"Country does not need a phoney consensus" - Richard Bruton

[mccafferty cat]

A fantastic piece by Richard Bruton in today's Irish Times, which shreds the increasingly proposterous calls for some kind of national unity Government.

Those who talk longingly about everyone getting together should ask themselves in what other sector of economic life would they advocate a cartel. All our experience has taught us that cartels produce:

- Conspiracy against the public;
- Shelter for the second rate;
- Compromise with the second best.

Why would we expect it to be any other way in politics?

He goes on to suggest that an all-party arrangement would seriously damage the Dáil itself:

The Dáil has been left operating within a zone where fundamental reform is never effectively addressed.

However, in embracing the need for serious political renewal, it would be a serious error to blur the distinction between Government and Opposition. Even seasoned parliamentary commentators have slipped into this habit. It is not the role of Opposition to get Government proposals passed in the Dáil.

In these difficult times, the country needs both a strong Government and a strong Opposition. The Opposition cannot simply be expected to rubber stamp the Government’s choices.

Adversarial scrutiny and accountability will not be abandoned in favour of a phoney consensus. That would just neuter the Dáil.

He neatly draws attention to many points being ignored by the lazy, quick-fix commentators who have called for an all-party Government.

[smitchy2]

I would agree the many people who have asked for a national government are desperate FF characters who want out of the heat.

The government should make strong decisions, it is up to the opposition to critical analyse these decisions and offer alternatives.

It is not FG’s job to do the governments work, although they are the only ones who have come up with “some” solid proposals.

[wysiwyg]

For the first time ever, I might be agreeing with Barry here.. I think I'll go lie down

Screw this consensus crap .. if the Government, with its working majority can't or won't take the decisions it feels are necessary, to clean up its own mess remember, then they should get out of the way and let someone else do it

[flavirostris]

The National Government/Tallaght Strategy stuff needs to be buried.
We have the usual dumb commentators on Q&A and in the media calling for people to put aside their differences for the sake of the country.
Its basically a gross insult to add to the injury caused to the country by the government's incompetence.
Its like asking somebody knocked down by a drunken driver to get up and give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the idiot who's slumped behind the wheel and then assist in helping him evade prosecution by the gardai.

[Keith-M]

Bruton is correct, what is needed is a good set of alternatives from the opposition. When will they start providing them?

[Fab]

Concensus by nature is mediocrity

[QuizMaster]

Bruton is correct: This is a good time to be in opposition, and screw the national interest. A fig-leaf of respectability is needed and no better man than himself for providing one.

[mccafferty cat]

Bruton is correct, what is needed is a good set of alternatives from the opposition. When will they start providing them?

Where have you been living for the last 6 months?

[blacbloc]

Bruton is correct: This is a good time to be in opposition, and screw the national interest. A fig-leaf of respectability is needed and no better man than himself for providing one.

Balderdash. The people screwing the national iterest are the government. The screwed it over the last ten years and now they are finishing the job off for several generations to come. A national government is a form of dictatorship - deeply undemocratic. We dont want these idiots anywhere near government. They'd just contaminate anything anyone attempted to do to put things right.

National unity talk is a desperate attempt by Fianna Fail to keep hold of access to power for the vested interests they serve - to ensure that the gravy train keeps rolling on. The opposition parties should oppose it ferociously.

[meriwether2]

Bruton is correct, what is needed is a good set of alternatives from the opposition. When will they start providing them?

Lets be honest here, you dont see alternatives, because you dont want to see alternatives.

Dont try and pretend to be an honest broker, or a floating voter.