The Greens are a dead fish - contributing nothing, achieving nothing, slowly rotting

[pangur1]

That's a very revealing statement, Marascal. It confirms what the last two years have shown us anyway: The Greens don't give a flying fig about nearly all their policies.

I'm thinking of the GP policies on Fluoridation, Animal Welfare, Arts & Culture, Budget, Carers, Economy, Education, Environmental Protection, Forestry, Health, Hospitals and Funding, Housing, Immigration, Irish language policy, Justice, Marine, Marriage and Partnership Rights, Mental Health, National Development Plan, Older Persons, Pensions, Social Justice, Taxation, Transport, Waste, Water, Asthma and Allergies, Children, Democratic Communities, Discussion documents, Information Technology, Rural Development, Small Business, Urban Development, Volunteering, Women, Youth, and so on.

All those important issues that the Greens used to be so interested in, so active on, so vocal about -- now nothing, zilch, not a peep.

All the work, by so many people, that went into those policies, all the trust and good will towards the Greens built up over so many years... All gone. Wasted.

One is tempted to conclude the following; Ryan is a B.Comm who worked as a bike mechanic/renter of bikes. He never had a job within the party.

Gormley is a B.A. who never really worked beyond stretches at the corpo and as a "teacher".


While many of us are devastated, maybe we expected too much. Let's get it right the next time.

[Marascal]

You just won't face up to it, will you? Nobody is expecting the Greens to implement 100% of their policies. In the past we did expect you to make more of an effort, and use your position of influence on various issues. At this stage, our expectations are very low indeed.

For your exercise, go and read Gormley's Planet Bertie speech three times.

"You just won't face up to it, will you?" - This is yet another personal insult you've aimed at me. I won't engage with you further until you stop it.

[edor]

Rather than insulting me can you try to rebut my argument or agree? What I said is true and if you read it right its not supposed to be authortarian.

Thanks for the explanation and I now see where you are coming from; however I was not being insulting. I was simply quoting what you wrote and showing how it could be open to interpretation. I would suggest you preview your posts in future, as ambiguous statements such as the one I highlighted can easily be taken out of context.

By the by, where do you stand on Cowen's view thet the board of FAS can be left in place?

[Marascal]

Thanks for the explanation and I now see where you are coming from; however I was not being insulting. I was simply quoting what you wrote and showing how it could be open to interpretation. I would suggest you preview your posts in future, as ambiguous statements such as the one I highlighted can easily be taken out of context.

By the by, where do you stand on Cowen's view thet the board of FAS can be left in place?

Fair point Edor, although for the record I happen to like that particular definition. It cuts through a lot of waffling on what political parties are meant to be once you understand how it is meant to be read.

I'm not sure what to say about the whole Fas scenario. I worked there (briefly) one time and it did not seem to have the air of an organisation which ran on a billion euros a year. In fact, I was shocked when I heard how much they were budgetted for. The first class travel and expenses of those at top (that we know about) were a disgrace, but we've seen it repeated time and again across the whole irish landscape so why should Fas be the fallguy?

There are serious ethical issues which need to be implemented across the board in both the public and private sectors and that includes Fas, the banks, the governments deaprtments - everyone. Getting rid of the old leadership who see nothing wrong with spending money frivilously is a key element of this but until there is a serious call for reform I doubt it will happen.