Re: Maidir Le: Brian Lenihan's legacy
Originally Posted by
FIVE
I find it very difficult to separate the man from the policies anyway. It takes some man to land the country in so much trouble only to save him and his own. Like everyone else I have no illusions about the big C and the hurt its causes in Ireland. I still believe he should have stepped aside after that x-mas. From the beginning I always felt FF had used it to their advantage and I have no doubt they are capable. The circus after Ursula Halligan rightly broke the story was sickening. A mix of the usual catholic guff with and extra helping of respect your betters. It was easy to praise him for his bravery while he had access to the best care in the world, health at home was slashed over and over.
But worse and most damaging, the free ride economic policy received was ridiculous and he got no tough questions as NAMA and the rest arrived. There was no media/political criticism or scrutiny until the mask slipped last year and by then we were ruined. He was well enough to stay in office he was well enough to take the heat and so many once again failed when they we're needed. I have no doubt FF knowingly used it, none. All their friends were looked after while Lenihan was seemingly "off limits".
The evidence was there when he committed the biggest sin of all and landed the knife in back of the FF rebels during the heave. The Phoenix summed it up nicely in the humour sections a month back. When Lenihan made his too little too late attack on Cowen after the election they had skit where Lenihan said Cowen would thank him one day. The golf courses of Ireland wouldn't have been able to cope had the safety valve of emigration not been called into action once again.
+1. Lenihan's continuing as MOF after the cancer story broke had a real whiff of 'hit me now with me babby in me arms' about it. Also, given the circumstances, no other FF bigwig would have wanted the job, so Lenny was the perfect expedient. And I betcha now once he's cold in the grave a couple of weeks he'll become the perfect scapegoat for all of FF's failings over that period in govt. He'll get blamed for everything and better still, he'll be in no position to answer back.
That said, I do offer my sympathies to his family, particularly his children, as I can empathise with their current plight - I too lost one of my parents while still a teenager, and it really does hurt. That experience does mark you for life, and though time is a great healer you can still find yourself crying over your parent's untimely death many years later.
"It is we the workers who built these palaces and cities here in Spain and in America and everywhere. We, the workers, can build others to take their place. And better ones! We are not in the least afraid of ruins. We are going to inherit the earth; there is not the slightest doubt about that. The bourgeoisie might blast and ruin its own world before it leaves the stage of history. We carry a new world here, in our hearts."
— Buenaventura Durruti
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