Are Fianna Failers a bit slow?

[Question R24U]

As a fairminded Fianna Failer, I accept the following:
1) The public finances are in absolute mess. A 2.75% deficit is a disaster by the standards the EU have set. We will probably go through the 3% mark. We will have to borrow in the shortterm until the inceases in public spending are brought under control and the revenue streams return (I am more concerned with the loss of VAT than stamp duty).
2) Public expenditure went way of of control. I very sqaurely blame Patrick Bartolomew Ahern. Where a group shouted or made a complaint - they got money thrown their way. Cowen, does not follow that philosophy.
3) Government waste: I'm afraid that's what any organisiation/person who spends other people's money do. It is difficult to control by central government. Sadly it will continue until Civil Servants (rather than politicians who personally waste very little - bar the decision to retain and store e-voting machines) are held legally to account for them. If they mess up big time, there should be decuctions from pay and pensions. But that will be next to impossible to achieve.
4) The economy and society are quite stable. This a blip (albeit a serious one). When you go from building 70- 90,000 houses a year to 30 to 40,000, there are going to be consequnces - in the real world and key economic indicators. We probaly will go into a technical recession.
5) FF will get the blame for any woe in the economy or in someone's own crazy property choices. That politics.
6) FF candidates will get a hammering next year (again). I do not expect to be standing. Above all I wish any FF canvasser well in going around Meath or Kildare looking for votes - hope they wear protective gear.

One really has to take time every once in a while a look back at previous posts. This post it only 13 months ago. While the credibility of anonymous internet posters tends to somewhere between tinfoil-hat wearers and a Dept of Finance Economists - the above do constitite the musings of an imbecile. (I would have made the above as sincere expectations, even showing a hint of contritition).

Since then, I now realise:
1) FF Ministers make things up as they go along. Then cover it up. They get away with it.
2) That the Public Service may lose on Pension Levies but they will still gain on increments. They are the true permanent wing of the Government and barring the IMF they will continue to be the biggest vested interest in the State.
3) Fine Gael really is a bad an opposition as could be found. It has been a long time since the last opinion poll, but FFS if they are on less than 40%, there should be a leadership challenge and full review. They have lost 11 out 14 elections since 1957. The last one they won was 1982 (one wins an election by winning the vote in the Dail immediately following a general election - normally this would not need to be explained but FG people that one only wins an election by getting an overall majority)
4) The failure to FG to try and bring the government down in advance of NAMA by offering a Centre of Excellence to Sligo, throwing the Greens a lifeline of any description or offering Noel Grealish a Dail nomination/senate seat is worrying as is their flimsy good bank idea with no costings, EU approval or draft heads of a bill (and the Greens will be the only ones voting on it in their special conference preferendum LOL).
5) Eamon Ryan has been the biggest dissapointment in Irish politics after Brian Cowen, obviously.
6) Dail Eireann is a cozy gentlemen's club and the Irish political system is not fit for purpose (overpaid, fewer than 60 bills a year, SFA oversight of government, opposition pairings allow Ahern et al scarper, no targetting of Ahern for not having a Tax Clearance Cert, CC's expenses, and 14 of them have Banks shares worth more than 13K and can vote on Nama without anyone saying boo).
7) Irish politicians like Europe because it means someone else makes the decisions, they can't get blamed.
8) The Republic that was fought for in 1916 is dead and gone. God knows how it could ever return. The Children of the Nation are certainly not cherished equally - all one has to look at our education and health system to see that this will never change. The follwing has become a sick joke "The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts"
9) Nama is probably the greatest treachery inflicted on the Irish people since Partition. I see no one trying to seriously change either.
10) Fianna Failers are a bit slow (it is just that the opposition, electorate and press have not caught up with them yet).

[FF 4ever]

I write this because of the poor response I got from my thread asking FF to explain its management of the economy over last four years. I honestly wanted to hear there explanation for why we are only one of two nations in the EU now in a recession. I also wanted to hear their views on the collapse of the housing market and their response to various comments by Ahern/Cowen saying there was no problem with housing market and to expect a soft landing. I would also like their views on the state of public finances and why when it was obvious that public finances were held up by stamp duty -some of this money would be put aside for the inevitable downturn.

But perhaps I dream because FF ers are only good at getting Power-I will give them that. They are not good at economics. Great at slagging FG but otherwise I think they are a bit dim. Not saying all their supporters are dim but a considerable amount are. As for actual party members-its too early for me to say what I think about them. Prove me wrong and defend your management of economy. Surely you must have some good to say? Defend your party!

are you a bit slow perhaps? Fianna Fail GAVE you this country

[Tiernanator]

are you a bit slow perhaps? Fianna Fail GAVE you this country

I think it might have been the earlier Sinn Féin 1918 and all that did it FF 4ever. Fianna Fail was a relative newcomer to Irish politics.

[Elvis Parsley]

are you a bit slow perhaps? Fianna Fail GAVE you this country

You've just answered the OPs question.

[Perturbed Professional]

Problem is around here is that if you write anything more than 15 sentences - it will be ignored for being too long and nobody could be arsed reading it - and God forbid that you write something balanced - biggest sin of all

Thro in the fact that the word is now around everywhere that P.ie is Eurosceptic, real world sceptic central on the web here...

Mm, this is absolutely true. Anyone deemed to be going against the tide of partisan self-righteousness is supposedly "outed" as being a spinner, a fascist, or soliciting bribes from the government. It's a turgid mess, and in need of moderation.

[X-ray]

Good luck with that Hiker - most of the FF contingent here have legged it ages ago - as have most of the thoughtful posters of any party full stop.

Its ironic that about 6 months ago - there was an article in Phoenix I think - that described P.ie as a graffiti board and loadza folks around here got in an awful huff about it.

Talk about a self fulfilling prophecy.

Problem is around here is that if you write anything more than 15 sentences - it will be ignored for being too long and nobody could be arsed reading it - and God forbid that you write something balanced - biggest sin of all

Thro in the fact that the word is now around everywhere that P.ie is Eurosceptic, real world sceptic central on the web here - well basic fact of the matter is most of good posters have gone - or pop in now and again just for a look , not to post because it simply isn't worth it anymore.

Anyway - hope you get some good replies - but I have a feeling it will just turn into a childlish slagging session and FT will find some way of dragging Lisbon into it.

Maybe P.ie simply reflects the polarisation and anger that is happening in real politics. Maybe there alot less FF people who feel able to defend the gov. Most ordinary FF people have completely had it and feel completely let down and depressed by the corruption, ignorance and arrogance that has got us to where we are now.

[X-ray]

are you a bit slow perhaps? Fianna Fail GAVE you this country

That is a joke, FF did not exist, I am FF by tradition, but to claim only FF people fought in the war of independence is a joke. How many balck and tan medals went to people in the Labour party or FG? Plenty.

FF may well end independence if it does not wake up from the coma it is in. It is simply a puppet of such great freedom fighters as AIB and estate agents.