George Lee resigns from Fine Gael and as a TD

[Limerick Lad]

Many seem to claiming George Lee unlike the rest of our politicians was completely honest but he was definitely disingenuous to say the least with those voters who elected him.
When he indicated his intention to stand in the Dublin South by-election, he declared he was paying a big price in leaving RTE but didn't inform them that he had retained the safety net of an automatic right of return to RTE to a position commensurate with that he was leaving in terms of salary and seniority if his sojourn in politics didn't work out.
Even someone as politically naive as George subsequently turned out to be would have known, given the stink that had been raised about politicians including ministers of all political parties retaining their jobs in the Public Service while serving in the Dail or Senate, that this would have become an issue if that had become public during the by-election, imagine the fun Vincent Browne would have had with this.
His behavior in manipulating loopholes in the political system is no different to those politicians he seems to despise, he like them dined at the same trough of greed and political dishonesty.

[Drico]

No, he didn't show utter comtempt for people who voted and canvassed for him. More than the vast majority of politicians, Lee was completely honest. He told people he was getting into politics to be involved in economic policy formulation. FG didn't get him involved in that, so he left.

Or are you another of the insufferable eejits, who believe that the real job of most politicians is marking their counterparts at funerals?

Lee was given a great honour by the people of Dublin South, the honour of representing us in Dáil Éireann. He threw it back in our faces. Whatever pretensions he may have about himself, he was elected as a representative by the people and should have fullfilled his obligations to not only the people who elected him but the c.92000 people living in the constituency who he has abandoned and left without their proper proportion of Dáil representation.

He didn't just show contempt for people who voted and canvassed for him (which he most certainly did last night) but for all Dublin South's constituents.

[orbit]

He dipped his toe in the water, found it wasn't to his liking, and scurried back to where he came from.

[kerrynorth]

Kenny did much better on 6.1 than he did on the Late Late. One thing I did notice is that he got rid of that awful false looking trademark smirk - someone giving him good advice for a change. But I still think that Kenny is a busted flush with the electorate in any case. He cannot recover from the fact that he managed as leader of the opposition to get the Late Late audience to jeer him but they ended clapping Cowen at the end of his interview! How in hell as leader of the opposition do you manage to do that!!!

[FutureTaoiseach]

Labour's failure to exploit the issue should help Kenny. Note Joe Costello TD on Late Debate now saying GL should have remained in Dail Eireann as an Independent.

[myksav]

I guess what they should have done is to change the whole system to suit good old George Lee.

snip!

What an insanely brilliant idea!
The system is heavily leaned toward a stultification of politics. Be in a Party, tow the Party line, do not rock the boat, serve your time, be mediocre, draw your pension.

Hasn't there been calls for "new blood" to come into the political system over the past few years? Even from FG.

Kenny fluffed it. He missed an opportunity to put someone "new" into the mix and didn't. He did it for Leo V. and a few others.

In military terms, I'd put Kenny in charge of supplies, not in charge of strategy.

[Christel]

What Kenny should have done, within a month or two, is put Lee up as a public face for economic policies as part of a Fine Gael economics team. Lee has more favourable media presence than Bruton, people were used to listening to Lee o economics. From Bruton, they mostly hear attacks on Gov't policy, economic or otherwise, and that is too much 'party politics'.

Lee's speciality is economics, he should have been used in that fashion, not left in a corner. Since the by-election, Lee has been pretty invisible, and unheard of, and that wasn't a good thing for the Party's ability to use what got Lee elected, a known face in the media that people were used to listening to. That is easily lost and hard to gain/regain.

Enda failed to capitalise on that. And that adds to the idea that he wouldn't make it as Taoiseach, no willingness or sense to grab an opportunity like that.

He must have been told/promised something by FG about his role or position or possible inputs, so that he made the step to get into it initially?
Those promises probably weren't kept?

[cyberianpan]

Many seem to claiming George Lee unlike the rest of our politicians was completely honest but he was definitely disingenuous to say the least with those voters who elected him.
When he indicated his intention to stand in the Dublin South by-election, he declared he was paying a big price in leaving RTE but didn't inform them that he had retained the safety net of an automatic right of return to RTE to a position commensurate with that he was leaving in terms of salary and seniority if his sojourn in politics didn't work out.
... dishonesty.

I see you're back

Do you ever stop making stuff up ?

George Lee to run for Fine Gael - The Irish Times - Tue, May 05, 2009
May 5th 2009
[COLOR="Green"]“It is now time for me to move on . . . to participate and help put the country back together”, Mr Lee told the programme. Mr Lee will now have to take a leave of absence from his position within the State broadcaster.

“I want to make sure that the country get’s a better Government," he added....
He is now on unpaid leave of absence for the duration of the campaign, RTÉ said in a statement.
[/COLOR]

He and RTE made it very clear that he was on unpaid leave of absence.

cYp

[constitutionus]

Lee was given a great honour by the people of Dublin South, the honour of representing us in Dáil Éireann. He threw it back in our faces. Whatever pretensions he may have about himself, he was elected as a representative by the people and should have fullfilled his obligations to not only the people who elected him but the c.92000 people living in the constituency who he has abandoned and left without their proper proportion of Dáil representation.

He didn't just show contempt for people who voted and canvassed for him (which he most certainly did last night) but for all Dublin South's constituents.

with all due respect - bolloxs.

what lee did in resigning is show a level of honour and repect for the electorate that we NEVER SEE from our politicians.

he stood for election on VERY specific grounds for FG.

he couldnt deliver so instead of doing what the usual bunch of leeches do and stay on as an indepentant, which is NOT what he promised the people of dublin south, or crossing the floor to another party - he LEFT.

now the people of dublin south get to pick another guy who will represent their needs instead of being stuck with a guy who's betrayed their trust pretending he's got the same mandate for two years.

TBH the one feature of irish politics that utterly sickens me is how blithely our reps walst from one party to another like it doenst mean a damn to their constituants.

i for one laud him for not doing a killian forde.

[FutureTaoiseach]

The ego has landed.