Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó’Fearghaíl
A TD who’s no fashion plate
Is a menace to our little state
The lack of a tie
Makes the simple folk cry
We need pinstripes to make Ireland great.
John Moynes
RTÉ/Rollingnews
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While I think it is a disgrace the way that some members dress themselves when coming to the Dáil (Wallace in particular), the Dáil probably has more important matters to discuss at the minute.
A disgrace? There are a thousand other disgraces in this country, all being dealt with by men in suits. Personal attire has no bearing on work output in my opinion. If anything, it may bring ‘them’ closer to ‘us’.
Wearing a v-neck T-shirt in your nation’s parliament is a disgrace. Wearing your hat inside is rude.
“Personal attire has no bearing on work output in my opinion.”
– depends on the job
“Disgrace.” Histrionic nonsense.
“Disgrace.” Noun
Just look at what the guy in the V-neck has highlighted to the country? Seems like a petty attack which seems to be the FG way, ask Noonan (in his custom suit).
Personal attire *in the Dail* has no bearing on work output in my opinion. It would indeed depend on the job, but we are talking about this job, y’know the one highlighted in this thread. Have you no comment on the other ‘disgraces’ being overseen by men in lovely suits? Are they doing a good job because they are dressed to impress?
Wearing your hat inside is rude? How?
Whereas Noonan’s got a lovely suit on – no one in a suit would hound a sick woman to her death!
Corruption must be weeded out – look at the pinstripe on Michael Lowry and you just know he’s above board.
It’s imperative that the people we make wealthy for the rest of their lives so they never have to deal with the mess of a society they’ve created IMMEDIATELY send us expense bills for fancy clothes we’d quite like them to wear while they fupp us over again and again and again and again. We’ll even throw in a watch.
+100 tshirts
Well no; we pay them lots of money already, they can well afford to buy a pair of slacks and and a button-down shirt.
Would you happy if Enda Kenny went for a meeting with Theresa May in a ‘Mayo 4 Sam’ T-shirt?
I’d say it was a bit late to be developing a personality.
hehehe
They can well afford to get a bus/train from Meath like a filthy peasant – but they expense us tens of thousands a year instead. Phone sex with your holiday fupp in Africa? Put your wallet away.Your point?
I don’t think I said anything about how a prime minister should comport his/herself – I said we have unprosecuted corrupt politicians still in office decades after the fact, incompetence is widespread, and people are getting tetchy over dress codes.
If we let crooks stand in elections, how dare they suggest we bar public representatives with a track record of actually EXPOSING endemic corruption from entering the chamber?
I’ll make you a deal – when the dust is blown off the Tribunal reports we also paid for and criminal investigations begin, an anti-corruption agency established, laws enacted to strip pensions from wrongdoers, I’ll fake a concerned expression and listen patiently to your moral outrage at people wearing clothes similar to the people they represent, kay?
“I don’t think I said anything about how a prime minister should comport his/herself …”
– Mick Wallace is a representative of the people of Wexford; it is an important job, I believe my point still stands. I don’t think it is appropriate for him wear an Italian football jersey, or a t-shirt emblazoned with a company’s logo, or anything like that.
“If we let crooks stand in elections, how dare they suggest we bar public representatives with a track record of actually EXPOSING endemic corruption from entering the chamber?”
– I’m not sure if we should in fact allow tax cheats stand for election, but let’s leave Mick’s business dealings for another thread…
“…your moral outrage…”
– I think the only person ‘outraged’ here is you, ahjaysis.
I’m not outraged at all, I just enjoy baiting pedantic fuddyduddyness.
Why change when you can rebrand, eh?
The people of Wexford can sack him any election they wish. He didn’t campaign in Charvet and legislate in Puma – I assume they’d caught sight of him before electing him. I’d think of less of someone if they assimilated into The Institution as soon as the ballots are counted.
True, it would look ridiculous.
That Mayo team is finished.
:)
they never really started in the 1st place
Lowry was on the same plane as myself last October. Flying to the south of France. I got great joy in calling him a naughty boo boo as he passed by
you called him a SYNT? :-)
Charvet shirts all round! That’ll fix the country.
Nice one, John.
God this is pathetic. A 45 page research paper on why Mick Wallace should wear a tie. What a petty waste of time and resources.
“petty waste of time and resources.”
tis the civilwarsirt way!
