YFG National Conference 2012.. Tullamore

[Gobsmacked and Amused]

I attended to Dublin Hustings this evening. I was sitting close to a former President of Young Fine Gael and by the looks on his face on mine and the utter disbelief, horror and shame on the faces of all gathered, I want to say that if Colm Taylor gets anything more than his own vote next weekend, it will be a shameful day for Young Fine Gael. He was an absolute disgrace almost attacking a member of the audience at one point. Words cannot describe the seriousness with which I say write these words

[Gobsmacked and Amused]

If he as much as gets a reasonable vote, I will look for my membership card and tear it up!

[The Irish Agent]

If he as much as gets a reasonable vote, I will look for my membership card and tear it up!

why not just partake in democracy and vote madigan then?

[The Irish Agent]

dam double postings!

[KingCash]

YFG? You mean there will be another generation of "yesmen"? When will the Irish electorate get a break?

[colin9675]

tbh i think these confrences are a joke and any excuse for a p**s up.. i do not believe that who ever gains pecidiency will have any influensce on the powers in fg or conrtribute to society as a whole.. I believe that groups like yfg be disbanded in favour of all multi political party groups

[davehiggz]

tbh i think these confrences are a joke and any excuse for a p**s up.. i do not believe that who ever gains pecidiency will have any influensce on the powers in fg or conrtribute to society as a whole.. I believe that groups like yfg be disbanded in favour of all multi political party groups

Well if you look at our history you'll see that's completely untrue. Through our policies and campaigns YFG has made numerous policy changes at national level.

[davehiggz]

Overall it's great set of motions this year. Not sure if they're all out yet but so far it's a controversial line-up

LAOIS YFG*: YFG proposes that an incentive for young farmers be introduced by increasing the number of training places in agricultural colleges.

I'd just be curious to know what resources are there to provide extra places...

UCD YFG*: YFG approves of the process of fracking as can it can prove a viable energy source in Ireland for the foreseeable future.

YES. I've watched Gasland and don't buy it. The technology is safe. It's like wanting to ban oil drilling just because of the BP spill. Nothing is risk proof.

KILKENNY YFG*: YFG proposes that the 1989 Incitement of Hatred Act be updated to include provisions relating to social media and social networking.

I have to disagree with this one. I'm not afraid of idiots who spout their nonsense online, and most of the time you can't prove who they are. This website being a prime example

Effective implementation would require massive monotoring and infringement of people's internet freedom.

UCC YFG*: YFG believes that a graduate tax should be introduced for all college graduates as a means of funding their education and the present entry fees should be phased out over 5 years. Households with an income of below €45,000 would be exempted.

Good idea with a fairness clause but I'd wonder what the tax would have to be for it to be viable?
For how long would a graduate have to pay the graduate tax. For the rest of their life?
I think it'd just be better to fund third level out of taxation generally. Unfortunately it hits people who never went to college but they benefit from having better graduates to keep the economy strong.
Overall I agree with the principal of no barriers of entry to education so I think I'll support this one.

YFG NATIONAL EXECUTIVE*: YFG believes that it is imperative that the ECB renegotiates the current promissory note structure with the Government. It is in the best interests of the Irish economy, the ECB, the Euro and the European Union that the structure of the promissory notes system is changed. Failure to do so will create an unsustainable debt burden for Ireland, causing huge barriers to job creation and restricting growth in the Irish economy.

I like this one. It accepts that our present debt burden is too much and that mathmatically we can't afford to pay it all back. Although I would have hoped the wording would have included "default" or "haircut". This wording would encourage a deferring of the payments which doesn't go far enough. People made a bad investment, they need to take a loss!

ALFIE BYRNE YFG*: Young Fine Gael strongly supports Ireland’s membership of the euro and the efforts of EU Government to stabilise the eurozone, and; calls on the Government to engage with other EU member states to implement real and lasting reform of the EU treaties and institutions to ensure that the dangerous political paralysis of the last two years can never be repeated.

This is a mixed one. Some people like the EU but don't like the Euro. To defeat this motion would throw the baby out with the bath water. I think I'm a YES on this one. This will pass easily anyway!

WEXFORD YFG*: YFG calls on FG to live up to its election promise and remove Irish as a compulsory subject in the Leaving Certificate.

YES YES YES!!!

I need not say any more

DCU YFG*: YFG call on the government to bring forward legislation allowing gay couples to adopt.

If you believe in gay marriage and the movement towards accepting gays as just being another type of couple in our society then you should have no problem with this motion. It'd be wrong for YFG to have supported Gay Marriage but not to support this too.

The big argument is over the stigma of having two parents of the same sex. But we've already voted to remove this stigma by allowing Gay Marriage. Gay Adoption is just another extension of that policy and I'll be voting YES on this without hesitation.

YFG NATIONAL EXECUTIVE*: YFG calls on the Minster for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to impose the 30% gender quota as outlined in the Electoral (Amendment) Political Funding Bill 2011 on the 2014 Local and European Elections.

We already have a national quota and now must follow it. It makes absolute sense that those being put forward in general elections have the relevant experience locally. A quota for the local elections is the best solution to make this happen. That way you'll have less people quota'd in at constituency conventions because there'll be a stong bank of female councillors already running at convention.

Better to quota in a councillor than someone who has never held office before!

Vote YES!!

GEN. RICHARD MULCAHY YFG*: YFG believes legislation should be brought forward to outlaw members of the Oireachtas making official representations at council level on behalf of individual constituents.

This doesn't solve the wider problem of localism and the parish-pump. What we really need to change is the voting system to make that happen. This will change nothing, official representation will just be replaced by more unofficial representation and that's not what we need!

UCD YFG*: YFG believes a maximum cap should be placed on benefits received from the state at a level set at the average industrial wage.

Very good idea. This will pass no problem. I would even go further to cap it lower, however I'd wonder how many people actually recieve benefits over this threshold anyway? Doubt it'll save the state a whole lot, but every cent counts!!!

YFG NATIONAL EXECUTIVE*: YFG calls on the Government to completely re-negotiate the Croke Park Agreement under s1.28 of the Agreement.

The interesting part here is that section 1.28 is the one that voids Croke Park in case of a budgetary deterioration. Last time I checked our public finances hadn't veered that badly off course to warrant voiding the CPA...

Nonetheless I absolutely agree with this motion but I think there are better reasons to renegotiate the CPA!



See you all tomorrow

[ParliamentBend]

I believe that groups like yfg be disbanded in favour of all multi political party groups

Thats a bit fluffy.

[Westlands]

Well that's that............... Tell next time.
Goodbye.