A New wave of Nepotism

Keep an eye on your local councils. Lets see how many family members are appointed to council seats now vacated by elected TDs moving to the Dail.

In fairness it has been pointed out to me that Labour want to avoid this -
The Labour Party alledgedly are trying to stop nepotism in the party, but after the FG deal we will have to wait and see.

" LABOUR FAMILY dynasties are at risk following an edict from head office that relatives of TDs will not be considered for vacated local authority seats. "

Already the Michael Healy Rae seat on Kerry coco seems to be going to retired TD, and father, Jackie.

Some of these are double whammys, in that the newly elected TD's sometimes have two seats, one at county and one in town.

The other appointments now coming are the Taoseachs appointments to the Senate, a 60K per year job not including expenses.
It is astounding that the caretaker Taoiseach, a man who is no longer an elected official, has the gall let alone the right to appoint a failed Fianna Fáil election candidate - Darragh O Brien - to the Senate

They have no remorse.
The media are even worse -Terry Prone (Irish Examiner)

Toughest of all, of course, is the situation, today, of those who lost their seats, their livelihood, and in some cases, their self-respect. We have become so furious and cruel a society that the general reaction to their loss is “serves them right”.

It is deeply insulting to the millions of Irish people who are victims of our corrupt political system to witness self-righteous journalists like Prone accuse them of being cruel because they are furious and want justice.
his is especially the case when failed politicians get massive pay-outs having instigated policies that saddle the tax payer with massive debt.

And of course, the most sycophantic of the lot - RTE's Marian Finucane:

This must be a terrible personal tragedy for him (Brian Cowen’s fall). I mean to see the party he loves so much, to be at the head of Government of a party that you’re so proud of that brings in the IMF, I mean on a personal level that has to be very difficult.

Isn’t it amazing that a politician who has led a privileged life, who won a seat on the basis that daddy died and he got the by-election - who has never wanted for anything, who was among the best paid politicians in the world, who is retiring with a fortune at the expense of the people he betrayed can be described as a tragic figure?

It is for these reasons of corruption, of unwarranted influence, this unacceptable cost that I helped start Amhran Nua

LIST OF COUNCILLORS ELECTED TO DAIL EIREANN 2011

Ann Phelan (LAB) - Carlow/Kilkenny
Kilkenny County Council (Thomastown)

Pat Deering (FG) - Carlow/Kilkenny
Carlow County Council (Tullow)

Sean Conlan (FG) - Cavan/Monaghan
Ballybay Town Council, Co. Monaghan

Heather Humphreys (FG) - Cavan/Monaghan
Monaghan County Council (Clones)

Tom Barry (FG) - Cork East
Cork County Council (Mallow)

Sandra McLellan (SF) - Cork East
Cork County Council (Midleton) & Youghal Town Council, Co. Cork

Jonathan O’Brien (SF) - Cork North Central
Cork City Council (Cork North West)

Dara Murphy (FG) - Cork North Central
Cork City Council (Cork North East)

Jim Daly (FG) – Cork South West
Cork County Council (Skibbereen)

Noel Harrington (FG) – Cork South West
Cork County Council (Bantry)

Padraig MacLochlainn (SF) – Donegal North East
Donegal County Council (Inishowen) & Buncrana Town Council, Co. Donegal

Charlie McConalogue (FF) – Donegal North East
Donegal County Council (Inishowen)

Thomas Pringle (IND) – Donegal South West
Donegal County Council (Donegal)
Pringle replacement: 31 year old teacher John Campbell, Glenties, Deputy Pringle’s Director of Elections.

