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Updated 1.29pm
RENUA HAS CAPTURED another Fine Gael representative in the form of Dublin councillor Keith Redmond.
Redmond is said to have grown tired with the “nanny state tendencies” of Fine Gael according to the right-wing think tank he co-founded.
The Hibernia Forum proposed its first pre-budget statement on Tuesday and outlined broad support for a flat income tax, the idea is also supported by Renua.
Redmond was unveiled as Renua’s latest elected representative at Leinster House this morning by party leader Lucinda Creighton.
Redmond said that while he found the decision difficult, he was no longer able to support Fine Gael, which appeared to be “drifting ever further away from the radical reforming agenda that it put to the people in 2011″.
He also said that the flat tax policy proposed by Renua had heavily influenced his decision. Creighton also welcomed Redmond’s arrival, noting it would help develop Renua’s representation on local authorities.
The Howth councillor is a director at the Hibernia Forum and the group has also noted Redmond’s decision to move to Renua.
Hibernia says that Redmond’s move is motivated by both social and economic reasons.
“Redmond, a businessman in north Dublin, is fed up by the ‘nanny state tendencies’ of an increasingly centrist and ‘big State’ Fine Gael party, as well as the governing party’s lack of support for small business culture and prudent public spending,” the group said this morning.
The Howth councillor made headlines earlier this year when he was forced into an apology after a tweet he posted referred to anti-Page 3 campaigners as “feminazis”.
- with reporting from Hugh O’Connell
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Renau is more Real-FG than FG-lite!
Two sides of the same coin
They’re all about defections and poaching at the moment but give it an election and you could easily see renua proping up a FG government!
Dear alucinda. I was thinkong about actually voting for ur party and maybe giving u a chance…or at least listening to ur policies. But not anymore, one too many fine gael C u next tuesdays for me.
Seriously, are you as thick as you seem doing this, or is this all some FG distraction exercise?.
Keith Redmond, is moving from FG 1 to FG 2 because he didn’t get on the FG 1 ticket. same box different logo.
He didn’t contest the conventions and only months ago said he wasn’t interested in contesting this time out.
Sadly the only party willing to stop shafting the self-employed. Should be more.
How can you say that about a Taoiseach-in-Waiting – Keeefy is obviously an intellectual giant…..and LooseInda obviously has no issues with occasionally misogynistic outbursts… but will they succeed in seducing the Big Beast that is MickMcDowell onto their version of the Marie Celeste or will they have to settle for the minor prize of Sarah Ryan who enjoys close personal relations witt Keef the Teeth!
Give it time before they have pictures of Mussolini on the wall after all they supported them when they were fascists , fg and renua take over Europe lol
there policy’s are certainly interesting a social Democrats renua coalition would definitely be a step in the right direction
FG to FG lite, fcuk all difference.
“We’ll tax you 2.3%? Fcuk the need for revenue”
by any standards Renua are more right wing than FG so I don’t get the Lite bit
23%, not 2.3%, while abolishing tax-loopholes for the über-rich, is fair for all.
23% leaves low income families worse off. And would result in a much lower take in revenue. Fair me hoop. Although I do agree with you on tax loop holes
“The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest possible amount of feathers with the smallest possible amount of hissing” – Jean Baptiste Cobert
In Ireland at the moment, the goose is hissing too much (55% top marginal rate) so it is time to change tack.
“Think tank”. LOL.
Thick Plank more like.
Aaron McKenna’s on board.
This is definitely the story of the day ?
A Blueshirt , joins the other Blueshirt Beag Party !
Is Tuesday short of News ?
tuesday? seriously bot, at least give yourself a chance. They really did get a gem when you turned up for programming :D
Earth shattering. This will change the face of politics in Ireland as we know it. It’s a real ‘where were you when…?’ moment.
Keith ran for the PD’s in 2007, switched to FG and now Renua… 3rd time lucky?
$hit – $hite, same political BS, different name!!
Just think FF/PDs, some people were naive enough to think there was a difference between them when all it was was that O’Malley and Haughey couldn’t stand each other. When it came to the push, there was no difference, their TDs even became interchangeable.
Great to hear somebody rail against the nanny state and also refreshing to have a party promote a smaller government and personal responsibility
They promote personal responsibility? Is that why they refused to admit that they stole policies off other parties or refuse to have their budget plans costed?
