I’ve noticed in the last few days that Ciaran Cuffe, potential new minister is scrubbing up very well. Today this photo of the Green Party Parliamentary Party 2010 was released.  Has he been to Louis Copeland?  What has happened to the tweedie type jackets?

This is not rocket science. Help me out here.

There are maybe three general groupings that the letters could have come from (and it could have been from one or more of them)

• Trevor Sargent’s Office
• The Gardai,  or sources close to the Gardai, DPP’s office or sources acting on behalf of someone with something to gain from a smack in the face to the Greens.  (via Hurt Govt Partner, former member,  civil servant or opposition three times removed to protect the source.)
• The Constituent – but did he have a copy of both to give even if he wanted to give them??

Cowen doesn’t like innuendo. Roll on the Docklands report, Moriarity Tribunal.  Actually no I don’t think I can last that long.

Kevin Doyle from the Herald says on RTE’s Primetime tonight that  he won’t say either way whatever that bloody means. I don’t mean he should tell us where he got them – just perhaps be better at not telling us.

Again the Greens are so shell shocked to have not had time to think about what is going on. Now I’m are they thinking and wondering what they are in the middle of.  While Fianna Fáilers come out to patronise them to get them to stay in government.

From Dan Boyle tonight (who some might say is getting us ready for the end.)

Do the Green Party have any dignity left?

I don’t fancy the opposition in government much either by the way in case you are wondering.  Feck the lot of them is how I’m thinking at the moment.  I wish someone would just govern.

By 5.00pm Trevor had resigned.

Trevor Sargent resignation speech from Alexia Golez on Vimeo.

Having listened to his interview on Six One News I don’t understand why Trevor didn’t send the constituent to a solicitor?

We’re not going to get any time off this to talk about the economy, NAMA taking charge of those many many ghost estates, hotels and office blocks, Incinerators, you know the important stuff?

Let’s turn to Maman Poulet’s political terminology dictionary (a fictional entity for the moment!)

Definition: Fianna Fáil manoeuvre to get reluctant/confused junior partners into vote on sticky issue as quickly as possible before they can think for themselves

Being Bounced and not realising it or dribbling as being bounced?

Exhibit A from Wednesday’s debate with thanks to Alexia - Eamon Ryan.

The most productive (in terms of mainstream news interest!) twitter account of a politician in Ireland was busy again tonight.

Senator Boyle as is usual disappeared after tweeting something controversial and despite the best efforts of all the media to track him down Dan was nowhere to be seen. No other members of the party to be found to appear on programmes on radio or TV either.  Maybe they were busy at the meeting I mentioned earlier listening to Cóirites talking about the evils of the Civil Partnership in the gatecrashed rendezvous with Eamon Ryan.

This current difficulty and unease is not about the Greens stating they don’t wish to be ‘moral compass’ on the past ills of Fianna Fáil either.  There are very current ills that the Greens are being pressurised to overlook in order to get their agenda through.

An unfortunate still shot from today in the Dáil that featured heavily on twitter tonight.

The meeting is regarding the Civil Partnership Bill and the delgation attending are lobbying against the bill and seeking protection for those who wish to concientiously object to conducting the registrations of partnerships.

But they are not homophobic, ah no…

Our concerns must be conveyed in a dignified and non-emotive way in order not to allow our concerns about the bill being described by the media as homophobic or intolerant.Our case will be that we have a democratic right to campaign for the protection of marriage and the family as they are understood by moral and natural law and by all the major religions of the world.

The group, as yet unknown, are hoping to meet with other TD’s during their visit.  Anyone who attends, delegation or TD and wants to report on it please let me know!

Update:  Word from Leinster House (Green Party) that there were 60 at meeting and that Coir and Richard Greene took over the meeting. There was one gay man in attendance.

I’m out of the country for the weekend…I don’t think we’ve seen the last of this ‘cos this is not about Brussels. Cheques and balances.

Now the last person I want to sound like is Guido so I’ll hop it (though his bank balance might not be pass upable..)

Indeed one of the former councillors was one of a few electoral successes for the party in the last local elections – in terms of holding onto a seat.  But Vincent Martin has surprisingly quit his town council seat in November.  (You may remember my interview with Vincent at the Green Party Convention in October)

This lark of appointing former Green Party councillors to State boards would of course not be news to readers of Maman Poulet.

