# How about Eddie Hobbs for our next MOF?



## Duke of Marmalade (2 Jan 2015)

I see Eddie is taking a very prominent role in the new anti choice party.  Could he be the next MOF?


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## Conan (3 Jan 2015)

The only thing worse would be Shane Ross.


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## Brendan Burgess (3 Jan 2015)

A very balanced profile of him by Conor Pope in today's Irish Times

*Eddie Hobbs: a salesman who’s best at selling himself*

*



			This dexterity has allowed him to comfortably castigate government ministers and their quangos one minute, and accept a seat on the board of just such a quango the next.
		
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*

*I wonder what quango he is on? *

*Some quangos are absolutely essential, so there is no inconsistency in criticising some and defending others. *

*He was on the National Consumer Agency, for which he was eminently qualified.  I don't think it paid very much. *

*He was also, briefly, on the Consumer Panel of the Financial Regulator, which did not pay at all. *

*Brendan *


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## Leper (3 Jan 2015)

I saw Eddie on the News last night and true to form he shot himself in the foot again through his own mouth.  We've seen all this before.  Remember the Progressive Decocrats? This bunch will go the same way.


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## Brendan Burgess (4 Jan 2015)

*Eddie Hobbs scotches rumour he is set for Reform Alliance*

*To be fair, that was a long time ago - 26th December *

*



			Mr Hobbs said he did not believe a "bunch of Independents" would be effective in Government.

"It is like asking a camel to win the Grand National, it would all be great until he hit the first fence," he said.
		
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*Hobbs: New party aims to keep public-sector pay in check


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## Duke of Marmalade (4 Jan 2015)

d





Brendan Burgess said:


> *To be fair, that was a long time ago - 26th December *


Who was it said "a week is a long time in politics"?

I really can't see this party going anywhere.  Comparison with the PDs is off the mark.  Dessie O'Malley, himself a formidable politician, had assembled other heavyweights for his party's launch.  Charles Haughey was seriously flawed (to be generous to the dearly departed) and comparing Henda with him is also very wide of the mark.  Furthermore the PDs had a very coherent policy on social and economic matters and definitely set daylight between themselves and FF/FG.

Considering that all Lucy could put up was an obscure rural independent and a maverick celebrity, I would say zero seats at the next election.  Eddie will see the writing on the wall and won't even run.  I have noted this post for a future "I told you so"


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## Brendan Burgess (4 Jan 2015)

Hi Duke



Duke of Marmalade said:


> I would say zero seats at the next election.



I would think that Lucinda will easily get elected in her constituency. 
If Eddie stands, he would get elected fairly easily as well. 

I doubt if their personal popularity would spread to unknown candidates though. 

Brendan


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## Leper (4 Jan 2015)

Duke of Marmalade said:


> dWho was it said "a week is a long time in politics"?
> 
> I really can't see this party going anywhere.  Comparison with the PDs is off the mark.  Dessie O'Malley, himself a formidable politician, had assembled other heavyweights for his party's launch.  Charles Haughey was seriously flawed (to be generous to the dearly departed) and comparing Henda with him is also very wide of the mark.  Furthermore the PDs had a very coherent policy on social and economic matters and definitely set daylight between themselves and FF/FG.
> 
> Considering that all Lucy could put up was an obscure rural independent and a maverick celebrity, I would say zero seats at the next election.  Eddie will see the writing on the wall and won't even run.  I have noted this post for a future "I told you so"



Hi Duke, I agree with most of what you said but "PD's had a very coherent policy  . . . and definitely set daylight between themselves and FF/FG"

You're right again the PD's no longer exist and FG and FF are still around; quite a bit of light between them now.


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## Purple (5 Jan 2015)

With the strong move to the centre-left by all of the main parties and the emergence of the anti-reality independents, well into the la-la-land spectrum of the left, there is a gap for a centre-right party.
No party has the courage to tackle the inefficiencies, waste and general poor value for money we get from our taxes as there are far too many votes in the public and semi-state sectors but until that’s done we are hamstrung as a nation when competing internationally. That’s not what the Left wants to hear but trade and competitive advantage is what generates the income which pays for public services.


