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@P C: clearly not when you take in the likes of Bertie and haughy. You can criticise him as minister for his role in causing the recession but to call him the worst is downright ridiculous.
@George Beckett: no it’s not. Far for me to defend Haughey or Bertie, but both achieved something. Cowan achieved nothing and assigned billions to Anglo Irish. €27 billion we will never get back.
Skin crawling stuff… And by that I mean all the usual suspects accounts agreeing with ‘each other’.
On the interview, overall Leo did well, although Vincent did go relatively easy on him. The big gaff of course was Leo not knowing what the median income was and stating that the minimum wage was middle class… Showed some classic right wing FG stripes there.
He did okay but I saw nothing to suggest that things might improve or new thinking may be brought to the table. Steady as she goes Leo, ain’t going to work anymore!
And there’ll be no vote from me for empty promises this time!!
@Brinster: While true I think it’s a sad day for our country when we’re commending the “bravery” of a politician willing to answer questions from an unbiased journalist.
@james connolly: It’s obvious you don’t watch the show much, Paul Murphy has been on the show countless times. Stick to what your good at James trolling.
@P C: it’s a lot more than 27 billion by the time that bill is paid. FF of course didn’t convert it to national debt. We will be borrowing another billion this year for that. Noonan was the one who threw away his negotiating chip on a late night session.
@Derek Poutch:
It’s obvious that you have an anti establishment agenda. Nothing the government will do will ever be good for you.
Your Facebook page declares solidarity with Joe Doocey who in his own words is a victim of ‘prejudice, malice, collusion and conspiracy’ who ran over a guard and then fled the county when charged.
@Brinster: I did not see anything challenging in this interview ,brown was not at his best and leo gave the same political rhetorical answers we have been hearing for years .but at least he showed up .To be honest leo came across as a kind of run of the mill middle class muppet determined not to get caught out .a safe pair of hands to protect the higher echelons of irish corporate society .We have chosen another weak leader for our country .
@Stephen Coveney: Yes Stephen I am 100% anti ff/fg/lab and proud of it along with many others.They have destroyed Ireland with their cronyism, corruption, lies and inequality. You on the other hand seem ok with this and will keep voting for the scam. I believe in a country were you get a honest days pay for a honest days work, a proper health system (not 2 tier) affordable housing, were people are held to account for wasting billions.I will continue to call them out on their bullshit everywhere I see it and believe me they have giving us plenty of ammunition.As regards Joe Doocey it obvious you are either ignorant or unaware of the full story so I suggest you get the facts before you comment on it. Its my hope Stephen that you too will eventually see the light
I’d imagine a lot of people would have to get up early in the morning to commute long distances to work because they simply can’t afford to live near work, and they don’t give a damn who Leo thinks he represents, cause he certainly doesn’t represent a lot of them!
@james connolly: Not my “leader” you have to lead, I am up before him in the morning and have a far better and more meaningful life than the likes of that walking cliche. As for a legend Setanta was a legend and most would agree he was not real – either.
@james connolly: Yes he is personable and articulate. What do you think of his “alternative lifestyle” Is that good for Irish families? Also Fine Gael is the party of entitlement- entitlement of people like Leo and his friends to the fruits of our Irish sucess story.
@Austin Rock: he is 100% your leader and you are just ging to have to get used to it. Failing you best move to a dictatorship as democracy aint for you
@james connolly: he doesn’t represent me and he is definately not a leader. Your anti Sinn Féin and licking Leo attitude is tiresome and boring at this stage. Change the subject!
@james connolly: I am my own leader believe it or not, whatever I decide to do I’ll do it & varadkar or any of his cronies or licks if you like won’t tell me what to do, grow a pair if you can
@Adrian: true that . Some of us if and when there’s work we have to stay there till there’s enough to justify the petrol to go home that’s some two three days living off er.. your good old car . Where you got to carry all the stuff you need . And so on
So he represents the working people. If thats the case, why doesn’t he do things like tackle insurance companies, remove USC, make healthcare affordable, introduce reasonable labour laws to prevent workers being exploited. Full of bluff, like the previous figureheads before him.
@james connolly: You’re the clown if you think he’s going to make a discernable difference to the lives of the majority of people in this country. The status quo will remain.
@Noel: Those earning below 34k are not screwed by income taxes generally. Someone on 30k pays a total of about 15% in income tax, USC and PRSI. Someone on 18 pays less than 3%. It’s hardly draconian.
@Good Early: I’m not arguing that. But to argue that people are being screwed by income taxes up to 30k is nonsense. Paying 49% on anything you earn over 34k is dranconian though. The threshold needs to be pushed up over the next few years.
