitsui2]

This will be the greatest failing from this whole debacle, the death of integrity as a desirable character trait in politics.

Er....when was the last specific instance of integrity in the Fianna Fáil party that you can point to? Surely the problem was that integrity was already dead there before any of this.

 

[Astral Peaks]

Er....when was the last specific instance of integrity in the Fianna Fáil party that you can point to? Surely the problem was that integrity was already dead there before any of this.

Good point, very well made!

However I was thinking more in the general sense.

FF have now established a new low in this and no political system is well served by a lowering of standards of public probity.

Of course they never really did much to raise standards so perhaps I shouldnt have expected it now!

 

[ulsterscotnua]

It is obvious that the bond market lost belief with Ireland immediately after B Cowen had his late night drinking and celebrating. The bond market waited, what they thought was a reasonable time for the "Irish Drunk" to be removed.
When that didn't happen the bond market said that they had enough and stopped trusting Ireland and especially its leader.

 

[sport02]

Our current goverment are saying their prayers, crossing their fingers, and ultimately gambling with our finances, the unfortunate thing is the longer they are in, the bigger the hole that occurs.
If my memory serves me right, our second last visit to the bond markets was at a rate of 4.5%, today we see the bond rate at 8.16%, they just don't get it.

They are exhibiting traits of denial,delusion,stupidity and desperation, they are turning into fanatics, look at O'Cuiv sent to Donegal to overlook the bi-election campaign, why the bloody hell is he not going to be at his desk 24/7 until the budget is announced, simple FF don't give a crap about us, our country, or our depleting economy.

 

[ocoonassa]

I don't believe the Coalition has done any worse than any other party could/would have done.

Of course, so obvious, they'd have done exactly what our effectively one party system was going to do anyway, and we'd be in exactly the same mess. No doubt about that really. Seems people try and forget this fact so they can justify abdicating responsibility to the clowns in waiting.

 

[budgie29]

God knows why they are being so cowardly. FF/Greens will be obliterated in the next election no matter what they do. If they really put the country 1st they would have acted 2 years ago. Now because of the dithering we are being run by unelected burecrats in Brussels whose sole interest lies in propping up banks in France and Germany.

UK are going to make 500,000 civil servants redundant, major cuts in spending apart from health. David Cameron seems to have a strategic plan for the country and actually has some political conviction and beliefs. Not like this shower of idiots we elect.

How I envy the people of Britain. I might not agree with all of their policies, but at least they are prepared to govern and have some balls. Id suggest we rejoin the UK but why would they want a failed state like ours.

 

[Scofflaw]

Er....when was the last specific instance of integrity in the Fianna Fáil party that you can point to? Surely the problem was that integrity was already dead there before any of this.

It's not a question of integrity. The integrity of the Fianna Fáil leadership is unquestionable. They are merely victims of circumstances.



Scofflaw

 

[budgie29]

I don't believe the Coalition has done any worse than any other party could/would have done. Messrs Lenihan and Cowan took sharp decisive steps to address each issue as it arose and we are in a better place today for it.

Regards,

Scofflaw

haha hope this is tongue and cheek.

 

[sking81]

OP where have you been? Its not that they have just tinkered with the problems, its that they have taken epic risks and gambles that havent paid off to try and resolve them.

Our situation today is the end result of those gambles...extending the bank guarentee, NAMA etc...they were massive decisions to take, the only problem is that they were being implemented by a gang of drunkards and gamblers (which lets face it, they are), who, as it turns out, arent all that good at weighing up risks.

The two Brians are just the latest in a long, long line of lying, thieving incompentents-the difference being that they were the first ones in a few years that got caught out and landed with the can. They dont have a clue how to resolve our mess themselves and are relying on vested interests to come to the rescue.

I think the reason Lennys escaped as much bad press as he has is that he actually made an attempt at showing leadership (i.e. appearing on TV, giving interviews) during the crisises. His illness has definitely helped. On the other and, Cowen, our great leader, did himself no favours by hiding away in the snug in his local.

 

[Mister men]

We have the worst PM and finance minister is the history of the state. That's why.

 

[king5494]

We have the worst PM and finance minister is the history of the state. That's why.

In order to have a solution to any problem ,you first have to know what the problem is.
FF/GP never understood the problem and worse they don't know where we are or where we're going.

They are the bloody problem and not any part of the solution.

 

[stanley]

Firmly believe the time-wasting has been deliberate and giving time for all FF mates to get their affairs in order to dump into Nama or pass assets to their family.

After that a lot of politicians have borrowed heavy to get into the property market examples would be Francie O'Brien, Frank Fahey, Ivor Callelly, Donie Cassidy and plenty others, they also needed time either to reach agreements or transfer assets to their wives.

Everyone in trouble with FF connections have taken the "wife" route even though Lenny has stated they will reverse if required, does not make sense, the only one who will make sense out of it is Judge Peter Kelly.

Someone large like Derek Quinlan, a former civil servant, should be dragged by what little hair he has left and put into Court and to hell with this Swiss shlte he hides behind.