I'll give that +1 as well.

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"If we do not act until we know the answers to all possible questions, we shall never act, we shall never achieve the certainty for which we have been waiting, and we shall be swept along by events which we have forfeited the power to control". Jean Monnet, 1952

If, you're an FF'er, trying to disrupt the opposition then the answer has to be yes.

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Bruton is always poor and mumbling but he doesn't have Kenny's foot seeking missile. By his standards Kenny had a good interview today. Yes it was plodding and faintly embarrassing but at least there was no Baby moment.

Bruton mightn't turn many people on but he'd turn fewer voters off.

The best man to lead FG is a woman, Mairead McGuinness. They need to move Heaven and Earth to get her elected.

The best man to lead FG is Eamonn Gilmore

I think Bruton could turn off rural voters. It's very easy to play him as being an intellectual Dubliner (even though he's not actually from Dublin) who doesn't relate to normal people and FF would do that and that would play especially strongly in the country.

One of the great strengths of the Kenny/Bruton team is they are very different, relate to different people, come from different backgrounds and have different strengths and as always I think greater emphasis should be made on building up the notion of a team behind Enda, although to be fair Bruton does have a massive profile.

I think you could be right on McGuinness, although I'd like to see how she'd perform in the Dail and as a Minister/Spokesperson. It's just a great pity she isn't in the Dail. She’s also a good example of where bringing in a media celebrity works, although she didn’t have as high a profile as Lee.

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"If we do not act until we know the answers to all possible questions, we shall never act, we shall never achieve the certainty for which we have been waiting, and we shall be swept along by events which we have forfeited the power to control". Jean Monnet, 1952

The earth has moved

Ahern is a Dub (though not perhaps an intellectual) and it did him no harm in the country. Bruton wouldn't lose much FG support i the country but he would gain support for them in Dublin where Kenny is seen as some sort of Uber Culchie.

Nor as great a messiah complex.

But Ahern was seen to have the common touch and related to the common man who enjoyed his pint and all that ********************e and he spent years building up that nonsense.

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"If we do not act until we know the answers to all possible questions, we shall never act, we shall never achieve the certainty for which we have been waiting, and we shall be swept along by events which we have forfeited the power to control". Jean Monnet, 1952

Richard Bruton owns a greyhound.
That is a good sign that he has the common touch.

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There are times when you are simply required to be impolite. There are times when condescension is called for!
- Aaron Sorkin writing as President Bartlet to Obama, NYT 21/09/2008

You can't build a smart economy based on dumb decisions.
- Richard Bruton 18/12/2008

Winning 3 GEs along the way. You can have ethics, ideology and policy coming out of your arse but if you can't win an election it's worthless.