Why is Mick Wallace so popular?

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Staples

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He's a failed property developer who owes about €40 million to sub contractors and others. His debts are probably responsible for some firms going under.

Rightly or wrongly, property developers are regarded as pariahs in society but for some reason, he's treated differently. I know he's always been vocal in, say, his opposition to Lisbon etc, but as contributors to the current mess go, his hands aren't exactly clean. I find it difficult that he can easily attribute the mess to the poitical classes (comapring them to the mafia, no less) when he himself benefitted quite nicely from the set-up when things were good.

If he was that unhappy at the state of affairs, why didn't he run in 2007? Why only now when he's skint and out of a job?
 
Cannot see it myself. Just because he wears a rugby jersey rather than a sharp suit he still spoke a load on nonsense on Vincent Browne last night.
 
I believe he has put a lot of money into Wexford youth soccer teams.
It is possible he has made a significant contribution locally.
 
fobs said:
Cannot see it myself. Just because he wears a rugby jersey rather than a sharp suit he still spoke a load on nonsense on Vincent Browne last night.
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It would probably be more a soccer jersey than a rugby jersey.

He built a sports ground outside of Wexford Town and got the local team (Wexford Youths) into the League of Ireland.
The ground is a fantastic sports facilty and probably better than anything John O'Donoghue delivered to South Kerry while he was Minister for Sport.

I was under the impression that Mick Wallace was a developer who didnt charge exorbitant rents, paid good wages to staff etc (but I have no proof of this, only hear say).
Also the fact that as a developer he was never close to Fianna Fail or was part of the Galway tent brigade and openly criticised the Government even when times were good.

Obviously his message resonated with the people of Wexford and they elected him.
I dunno where he is going to find the time to attend The Dail as he owns and manages the senior and youth teams of Wexford Youths. Still runs his companies even if the loans are in NAMA but I know he is on record as saying that he sleeps for about 3 hours a night.

I am interested to see what he will wear going into the Dail as he does not own a shirt or tie and has no intention of buying one.
While Tony Gregory never wore a tie he still wore shirts.
 
Further to what the banker said. My sibling in the building trade says there was never a bad word to say about him in Dublin. And that's saying something.

His loans are not in Nama as his loans are mostly with foreign banks and those with Irish banks are not high enough.

Why do I like him, don't know. Love the hair, the pink, the macho, the earrings, the contradiction, the lot. He's got charisma. So far. Open to correction.
 
He is not a failed property developer though! He has built some of the best apartment buildings in Dublin, and provided facilities around them such as restaurants, cafe's shops and so on. Millenium Walkway being one such development. His apartments weren't the "Shoe boxes" that some of the other developers threw up. Ask anyone in the trade what Mick is like and they will all tell you he is one of the good ones.

He is still working away, finishing projects, completing developments, working hard to pay off his debts. He is not part of NAMA.

He also doesnt live the high life that many of his fellow developers lived, he drives around Dublin in an oldish BMW X5, usually filthy from working on sites.

He has done so much work for football in Wexford, that if it was Gaelic Football or Hurling, he would be treated as a King.
 
Just because he is different he is must be attacked. We need change and by God in this Dail we got change. The only problem is the change is on the opposition benches. Fine Gael and Labour are part and parcel of the establishment and will resist any attempt to lessen their influence.
 
Yorrick said:
Just because he is different he is must be attacked. We need change and by God in this Dail we got change. The only problem is the change is on the opposition benches. Fine Gael and Labour are part and parcel of the establishment and will resist any attempt to lessen their influence.
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Being different doesn't necessarily make him any better and he should be subject to the same level of scrutiny as any other TD of any background.

That said, from some of the insights repeated above, he seems like a decent guy. I hope he does make a difference and shakes things up a bit.
 
I have re-written this post about 10 times but I am just going to say people can be stupid when it comes to voting. He is a "Wexford Character" so are Maggie Hurley and Frank Sinnott but I wouldn't want either of them getting elected either.

Not one person who I know voted for him can tell me why, other than "he's a change", for some it was like it was almost done as a joke for them. So he has "crazy" hair, earings and a pink shirt!!! Wow, I don't need my politicians to be wacky, I want them to be hardworking and capable thanks.

I would love to be proved wrong but I just don't see him being Wexford's saviour....
 
Did he personally fund the Wexford club or did his company fund it? Big difference.
We can all be generous if it is not using our own money.
 
JP1234 said:
I have re-written this post about 10 times but I am just going to say people can be stupid when it comes to voting. He is a "Wexford Character" so are Maggie Hurley and Frank Sinnott but I wouldn't want either of them getting elected either.

Not one person who I know voted for him can tell me why, other than "he's a change", for some it was like it was almost done as a joke for them. So he has "crazy" hair, earings and a pink shirt!!! Wow, I don't need my politicians to be wacky, I want them to be hardworking and capable thanks.

I would love to be proved wrong but I just don't see him being Wexford's saviour....
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Here's the thing, we have 166 people in the Dail, of whom 30 will be ministers (Junior or Senior). Of the rest, I think we can find a bit of room for people from different cross sections of society.

He is obviously big hearted, and I for one would not begrudge that characteristic in one of our 166 TDs.

He ran a very successful and high profile business and by the sounds of the number of developments he was involved in, his losses are relatively modest. He, as much as the rest of us (if not more so), was a victim of the banks losing the run of themselves.

So fine, if you think 166 slick businessmen should be in the Dail you're entitled to your opinion. But I for one would not want that.

The make up of the dail is far from perfect with any number of teachers, loads of people from a legal background, very few women and loads of older people. From a marginal perspective, Mick Wallace will make the dail a more balanced place and more representative of society, and I'd welcome that.
 
DerKaiser said:
So fine, if you think 166 slick businessmen should be in the Dail you're entitled to your opinion. But I for one would not want that.
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No, I never said that. I am just disheartened that people voted him purely on his image (not just his physical image) without stopping to consider why. I am sure he is a good bloke, plenty of people can confirm that, and as I said I would dearly love to be proved wrong. I honestly feel people have voted him in for the wrong reasons.

fobs said:
Did he personally fund the Wexford club or did his company fund it?
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His company gave it an interest free loan according to The Irish Times

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