@Bairéid Rísteard: Agreed completely..a bluffer of the highest order who to date has achieved NOTHING…analyse the answer”its a standard statistic”……WHAT????like where did you get your figures from….answer “its standard statistic”
is there like a book of STANDARD STATISTICS available or what.Also no action on the Garda Commish….he had the perfect oppurtunity to act and show leadership but chose not to so its Enda continued im afraid..this man is all picture no substance
@Gus Sheridan:
From the european anti poverty network
~Ireland’s tax revenue is low by European Union and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) standards; in fact Ireland has one of the lowest tax burdens in the industrialised world
You have no idea what you’re talking about but love to moan.
@Noel James Doherty: Middle Earth he meant to say he is a big fan of that political bible called the “Lord of the Rings”. I drove through middle Ireland yesterday and a lot of derelict properties I don’t think he is talking about that either. Typical smart ass playing footsie with the stats!
Leo has previously stated he considers carers to be good enough to be classed as “Getting up early” (we certainly do, I’m up at 5.30am every morning). I thought that showed brass neck. Now he’ saying that we’re ‘Middle Ireland’? He himself got up in the Dail and admitted that carers and those for whom we care are the poorest people in this nation (omitting the point that his party and his FF counterparts keep us that way as a matter of policy) – because he was using our situation to get at pensioners. Middle Ireland?! I’d like to show him my middle finger!
Leo is so committed to his sound bites he will not let them go, he just adapts them to suit any situation or audience, 70% of people in Ireland are middle class, as I said 60% of people in Ireland are middle class, that is to say that 60% of people live in middle Ireland and it’s class by which I mean the 60% who get up in the mornings, in other words, eight out of ten cats love whiskers!
:-)
Mr Browne went very easy on Mr Varadkar last night, maybe he’s looking for one of Leo’s favours like an appointment to a quango or an appointment on the bench.
@P C: I know. sitting their on their designer sofas, avoiding tax, living off our rents and debts and spending the day playing golf or sailing on their yachts.
@Iain MacLaren: Leo got called on his statement that he only represented a certain section of society. He backtracked and tried to change the meaning of what he said.
@Derek Poutch:
They are Derek. That fact was exposed by the recent census which put the real figure nearer 12%. It also highlighted the existance of dozens of unemployment blackspots all over Ireland. Lies, Damn lies etc., All govt,. dept’s are stuffed with spin doctors and marketing people to deceive the public. So sad.
He could be getting a 6am visit from the gards,framed under or the road traffic act, labeled a pedophile or stopped at the airport after this… isn’t it an amazing country today when that actually wouldn’t shock us.
@Dean Burroughs:
this is an amazing country. Just because you want to equate isolated incidents to the status quo without any evidence doesn’t change that.
Paint it anyway you like Leo .. but your masters are corporations your only a servant to them .. you couldn’t give a toss about middle or lower class Ireland ..
@james connolly: Leo is being paid by tax payers money therefore he is a servant of the people of Ireland get that into your head & suck that up lick hole
Absolutely not a FG supporter, and personally find Varadkar a complete dose, but fair play to him for going on. What a coward and a weakling Kenny was.
@james connolly: will you go and get a life. Your obsession with all things SF is embarrassing. You add nothing to any conversation here. I don’t hide you as you are a constant reminder of the mental health issues that face us all
@lavbeer: well if you have to go back to an interview by Gay Byrne decades ago, it says it all really. Sean O’Rourke embarrassed Jerry during last years election on a tax issue.
@P C: didn’t hear that one. He is a regular contributor on LMFM and Michael Reade tears into him and he gives as as good as he gets. But be warned Helen McEntee and Regina Doherty regularly show themselves up. Tune in
Thanks for the heads up Leo, I’ve never claimed to be middle class.
But I’m confused, I’m on low pay, my husband earns 3 times as much as me, it was 5 times more than me before he was made redundant.
What does that make our kids?
At the end of the day, we are all but dust, it is better not to have a class divide and see people for who they are and what they do?
Front line workers are the back bone of society, nurses, paramedics, doctors, guards, army, firefighters.
All different levels of pay, yet a necessity for everyday life.
If shop keepers didn’t exist where would I get my food? Do you judge the sales assistant for being ‘lower class’ when buying food? Or do you treat him/her like an equal?
Without refuse collectors imagine the state of the place! We need them!
@Rob Cahill: Its incredible isn’t it? He must spend most of his time reading through the comments section. Can’t get my head around it at. He also keeps calling people shinnerbots thinking he is being funny. He isn’t. I also hope his real name is James Connolly because if it’s homage to 1916s James Connolly he clearly doesn’t realise that he was a hardcore socialist.
A really good political commentator in his day, but lately he was beginning to become a parody of himself. Time to leave it to the young guns like Sean o Rourke and Pat Kenny????? FFS..
