Fine Gael Frontbench Announcement LIVE

[Baron von Biffo]

There is a life outside p.ie
Get one.

But sure I'm in the pay of FF, FG, Lab, SF, PDs, the PS and the unions to post here. I'd be broke if if quit.

[wretchedwilbur]

But sure I'm in the pay of FF, FG, Lab, SF, PDs, the PS and the unions to post here. I'd be broke if if quit.

My young daughter has just been down - she couldn't sleep/hay fever - showed her your cat and she loved it !

Continue with the good work , Baron.

[hiding behind a poster]

HBAP made a very specific claim --- "...you think party leaders should negotiate cabinet posts on live TV 2 years in advance of an election..." There's not a word of truth in that. It is a complete fabrication.

My position is and has been the exact opposite. Kenny screwed up in his Ard Fheis speech and as a result he put his position on the Finance ministry in coalition talks on the agenda. It was a stupid thing for him to do. He shouldn't have gone anywhere near talking about something like that so far out from an election. In fact, as party leader he should keep his opinion on who's to get what post to himself until he's announcing his choices to the Dail.

Having initiated the discussion on ministries Kenny was open to questioning on it and that's just what the journalist did.

No, Kenny did nothing of the sort. He said Bruton was FG's best man for Finance - a perfectly reasonable thing to say. The following day, he was asked on TV if having Bruton in Finance was a dealbreaker in coalition. Kenny quite rightly made it clear that he wasn't negotiating on Cabinet posts on TV two years BEFORE an election. Another perfectly reasonable thing to say. If you think he should have said anything else, then imagine the storm there would have been about Kenny laying down the law to Labour, etc etc. You, for a start, would have exploded in righteous indignation about arrogance and mudguards.

My subsequent comments that you linked to deal with the consequences of Kenny's unforced error. I didn't say that Kenny was right to open the subject of ministries in his live televised Ard Fheis rather I pointed out the trouble that such ill considered remarks could get him into. I even correctly predicted that it could lead to Bruton challenging him for the leadership

Quite the reverse - you actually showed how little you knew about the internal politics of FG. Because otherwise you'd have known that Bruton was gonna challenge Kenny anyway, but it had to be put on ice after the Lee business.

[hiding behind a poster]

Yet my prediction that it could prompt Bruton to challenge Kenny has been proved correct.

Except that you've been proven wrong, because Bruton was gonna challenge Kenny long before that, except for the Lee business which meant he had to wait.

[bored and fussy]

No, Kenny did nothing of the sort. He said Bruton was FG's best man for Finance - a perfectly reasonable thing to say. The following day, he was asked on TV if having Bruton in Finance was a dealbreaker in coalition. Kenny quite rightly made it clear that he wasn't negotiating on Cabinet posts on TV two years BEFORE an election. Another perfectly reasonable thing to say. If you think he should have said anything else, then imagine the storm there would have been about Kenny laying down the law to Labour, etc etc. You, for a start, would have exploded in righteous indignation about arrogance and mudguards.



Quite the reverse - you actually showed how little you knew about the internal politics of FG. Because otherwise you'd have known that Bruton was gonna challenge Kenny anyway, but it had to be put on ice after the Lee business.

I am laughin out loud at your post, the Lee business as you call it when you think about the celebrations and all that hype at the time, and how it was allowed to fall asunder you have to laugh and then the whole heave that too fell asunder. very funny. then to put brendan grace(bottler) in as deputy leader puts the tin hat on things.

[hiding behind a poster]

I am laughin out loud at your post, the Lee business as you call it when you think about the celebrations and all that hype at the time, and how it was allowed to fall asunder you have to laugh and then the whole heave that too fell asunder. very funny. then to put brendan grace(bottler) in as deputy leader puts the tin hat on things.

By "the Lee business", I'm referring to when he left the party.

[Baron von Biffo]

My young daughter has just been down - she couldn't sleep/hay fever - showed her your cat and she loved it !

Continue with the good work , Baron.

She can do the cute thing all day but if you touch her treats...

[riker1969]

I think this matter should be put in the "file away" dept. Especially today after Celia Larkin backed it. What next Eoghan Harris or Jody Corcoran doing the same - feint praise methinks ?

Kenny is the best asset Fianna Fail have and no wonder he is being boosted by Fianna Fail hacks.I cant believe he won. Am I missing something about him? Met him briefly a few minutes but saw no particular charm. Must see him speak somewhere. Is it just they cant bring themselves to dump a leader? Fine Gael are no shrinking violets when it comes to the Julius Caesar moment!

[CorkHurler]

Baldy flopped in his first outing as Finance spokesperson, he seemed to think Coopers and Lybrand had carried out the review of Anglo's solvency (the firm hasn't existed in this form since 1998 when it merged with Price Waterhouse) and he was corrected on when the IL&P transfer of funds and Anglo nationalisation took place. Much try harder it seems.

[bored and fussy]

Baldy flopped in his first outing as Finance spokesperson, he seemed to think Coopers and Lybrand had carried out the review of Anglo's solvency (the firm hasn't existed in this form since 1998 when it merged with Price Waterhouse) and he was corrected on when the IL&P transfer of funds and Anglo nationalisation took place. Much try harder it seems.

where did you see this? Maybe Enda kenny is teaching him money business. noonan should write to richard isnt that what he said george lee should have done.