Martin Mansergh: Chronically deluded

Fianna Fail just keeps on giving in its continuing destruction under the (non) leadership of Michael Martin.

The latest development is the announcement by former junior minister Martin Mansergh that he hopes to stand in the next election.

Mansergh, who loyally served the corrupt/criminal politician Haughey, enlightened the nation with his scintillating analysis of the upcoming election.

The alternative to a Fine Gael-led coalition, is a Fianna Fáil-led coalition.

We can see from this that Fianna Fail is still populated by those who really should be in a home for the chronically deluded.

Asked how he voted in the referendum Mansergh said it was ‘a private matter’. The hilarious aspect of this cowardly Sean Haughey type reply is that everybody knows he voted no and yet he doesn’t have the political intelligence to avoid public ridicule by just being honest and upfront.

The following exchange between Mansergh and Marian Finucane (June 30, 2013) concerning the economic catastrophe inflicted on the nation by Fianna Fail provides a good measure of this individual’s questionable courage and honesty.

At the time in question Mansergh was Minister of State at the Department of Finance.

Marian Finucane: You were working in the Dept. and presumably in contact with the Minister for Finance throughout that period.

Mansergh: Well, I was in a separate building. My main job was the office of public works.

Finucane: Was there a sense around the place of the kind of pressure that was going on?

Mansergh: Well, as I say, I wasn’t in the building, I was in a separate building about 500 metres away. I was not in the loop. My job in Finance was basically to relieve the Minister of some of his parliamentary responsibilities.

Sean Haughey’s double-speak: His corrupt father would be proud

How true is Averil Power’s claim that Fianna Fail lacks vision, courage and leadership?

We can get a good idea by analysing how Sean Haughey replied to a very simple question – Did he vote Yes or No in the marriage referendum?

Like many people this has been a long journey, for this one I felt I couldn’t canvass with conviction. I wanted to listen to all the arguments and I listened to all the arguments right up to polling day. I discussed it with my family, I’m passionate about my country and our society and the how it should develop but at the end of the day it’s a secret ballot.

Fair enough, it is a secret ballot and everybody has the right to refuse to say how he or she voted. But Haughey is a public representative, he intends standing for election to parliament. He could become a powerful minister or even Taoiseach. At minimum citizens have a right to know where he stands on the main issues of the day.

They have a right to know, before voting, what kind of man they are being asked to support. For example, a liberal constituent will want to know if Haughey supports the repeal of the Eight Amendment of the Constitution regarding abortion. Similarly, a conservative will want to know if he’s pro life.

It’s cowardly to say, on the one hand, I’m passionate about my country and how our society develops but I’m keeping my opinions secret.

So you’re not answering that question but you are saying you didn’t go out canvassing on the issue?

I want to be perfectly honest about this. I feel if you’re going to people’s doors and ask them you need to have the conviction and for me I wanted the luxury of sitting back and listening to all the arguments and I listened passionately to every debate right up to polling day.

Honesty is the last thing we’re getting here.

Is Haughey saying he has no conviction on the issue one way or the other? Hardly, since he admits that he ‘passionately’ listened to every debate. As a private citizen Haughey has the ‘luxury’ of sitting back and listening to all the arguments before casting his secret vote. But as an aspiring public representative he has an obligation to be open and honest with those who may consider giving him a vote.

And the fact that your party was supporting the issue?

Well I don’t think I let my party down in any way.

Unwittingly, Haughey is being honest here. His cowardly double-speak, his failure to step up to the plate and openly say what he believes fits in seamlessly with the long established Fianna Fail gombeen mindset.

His corrupt father would be proud.

Fianna Fail: Still operating in a fog of delusion

Ah the bliss of it all. Fianna Fail got to enjoy just a few short days of glory after winning the bye-election before the darkness closed in again with the resignation of Averil Power. Prior to Power’s resignation it was difficult to gauge exactly what progress the party was making in its comeback strategy.

Now we know – absolutely no progress whatsoever.

Power pointed to the 100-foot high neon truth sign on top of the mountain that reads:

Fianna Fail lacks vision, courage and leadership.

In response we witnessed a long line of politicians and ordinary members come out, turn their backs to the sign, and say:

There is no problem with Fianna Fail, Michael Martin is a great leader, all is well.

It is critically important for the good of Ireland and its people that Fianna Fail continues to wallow in this fog of delusion.

Irish citizens – going radical

Feck, it’s amazing the amout of people returning to Ireland from all over the world to vote. I’m assuming, hopefully correctly, that most of these people are ‘Yes’ voters.

In any case, it seems to be part of the continuing political radicalisation of Irish citizens, long may it last.

Love owns marriage – everything else is peripheral

Who owns marriage?

This is the question asked by Nick Park, Executive Director of the Evangelical Alliance Ireland and pastor of Solid Rock Church in Drogheda.

The answer is as simple as it is indisputable. Love owns marriage – full stop.

Everything else, every other interest, agenda or argument surrounding the marriage of two humans in love is peripheral to the unassailable, indestructible core that is love.

No religion, no state, no law has a moral right to stop any two in love adults from getting married.

Marriage has been with us, in all its myriad forms, rituals and traditions, since the first humans descended from the trees and began to spread out across the savannah.

And it is this fact that makes Mr. Park’s claim, that marriage belongs to his particular god, so irrational.

His non-existent Christian god has only been around for a couple of thousand years. Countless thousands of other non-existent gods, for countless thousands of years, have also claimed ownership of marriage but not one of them has ever provided any real justification for their claim.