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## flowerman (5 Jan 2015)

Dont worry lad and lasses,Mr Noonan is cutting USC and tax again this year so we will all be millionares this time next year.

Let the good times roll so.

Youd know it was election time again,wouldnt you.


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## Marion (5 Jan 2015)

In all fairness, who could vote for a party that couldn't figure what to call itself before it launched?

Marion


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## Duke of Marmalade (5 Jan 2015)

It's very clever.  They are going to run a competition to name the party.  Mobile texts cost €1 etc.  I thought "Anti-choice" was obvious.


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## Purple (6 Jan 2015)

While I strongly disagree with Lucinda on social issues I do think a party that is seeking to raise the money for necessary social outcomes through sound economic practices rather than political populism would make a welcome change to what's on offer at the moment.
The country has drifted strongly to the left over the last few years. I'd like to see a step away from big government. Not  for ideological reasons but because the state has demonstrated again and again over decades that it is not competent at legislating, regulating, educating or healing its people. If it was I'd be all in favour of it doing more. 
Anybody who says they will make competent and efficient public administration a priority will get my vote.


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## Brendan Burgess (6 Jan 2015)

I must say that Fintan O'Toole has warmed me to the new party.  He is trying to highlight the distinctions between Lucinda and Eddie. But I agree with Eddie and if he can move the economic thinking in the following direction, I would vote for him,despite his faults:


> Eddie has, to be fair, a perfectly coherent Hobbsian programme for radical right-wing “reform”: slashing taxes, cutting public sector pay and numbers, reducing welfare benefits, closing subsidised services in rural Ireland, telling farmers to live or die by the market.



That is a good enough policy to be going on with.

Lucinda was very clear in a radio interview that people would be free to vote on social matters according to their conscience.  I, too, would disagree with her on social issues, but if she moves to the right on economic issues, it would be good for the country.


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## Duke of Marmalade (7 Jan 2015)

Brendan Burgess said:


> I must say that Fintan O'Toole has warmed me to the new party.  He is trying to highlight the distinctions between Lucinda and Eddie. But I agree with Eddie and if he can move the economic thinking in the following direction, I would vote for him,despite his faults:
> 
> 
> That is a good enough policy to be going on with.


I know you are being a tad tongue in cheek there _boss _
I'm not a great fan of FOT, or lefty pseudo intellectuals in general, but he certainly exposed huge inconsistencies between Lucy and the Hobbit.  I think the Hobbit will turn out to be a big liability if this party gains any traction, but of course it won't.

You just don't make those outlandish assertions (Vichy etc.) if you want to be taken seriously as a politician.


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## Firefly (7 Jan 2015)

Brendan Burgess said:


> I must say that Fintan O'Toole has warmed me to the new party.  He is trying to highlight the distinctions between Lucinda and Eddie. But I agree with Eddie and if he can move the economic thinking in the following direction, I would vote for him,despite his faults



Sounds quite like a new PD party to me, and it would get my vote too.


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## Delboy (7 Jan 2015)

O'Toole really went to town on him yesterday- the sub-heading when the story initially came out even referred to the Cape Verde investment push by Hobbs....though I see the Times has dropped that now!!!

Very agressive tackle from a man who got cold feet just before the last GE


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## Deiseblue (7 Jan 2015)

Interesting to see Lucinda calling for Trade Unionists to join her crusade as part of the " group of   leaders " - I wonder did she run that one past Eddie  ?


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## Purple (7 Jan 2015)

Delboy said:


> O'Toole really went to town on him yesterday- the sub-heading when the story initially came out even referred to the Cape Verde investment push by Hobbs....though I see the Times has dropped that now!!!
> 
> Very agressive tackle from a man who got cold feet just before the last GE


Fintan is a custodian of the Left-wing consensus that is no pervasive within the Irish Media so it's hardly surprising that he has a bee in his bonnet about a centre-right option in Irish politics.


