George Lee: A Courageous Dissenter

[Didimus]

Actions speak louder than words.
His act of dissent with the status quo shows courage.

He was a politician. Famously dissident politicians are those who acted , spoke and argued politically against the status quo.
Didn't like the PD's but can you imagine if Des O'Malley had "stood by the republic" by walking off the stage?

[Baron von Biffo]

The people gave him a landslide because they believed he could make a difference to the dire state of our economy - but the power-hungry sycophants in Fine Gael were having none of it, they hoodwinked George and shanghaied the people of Dublin South in a selfish quest for political supremacy.

He seems to have the bizarre notion that he was elected to the position of State Economist. He wasn't. The people voted for him to be their representative in the Dail. He failed them.

[Baron von Biffo]

He was a politician. Famously dissident politicians are those who acted , spoke and argued politically against the status quo.
Didn't like the PD's but can you imagine if Des O'Malley had "stood by the republic" by walking off the stage?

If only.

[goosebump]

He deserves all our thanks for showing the Dail as a club of wasters putting on a show to fool the electorate

You seem to have missed the minor detail that the electorate are responsible for the membership of the Dail.

[Libero]

Being elected to the Dail is a huge honour, and jacking it in after 19 weeks is an affront to the people Lee promised he would represent. How is telling the people who elected you that you can't be bothered representing them anymore (particularly when you have your eye on a plum job in RTE) in any way honourable?

If that's how you feel about George Lee, you must be really, really fuming about the following:

• Fianna Fáil, for deciding not to move the writ in by-elections, meaning whole constituencies miss out on a TD for months on end
• Various retiring TDs who have essentially given up on the job but still draw a paycheque instead of resigning.

[reknaw]

Take a good look at what is left in Irish Politics. Loook at what type of person rises to the top.

Cowan, Coughlan, O'Dea, Lenihan, Harney, Dempsey etc. Not an ounce of honour amongst them. All institutionalised 100%. Lifers on the gravy train.

That's the way it's always been; sh1t floats and gold sinks.

[Lightning Rod]

He certainly does look like a quitter now.

Fail: he's an honourable man with his character intact: only the jilted blue-shirts see him as a quitter - sour grapes perchance?

If he does go back to RTÉ this impression will become indelible.

+1
Lee's defiant act of dissent has permanently marked him out from the droves of cronies, yes-men and party faithful that choke the Oireachtas as a man of character who will serve the people or be damned.

Tangentially,
Deaclan deB of the Irish Times just suggested George Lee could run for Dublin Mayor; though I am profoundly opposed to the creation of this mayoral position, I would reconsider if Lee announced his candidacy.

[Lightning Rod]

He seems to have the bizarre notion that he was elected to the position of State Economist. He wasn't. The people voted for him to be their representative in the Dail. He failed them.

NO.
Fine Gael failed them.
The landslide win for George Lee demonstrated people's need to believe in something. But instead his popularity was neutralized by a cynical bunch of power-grubbing wannabes.

[consultant]

NO.
Fine Gael failed them.
The landslide win for George Lee demonstrated people's need to believe in something. But instead his popularity was neutralized by a cynical bunch of power-grubbing wannabes.

While I agree totally with your take on what Lee's win did, I am not sure that your discription of FG is accurate.

Cynical? Yes

Wannabes? Yes, but not for power. Cozy status quo seems more like their ambition. They are demonstrating no desire to take charge and lead us out of FF disasters. Like government back-benchers (front bench too, for that matter) they are over-paid, devoid of balls and an insult to us idiots who elect and put up with them.

[uriah]

You're probably right that Lee could have and should have made his dissatisfaction clearer, and set out in writing to Kenny how he expected different treatment. Instead, he seems to have bottled things up and stewed on it.

That said, it has been fairly clear for a long time that Lee was dissatisfied. It shows poor judgment on the part of the FG leadership that this state of affairs was not addressed and allowed to develop as it did.

Fine Gael want to lead the country, which is a fairly complicated and demanding task. It's reasonable that people look at this latest c0ck-up and ask whether FG are up to it.

Is that why everyone was so shocked when the news broke yesterday?

I might have some respect for him if, being dissatisfied with Fine Gael, he had resigned from the party (even though he could have taken a little more time to have an influence) and continued to serve those constituents whom he was elected to serve.

George Lee wasn't 'up to it'. Everybody who voted for him (and many others) were conned by him. Let him slink back into his highly paid, sheltered employment where he will be comforted and protected by his colleagues in "the national broadcaster' who will try to blame Fine Gael, Enda Kenny, other TDs, the electoral system, the citizens who elect the TDs, for George's departure.

George Lee departed because he had an inflated view of his own importance, ability and influence. When others didn't immediately make way for his expected 'meteoric rise to the top', he went on a sulk, spoke to no-one in the party and then, to gain as much publicity as possible, made a dramatic announcement blaming everyone but himself.