Comments on Guy Fawkes' blog of parliamentary plots, rumours and conspiracy: Hung Parliament : LDs Should Learn from the PDs

AnonThe Liberal Party that you speak of is off the...

2006-06-28T06:15:00.000+01:00

Anon
The Liberal Party that you speak of is off the political radar.It has about 1400 members and is stuck in a time-warp of the merger.

Ironically the small Liberal Party that still exis...

2006-06-28T01:34:00.000+01:00

Ironically the small Liberal Party that still exists i.e. without the social democratic element is to the Left of the current Lib Dems.

One would have thought that the SDP would have shifted the Liberals to the Left during a merger rather than to the Right. The SDP might have been on the Old Labour Right but Labour was clearly to the Left of the Liberals in those days.

Does that make any sense?

What you all, Guido included, have to realise that...

2006-06-28T01:27:00.000+01:00

What you all, Guido included, have to realise that the Liberal Democrats are not, and have never been a "liberal" party in the European sense (i.e. right-wing). The LibDems have always been a solidly social-democratic party. Their purpose is to provide an alternative social-democratic "brand" to Labour. The vast majority of LibDem members are social-democrats. Perhaps the LibDems would have been far better not calling themselves "liberal" at all when the party was founded, but then again in the UK it's only the right-wing blogosphere that equates the word "liberal" with the right.

The Irish Secret Service only has enough budget to...

2006-06-27T15:05:00.000+01:00

The Irish Secret Service only has enough budget to employ about 10 people, so it's not too difficult to keep it secret. You'd have difficulty mortaring the headquarters of an organisation that doesn't even have a headquarters (I expect its staff share facilities with Army Intelligence and Special Branch).

I'm rather impressed by the Progressive Democrats ...

2006-06-27T10:45:00.000+01:00

I'm rather impressed by the Progressive Democrats - I'd join them in a heartbeat if the LibDems were to assume this 19th Century-ish sort of Liberalism.

We'll swop you any two of our politicians for Deni...

2006-06-27T09:53:00.000+01:00

We'll swop you any two of our politicians for Denis Leamy, the Irish 8. He really looks the business.

There are truly liberal and democratic Lib Dems, a...

2006-06-27T07:45:00.000+01:00

There are truly liberal and democratic Lib Dems, and they're gaining ground.

An inspiring example. If only the Liberal Democrat...

2006-06-27T07:33:00.000+01:00

An inspiring example. If only the Liberal Democrats were truly liberal and democratic instead of being an anti-tory tribal sect motivated as much by spite as anything...

Ireland has a Secret Service ..... wow you really...

2006-06-27T03:59:00.000+01:00

Ireland has a Secret Service ..... wow you really do learn something new every day on Guido!

One of the sources of PD support is a small po-fac...

2006-06-27T00:11:00.000+01:00

One of the sources of PD support is a small po-faced, sanctimonious minority who give the PDs a 2nd preference in order to 'keep Fianna Fáil honest'. This has taken half the fun out of Irish politics. We used to lambast the Soldiers of Destiny for their corruption, and then vote for the cute hoors anyway out of admiration for the ingenuity of their scams.

Good on you young Fawkes. Mary Harney is doing a g...

2006-06-26T23:45:00.000+01:00

Good on you young Fawkes. Mary Harney is doing a good job. FF would not have introduced the kind of reforms that the PDs pushed through. The LDs here could learn a thing or two from the Irish PDs. Has the West of Ireland done well from the reforms. It was a very poor part of the country during the 40s,50s,60s and 70s. Hope all is well there now. I think that old Sean Lemas did a good job in the 60s. Can we bring him back.

Oh yes, the PDs, how wonderful they are. Tonight t...

2006-06-26T21:08:00.000+01:00

Oh yes, the PDs, how wonderful they are. Tonight the main item of news was the fact that the Irish health service is the second worst in the EU, only just head of Lithuania. The PD's leader, Mary Harney, is the current health minister, and denied there was any problem on the news. "Bollocks of a jockey" is the phrase that comes to mind.

http://workforall.net/English/size_of_government.g...

2006-06-26T21:05:00.000+01:00

http://workforall.net/English/size_of_government.gif

Note that Ireland was getting subsidies long before 1985.

Haha GuidoIgnorant we may have been but at least o...

2006-06-26T20:08:00.000+01:00

Haha Guido
Ignorant we may have been but at least out potatoes didn't die.
Indeed you cannot subsidise yourself to high growth and low unemployment, however somebody else can.
I am not anti bogtrotter I admire your cheek

What a load of ignorant bigotry.You can't subsidis...