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## Brendan Burgess (8 Jan 2015)

Duke of Marmalade said:


> he certainly exposed huge inconsistencies between Lucy and the Hobbit. I think the Hobbit will turn out to be a big liability if this party gains any traction, but of course it won't.



But Duke, there is no harm in having inconsistencies between two different people, at two different times.  I wouldn't join a party, because my views would be so contrarian on many issues.  Eddie is not just contrarian, he is outspoken.  It will make it difficult, but I would imagine that they will be able to reach some sort of rough agreement.


Having said that, Eddie might be that bit too arrogant for a political party. He is a bit like Peter Mathews in that regard. I am always right and no one else knows what they are talking about". Of course, Eddie is entertaining, while Peter is just extremely boring and annoying. 

Brendan


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## Brendan Burgess (8 Jan 2015)

The new party is certainly proving attractive to opinion formers. 

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/poli...ace-in-party-says-lucinda-creighton-1.2059679


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## Duke of Marmalade (9 Jan 2015)

Brendan Burgess said:


> The new party is certainly proving attractive to opinion formers.
> 
> http://www.irishtimes.com/news/poli...ace-in-party-says-lucinda-creighton-1.2059679


She should name the party _Je suis Charlie_.

Her rejection of Dr Selim on the grounds that freedom of speech is the be all is a tad hypocritical.  You can respect FoS and still ask that papers desist from publishing inflammatory material.  Or was she accusing him of being in some way supportive of the attack?

Many countries have laws against incitement to hatred so FoS is not as absolute a moral imperative as Lucy suggests.

Of course the telling thing is Lucy's appeal to fundamentalists of whatever persuasion.


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## Marion (10 Jan 2015)

Brendan Burgess said:


> The new party is certainly proving attractive to opinion formers.
> 
> http://www.irishtimes.com/news/poli...ace-in-party-says-lucinda-creighton-1.2059679




She should have a chat with her co-founder.

http://www.thejournal.ie/eddie-hobbs-scientologists-1867387-Jan2015/

Marion


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## Brendan Burgess (10 Feb 2015)

*Lucinda Creighton's party takes a Hobbsian turn*

* As Lucinda Creighton prepares to launch party, Hobbs will be crucial to kickstarting campaign *


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## Delboy (14 Feb 2015)

It's all systems go for Reboot with Eddie leading the way
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/poli...land-on-target-for-general-election-1.2104430


> The as-yet-nameless political party known as [broken link removed] is on target to have 60 available candidates for the next general election, its recruiter [broken link removed] has said.


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## Duke of Marmalade (4 Jan 2016)

Duke of Marmalade said:


> Eddie will see the writing on the wall and won't even run.  I have noted this post for a future "I told you so"


I told you so.


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## Gerry Canning (12 Jan 2016)

Purple {country has drifted strongly to the left }?

I do not think so .
1. Flat rate type charges are rightish.
2. Making sure Variable rate mortgage rates stay high is rightish.
3. Putting economy ahead of social spending is rightish.
4. Allowing the property market to re-heat is rightish.
5. Not sorting social housing is rightish.
6. Reducing income tax ,whilst we have homelessness is uncaring (rightish)
7. Negativity on refugees is rightish.

I think country has drifted into a self protectionist and fear filled me-feiner type mindset, and that's not good. 
Maybe that's both on rightish and leftish ?


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## Purple (13 Jan 2016)

Gerry Canning said:


> Purple {country has drifted strongly to the left }?
> 
> 
> I do not think so .
> ...


 Not when people on low incomes don’t pay most of them.



Gerry Canning said:


> 2. Making sure Variable rate mortgage rates stay high is rightish.


 No it’s not.



