Norma Foley, a teacher at Presentation Secondary School, Tralee, County Kerry and new Fianna Fáil Minister for Education arrives for yesterday’s cabinet meeting in Dublin Castle
The best teacher I ever had, probably the reason I’m a writer now. I am so excited to see what she does as Minister for Education! #NormaFoley https://t.co/dgj0dpFOOC
— maeve higgins (@maevehiggins) June 27, 2020
In fairness.
Meanwhile…
I don’t want to shitpost either Maeve or Norma F but this is not a consensus. She was a perfectly functional teacher but never invested in anyone in my class like that. She’s a conservative anti-choice politician who has no real experience of education on a macro level. pic.twitter.com/oRpfnX3YYE
— Sarah Waldron (@Sarah___Waldron) June 27, 2020
I mean, I’m glad that she inspired Maeve to be a writer but she definitely discouraged others. And it’s never good to be in a classroom where the teacher plays favourites.
— Sarah Waldron (@Sarah___Waldron) June 27, 2020
Oh.
…Una Stubbs as Aunt Sally…..
hehehehehe.
Una Brow more like
Unabomber more like.
OK so it wasn’t just me who noticed.
“Different people have differing opinions on the same person” – truly earth-shattering news.
Maeve used to be good craic. Now she is insufferable. Preachier than any parish priest and hawking her shame and ire for shekels.
“She’s a conservative anti-choice politician who has no real experience of education on a macro level.”
Does the fact she’s pro-life inform her views on education at a macro level or did you just want to throw that in there to get a dig at her on a separate unrelated issue?
She got an ‘F’ in the Leftist purity test, and that’s all that counts, clearly.
Her dad was a Fianna Fáil lifer who took the bullet for having an offshore Ansbacher account (so basically stole from the state), so I would guess she has something on a lot of them.
the only time denis foley ever spoke in the dail was to ask someone to open a window.
I’d say she gets an A in your right wing world eh clampers.
Teachers are largely a crowd with no experience of the world other than a class room and the pecking order of it.
Agreed
But Teaching in Ireland has (well used to anyway) a special contractual condition attached to permanent contracts that allows them to enter politics or other public service gigs, ie President of the GAA, without vacating their permanent contracts.
Basically their jobs were covered by temps, and in some cases the TD pocketed the difference in the permanent scaled salary and the temps pay, and also retained their pension rights
Our new Taoiseach is one of those
and so was Enda Kenny,
Along with Michael Noonan, Brendan Howlin, Marys Hanafin O’Rourke and Mitchel O’Connor,
Right across the Dáil to include the late Tony Gregory
It is only in the last ten years or so, like since the 07 crash, and the recruitment freezes, and public sector pay cuts, that some of those mentioned above actually either resigned their posts or gave up their pay rights.
Like Enda Kenny’s job was performed by a Temp for over 30 years
Anyway ye all know this,
So back to Norma
She has much more in common with Micheal Martin than any other cabinet appointment
Whether she was a good teacher or not I really don’t care
What I do care about is that she has a family history of tax evasion and ‘resting funds’ away from scrutiny
Is there a bit of a conflict of interest having a teacher as Minister for Education? The job is not meant to be Minister for Teachers.
No more than having a practicing physician with a number of health care related business interests, in fairness. And the voter decided what they wanted to do with that risk.
The conflict I see is Norma Foley’s relationship with Probity and her undeniable connection to wholesale tax evasion
You might think that’s a matter for her party and her Constitutents to adjudicate her fitness to represent them as a TD, and I would agree with that
However her appointment to Ministeral Office deserves unquestionable ethics and a higher standard the rest of us are entitled to.
I would also add, that this particular Ministery would have benefited with continuity of Leadership
Particularly around schools reopening, facilities, available manpower and pay, and the Leaving Cert Predictive Grading
All still to uncertain and vague imo
As a prochoice woman I would also flag her prolife agenda as a risk, but that is a personal issue that I’ll be paying particular attention to
Has Norma Foley herself done anything improper? Or are you suggesting that we should punish the child for the sins of the father?
If your Mam had links to some dodgy financial dealings should you be barred from anything in finance?
Well tis like this Cian
When offspring and other close blood connections seek to follow in their footsteps,
Like keep up the Political Family line – shur’ let’s just say Dynasty for the craic like
In the same Constituency
In the same Party
And using the same party workers and supporters
Damn right they should also bare the sins
And be accountable for them
And as for my game – since you introduced it yerself like
I am already required to meet a range of higher standards than any Government Minister
Fitness and Probity
Ethics and AML Risk and Compliance
And let’s not leave the annual CPD steeplechase out either
So what my Mother did
Or anyone else you want to bring up
Yeah no problem – bring it on
And come on in
One of those Ministers can actually trigger an unannounced investigation, and come into my office without permission
Or a warrant
In fact three separate Ministers lead departments that have oversight over my livelihood
Still, It’s good to see women supporting women.
Sure aren’t they all either teachers or publicans.
FYI her father was involved in the Ansbacher Bank scandal and held an offshore account with them.
Ironically he was part of the public accounts team set up to investigate tax evasion.
So she’s not exactly a fresh faced politician.
What’s that got to do with her?
Miss Karen.
What! Maeve Higgins is a writer. I suppose she might as well be, as there is no money in comedy atm.
I’m Spartacus!
She writes cook books afaik Johnny
She’s a comedian, she used to be Ray D’Arcy’s show on Today fm years ago.
…her sister Lilly is the cook…
ah right