Mary Hanafin must go.

[Arnó]

Did anyone see QandA last night. Hanafin was very poor. I don't think she is capable of holding a ministerial post. One occasion she was wiped out by a audience member about the e.u. constitution. Education is a big portfolio a quick solution would be to swap her with Willie o Dea in defence. O Dea may not be as presentable as her but he is an excellent politician.

On another note O. Enright was also on and god help us if FG gets into government and she becomes a minister. Utterly useless. But Donnacha I forget his second name, the lecturer in Nui galway was top class as always.


Since I've begun a reshuffle here is a few I think should be demoted and promoted.

Dropped from being a junior/minister should be
1. Hanafin
2. S. De Valera
3. Conor Lenihan
4. (The big one) Martin Cullen

Promoted to Minister or junior minister;

1. Brian Lenihan (education maybe?)
2. Carey, Pat (Prehaps take B. Lenihan junior position.)
3. Seán Haughey (I know but..)
4. Máire Hoctor, (because I've taken two women out. Three if you count Conor Lenihan.)

[borderlinegenius]

Did anyone see QandA last night. Hanafin was very poor. I don't think she is capable of holding a ministerial post.

Unbelievably poor.

I must declare a bias. I despise Hanafin with every fibre of my being. She is the embodiment of a shrill, self-important, arrogant, mummy-knows-best approach to politics, and she gets right on my wick.

She ought to be sacked for being a total moron.

[Libero]

Arnó seems to be under the charming delusion that Ministers are chosen exclusively for their competence, as if Fianna Fáil could afford to drop a Minister from Dun Laoghaire with FG knocking on the door looking for their two seats back.

As it happens, I don't think Hanafin is the worst. While she'll never be Taoiseach, she's reasonably competent compared to the rest of them. I think that what really winds up politicos who support other parties is her brass neck and instinctive conservatism. Prime Time could uncover DoE&S-approved zombies abducting and eating children, and Mary H. would be on Q&A the next Monday making the same clichéd excuses and speaking like a schoolteacher, which is what she is and always will be.

[aodh_rua]

I'm glad to see I'm not alone in my opinion of Mary Hannafin. I thought she was particularly poor last night - so much so that John Bowman had a go at her just before they rolled credits.

[qtman]

Dropped from being a junior/minister should be
1. Hanafin
2. S. De Valera
3. Conor Lenihan
4. (The big one) Martin Cullen

Can FF posters explain to me why Cullen is retained? I don't think there has been a broadcast of Q&A in the last 2 years in which Electronic Voting hasn't been mentioned.

[BarryW]

- so much so that John Bowman had a go at her just before they rolled credits.

Really ? How ?

[blue33]

Dropped from being a junior/minister should be
1. Hanafin
2. S. De Valera
3. Conor Lenihan
4. (The big one) Martin Cullen

Can FF posters explain to me why Cullen is retained? I don't think there has been a broadcast of Q&A in the last 2 years in which Electronic Voting hasn't been mentioned.

Because Cullen is an influencial man, he knows where the bodies are buried. If he goes down, he'll do a lot of damage on his way. :twisted:

[aodh_rua]

- so much so that John Bowman had a go at her just before they rolled credits.

Really ? How ?

He turned to her and said that the majority of the comments coming in were highly critical of her - and then didn't give her a chance to respond. She just muttered something about needing to be sensitive to the families and then the credits rolled.

[Arnó]

Dropped from being a junior/minister should be
1. Hanafin
2. S. De Valera
3. Conor Lenihan
4. (The big one) Martin Cullen

Can FF posters explain to me why Cullen is retained? I don't think there has been a broadcast of Q&A in the last 2 years in which Electronic Voting hasn't been mentioned.

At the moment Cullen is back in favour with FF. Especially after putting the pd's in their place. But I think the 50 million will be a monkey on his back until electronic voting comes into practice.
Having said that prehaps he should have fallen on his sword at the time.

[NGTR]

Arnó seems to be under the charming delusion that Ministers are chosen exclusively for their competence, as if Fianna Fáil could afford to drop a Minister from Dun Laoghaire with FG knocking on the door looking for their two seats back.

I don't think it would be the biggest shame if Hanfin was dropped simply because in Barry Andrews Fianna Fail have a Dun Laoghaire Deputy with real ability & a stellar political family name. His brothers also a topclass stand up!

I'm probably the last person to compliment a Fianna Fail TD but I have a lot of time for Andrews. I was on a Dail tour about 2 years ago and he had the floor when we were in the gallery from that day I have been impressed by his knowledge especially of international affairs.

Hanafin is a tool. What kind of Minister of Education would allow a long standing third level facility to close in her own Constituency. I'm referring to the Home Ec teacher training college in Sion Hill. The nearest alternative is in Sligo. The closure of St Catherins is a big loss to the general area & to the teaching profession.

But then again I'm a Fine Gaeler so I'd love to see Hanafin continue to embarass the Govt on national TV. I look forward to 2 new Fine Gael TDs in Dun Laoghaire in 2007. As Hanfin & hopefully O'Malley get the boot