McDowell's position now untenable?

[FutureTaoiseach]

Yes, Future Taoiseach, but if Bertie was "selective and partial" (quotes because these are McDowell's words) in his Autumn statement, how can McDowell be any more sure that Bertie's statement later this week on his personal finances will be any different?

We can't. It will be a judgement call. We should give the Taoiseach an opportunity to respond to the allegations.

Is it not as plain as the nose on your face that trust has totally broken down between the two men and the PDs are merely hanging on in there for political expediency?

I think trust has been undermined but perhaps not fatally.

[cooperation]

How can two partys that do not trust each other stay in goverment or form a goverment???

[Leopold Bloom]

Future Taoiseach says:

We can't. It will be a judgement call.

But McDowell made a similar judgment call last October and it's quite clear that he got it totally arseways - not much of a judge, is he?

We should give the Taoiseach an opportunity to respond to the allegations.

Yes, but how many chances are you going to give him?

[morrissey]

Mc dowells position is indeed untenable. I assume all on this site are adults and as adults we know right from wrong and we can equally recognise stupidity when we see it. What Mc Dowell did was crass stupidity. He has effectivly destroyed his reputation and his party. He applied his maxim "Radical or Redundant". Well try as we might to understand his thinking it surely did not make sense and Redundancy becons.

The party as part of the coalition is now reduced to asking people to vote PD so he can return to office a man whom Mc Dowell believes is a liar. There is not a democracy on earth where the Deputy Prime Minister would still be in office after such a comment. Surely Aherne should have sacked him. How can the Taoiseach have confidence in a minister who calls him a liar. It undermines the office of Taoiseach that he should accept this.

[jmcc]

Well the PDs are in trouble. The indications are that they will lose seats.

Like in 2002.

Yes but in 2002, the PDs had a partner in government and benefited from the vote transfers. Now without those transfers, how will the PDs do? Care to play with the PDs' crystal balls and hazard a guess FT?

Regards...jmcc

[rover]

well future moron hasnt answered the questions.....again.....but then why should he when his snivelling arguments are so indefensible?

at least this whole affair settles one thing:

the pds will not be in government in 4 weeks time!!!!!

[constitutionus]

look for macdowel to resign as party leader to make way for lovely liz after the debacle that this election is gonna be.

TBH he shouldve pulled out at the last bertie gate scandal because most of the vote they got in 02 was to be the watchdog against FF . that credibility was completly shot last year and now its time to reap the whirlwind.

ok they wouldve taken a pounding anyway but at least they wouldve had the moral high ground and the respect that comes with it. now he just looks like the byatch of bertie who'll but up with anything to stay in power.

the PDs will be decimated, liz will take over, and the party will be lost in the desert for about a decade before any sembalance of its former glory comes back. and thats if they dont just call it quits and fold into FF/FG.

its amazing to see how much damage micky ds caused in so little time

[FutureTaoiseach]

look for macdowel to resign as party leader to make way for lovely liz after the debacle that this election is gonna be.

TBH he shouldve pulled out at the last bertie gate scandal because most of the vote they got in 02 was to be the watchdog against FF . that credibility was completly shot last year and now its time to reap the whirlwind.

ok they wouldve taken a pounding anyway but at least they wouldve had the moral high ground and the respect that comes with it. now he just looks like the byatch of bertie who'll but up with anything to stay in power.

the PDs will be decimated, liz will take over, and the party will be lost in the desert for about a decade before any sembalance of its former glory comes back. and thats if they dont just call it quits and fold into FF/FG.

its amazing to see how much damage micky ds caused in so little time

Most of the vote we got in 2002 was on the basis of support for our candidates - not simply to be a watchdog. Evidence? In a study of "How Ireland Voted 2002", about 40% of the electorate who voted apparently voted on the basis of the candidate, including 78% (thereabouts) of PD voters. That bodes well I believe.

It is extremely arrogant for other parties and their lackies to claim that their parties alone are supported for their policies, whereas everyone who votes for us is only doing so in spite of ours. It does not stand up to close scrutiny. If it were true we wouldn't have survived as long as we did.

Yes but in 2002, the PDs had a partner in government and benefited from the vote transfers. Now without those transfers, how will the PDs do? Care to play with the PDs' crystal balls and hazard a guess FT?

Excuse me but the votes haven't even been cast yet and we have not pulled out of this govt.

[constitutionus]

bollocks, the party was going into meltdown till macdowel went up that poll to protest against an overall majority. the PDs cant pull that trick again so its decimation time

[FutureTaoiseach]

bollocks, the party was going into meltdown till macdowel went up that poll to protest against an overall majority. the PDs cant pull that trick again so its decimation time

People don't need an excuse to vote PD we have policies duh.