Robert Dowds (LAB) – Dublin Mid-West
South Dublin County Council (Clondalkin)

Derek Keating (FG) – Dublin Mid-West
South Dublin County Council (Lucan)

Clare Daly (SP) – Dublin North
Fingal County Council (Swords)

Alan Farrell (FG) – Dublin North
Fingal County Council (Howth/Malahide)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (LAB) – Dublin North Central
Dublin City Council (Clontarf)

Sean Kenny (LAB) – Dublin North East
Dublin City Council (Donaghmede)

Dessie Ellis (SF) – Dublin North West
Dublin City Council (Ballymun/Finglas)

John Lyons (LAB) – Dublin North West
Dublin City Council (Ballymun/Finglas)

Michael Conaghan (LAB) – Dublin South Central
Dublin City Council (Ballyfermot/Drimnagh)

Eric Byrne (LAB) – Dublin South Central
Dublin City Council (Crumlin/Kimmage)

Joan Collins (PBP) – Dublin South Central
Dublin City Council (Crumlin/Kimmage)

Eoghan Murphy (FG) – Dublin South East
Dublin City Council (Pembroke/Rathmines)

Kevin Humphreys (LAB) – Dublin South East
Dublin City Council (South East Inner City)

Sean Crowe (SF) – Dublin South West
South Dublin County Council (Tallaght Central)

Eamonn Maloney (LAB) – Dublin South West
South Dublin County Council (Tallaght South)

Mary Mitchell O’Connor (FG) – Dun Laoghaire
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (Dun Laoghaire)

Richard Boyd Barrett (PBP) – Dun Laoghaire
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (Dun Laoghaire)

Paul Connaughton (FG) – Galway East
Galway County Council (Ballinasloe)

Colm Keaveney (LAB) – Galway East
Galway County Council (Tuam)

Derek Nolan (LAB) – Galway West
Galway City Council (Galway East)

Brian Walsh (FG) – Galway West
Galway City Council (Galway East)

Sean Kyne (FG) – Galway West
Galway County Council (Conamara)

Arthur Spring (LAB) – Kerry North/West Limerick
Kerry County Council (Tralee) & Tralee Town Council, Co. Kerry

Brendan Griffin (FG) – Kerry South
Kerry County Council (Dingle)

Tom Fleming (IND) – Kerry South
Kerry County Council (Killarney)

Michael Healy Rae (IND) – Kerry South
Kerry County Council (Killorglin)

Catherine Murphy (IND) – Kildare North
Kildare County Council (Celbridge)

Anthony Lawlor (FG) – Kildare North
Kildare County Council (Naas)

Martin Heydon (FG) – Kildare South
Kildare County Council (Athy)

Barry Cowen (FF) – Laois/Offaly
Offaly County Council (Tullamore)

Brian Stanley (SF) – Laois/Offaly
Laois County Council (Portlaoise)
&
Portlaoise Town Council, Co. Laois

Patrick O’Donovan (FG) – Limerick
Limerick County Council (Newcastle)

Robert Troy (FF) – Longford/Westmeath
Westmeath County Council (Mullingar West)

Gerald Nash (LAB) – Louth
Louth County Council (Drogheda East) & Drogheda Borough Council, Co. Louth

Michelle Mulherin (FG) – Mayo
Mayo County Council (Ballina) & Ballina Town Council, Co. Mayo

Regina Doherty (FG) – Meath East
Meath County Council (Dunshaughlin)

Peadar Tóibín (SF) – Meath West
Navan Town Council, Co. Meath

Ray Butler (FG) – Meath West
Meath County Council (Trim) & Trim Town Council, Co. Meath

Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan (IND) – Roscommon/South Leitrim
Roscommon County Council (Castlerea)

Tony McLoughlin (FG) – Sligo/North Leitrim
Sligo County Council (Sligo Strandhill) & Sligo Borough Council

Michael Colreavy (SF) – Sligo/North Leitrim
Leitrim County Council (Manorhamilton)

Seamus Healy (WUAG) – Tipperary South
Tipperary South Riding County Council (Clonmel) & Clonmel Borough Council

Ciara Conway (LAB) – Waterford
Dungarvan Town Council, Co. Waterford

John Halligan (IND) – Waterford
Waterford City Council (Waterford South)

Simon Harris (FG) – Wicklow
Wicklow County Council (Greystones) & Greystones Town Council, Co. Wicklow

There are also two MEP positions, Joe Higgins in Dublin and Alan Kelly from Tipperary.


Free Blog Counter

New Indie's and Labour - the coalition options

Looking at the independents elected in Ireland, they are now in a position to form a technical group.

