Do you think that Fine Gael will get into power in the next election with Enda Kenny
as party leader?

No, in my humble opinion. I know there was an increase in popularity, so to speak,
for the party in the last election but I think that increase owed alot to young
floating voters annoyance with FF and being at the end of their wick with Bertie but
at the end of the day FF pulled it off.....again.
Dont get me wrong I have no party allegiance whatsoever, I'll vote for whomever I
think can run the country the best regardless of historical politics etc.
But as much as I would like to see FF out of power I could not stomach Enda Kenny in

there. His call for public sector payments to be stopped,after he had got his of
course, still does not sit well with many people. His personality also leaves a lot
to be desired. Surely someone like Leo Veradkar has a more appealing personality to
the Irish voter?

Any thoughts?

No.

I have a question. If his call on public servants payments to be stopped (a link please) - by which I believe you mean wage moderation after receiving his own payrise does not sit well with you, what about when Brian Cowen calls for wage moderation, after receiving his hefty Cabinet increase?

And do you seriously want Varadkar, a first term TD to be a prospective Taoiseach?

Really?

It sits well with me. Someone has to make a stand against the outrageous way in which wage inflation in the public sector has erroded our competiveness and ability to create jobs in hard times. Dont get me wrong, on an individual level, I want a bigger paycheck, but at the end of the day having a job is more important. At the public level, if the government is going to do anything they could have at least checked the inflation of salaries and of course house prices. The biggest salaries are for those who sit at the cabinet which does not affect Enda. I think Enda would win a lot of respect if he said he was going to reduce the Taoiseachs salary to something along the lines of teh EU average, say 100k. With all the perks of course that 100k is a lot more than a 100k in the private sector.

I think hes got a great personality although if he cant make headway towards government, then I think the party has to look elsewhere. Leo Varadkar is too inexperienced for now.

Whats it about his personality that you dont like?
More important than personality is character and I think he's got it in spades, but if irish politics has descended to mere personality then its a sad day for ireland.

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"They take away our freedom in the name of liberty"

<Mod>Moved to the Fine Gael forum.</Mod>

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Heavy words are so lightly thrown.

When have FG people ever not been moaning about the leader. No sooner would Kenny be goen that we'd be wishing he was back and moaning about the new leader.

Do people think the recovery of FG happened by accdient and that it had nothing to do with Kenny being leader and have we forgotten how close we came to forming a government - in theory a FG/L/G/SF + the odd independent could still form a government if FG had the good sense to hold fire and maybe losing in 07 will be like the UK Labour party losing in 92.

FG does need to start offering solutions and making people link voting for FF/PD with why public services are so bad after the boom - where did all the moeny go.

So it's about time people copped on and stopped whining and got out knocking on doors or raising money or doign what it takes to get FG back into offce next time - whenever that is as one thing Biffo is not is that he is not as weak spined as Bertie so he won't cave in to any sign of a threat.

Also, did Paddy Hillery's funeral not teach anythign that there was once a time before the sleaze of CJH/Ahern & Cowen when FF had decent honest people who held genuine political views. So if Kenny doesn't engage in the roughness of Biffo is that really so bad - can't we raise people's expectations of what a politician can be.

Cowens call for moderation (which I dont recall) doesn't sit well either. The standard of Irish politician is probably lower than I thought.
As for varadkar, I only pulled out his name as one of the 1st that sprang to mind who also seems not to be bereft of personality.

He'd be a great leader of FG...for FF. At the next election I'd imagine FG going down to about 40 seats from where they won't recover, the likes of Varadker, Deasy and Enright and co will get sick of the sham arguments and the need to watch what they are saying to keep Labour onside and walk out and form a decidedly right wing tory party, FG fatally weakened will limp on but Labour will overtake them to become the prime force of the permanent opposition.
This will happen irregardless of who the leader is.
Their three options are all lacking.
Kenny is about as inspiring as sand in your shoes.
Dick Bruton is able and a lovely fella Im sure, but as a leader? No chance.
The third option is one of the young guns like Coveney or Brian Hayes. These guys remind me of those young gents that infested the Tories before Thatcher who decided on a career in politics like one would decide to enter the law or medicine, they might be the smartest man they know but they're as dull as ditchwater.

FG's best hope is that Brian Cowen packs Dermot Ahern or Dempsey off to Europe allowing Mairead to run and win in a bye-election. She is not only the best hope they have, she is the only hope they have.

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Liquidate labour, liquidate stocks, liquidate the farmers, liquidate real estate.

You are intitled to dream. Kenny will annoy a lot of F.F people yet

Olwyn Enright?

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Economic Left/Right: -3.13; Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -1.64
“University politics are so vicious, precisely because the stakes are so small.” Henry Kissinger

Seriously lads,

Do you keep opening up anti-FG threads everytime a moderator closes you down for trolling?