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‘No Confidence’ Vote Will Damage Irish Politics
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Edit by Cian (17:00): The debate is live on the Oireachtas website and has just begun, vote due at 8:30.
Tonight’s forthcoming Fine Gael tabling of a motion of ‘No Confidence’ in the Taoiseach of Ireland, currently held for the third successive and historic time by Bertie Ahern, TD, will no doubt be watched closely by the nation. It’s expected to follow the timeline outlined by BreakingNews.ie earlier:
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will have to wait until 9pm to know his fate following the first ever motion of no confidence being tabled against him in the Dáil.
The debate will begin around 5pm and votes will be cast at 8.30pm.
A long-awaited Labour Party motion on the decision by Aer Lingus to switch Heathrow slots from Shannon to Belfast has been put back until tomorrow afternoon.
Representatives of Mid-West business and tourism interests were holding a small protest outside the Dáil today.
Opposition leader Enda Kenny earlier revealed plans to move the motion of no confidence following a meeting of his front bench.
Labour TDs are expected to support Fine Gael in the motion.
All TDs from the Government benches will be summoned into the Dáil chamber for the late evening vote by chief whip Tom Kitt.
Minister for Enterprise Micheal Martin and Minister for Overseas Development Michael Kitt are currently away on business.
However they will be ’paired’ with Opposition TDs to balance numbers.
This vote however, I believe, will damage public confidence in politics and no doubt make a life in politics for those with talent and aspiration on the road to the Dáil very difficult. I do not believe that in accepting any monies in the 1990s, Bertie Ahern did any wrong. Ethically I suppose there is a question to be answered, however politically, I do not believe that Ahern has done any wrong either by political favours or any other political deviation.
Therefore it is my estimation that this action by Fine Gael this evening will no doubt curtail anyone with ambitions of seeking office in the near or distant future from doing so. Nobody’s perfect. And let he who is without sin, cast the first stone! (P.S. I doubt that person is Enda Kenny!)
diarmy
“a motion of ‘No Confidence’ in the office of Taoiseach of Ireland”
For clarity, there’s no such thing as a motion of no confidence in the OFFICE of Taoiseach. It’s no confidence in the current holder of that office.
“Ethically I suppose there is a question to be answered, however politically, I do not believe that Ahern has done any wrong either by political favours or any other political deviation.”
Only from the Diarrhea Army would we get this sort of nonsense.
The primary thing damaging Irish politics in the Ireland of today, Diarmy, is what I outlined in a previous post on this website, and on my own weblog.
The failure of Bertie Ahern to remember every single detail of every single punt he got from businessmen, innocently or not, so that he can prove, and I can know, whether my Taoiseach (because regardless of my political affiliations, that is what he is) is corrupt or not.
When he wibbles and changes his story more than once, that’s one thing. But when he changes it multiple times and claims to have no precise memory of what occurred, that is something else altogether.
Ahern has to go – he has damaged the office of Taoiseach, whether by perception or by misdeed, or by both, that is the fact of Bertiegate.
I am loyal to the office of Taoiseach. That office is the head of the Government that shapes the country in which I live. If a holder of that office is surrounded by allegations, I expect that holder to outline – in a crystal clear manner – what has gone on. Bertie Ahern has completely failed to do just that.
The motion of no confidence will show the Irish people that there is some sort of accountability in Irish politics, and I hope will restore confidence, rather than take confidence away.
Thanks for the clarification Keith.
Dan, obviously we know your blood is tainted with blue-ish hues, but I resent the nickname.
Opinions are funny things too
diarmy
Diarmy, Such stunning rhetoric. You’ve convinced me. Listen, how are you fixed for a few bob yourself?
Therefore it is my estimation that this action by Fine Gael this evening will no doubt curtail anyone with ambitions of seeking office in the near or distant future from doing so.
What on earth makes you think this? This is a pointless, stupid and false statement. I know of several people in the Labour party seeking office in the local elections of 2009 – I am one of this group. There are going to be a lot more people seeking office for the locals, and that will be across all parties.
Only from the Diarrhea Army would we get this sort of nonsense.
What that Bertie did not give any political favours? What proof that he did Dan if it is so much diarrhea?
1. Barholemew Ahern admitted receiving a generous tip after giving a private consultation to business men who stood to gain from playing the exchange rate at a time when Ahern was managing the Irish economy.
2. Ahern admitted receiving undeclared sums of money (until last year) from friends who were laternominated to public positions in the the gift of the Government that Ahern was leading.
3.The payments under scrutiny are only those that transited by the banks. Ahern has failed to explain how he managed to”save” a year’s salary whilst alledgedly having a hard time financially. He hasadmitted that he may if he can’t explain how he changed large sums of punts into pounds he must have done it by changing money with “friends” It can only be assumed that we are aware of only the visble tip of a much bigger cash iceberg!
That is enough to make him unfit for office – unless you are part of the FF culture of dodgy deals, brown envelopes and non-disclosure!
Gordon
I’m shocked that no one has said that it is a disgrace to do this to a man who has not yet been subject to the tribunal’s report!
A real case of guilty until proven otherwise!
Simon, the nonsense is that even the Diarrhea Army supposes that “Ethically…there is a question to be answered”, yet he believes is the fact of a vote that is undermining confidence in politics and democracy.
I like you Dan. What party do you support or were you an independent candidate for the Seanad elections?
I would agree that the financial corruption can be dealt with and that the ethics legislation has made an improvement. Agree too that the next issue that needs to be addressed is the culture of as you say, ‘peddling influence’ together with a political culture where responsibility is absent. When a minister or a councillor fuck up, it turns out that after all the huffing and puffing it’s nobody’s fault. The water problem in Galway was one example, but in fact it’s a typcial modus operandi here.
The issue of appointments to state bodies has come up. Apparently there are now around 500 bodies. And the vast bulk of those who run them are appointed on the basis of political patronage. In a modern democracy that is insane. It does two things. First it cripples the effectiveness of these bodies because obviously were aren’t getting the best people for the job. We just get Bertie’s ‘friends’. Second it creates a web of predominantly FF influence across a whole myriad of organisations. It really blurs the line between autonomous state agents and the state’s biggest political party.
But that is only one cog of our democracy that needs to be refitted for the challenges of this century. Other cogs are pitifully worn and as Blair might say not fit for purpose. The Seanad and local government both come to mind.
Speaking of local government. Did anyone hear the story of the Sligo Co Co junket to Norway. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. About 20 of them travelled around Norway because, they claimed, Sligo needed to draw upon Norweigan experience in building peers. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I heard it. I heard of junkets by Donegal co co to promote tourism. Where did they go? S Africa. Who really knows how much money they spent (the Sligo country manager said during an RTE interview that their findings would make economic sense by drawing on the foreign expertise. But he couldn’t say how much the trip would cost. Obviously economics was to the fore alright)
In short, financial corruption is being weeded out, but there is a huge job to do in dragging our democracy into this century. In fact, unless it gets renovated the lack of accountability and responsibility will continue. We will have more bungling and more evasion.
Bertie is obviously lying through his teeth to mahon.
And in no way is trying to oust him damaging our democracy. Clearly the opposite in fact. It is actually shocking to hear someone voice this apologist BS as a credible opinion.
Plug your brain.