2006-06-26T19:46:00.000+01:00

What a load of ignorant bigotry.

You can't subsidise your way to high growth and low unemployment. You can only unleash free enterprise to do that - exactly what the PDs helped do.

Tom,

As for FF not being very free market, correct, but they are still the more conservative party - not Tory - conservative. Harney is a tubby, this is about voting not shagging.

Finally, let me remind you that when Europe was in the dark ages and your illiterate ancestors were burning books, Ireland was a land of saints and scholars. When stability returned to Europe, it was Irish scholars who had preserved the books and teachings of classical Western thought, we re-introduced them to Europe after the fall. Ireland having escaped the ravages of the dark ages was instrumental in spreading learning. See How the Irish Saved Civilization.

Finally, if the Irish are so thick, how come you don't know the name of our secret service and yet the Provos managed to mortar MI5 for a laugh?

I meant: "Anyway, who cares does the income comes ...

2006-06-26T18:15:00.000+01:00

I meant: "Anyway, who cares does the income comes from home or abroad, as long as it means that the unemployement rates and taxes are lower and the incomes per capita higher than in the UK?"

prawn crackers said: "Irish Tiger economy. Merci b...

2006-06-26T18:12:00.000+01:00

prawn crackers said: "Irish Tiger economy. Merci boucoup(sic) Jacques Delors."

Did you read this:

"The EU subsidies had no effect until taxes were cut. Insofar as they allowed for the tax cuts they were useful."

Rick said: "Get real Guido..........Dutch Mixers are in The Netherlands not London; and The Cook Islands are heavy duty tax
evasion...........Switzerland has manufacturing and engineering and food manufacturing on a scale Ireland can only dream of."

And how about Luxembourg? Anyway, does the income comes from home or abroad, as long as it means that the unemployement rates and taxes are lower and the incomes per capita higher than in the UK?

I find the Irish charming, its just never a good i...

2006-06-26T18:10:00.000+01:00

I find the Irish charming, its just never a good idea to trust them, little things like refuelling Nazi submarines, blowing the fuck out of British towns and cities, sending their peadophiles over here disguised as priests, stuff like that.
Fuck! I just remembered the worst thing they have ever done to us
Bono and Bob Geldoff!

Hey, Guido, notable by her absence is a picture of...

2006-06-26T18:09:00.000+01:00

Hey, Guido, notable by her absence is a picture of Ms. Harney. The logo's all cheery and oblong and all, but let's all remember that the face of Irish Thatcherism is, well, a rather big one. Without a neck. Think of the outcome of a collision between Ayn Rand and a well-stocked ice-cream van.

Also, FF = Tories is a pretty stupid comparison. European Constitution-writing smoking-banning privatisation-stopping Blair-cuddling Tories, maybe.

The only thing the Mick has ever produced in huge...

2006-06-26T17:48:00.000+01:00

The only thing the Mick has ever produced in huge amounts is priests

The Irish National Art Gallery has the world's finest Collection of Potato Prints

Like the City of London and Switzerland? Get re...

2006-06-26T17:47:00.000+01:00

Like the City of London and Switzerland?

Get real Guido..........Dutch Mixers are in The Netherlands not London; and The Cook Islands are heavy duty tax evasion...........Switzerland has manufacturing and engineering and food manufacturing on a scale Ireland can only dream of.

London is where you generate your liabilities - assets you park elsewhere.

Irish Tiger economy. Merci boucoup(sic) Jacques De...

2006-06-26T17:45:00.000+01:00

Irish Tiger economy. Merci boucoup(sic) Jacques Delors.

Matt, I doubt some local policies are a good indic...

2006-06-26T17:15:00.000+01:00

Matt, I doubt some local policies are a good indicator of what Lib Dems would do in hung parliament. As I'm sure you know, in some places Lib Dems form a coalition with Labour, in other places with Tories. And in some places, like in Rochdale and York, there has even been previously a coalition between the Tories and Labour.

Sorry poor editing non my part, should say indicat...

2006-06-26T17:10:00.000+01:00

Sorry poor editing non my part, should say indicative and not concerned.

My Aunts boyfriend has a glass recycling plant in ...

2006-06-26T17:09:00.001+01:00

My Aunts boyfriend has a glass recycling plant in ireland, it exists solely due to the availability of EU grants, i.e. English taxpayers cash not genuine enterprise.
The only thing the Mick has ever produced in huge amounts is priests and nuns, that and Guinness to keep the peasantry happily pissed.
The blood stock industry could be held up as a success story, however, that is nothing more than a money laundering scam.