What should a TD be doing??

[consultant]

Clinics are for the little people - the financial transactions are the other way around - the only currency accepted here is the vote.

What do you think Bertie needed all that ready cash in the safe in St Lukes for?

But, of course.

Stupid of me to ask. That must be why councillors don't run them so. They can't afford them.

[Dasayev]

We need a separation of local and national government i.e. The Republic should become a Federal Republic. The country probably would have developed this way if the Gaelic Order hadn't been destroyed.

[gombeennation]

There are 3 types of voter in Ireland.

1. Party aligned voters, who vote for their party candidate come what may (65%)
2. Floating voters, who vote on a)whats in it for them b)whats in it for their area (30%)
3. Floating voters, who vote in the interests of the country (5%)

Every credible politician is aware of this.

Given that there is no point in fishing in Pool 1 (You either have the votes or you don't) and that there are 6 times as many voters in Pool 2 than Pool 3, you put all your energy into Pool 2, which means lots and lots of constituency work.

Politicians can't be blamed for this. If every voter in the country woke up in the morning and started voting based on the contents of manifestos and policy documents, the constituency stuff would stop overnight.

OMG - I agree with the 'bump again.

what every one seems to agree on this thread is that going coffin chasing is vital if you want to get elected.

you must attend , you must be seen to attend - its that simple.
you dont go - you lose your vote.
this system leads to professional coffin chasers.

the only question is - do we want coffin chasers voting on the really big issues.
I dont.

I would prefer if people voted for TDs based on what they can do for the country not if they went to uncle mals funeral that time.

teachers/publicans/culchie lawyers seem more adept at this type of cunning/slyness than others i wonder why that is.

i suppose with the publicans they are brought up to smile at the drunks while they take their money and dont give a shlt about the person they polute.
thats a perfect breeding ground for the gombeen politican.

teachers? maybe a power thing with them?

culcihe lawyers - adept at lying one way or another and probably more likely to be taken seriously by the average thick paddy. can also say stuff thats not technically true but can get away with it.
"I sorted out that medical card for you"
meaning i filled out the form you fking cretin.
but can be read as "I pulled some strings to get you that medical card" - that type of thing.

[eoghanacht]

Agreed. I drove for hours last night to attend the funeral of the father of one of my colleagues. I remember the consolation of seeing my workmates (and yes a local politician) at my own father's funeral. As some of the less mature posters here grow up and experience death, loss and just life in general, they will be less inclined to jeer at the ordinariness of real lives, or at the democratic process. Our rituals around supporting each other at these times of trial,-- funerals, wakes etc.-- is one of the good traditions left in Irish society. Politicians will reflect that in their behaviour. Perhaps they try to go to too many funerals, but that is probably a separate issue.

The immature jeering of some posters at "social workers" and the "thicks" who elect them, is sickening. We need something better than the nihilistic "Politicians are idiots. So are the people who elect them".

Listen, you know f all about my life experience, i think i can safely say that MOST people might be slightly embarresed if not slightly enraged at T.D's turning up with insincere condolences, i see that your one of these that harken back to the old day's where turning up at funerals with faux sympathies was the done thing and it mattered if a TD was seen at mass. Spare me ffs, next we'll be reminising about Gardaí on bikes and how you could leave your door on the latch and everydody knew their neighbour, yadda, yadda,f-ing yadda.

Christ almighty it's a sad day when people can't see through the bullsh|t.

I agree we need something more than nihilism, but will you agree that people have the government they deserve, that we are overburned with nepotisim and useless gobsh|tes, who if it wasn't for the party political machine they wouldn't have got a job in the local sweet shop nevermind a job for life in leinster house.

You can call that nihilist, the rest of us see it as pragmatism.

[Chrisco]

Why don't we ditch democracy entirely since the voters can't be trusted to elect the right people?

It's not about electing the right people, it's about ensuring that our TDs have the time to scrutinize laws, that the legislature legislates, and our parliamentarians hold the executive to account. For that they need time, time that is all too often currently spent showing up at funerals and GAA raffles, and looking into potholes (literally an figuratively), work that could be done equally well by a councillor.

The voters elect the right people for the job they expect them to do; what is needed is a change in the political culture of those expectations are.

[Baron von Biffo]

It's not about electing the right people, it's about ensuring that our TDs have the time to scrutinize laws, that the legislature legislates, and our parliamentarians hold the executive to account. For that they need time, time that is all too often currently spent showing up at funerals and GAA raffles, and looking into potholes (literally an figuratively), work that could be done equally well by a councillor.

The voters elect the right people for the job they expect them to do; what is needed is a change in the political culture of those expectations are.

This thread was prompted by George Lee's flounce but Lee didn't want to be a legislator he wanted to be an economist. How is that different from a pothole fetish?

[Chrisco]

This thread was prompted by George Lee's flounce but Lee didn't want to be a legislator he wanted to be an economist. How is that different from a pothole fetish?

The formulation of the economic policy of the largest opposition party (a party that looks most likely to form the next government), at a time of economic crisis is, well, rather different from a pothole fetish. From these policies flow legislation.

[Baron von Biffo]

The formulation of the economic policy of the largest opposition party (a party that looks most likely to form the next government), at a time of economic crisis is, well, rather different from a pothole fetish. From these policies flow legislation.

Policies like providing a proper infrastructure with pothole free roads?

We need government not management. If Lee wanted to be an economist rather than a legislator he should have looked to go on the staff of FG not seek a mandate as a parliamentarian.

[Raketemensch]

We need government not management.

Not entirely sure how they differ but I would settle for either. Right now we got nothing.

[consultant]

Policies like providing a proper infrastructure with pothole free roads?

We need government not management. If Lee wanted to be an economist rather than a legislator he should have looked to go on the staff of FG not seek a mandate as a parliamentarian.

Was it not the case that FG 'head-hunted' Lee?

Looks to me like an FG/Kenny screw-up. Are they confused as to the role of a TD?