Gerry Canning said:


> 3. Putting economy ahead of social spending is rightish.


 No, making sure that unsustainable spending doesn’t derail the economy is just sensible.



Gerry Canning said:


> 4. Allowing the property market to re-heat is rightish.


 No, it’s just stupid. Keeping mortgage rates high helps to counter that problem.



Gerry Canning said:


> 5. Not sorting social housing is rightish.


 No, not having social housing is right wing. Having it is centralist/ left wing (and a good thing in my opinion).



Gerry Canning said:


> 6. Reducing income tax ,whilst we have homelessness is uncaring (rightish)


 No, it’s populist. We have massively increased income taxes on high earners while not reducing welfare rates or pensions and we still, by international standards, massively over tax high earners relative to low and middle income earners. That’s hardly right wing.



Gerry Canning said:


> 7. Negativity on refugees is rightish.


No, it’s racist. There’s no monopoly on that.



Gerry Canning said:


> I think country has drifted into a self protectionist and fear filled me-feiner type mindset, and that's not good. Maybe that's both on rightish and leftish ?


 I think the country has always been in that mindset and that’s the root cause of our problems.


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## Gerry Canning (14 Jan 2016)

Purple ,
I used (rightish) not as a mandatory call but to slightly differentiate and maybe I too fell into this (lazy left-right) language.

1. Flat rate charges.
Private home owners on low wages can get deferral on property taxes but it keeps clocking up .

2. High SVR is wrong and I don,t see our (rightish) Government sorting.

3. Agreed unsustainable spending is out , then why borrow to reduce taxes?

4.Agreed = stupid.

5.Agreed.

6.Agreed ,its populist to reduce taxes, but reducing pensions/welfare is hardly fair/sensible?

7.Agreed, sadly both Pinkos or Blueshirts have rascists.

Purple on {mindset} wouldn,t you think having our 100 year be -muddled history we would have more sense ?


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## Delboy (14 Jan 2016)

Negativity on Refugees is Racist! Well, that's 1 way to shut down a debate


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## Purple (14 Jan 2016)

Gerry Canning said:


> Purple on {mindset} wouldn,t you think having our 100 year be -muddled history we would have more sense ?


 Yes, I would like to think so but the facts suggest otherwise.


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## Gerry Canning (15 Jan 2016)

Delboy,

{negativity on Refugees is Rascist!}

I had hoped that my short comment would be taken in a fuller sense, not just jumped on as a bald fact.
To clarify,
I perceive an anti refugee bias that has minimal bearing on the plight refugees have versus any perceived threat they might bring.

Its difficult on a short thread to fully expand and I wouldn,t wish to close off debate.


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## Duke of Marmalade (15 Jan 2016)

Racism is a much abused term.  The dictionary definition refers to a belief that persons *inherit* different traits because of their race.  When I see the outrageous behaviour of Germany's refugees I do not afford them the defence that they couldn't help it - they inherited it.  No, they got it from their culture (ok still maybe not their fault you could argue).  And I for one refuse to accept that it is politically incorrect to abhor certain cultures.


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## Gerry Canning (15 Jan 2016)

Duke,

No one disagrees that you can abhor certain cultures.

Within the bulk of refugee cultures ,mostly Islam at present , there is zilch support or cultural inheritance in Islam, of the actions of those few thugs.
There is NO way those thugs inherited those traits.

To say so  is bit like saying because of the Provos or Dissidents{all Paddies are inherited terrorists } 

We don,t all (inherit) the (traits) of the misguided.

More importantly we can,t all be tarred with a negative brush.


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## Duke of Marmalade (15 Jan 2016)

Gerry Canning said:


> To say so  is bit like saying because of the Provos or Dissidents{all Paddies are inherited terrorists }


You have a tad misunderstood my reference to inheritance but here is a perfect example.  The majority of catholics in NI were reasonably law abiding citizens but there is no doubt that there was an underlying culture in the bulk of that community that tacitly supported the terrorist campaign.  (I suggest we avoid arguing whether that cultural disposition was justified or not.)