Soundbites and platitudes, all socks and no substance. The “middle class” turned into “middle Irelan” when Leo was questioned on something he quite clearly knows nothing about. Car crash interview exposed Leo as the empty vessel he really is.
Attacks from the left were going to come no matter what the man says. He did a fantastic job, god help Ireland if the left ever gets into power. Socialist gobshits have nothing better to do but complain
@kieran kelly: what achievement had he in health? Reilly can point to Fair Deal and his UHI idea has merit except for funding. Leo? All that I can remember is forcing me to buy health insurance by adding penalties. Help me here to remember
This is troubling both from Browne and especially the Taoiseach.
The middle class, on an income basis, will start at the median level of income(the 50 percentile). I’m not sure why an economist or Taoieach wouldn’t recognize that.
I don’t like his out of date politics or the right wing party he represent but at least he had the balls to appear unlike that Kenny muppet.
Overall he did well but he sure is out of touch with how well to do people think they are. Id guess 50% of the population are a few pay cheques or an illness away from disaster.
Don’t be fooled by Vincent, he applied to join Fianna Gael but was turned down!
He holds a grudge ever since.
In 1994, Vincent browne sought a nomination for theFine Gael party in that year’s European elections or the possible general election of that year (it was thought a general election might follow the collapse of the Albert Reynolds’ government). He was rebuffed by the leader of Fine Gael and future Taoiseach,John Bruton. He then became a vocal critic of the party.[17]
@Chris Kirk: To call Ireland a third world country is a gross exaggeration. It’s a cliche that people use to express their anger but is very far from being factually correct. There are lots of things wrong with the country but there are lots of things that make it a very good place to live in. The idea of class is quite complex. A lot of young people who are highly educated and and come from reasonably well off homes may be on very low pay or on social welfare but live at home or get some support from parents and would still consider themselves middle class. So pay is not the determining factor. We need to stop thinking in slogans and cliches.
Leo let slip the reason for his pledge to represent the ‘people who get up early in the morning ‘, and the middle class. He believes that 60% or 70% of people will think he’s referring to them. In reality, its vague and ill-defined. He refused to be pinned down to specifics.
I hate to defend Leo on such a contentious point, but I think a lot of people on minimum wage would still consider themselves middle-class depending on their upbringing, social background, the type of house and area they grew up in etc., as opposed to your social status being entirely determined by your income.
It’s great to at least hear a leader of the country talking about the working majority silenty going about their business for once instead of pandering to the social class making all the noise.
@Jimmy Ireland: When the working people start benefiting from all the tax we pay then I’ll believe he’s got our interests at heart.. But it won’t happen. Greedy F@~kers.
Varadkar is a second generation migrant from India who wants all migrants to return to where they came from ! He squandered the best part of a million euros on a divisive bus advertising campaign inferring that welfare recipients and members of the ‘working class’ were idle, shiftless wasters to appeal to a narrow minded ultra right wing section of a political party whose origins are in 1930′s fascism. Now, he contends that 70 per cent of Irish people are ‘middle class’, appealing to the inbred snobbery of the Irish character. He is clearly a hypocrite, an idiot and basically an annoying little snob. Having him as the ‘leader’ of this corrupt banana republic is an embarrassment. Kenny was bad, but this fella is something else.
What a joke of a man people on middle wage are middle class hahahaha. Seriously delusional people on minimum wage are being squeezed because of sky rocketing costs of renting a home they can certainly never be in a position to buy not in the next 5 years at least. Different man same trousers varadkar will do nothing for this county just as FG have never done anything for this country. Corrupt, useless, privileged few varadkar knows nothing of equality. Can’t believe so many people are lapping up the crap coming from this idiot.
In general the middle class pay a lot of tax 50% on any overtime for instance…..Get very little in return for it….Have to pay again for many government services….Middle class should really stop complaining and pay more tax as Vincent would argue….
@P C: isn’t he backing Noirin,the commissioner who crashes from one crisis to the next one so, either Leo, tells her to go or else be tarnished as corrupt simples.
@P C: what is it then? what happened in Templemore is corrupt and continues to be so. what happened to Maurice McCabe, is corrupt also and leo, hasn’t the guts to tell her to go so he that makes him just as bad.
This guy is a profound idiot if he thinks 70 percent of Irish people are middle class!. But, then what do you expect from a guy who was ‘elected’ by a minority of the Fine Gael party while the majority who did vote were ignored. The term working class is just associated with those who live in social housing/corporation estates in Dublin and elsewhere. It’s Irish snobbery at it’s worst. Most people have to work for a living and most people are just scraping by apart from those involved with the government, like Varadkar, who have fiddled the system and caused immense hardship due to austerity.The guy is a pain in the arse.
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