As I said in a previous posting, I was delighted to see Luke Flannigan returned.

However, the group must be careful. To enter into any arrangement with a discredited politician like Michael Lowry, Tipp North,  a dynastic spawn like Michael 'son of jackie' Healy Rae  from Kerry or rats off a sinking ship like Mattie McGrath in Tipp South would be a major error.

These three are career political opportunist's.

As for FG and Labour, the Labour parlamentary party should listen carefully, very carefully, to their grass roots.

Yes, it is important to be in Government and affect positive change, but Labour should not help FG to sell off or privatise public services.
Ireland is not the UK, and as we saw with the Eircom debacle, privitisation in such a small country has a high rate of failure, and room for corruption.

It is quite possible to support legislation that is to the benefit of the country while in opposition, but retain the independence that the Greens and PDs lost as junior coalition partners.

But then again, the main leadership of the party is ex democratic left and workers party, having gone from perhaps 5 seats to taking over the labour party and now having 37 seats, the attraction of weilding power for people like Gilmore and Rabbite may be too much to resist.

As well as that it seems Labour are falling further into dynastic habits with Sean Sherlock and Arthur Spring being returned.

With 20 seats and little in the way of policy or moral difference, it could be quite possible for FG to do a deal with FF, a recipricol Tallaght accord if you will


Free Blog Counter

Election

Well, FG had a huge win - we will see how they go and I wish them well.
I really do not see the difference between FF and FG, and I am worried about utilities like our ESB, funding of the health service and stagnation in politics, I do not think FG will deliver real political reform.

On other fronts there has been mixed news.

Shane Ross in Dublin, Luke Ming Flannigan and Thomas Pringle in Donegal South are great steps forward, independent, honest and forward thinking people may help to change our flawed system.

Personally, seeing Pringle and Flannigan elected is great, these two candidates were pointedly ignored by RTE.

But there have been dissappointments, people like Michael Healy Rae and the FF 'independent' Tom Flemming been returned in Kerry south is bad, dynastic and opportunistic politcos getting back in to milk the system.
Lowry being returned in North Tipp is also bad, the man is a prime example of pothole politics.

The Greens were wiped out, this may allow the grass roots of the party regain control and refocus their ethos in the right direction, rather than holding on to power for the sake of power itself.

Galway West returned Eamon O Cuiv, but got rid of Frank Fahy. FG's straetgy failed here as they were beaten by 'independent' Noel Grealish and a real socialist independent Catherine Connolly. Labour did well here with Mr Nolan, a replacement for the formidable Michael D Higgins - a man I hope will be our next President.

In Dublin Central, FF were wiped out - and Mary Lou McDonald got in despite the blegarding she faced from the press while an MEP

Although I dont like negative politics I was delighted to see Paul Gogarty lose in Dublin Mid West, his were the first election posters I saw, about 12 hours after the election was called, on the other hand it was a bit sad to see Trevor Sargent lose in North Dublin, a good public servant who, unlike FF deputies, did not need to beforced to resign on principle.

Dublin North Central saw the end, for now, of the Haughy/Lemass dynasty - although one has to say that Sean Haughy is a very decent man.

Chris Andrews from Dublin SE who failed in his brief and his first cousin Barry in Dunlaoire are more dynastic politicians gone as are Connor Lenihan in Dublin SW and Mary Hanafin also in Dunlaoire.

It was dissappointing to see Ivana Bacik lose out in Dunlaoire as she has been a great champion of womens rights.

Connors big brother Brian Lenihan survived the Dublin cull in Dublin West, the man who as minister for finance made decisions that led us to the brink of disaster, a precipice on which we still teeter, but another of the Lenihans - 'Aunty' - Mary O Rourke went to the wall in Longford/Westmeath - very badly with only 3046 first choices out of 57,525 valid votes.

In Galway East, Labour had a major victory with Colm Keaveney from my Alma Mater being returned to the Dail, although seeing adynastic FG candidate also elected is a bit hard.

More thoughts later


Free Blog Counter