How can Kenny become more Taoiseach-like?

[anewbeginning]

Put on 10 stone in weight, become beligerant and narky, don't react well when other people have good ideas which might benefit the country and scoff at them and their learning, pretend that drinking in the local with the lads is helping the country, bury his head in the sand maybe, go around telling everyone it will be grand while secretly sh*tting himself and blaming it all on everyone else.

If he did all that he would be more 'Taoiseach' like alright.

[spidermom]

Put on 10 stone in weight, become beligerant and narky, don't react well when other people have good ideas which might benefit the country and scoff at them and their learning, pretend that drinking in the local with the lads is helping the country, bury his head in the sand maybe, go around telling everyone it will be grand while secretly sh*tting himself and blaming it all on everyone else.

If he did all that he would be more 'Taoiseach' like alright.

Surely thats how to become like the incumbent(or PRESENT/CURRENT)Taoiseach?


Not neccessarily someone who might get us out of the current sh*t, kinda of taoiseach?

[anewbeginning]

Surely thats how to become like the incumbent(or PRESENT/CURRENT)Taoiseach?


Not neccessarily someone who might get us out of the current sh*t, kinda of taoiseach?

I guess you are right. I suppose it should be asked, how can he improve on the current Taoiseach....

[jdckelly]

I never got this "taoiseach material" stuff whats required to be taoiseach is good organistional and delegation skills i would say honesty should be another requirement but judging by previous incumbents it obviously is optional.
Media skills are nice to have but not neccesary as actions speak far louder than words in my opinion

[orbit]

The obvious answer is -become taoiseach and the gravitas will follow.

Indeed. What was Bertie before he became Taoiseach, only some fella in an anorak?

Worrying about this question, and even worse, acting on it (like the hair do last time) is the worst possible thing.

[midlander12]

Keep going like the last few weeks - proposing sensible policies in an accessible manner, using intelligent lieutenants like Bruton and Coveney. After Ahern, I never want to hear the word 'charisma' again. And he's never going to be Barack Obama, but then neither is Angela Merkel and certainly not Cowen. If Kenny keeps his nerve and the June elections live up to expectations, he will largely be out of the woods. Oh, and forget about pandering to the Labour Party, at least until after the election. They're still in 2007, FG show signs of being in 2009 and looking ahead.

[Question R24U]

You hit the nail on the head.

Nobody ever thought W.T. Cosgrave as leadership material until he was leader and head of government. He proved highly successful.

John A. Costello was never considered a possible taoiseach until he became it, and then was seen as a 'natural' for the role.

De Valera, with his tortorous language and halting way of speaking would be unelectable as a leader in today's media age.

Everyone thought James Dillon a natural for leadership yet never became taoiseach.

Charles Haughey was seen from his earliest days as an obvious taoiseach, yet for most of his time as taoiseach, certainly in his first two terms, he was disastrous.

Bertie Ahern was widely criticised and described as not being taoiseach material until he became taoiseach. He then won three elections.

John Bruton had exceptionally low ratings until he became taoiseach. They then almost instantly shot through the roof and academics regard him as one of the best taoisigh there has been in how he ran his government efficiently and non-combatively.

Brian Cowen was widely predicted to be a brilliant taoiseach, but few think that of him now.

The truth is that many leaders are never thought prime ministerial material until they become prime minister, and then end up seeming to be the very embodiment of the role. You could say that the office maketh the man (or woman).

In the US, FDR, Kennedy and Reagan were all deemed unelectable at various points. Yet all three are regarded as successful presidents. Howard Baker, John Kerry and John McCain were all talked about as likely future presidents. None got elected.

Who are these academics who regard John bruton as on of our best taoisigh? Just over two years in office, which he got by chance but inherited a structural budget surplus. Prince might have liked him but few others respected him - particularly those involved in the focking peace process. You ruined a good post with that porky.

[Barbarian]

Who are these academics who regard John bruton as on of our best taoisigh?

You'll be waiting if you think you'll get an answer from this fella.

[west'sawake]

Who are these academics who regard John bruton as on of our best taoisigh? Just over two years in office, which he got by chance but inherited a structural budget surplus. Prince might have liked him but few others respected him - particularly those involved in the focking peace process. You ruined a good post with that porky.

To be fair to John Bruton that Rainbow Govt was with hindsight one of our best. He did surprise people, he held it together well, he did not impose his own will, or ego, or philosophy on that Govt and in all fairness take this from one who voted FF for five out of seven general elections (The last two I voted F.G. and Independent), that Govt is up there with the Haughey/McSharry one of 87-90, (thanks to the help of Alan Dukes).

Bruton showed himself to be able to get over his own misigivings about Democrtic Left and their history with the Official IRA. He formed a very good working relationship with De Rossa and the Govt held together well. Look at its achievements.

It was a modicum of fiscal restraint, it did not pursue policies that would fuel a property bubble, Ruaris Quinn brought down Corporations tax rate to 12.5%, it focussed on widening the tax allowances rather than lowering the tax rates, it kept welfare increases to a minimum because inflation was falling, (remember the flak De Rossa got over that). Because of the combination of paltry welfare rates, taking more out of the tax net it disincentivised the black economy. Indeed it was the last real pro enterprise Govt we had and not pro vested interests, pro property developers, pro Godlen circles. Th one bltoch or queion mark on that Govt was Michael Lowry's hadlingof the tendering process for the second mobile phone licence and that ex minister's personal tax affairs. (Lowry is since permanently outside the FG tent, and Bruton's hadlinng of that compares veyr favouralbe to FF's hndling of Beverly Flynn, Lawlor, Burke, etc).

It was the Rainbow that set the only quango that actually made money and helped reduce crime, the Criminal assets bureau, copied in the U.K. As for the 'focking peace process', taht gaffe only showed Bruton to be as human as the rest of us, and the strain it was placing on him in terms of the time he had to give it, yes it as a faux pas that lacked sensitivity to how important it was to bed down a real peace, but right now I'm mad as hell about the focking Lisbon Treaty and b--llocks of more referendums when this country has more pressing problems.

It would be nice to hear Cowan say I'm fed up of the focking Lisbon Treaty and get on with sorting out our real problems and not do the bidding of Merkel and Sarkozy.