The fact is that the actual perpretators of abhorrent behaviour are usually in a minority - I presume that this is even true of Nazi Germany.  So I am afraid that in certain circumstances it is justified to tar whole cultures with the same brush.


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## Duke of Marmalade (16 Jan 2016)

This is seriously off topic but I have just been reading an interesting insert in today's Indo.  It purports to be a reproduction of the issue at the time of the rising.  Lots and lots of references to O'Connell Street.  But on the front page there are adverts citing Sackville Street.  Wiki then informs me that Sackville Street was not renamed O'Connell Street until 1924.  Ho Hum


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## Gerry Canning (18 Jan 2016)

Duke,

In NO way did the bulk (tacitly support the terrorist campaign).
What was clear is that they could identify where the terror campaign came out of , but again in NO way was it supported.


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## Duke of Marmalade (18 Jan 2016)

Gerry Canning said:


> Duke,
> 
> In NO way did the bulk (tacitly support the terrorist campaign).
> What was clear is that they could identify where the terror campaign came out of , but again in NO way was it supported.


Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness, Bobby Sands etc. winning handsome electoral majorities. I am not sure how you square these facts with your assertion.  Possibilities are:

1.  These people were in fact elected by protestant votes .
2.  They were indeed elected by catholics but in the belief that their supposed involvement in the violent campaign was government lies.
3.  Because of discrimination catholics lacked the literacy to understand how the electoral ballot worked.

None of these seem very convincing but perhaps you can help clarify the matter.


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## RMCF (19 Jan 2016)

Not sure what all this has to do with Eddie Hobbs, so I'll make a point to get us back on topic.

Was Eddie Hobbs not doing adverts telling us to buy Bulgarian properties just before the crash?


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## Delboy (19 Jan 2016)

I thought it was the Cape Verde islands, the ones that are 2 hours flying time south of the Canaries and without a natural source of freshwater!!!!


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## Gerry Canning (17 Feb 2016)

Duke of Marmalade said:


> Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness, Bobby Sands etc. winning handsome electoral majorities. I am not sure how you square these facts with your assertion.  Possibilities are:
> 
> 1.  These people were in fact elected by protestant votes .
> 2.  They were indeed elected by catholics but in the belief that their supposed involvement in the violent campaign was government lies.
> ...


..........................
No doubt the Tribes swung into voting for Mc Guinness,Sands,Adams Paisley etc, but its a stretch to say they voted for terrorism.
No doubt because N Ire is tribal, people  vote for (their kind)
Its too easy to say point 3. Sadly N Ire remains tribal and each tribe covets their own. 
People in N Ire (on nationalist side) may well have understood the sad motivation why so many youths endorsed terrorism , that's far from supporting.


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## Purple (17 Feb 2016)

Northern Ireland is no more suited to real democracy than some underdeveloped parts of sub-Saharan Africa which are also enmeshed in a deep rooted tribal conflict. What they have now is the best that can be expected given the ignorant, bigoted tribal nature of the electorate. Maybe in another 100 years they will be mature enough to get out from under their ethnic/religious/tribal ignorance.


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## Duke of Marmalade (17 Feb 2016)

Gerry Canning said:


> ..........................
> No doubt the Tribes swung into voting for Mc Guinness,Sands,Adams  etc, but its a stretch to say they voted for terrorism.
> ...
> People in N Ire (on nationalist side) may well have understood the sad motivation why so many youths endorsed terrorism , that's far from supporting.


Voting for self confessed terrorists (ok Gerry never technically confessed), understanding the motivation for terrorism,  doesn't sound too far from supporting to me.

I know I am fulfilling Godwin's Law but one might say of Germany from 1930-1945 that its people voted for genocidists and understood their motivation, but, sure, the majority did not actually operate the gas chambers.


