I was reflecting on a comment from YoungDan the other night and I wonder if anyone can confirm this or not.

Did Eamon Gilmore ever do a days work in his life outside of politics?

Doesn't seem that he did actually:

Eamon Gilmore - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I know Stalin never had a job and Karl Marx avoided work like the Plague but surely its truly bizarre that the Leader of a Party which claims to represent Irish Workers has no experience of being an employee himself in the real world?

Is he the only one or are there others?

Originally Posted by Catalpa

I was reflecting on a comment from YoungDan the other night and I wonder if anyone can confirm this or not.

Did Eamon Gilmore ever do a days work in his life outside of politics?

Doesn't seem that he did actually:

Eamon Gilmore - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I know Stalin never had a job and Karl Marx avoided work like the Plague but surely its truly bizarre that the Leader of a Party which claims to represent Irish Workers has no experience of being an employee himself in the real world?

Is he the only one or are there others?

Mary Harney. Mary Coughlan. Neither have done a days work in the private sector in their lives. Politics and politics only.

Wasn't Gilmore a union official?

Originally Posted by Pauli

Mary Harney. Mary Coughlan. Neither have done a days work in the private sector in their lives. Politics and politics only.

What justification is there for the claim that sweary Mary was a social worker?

Originally Posted by Catalpa

Did Eamon Gilmore ever do a days work in his life outside of politics?

Is he the only one or are there others?

Why is it that we think it a weakness in our politicians that they have spent their entire career at their profession?

Would we think a neurosurgeon was more capable if she'd spent a decade as a panel beater?

Gilmore definitely was a union official. There is a link on the wikipedia page to an RTÉ story after he won the leadership that mentions it.

Originally Posted by Catalpa

I was reflecting on a comment from YoungDan the other night and I wonder if anyone can confirm this or not.

Did Eamon Gilmore ever do a days work in his life outside of politics?

Doesn't seem that he did actually:

Eamon Gilmore - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I know Stalin never had a job and Karl Marx avoided work like the Plague but surely its truly bizarre that the Leader of a Party which claims to represent Irish Workers has no experience of being an employee himself in the real world?

Is he the only one or are there others?

Dermot Aherne described himself as a career politician. There will always be some people who will go into political life full time.

Marx made a living as a journalist. He was not a wealthy person. He completed his doctorate by 23 and lead an extremely hard working life as a journalist, writer on economics and philosophy, and a political activist.

Karl Marx (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Along with 19% of the dail which are exteachers, god help this poor little country.

Originally Posted by Pauli

Mary Harney. Mary Coughlan. Neither have done a days work in the private sector in their lives. Politics and politics only.

Eamon Gilmore worked for the ITGWU from 1979 to the mid 80s. I would class that as having a real job, especially given the times that were in it.

Originally Posted by cactusflower

Dermot Aherne described himself as a career politician. There will always be some people who will go into political life full time.

Marx made a living as a journalist. He was not a wealthy person. He completed his doctorate by 23 and lead an extremely hard working life as a journalist, writer on economics and philosophy, and a political activist.

Karl Marx (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Ahern was a solicitor. He had a decent practice up in Dundalk. Although, he has given it up to focus on politics. Most politicians here and in the UK are of the career politician variety - I suppose it is the nature of the business these days.

What does it matter if Gilmore had a job or not before he entered political life? What job did Bertie have before he entered the Dail?