Eight or nine commissions of inquiry should get to the bottom of this.
Let them wear what they want.
Every five years or less they all have to secure close to ten thousand votes to retain their jobs.
Their appearance (I am certain) is one of the things that their constituents judge them on.
I support this because I feel there is a time and place for dress and t-shirts are not appropriate for a parliament. However, I agree with the other commentators that perhaps this isn’t the most pressing issue in the land.
You’d support denying elected representatives access to the chamber due to their clothes?
Do you think the people who elect Paul Murphy give a tuppenny toss whether he’s dressed like a banker?
I didn’t say they need to dress like bankers, however a “banker” dresses (mine personally doesn’t wear a suit if that is what you mean). I feel that respectable dress for a parliament is important, although once again not as important many other issues. How dressed down would you tolerate? Sandals, shorts, nudity?
I’m respectfully uninterested in what Paul Murphy’s constituents think on this subject as I am not one of them, and in any event I have yet to see a poll among his constituents on their views on a dress code. I for one would prefer that the people I vote for dress appropriately, although to be honest given the dearth of quality politicians and ideas I would probably waive that requirement!
You’re the one who needs to define ‘appropriate dress’, it’s you looking to mandate it.
What’s appropriate in a law firm and what is appropriate in a tech firm look completely different. I work in professional services and get away with short sleeves and jeans. Because this isn’t 1973 and actually very few people wear suits to work.
Actually the lawmakers themselves need to decide “appropriate dress” not me or you. I am not a sitting member so I am not attempting to mandate anything, I said I support the idea. I’m well aware of the distinction between different office cultures, and I’m glad you brought that up as you understand that different places may require different dress. I surely wouldn’t hire a builder dressed in a suit and tie, nor would I hire a solicitor wearing moccasins. But really, if this dress code were brought in tomorrow would it offend you greatly and become a policy worthy of protest?
Once again, I agree that there are much bigger problems facing this country and I’d be happy for this to take a backseat until we’re all as successful as the Norways and Switzerlands of the world. But the fact remains that since it was brought up it bears noting that many TDs look like people that couldn’t even get hired in tech firms with the loosest of dress codes and I don’t see a problem with correcting it.
My only proposal for a dress code for politicians is this: at all times they have to wear a hat with their full annual salary (inclusive of pension entitlements, printer cartridge expenses claimed etc.) printed on the front of it on a big registration plate. Full disclosure. And some kind of underpants or a tweed sarong.
Or tweed underpants.
Or a mankini…..
I guess this is really about banning “REPEAL” jumpers and the like.
I think they should wear disposable white boiler suits when in the Dail.
Then they wouldn’t feel as dirty leaving it.
How about mandatory Burkas when voting on “matters of conscience”?
you should dress professionally if you’re going into government buildings to do paliamentary work.
however, if you’re goin in to bleat and shout at each other like ignorant pigs, cover up misdoings and scandals, concoct ways to take from the poor and enrich elites, and basically feather your own nest with made-up inflated expenses, then i don’t give a fupp what you wear. because it’s not respectable work you’re doing.
alternatively, if you are one of the veeeeery few good ones.. then i’m just glad you’re there, and however you’re most comfortable to do your work, be comfortable. don’t feel you have to dress up because the pigs have put suits on to cover up their own unprofessionalism.
yea my opening line is contradicted by my last paragraph. i changed my mind on it as i was writing.
Ha. Stream of consciousness at its best.
+ 1 15p
Ha.
For all you lot give out about Prone and Co and PR in general, Wallace and the rest have you absolutely played as saps in their publicity stunt game. Because that’s what it is. Dress informally and half of you automatically think they’re men and women ‘of the people’.
And every time it comes up, it generates free publicity and plays into the ‘us versus them’ narrative they love to present. And it’s lapped up every time. Easiest airtime they ever get. And the other side are even bigger gimps to fall into their trap.
It’s not far removed from Trump and his stupid hat.
I don’t care what they wear. I’d much prefer if everyone stuck to actual policies.
A genuine lack of policies and an easily entertained media allows this sort of easy diversion hit the news.
like pat kenny is talkin about it on his show, but didnt talk about tuam. its a welcome distraction for media and politicians.
the only solution is to make all TDs wear a uniform.
you want fries with that?
Is the point of this that people serving in the national parliament of Ireland should look like the upper classes, not like the working classes?
Spot on, Ivan.