And the reason for that is as simple as it is rational – marriage is based on natural human love between two people whether it’s male/female female/female or male/male.

Human love is natural. Human marriage is the ritual that binds that love and that ritual belongs to everyone.

Everything else is peripheral.

The agony of Prince Charles

After a meeting between Prince Charles and Sinn Fein representatives Gerry Adams said it was a big thing for him, (Prince Charles) but also a big thing for Sinn Fein.

I think it was a much bigger thing for Prince Charles given the heartbreaking event that occurred at Mullaghmore in 1979.

Listening to the Prince speak about the death of his ‘honorary Grandfather’ Lord Mountbatten, it was clear he had travelled a long road of personal agony and regret at the loss to a place of forgiveness and reconciliation.

He and his mother the Queen are, I believe, playing a major but very subtle political role in the Peace Process and in improving relations between the UK and Ireland.

Long may both of them succeed in their venture.

Anti Sinn Fein campaign: The penny begins to drop

Irish Independent journalist Eamon Delaney used most of his 900 word article on the visit of Prince Charles to say something that can be summed up in the following sentence.

Sinn Fein made a political mistake in not meeting the Queen when she visited Ireland in 2011.

But Delaney did make a reference, even if only very obliqulely, to the massive elephant in the room – the ongoing anti-Sinn Fein propaganda campaign by the establishment parties and their many media supporters.

And it is strange that the main political parties here were reportedly opposed to such a meeting, (Adams meeting Prince Charles) given that four years ago they would have dragged Adams up the carpet to meet the queen.

Let us hope that the electoral threat of Sinn Féin has not made our political parties think only of themselves these days and not of the overall good of the peace process.

Ah I really love it when I hear the sound of a penny dropping.

Delaney is the first establishment journalist that I know of who is, slowly, beginning to realise that the attacks on Sinn Fein have nothing whatsoever to do with any unfinished matters surrounding the war in the North.

It is exclusively to do with the abject fear of the establishment parties/ruling elite of this country witnessing the entry of a powerful, well organised, non-establishment political force entering the previously exclusive domain of that privileged ruling elite.

Breaking: Gerry Adams foiled by anti-terrorist team

I’m shocked, absolutely shocked I tell you. I’ve just heard that Prince Charles is in the country and neither Gerry Adams nor Mary Lou McDonald have been arrested.

How could this be, how could the current leader of the still in existence Provisional IRA be allowed roam free while one of the terrorist’s prinicpal targets is on holiday here?

What…what did you just say – Adams is going to meet the prince, Jesus Mary agus Joseph who’s in charge of security? Whoever it is I want his balls cooked in a microwave forthwith.

Get me Michael Martin on the line immediately. He has all the facts about how Adams is still organising the IRA, he’ll know how to handle this security crisis.

At last, some good news. I’m told that Martin will accompany Adams when meeting the prince. Very clever, journalists with Independent Newspapers have known for years now that the bulge in Adams’ pants is really a pipebomb.

No doubt our hero Michael will leap in at the vital moment and grab the deadly weapon from between Adams’ legs thus preventing a sinister explosion.

What, what’s that your saying? A special undercover team of hard-hitting anti-terrorists experts has been formed to protect the prince from the terrorist and cult leader Adams.

Let me see that list, I want to make sure they’re hardened anti-terrorist operators of the highest calibre.

Independent Newspapers special forces personell.
Willie Kealy
Jody Corcoran
Eilis O’Hanlon
Jim Cusack

RTE special anti-terrorist team
Cathal Mac Coille
Sean O’Rourke

Irish Times anti-terrorist co-ordinator
Stephan Collins

Phew…ok folks, everybody relax. We have a best in the world anti-terror/anti Sinn Fein team on the ground ready for action if the evil Mr. Adams makes even a hint of a sinister move towards his crotch.

Sean O’Rourke: Missing the climax

Sean O’Rourke was interviewing a gay Catholic man who will be voting No in Friday’s referendum. The man was explaining how he revealed his sexuality to his mother.

He sat in front of her for half an hour before getting up the courage to say the words. Don’t tell dad, I don’t think he’s ready for it yet, he pleaded. Just then his father unexpectedly entered the room.

I was pinned to the radio to hear what happened next but alas, Sean O’Rourke, was not as interested.

Now, let’s talk about the vote on Friday…

Catholic Church loses another piece of its negative power

The Constitution could not be clearer.

The State guarantees not to endow any religion.

So, I ask, why has the State been funding Catholic marriage courses? Answer – history. The funding of such courses is a hangover from a time when the Catholic Church wielded great and abusive power in our country.

The decision to cut funding to such courses is a welcome step in the continuing secularisation of Irish society.

But the bishop of Elphin, Dr. Kevin Doran, is not happy.

It seems to me that if the State does have a commitment to marriage, as the Constitution requires it to do, it is a rather strange move to be withdrawing funding from pre-marriage preparation courses.

There may indeed be a commitment to marriage in the Constitution as the bishop claims but I couldn’t find any mention of it.

As a country/republic we really need to get our act together on the issue of favouring one religion over another or, indeed, favouring any religion.

If the Catholic Church wants to run pre marriage courses it should be allowed to do so but taxpayers should not be required to pay for the service. The State should provide such courses but on a religiously neutral basis

Now, what about the millions wasted on military, hospital and schools chaplins?