Not true at all Jason.
Insightful defence of Renua there Rad. Are you going to provide any actual counter-arguments there or will you stick to something with about as much substance as Renua’s manifesto?
Agree. Anyone who votes Fine Gael in the next election is voting to implement Labour’s social policies so why not save yourself the bother and vote Labour instead if that’s really what you want.
Sorry Jason I don’t answer for Renua’s policies, I’m not a member of Renua but will strongly consider voting for them in the next election to stop our country falling into the hands of the left. You won’t have to worry about that in Holland.
Stop the country falling into the hands of the left? What left? There is no organised left?
Labour- centre or slightly right of it
FG and FF – right of centre
Renua – Putting Maggie Thatcher to shame hard right
Sinn Fein – We’ll have whatever’s popular today and won’t think about policies
AAL – We think we’re left wing but really we just don’t like water charges
Social Democrats – left of centre but not 100% sure
There is no left wing in Ireland no matter what happens there will be a fiscally right wing, socially conservative government in power after the next election
Renua is going to be great for Ireland. I will act as a garbage bin for the far-right and ultra-conservative lunatics that currently pollute FG.
More bollocks!
You know what I would like to see published before any election?
A list of those politicians standing who jumped to their party just before the election.
It would let us know who puts personal ambition above any principles.
Still, that’s a bit more honourable than jumping ship immediately after an election.
Renua could be a force yet in the next election.
Their flat tax proposal is intriguing and I love the idea of removing the television licences, the closed kabal in RTE won’t like that one bit.
Flat tax of 23%, yeah great attention grabber. My family would be worse off to the tune of €15 a week. Thanks Lucinda but I’ll pass.
Typical right wing Republican Party type comment. Make the rich super rich and screw everybody else. Their policies are just self interest and greed.
They are already a spent force?
same faces same political games
Yuck.
Flat tax is the first interesting idea they’ve come up with.
I don’t know if it’s workable but it would definitely be more transparent than the byzantine maze of taxes that exist at present. A frightening idea to the department of finance one imagines!
Have a look at this link to see how many functioning and wealthy economies charge a flat tax rate:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_tax#Countries_that_have_flat_tax_systems
Zero, none. Economic lighthouses like Russia, Abkhazia and Bolivia use it to name but a few. Ironically most of the list of countries using a flat tax system are also prominent on the list of countries suffering from corruption or have a highly oligarchical government.
Just because something is easy to understand doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.
renua will be as bad as lab ff and fg don’t vote for these parasites leave them to rot
Please remind me again where Renua are in the polls
… 1% methinks …
well I’d give Lucinda one!
There’s some that would Patrick, just remember you will probably have to listen to her too. Is it worth that?
I luved the spice girls in the nineties ……… as long as the sound was turned down!
Renu-ish.
Is there a difference between FG and Renua?
no, they’re all opportunists which has been well written about regarding the theories behind what leads one to try getting on the gravy train. i see another ‘disguised’ FG head who first ran as Independent FG, whatever that meant, then changed it to Independent but kept the FG colours and now has set their sites as a possible sneak hole in to the Dail. They’re all after the money, a retirement package. Look up 5 stages of business growth, https://hbr.org/1983/05/the-five-stages-of-small-business-growth, ahead of its time and spot on. Back search on all these failures trying to get on the train and read the line about playing golf and going into politics. Its a business model, a venture, a greedy one and NOT motivated by peoples needs, just their own.
How many “after careful consideration I decided to rejoin the party” articles will we see from all sides after an election?
Another rat, struggling to cling onto the good life. Here’s hoping he is unsuccessful.
They all are. Just deep search. Don’t vote for them.
Is Eddie Hobbs still the boss of this outfit ? If thats the case then you have just made a very bad move Keith !!! .
Does not matter which ship he is on they will both sink!
Never mind Renua ‘Capturing’ another politician, it’s a pity ISIS couldn’t capture the whole damn lot of them and save us from a their shite.
I just dont know how FG will ever recover from this LMAO
Can’t wait to vote for Renua. I’m gonna give them at least 30 of my votes.
Why would you want to jump from FG part one —–> into FG part two?
Howth or Malahide?
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