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Paul Gogarty: The making of a legend in his own Lunchtime
Read more about: Green Party 
Paul Gogarty is not the most famous Irish TD. Certainly not the most famous in the Green Party. Of their 6 TD’s he probably is the 7th more famous (Senator Dan Boyle) . But now he will be at least 6th most famous. The advent of the internet means that what might of been a 1 day story with maybe an odd appearance on some future Gerry Ryan TV special will be retrievable by anyone. But the question is what will is do for Paul Gogarty’s future.
First off cursing in the Dail is not something that would not be of benefit. The word “fuck” portrays the idea of passionate anger. With many of the cuts that the government have brought in many people in the country would agree with the use of the word and feel that their anger is vindicated and also felt by the opposition.
Paul Gogarty does have a history of odd behaviour from 2008
DEPUTY PAUL No-Go Gogarty’s approach to politics is unconventional at the best of times, but he surpassed himself recently by rolling around the floor and playing dead while a political rival was making a speech.
No-Go Gogo is the Green Party education spokesman who railed against funding cuts in an open letter to Minister Batt O’Keeffe. It read like a long resignation note – until he reached the part stressing he is staying with his coalition partners in the Government.
The night after Paul’s Dáil Epistle to the Parliamentarians, he was in his Dublin Mid-West Constituency, attending a public meeting in Rathcoole Community Hall against a proposed incinerator in the area.
The hall was packed, and local politicians Joanna Tuffy TD of Labour and Senator Frances Fitzgerald of Fine Gael were also present. Following a number of lengthy contributions from technical experts, Sen Fitzgerald approached the microphone and made a number of points, many questioning Minister for the Environment John Gormley’s views on incineration and the Green Party’s bona fides in opposing the Rathcoole project.
As she spoke, Gogo suddenly jumped to his feet and collapsed on the ground, flailing his arms and rolling about before lying still for a few minutes. Then he picked himself up and sat back down.
Explaining the behaviour he said.
“When Frances started the same old scaremongering rant, I took offence. I just kinda fell on the floor in absolute puzzlement. She always induces that sort of reaction in me. Hypocrisy and false indignation reverberating from a persona has a damaging effect on my psyche.”
As Miriam Lord said. Indeed.
So what will this outburst do for him.
If his profile was higher then he would have gotten away with it. He could cultivate the image of a straight talking, no bullshit TD appealing to the male demographic.
Well as he is such a low profile figure in Irish politics, this is going to be the first exposure people are going to have of him. He is going to be known as the Fuck you Emmet Stagg man. A joke.
So what can he do to rebuild his reputation? Nothing. Do nothing. The only opinions which matter at the moment or his constituents. They probably are aware of his behaviour. Like the previous incident indicated above. If the positives he has, that got himself elected in the first place are prized above his eccentricity. Then he will be fine and re-elected. His new profile will probably restrict him from holding a public office for the current Dail. But that was never going to happen anyway. It is an amusing but little else really.
If his profile was higher then he would have gotten away with it. He could cultivate the image of a straight talking, no bullshit TD appealing to the male demographic.
An obviously-rehearsed hissy-fit will not appeal to any demographic, least of all the sort of “macho” male one you’re talking about.
An obviously-rehearsed hissy-fit?
I felt the Deputy was sincerely perplexed.
What Deputy Gogarty might have said was:
“And you, sir, are a well-known political gurrier, whose only skill lies in handbagging your opponents with all the art of a guttersnipe. Your main political attributes are intolerance and populism, the distinguishing marks of the true communist and the rabid fascist rolled into one. You’re the corner boy of Leinster House, whose only contribution to the workings of this Parliament is to create ructions like a spoiled brat when you don’t get your own way. You’re less party whip than Chief Yahoo in a party of Yahoos; a scumbag whose scurrilous taunts are hurled across the floor of this House with all the finesse of King Rat from beneath a nest of rats. You are the legendary buffoon, the original political chancer, whose words and actions this day, and on every other day, show you up for the coward and hypocrite you undoubtedly are.”
Except that calling a fellow deputy a brat; buffoon; chancer; communist; corner boy; coward; fascist; gurrier; guttersnipe; hypocrite; rat; scumbag; scurrilous; or yahoo are all expressly verboten by the rules. As is the accusation of ‘handbagging’, apparently. And in the midst of a more eloquent onslaught, deputies might have become confused.
Maybe the reason we have Paul Gogarty in the Dail is our TDs are not being paid enough and the best and the brightest are emigrating. If they were paid in the millions like the best and the brightest in the private sector have been paying themselves over the last ten years then we might get the right callibre of TD like we got the right callibre of people in the banks etc.
looking at his constituency history maybe it not such a prob with gogarty but a lack of competition for him
“we might get the right callibre of TD like we got the right callibre of people in the banks etc.”
I sincerely hope that’s sarcasm.
Gogarty’s comment was far from being off the cuff. It was well researched beforehand and designed as a wonderful smoke screen for Mary Hanafin’s onslaught on the poor, the weak the disabled, oh, and children as well. Gogarty’s little expletives, which are not proscribed in the Dail code of conduct, took the focus off Attilla Hanafin. The media reports focused on his little outburst, not the massive and heartless damage wreaked on the weakest sections of our society. And the welfare cuts were voted through, with Gogarty strolling through the Ta lobby. Who says you can’t fool most of the people, most of the time???
Teacher Man: According to the news this morning you are right. It was a pre-arranged. But it is getting harder to fool people these days!