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FORMER TAOISEACH BERTIE Ahern has joked that the banking crisis was the reason he went grey in just six months.
Ahern made the comments on a visit to a school in Wales yesterday where he spoke about his life and achievements in politics.
The ex-Fianna Fail leader, who resigned in 2008, is in the UK as part of the InterAction Council conference taking place at Celtic Manor this week.
But Ahern also paid a visit to Risca Community Comprehensive School in Newport yesterday with the local newspaper, the South Wales Argus, reporting that he gave advice to students and told them the “sky is the limit”.
According to the paper, he told students: “Politics is everything. People think that politics is to do with Parliament but there’s politics in your schools, in your parents’ workplace, in the bus and train companies.
I realised when I was about 16 that we were not going to get a new pitch, a new dressing room unless I got involved in politics.
Ahern citied the peace agreement in Northern Ireland as his greatest achievement in politics, saying there was “nothing more important than that”.
But he said the hardest thing he had to tackle was the banking crisis and joked that it was the reason he went grey in just six months.
Ahern left office in May 2008, some months before the crisis firmly took hold and his successor Brian Cowen issued a blanket guarantee of the banking system in September 2008.
Ahern is expected to appear before the banking inquiry in late July to give evidence about the economic and banking policy pursued by his government during his 11 years as taoiseach.
Hat tip: Suzy Byrne
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People went a lot worse than grey over your policies you moron.
He went grey, we went broke.
Why Bertie?….you were safe…….remember……you didn’t have a bank account.
This from a man who didn’t have a bank account
Fat carpet bagger
What about all the people that committed suicide or were thrown into black depression or lost everything due to the banking crisis you festering wart on the ar$e of humanity?
The apparently huge increases in the numbers of people who became depressed since 2008 didn’t just become depressed because of the recession .. Also to blame for example is high speed internet rotting their brains from overstimulation, over-education through the internet, too much awareness of other people’s lives through social media etc. … Also, if the boom Bertie was in charge of hadn’t been so good, the fall wouldn’t have been so bad .. Humans hate falls in living standards..
I’d say it was more of the corruption you were involved in Bertie you crook.
But then he thought of his massive pension and that no one high up in this country is ever held responsible for their actions and he felt a lot better.
Hair going grey, what about the thousands of people that committed suicide because of your dodgy dealings with the banks and property developers
He should be tried for genocide along with Cowan ( big lips )
T’was the reason I went into the red
Did he go grey from worrying about how he would pay the bills? Poor him with his numerous pensions, pay for public speaking, winning money on the gee gees and ‘any other source of income’, whip-a-rouns, dig out etc
Berie go and f**k off.
If the peace process is the thing he’s most proud of then I’d like to know what he’s doing to progress it!?!
Seriously? He should have been hung, drawn and quartered!
There’s time yet .
Awww poor Bertie.
My heart bleeds for him and the trauma he must have faced with his hair turning grey.
I’m sure you can afford some dye on your massive pension.
Politician Problems. Meh
How nice for him to be able to joke about goin grey. Others lost their businesses, their homes – and their lives.
It’s the reason the rest of us went grey as well you buffoon. Ahern talking about his “achievements” in politics. That’s a good one.
It’s also the reason thousands of people are homeless, jobless and are worried what the future holds for them. It’s also the reason why thousands of the country’s youth have emigrated. But sure joke away bertie, I’m sure your pension will help you get over your grey hair. You absolute w @ n k € r.
Yeah… we figured, that 6 figure budget for Fianna Fail hair and make-up expenses had to be going towards something.
Soon turned to brown ay Bertie with your brown envelopes brown suitcase full of brown fifty euro notes. You’re that bent your shadow cant keep up with you.
Did you also tell them about how you and your government along with bankers etc went on to destroy a nation now and into the future .. I’d say not . Plonker..
I just couldn’t decide which one to open an account with. Couldn’t trust any of them with the envelopes.
What. A. Pr*ck.
Fianna Fáil maggot.
They still applauded him and lined up to shake his hand at their Ard Fheis.
Bertie is the architect of modern Ireland – a good working class man who led the richest country in the world
Just shows how detached and what a narrsacist he is joking about something that’s still killing people. He can only talk in other countries schools cause none of their parents died or lost their homes.
This man has the audacity to joke about turning grey, try 7 years austerity foisted upon the citizens of this country whilst you and your cronies partied (and continue to so).
I’ve has friends who have lost their livelihoods, pensions, businesses and homes. Two of whom committed suicide.
Try that Teflon boyo.
We won’t forget.
Never before have I noticed his middle tooth. Some things can never be unseen.
“But he said the hardest thing he had to tackle was the banking crisis and joked that it was the reason he went grey in just six months.”
What ? Why would Bertie find it hard to tackle the crisis when he had already left office when it happened and as Fianna Fail constantly remind us “nobody could have seen it coming” ? Also as a private citizen he didn’t have a bank account?
He COULD buy hair dye, make up etc but why spoil the habit of a lifetime. This miserable scrooge will never spend his own money. His house was a gift, the taxpayer paid for hair dye and makeup. What a way to live a life. No amount of money is worth living a miserable, friendless, worthless existence. You’ll be gone soon Bertie No Mates.
He’s lucky he only went grey!
It’s a shame his teeth didn’t go as white.
Imagine what would have happened if he didn’t have his multiple pensions.
A $$ hole
no Bertie,you went grey worrying all your corruption was gonna be discovered,which it hasn’t.also the people demand all contracts be withdrawn from dob companies, the man who attacked our democracy, our constitution. and none given in the future.
I would have said brown and not grey lol. It is call aging you eejit…
Just looking at that obnoxious specimen of a human being makes me want to vomit
Over O’Connell bridge with him the horrible crook that he is.
Bertie went grey, my brother committed suicide.
Ask me arse !!! I went grey overnight when I lost my job. Worrying about my future . Don’t talk bullshit Bertie , u have not got a clue what the REAL people suffer .
Must have been a very short speech then….his achievements? You are having a laugh!
Is that vomit for real or just trying to annoy every one . Crawl back under the slimey Rock you came from
A man of the people, who brought this country into the 21st century and got us all a bit more money in our pockets! Fair play Bertie I say!
Have you been living under a rock for the last 7 years? Fair play my arse!
The reason he never held a Bank account was that he never trusted the banks with his billions……but Fu** the ordinary citizen down the swollen River. No doubt he had Insider knowledge of Banks on their merry way.
O Bertie I remember you in your parker jacket years ago. You once said to us that one day lads I would lead this country. You were right Bertie you sliver haired fox. What was it charlie said about Bertie he is as slippery as an eel.
You went gray from all the lies you where telling.
Fair is fair. We all partied………………………I heard someone say..
No some are just left with the hangover from it
That’s a lovely picture of Bertie…
Who let that lying b*****d address school kids ?
The reaction from previous comments illustrate the frustrations of people that
wish you were going grey in prison and/or starved of your fat pension
Jesus Bertie gets a hard time and I think it wasn’t totally his fault as he simply followed in his mentors footsteps. He know no different, Charlie Haughey had a girlfriend, a few friends in business who gave him brown envelopes. So Bertie followed suit. The Skylon and the Tara Towers got planning permission (right in the middle of residential areas) all as a result of lobbying. Bertie learned from the biggest gangster in politics so he knew no better.
Bertie for president 2018
The Ahern era was the greatest period this country ever knew – people have short memories
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