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## Purple (17 Feb 2016)

Avoid Godwin's law; cite Rwanda or Serbia instead. Same thing, we just saw it coming those times and still did nothing about it. More recent as well. I regard Adams as cut from the same cloth.


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## Gerry Canning (19 Feb 2016)

Duke.

I hear you ,
But even in Germany the vote was one of anger (not a good policy) and from my reading, most Germans thought Hitler was controllable, they were not advocates or supporters of genocide , in the same way supporters of Adams were not apologists for terrorism.
It seems we get leaders we vote for with our short-termism glasses on ?

It is good to see erstwhile terrorists moving to a better place.


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## Conan (19 Feb 2016)

In the current political climate in Ireland, too many politicians seem to believe that anger is a policy - Paul Murphy, Ruth Coppinger, Mary Lou, the Right to Water mob etc. 
As for supporters of Gerry Adams not being apologists for terrorism, well I disagree. They try to talk the talk about not supporting killings (Jerry McCabe, that Prison Officer, the young guy Quinn, the stabbing to death of the guy in the Belfast pub with almost 100 republicans present none of whom saw anything etc etc) but they never, never walk the walk. Despite Gerry Adams saying that anyone with information should contact the Gardai or PSNI, surprisingly nobody ever does. 
So God forbid we end up with a collection of anarchists and apologists being anywhere near power after next Friday.


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## Duke of Marmalade (28 Feb 2016)

Duke of Marmalade said:


> I would say zero seats at the next election. I have noted this post for a future "I told you so"


I told you so (over a year ago)


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## Purple (29 Feb 2016)

Nobody likes that sort of carry on


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## Gerry Canning (29 Feb 2016)

Conan,

Looks like the apologists who were on 24% in opinion polls got 15% actual vote.
They are not near power and I hope their path to non violent politics continues and that they continue realising that violence was never a policy.
Most people under 35 have minimal conception of the carnage created by Mr Adams cousins in IRA ,so, if Sinn Feins policies appeal, they will vote SF.
Older people are very entitled to question SF,s past , but as each year passes ,we are permitted to loosen the hold the past has on us...

maybe even FF & FG can forget the Civil war ??


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## Purple (29 Feb 2016)

Gerry Canning said:


> Looks like the apologists who were on 24% in opinion polls got 15% actual vote.


 They got 13.8%, a drop from the last local elections.
Their vote management was excellent though. They ran things with military precision.


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## Gerry Canning (29 Feb 2016)

Purple,
{ with military precision } = I like it .

They fired a blank here in Donegal though.


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## Purple (29 Feb 2016)

Gerry Canning said:


> Purple,
> { with military precision } = I like it .
> 
> They fired a blank here in Donegal though.


They have a history of things failing to go off...


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## Firefly (13 Apr 2016)

Good ole Eddie plying his trade for Dolores McNamara no less:

_Limerick housewife Dolores McNamara, who became one of Ireland’s richest people when she scooped €115 million in the biggest lotto jackpot in European history, is involved in a bidding competition with [broken link removed] over future ownership of Limerick’s top-performing retail park, Childers Road Retail Park....

Mrs McNamara, who is not known to have acquired commercial property investments in the past through her company Blue Haven, is being advised by[broken link removed], the media personality and financial adviser. _


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## Purple (13 Apr 2016)

Firefly said:


> Good ole Eddie plying his trade for Dolores McNamara no less:
> 
> _Limerick housewife Dolores McNamara, who became one of Ireland’s richest people when she scooped €115 million in the biggest lotto jackpot in European history, is involved in a bidding competition with [broken link removed] over future ownership of Limerick’s top-performing retail park, Childers Road Retail Park....
> 
> Mrs McNamara, who is not known to have acquired commercial property investments in the past through her company Blue Haven, is being advised by[broken link removed], the media personality and financial adviser. _


Good on her. It's great to see she's doing something with the money.


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