Before Christmas I published the list of new appointments to the boards of the National Disability Authority.  Caroline Burrell a Green Party Former Bray Town Councillor was appointed to the board.

Maybe it’s of use when observing any other appointments to state boards in the coming months to see the list of other former councillors and have it available for reference.

Former County Councillors Not Elected

Terence Corish, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown (Dundrum);
Joe Corr, Fingal County Council (Balbriggan);
Dorothy Corrigan, South Dublin County Council (Clondalkin);
Gene Feighery, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown (Dún Laoghaire);
David Healy, Fingal County Council (Howth-Malahide);
Ruairi Holohan, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown (Blackrock);
Tom Kelly, Meath County Council (Slane);
Robbie Kelly, Fingal County Council (Howth-Malahide);
Tom Kivlehan, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown (Ballybrack);
Vincent P Martin, Monaghan County Council (Carrickmacross);
Tony McDermott, Dublin City Council (Crumlin-Kimmage);
Ciaran O’Brien, Wicklow County Council (Bray);
Niall O Brolchain, Galway City Council (Galway City West);  [Now a Senator]
JJ Power, Kildare County Council (Naas);
Alan Price, Carlow County Council (Borris);

Former Town Cllrs Not Relected

Caroline Burrell, Bray;
Dominick Donnelly, Passage West;
Frank Gallagher, Letterkenny;
Stephen Kilgallon, Balbriggan
Steve Matthews, Bray;
JJ Power, Naas

Of course this lark is not only something that the Green Party play at before the Young Greens come commenting. But it’s not supposed to be in the party of ‘no brown envelopes and jobs for the boys/girls’ playbook?

Deputy Gogarty’s (Salary €100K per annum) loving the attention and doesn’t regret a thing – ‘the sentiment was genuine’. Classy man eh? The ringtone isn’t all you’ll be remembered for Deputy. I’m sure your constituents who have had their social welfare benefits cut won’t forget you in a hurry.

I wonder when he’ll tell us more about the technicality that caused his resignation as Education Spokesperson after the Green Party Convention earlier this year as he explained it away to Marian Finucane this morning. As I remember it from the very well covered event he quit over the cuts – no technicality and loads of drama.

Revisionism?

It’s time the eccentric tag ceased. This is a vanity exercise. Deputy Gogarty might also like to call off his pack dogs with the homophobia and other taunts online too by the way. Or is that too a sentiment he shares?

The video

and the Ringtone,

and the unofficial transcript.

All in 90 mins from the utterance.

Update

Kildarestreet.com have rushed out the transcript of the incident and urge us to ‘Get it before they remove it from the record!’

Harry McGee writes about the list of words that are banned and fuck is not one of them.

There are also techno, rap, muppet and other versions including mixes and this one from Wayne Whitty coming to a club near you of the incident cropping up on Youtube. Please don’t let there be a Downfall. Try something more original!

And there was a second ‘apology’.

An Ceann Comhairle: I call on Deputy Gogarty to make a short statement to the House.

Deputy Paul Gogarty: I wish to apologise to the House and to the Acting Chairman who was presiding earlier. Under the salient rulings of the Chair, No. 428, the terminology I used was not included in the list. However, No. 431 rules that political charges are in order but personal charges will not be made, Members must not be thin-skinned in relation to political remarks. I was thin-skinned and I should not have used unparliamentary language and I apologise profusely to the House.

Deputy Charles Flanagan: The Deputy is a disgrace.

Deputy Alan Shatter: Remind us, what did the Deputy say?

Deputy Bernard Durkan: The Deputy should apologise to those who will be punished by this Bill

Deputy Olivia Mitchell: Is that what one would call a mental reservation?

Deputy Lucinda Creighton: I wish to place on the record my objection to that half-hearted mealy-mouthed apology to this Chamber. It represents the greatest display in arrogance and contempt for colleagues in the national Parliament. I call on you, a Cheann Comhairle, to suspend that Member from the House.

An Ceann Comhairle: These matters are considered by another body.

Deputy Gogarty has made the Huffington Post. The viewed counts on those Youtubes are about to get even more interesting.

Update 2
It made the Rachel Maddow show on MSNBC – this makes me happy in so many ways and Gogarty’s outburst getting intenational coverage is not one of them

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