Distracted

at

Dáil Éireann yesterday

Yesterday.

The Dáil voted in support of a Labour Party motion to postpone the sale of AIB shares.

But.

The Government is reportedly going ahead with it anyway.

In today’s Irish Times, Pat Leahy and Joe Brennan report:

The Department of Finance moved yesterday evening to play down the impact of the passing of the Labour Party Private Members’ motion proposing to delay the AIB share sale until European Union fiscal rules are relaxed.

During a Dáil vote, nobody on the Government side indicated their preference and the motion was deemed to have passed. Opposition TDs believed that Government TDs were distracted by the internal party leadership challenge.

“Private Members’ motions are not legally binding on the Government,” the department said in a statement. “The Government position remains unchanged. The programme for partnership government clearly allows the Minister to sell up to 25 per cent of Allied Irish Banks up to the end of 2018.”

Michael Noonan set to trigger AIB flotation (The Irish Times)

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19 thoughts on “Distracted

    1. Sheik Yahbouti

      Phil, you are correct. The open contempt this Government have shown for the parliamentary system in this instance cannot be overstated, and is a disgrace. The democratic system in this country has been completely undermined, not by ‘subversives’, but by arrogant upstarts who think themselves above the common herd. The Dail has been largely irrelevant for a long time owing to the whip system, but FG in this and the previous Government took it a step further. I refer, of course to “the EMC” – or The Gang of Four, as I liked to call them. They usurped the function of cabinet and concentrated all power and decision making in four individuals (and WHAT individuals :-().) Thus, the whole system of parliamentary democracy is undermined and devalued.

      1. Yep

        Commie comparison aside, I agree with your general point. We haven’t been a sovereign state for some time.

        1. Sheik Yahbouti

          Yep, sovereignty has nothing to do with it – that ship has long sailed with the Lisbon Treaty and, in particular, the Fiscal Compact Treaty. The only sovereign thing about this country is the sovereign Debt – magicked out of the Promissory notes by that *!! Noonan.

          1. Yep

            It has everything to do with it Sheik. We are beholden to the ECB and popping AIB back on the market creates “liquidity”on both ends.

            We are not in disagreement though. The FCT was certainly a marker but this sale is all about the current market and the role we play in it.

  1. martco

    I’m just surprised that this post doesn’t have Leo or Simon mentioned in it anywhere

      1. Yep

        “believed that Government TDs were distracted by the internal party leadership challenge.”

        It’s in bold italics FFS….

        1. martco

          :)

          LeoSimonLeoSimonLeoSimonLeoSimonLeoSimonLeoSimonLeoSimonLeoSimonLeoSimonLeoSimonLeoSimonLeoSimon
          FGFGFGFGFGFGFGFGFGFGFGFGFGFG

          1. martco

            maybe Broadsheet could install a special interactive Leadership Race Tracker widget, just like the paper of record have. all so exciting!

            ugh

          2. martco

            the paper of record maintains a page setting out the stall of the paper I guess a bit like those T’s and C’s we almost never ever bother to read, quoting:

            “In 1974, a Trust was established with the objective of securing and maintaining The Irish Times as ‘an independent newspaper primarily concerned with serious issues for the benefit of the community throughout the whole of Ireland, free from any form of personal or party political, commercial, religious or other sectional control’.”

            party political free? maybe tis gluten free too

            :)

            nighty nite

        1. Moderate THIS!

          I do it’s true Mildred. Almost as much as electrodes attached to my genitals

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