Of the current crop of TDs, who have the interests of Ireland as their #1 priority?

[greengoose2]

It seems anyone who is seen to be optimistic or hopeful is slated as being "a party hack". I repeat again, I am no FG hack, I am a member of Fine Gael but I have a broader view of politics. I am not the type of person who discounts every word that comes out of any TD from another party. I have great respect for TD's like Mary Lou McDonald, Pearse Doherty, Peadar Tobin, Stephen Donnelly and Darragh Calleary etc... who make a sound contribution to debate, unlike Clare Daly, Joan Collins, Richard Boyd Barrett and Joe Higgins who are FULL of populist retoric, tearing down government proposals and at the same time struggling to come up with any CREDIBLE solutions of their own.

The reality is we are in this situation for the next 4 to 5 years, but as each year passes our economy, job prospects and public confidence will improve.

Sorry but - if the cap fits, wear it! Being optimist or hopeful is negative. Pragmatic and willing to get to grips with the situation is positive. Now there are those who rate this place as a gombeen nation and they are quite correct in that! What do these people do? They get the hell out of Dodge and make a decent life for themselves elsewhere. They do not "support" incompetent post civil war parties, the hack and the hangers on! The situation will not be better in 4 or 5 years and we have been given every indication of that! Just look at all the tax increases and cuts etc. We are still trying to pay back billions whilst borrowing at the same time. Only and expert economist can understand and justify this. Inept politicians do also. It's part of the gravy train training.

Debating gets SFA done so those whom you have great respect for are being paid handsomely for shooting off their gobs and achieving zilch. Where is the reform your idiot FG party promised? We get some waffling half measures and idiotic measures because they have no CREDIBLE solutions to offer.

How can you be a FG member and not be a hack? What instrumentation do you use for your constant hair-splitting? A microtome only cuts micro slices...

[hiding behind a poster]

Sorry but - if the cap fits, wear it! Being optimist or hopeful is negative. Pragmatic and willing to get to grips with the situation is positive. Now there are those who rate this place as a gombeen nation and they are quite correct in that! What do these people do? They get the hell out of Dodge and make a decent life for themselves elsewhere. They do not "support" incompetent post civil war parties, the hack and the hangers on! The situation will not be better in 4 or 5 years and we have been given every indication of that! Just look at all the tax increases and cuts etc. We are still trying to pay back billions whilst borrowing at the same time. Only and expert economist can understand and justify this. Inept politicians do also. It's part of the gravy train training.

Debating gets SFA done so those whom you have great respect for are being paid handsomely for shooting off their gobs and achieving zilch. Where is the reform your idiot FG party promised? We get some waffling half measures and idiotic measures because they have no CREDIBLE solutions to offer.

How can you be a FG member and not be a hack? What instrumentation do you use for your constant hair-splitting? A microtome only cuts micro slices...

FG proposed their five point plan in the general election. They're now in government, where most of it is being implemented.

[Kill Bill]

It seems anyone who is seen to be optimistic or hopeful is slated as being "a party hack". I repeat again, I am no FG hack, I am a member of Fine Gael but I have a broader view of politics. I am not the type of person who discounts every word that comes out of any TD from another party. I have great respect for TD's like Mary Lou McDonald, Pearse Doherty, Peadar Tobin, Stephen Donnelly and Darragh Calleary etc... who make a sound contribution to debate, unlike Clare Daly, Joan Collins, Richard Boyd Barrett and Joe Higgins who are FULL of populist retoric, tearing down government proposals and at the same time struggling to come up with any CREDIBLE solutions of their own.

The reality is we are in this situation for the next 4 to 5 years, but as each year passes our economy, job prospects and public confidence will improve.

So you have the definitive say on what's credible and what's not - do you?

As for your last line - your party is coming up to its first anniversary and none of the things you have mentioned have improved in actual fact they have all disimproved.

Speaking of populist rhetoric maybe the ULA got some lessons from Leo Varadkar?