FG/Lab economics: robbing Peter . . . and robbing Paul, too

Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley

Labour Party leader Joan Burton was in Galway last week, to give a bit of a gee-up to local lad, Derek Nolan. And by all accounts the Tánaiste gave a morale-boosting speech to Comrades out west.

In her rallying cry to the proletariat, Joan ‘The Butcher’ Burton outlined how Labour had delivered on the economy while in Government over the past four years.

Or as she put it, Labour has “shown competence in running the economy”.

In her speech made with two eyes on an election, she told the Red Rose faithful that Labour’s “job as a party is to set out a programme for the next five years which will give people greater security in their lives and greater confidence in the future”.

“We will do this,” she said, presumably with a straight face, “by putting more money in people’s pockets.”

No mention of the money being taken out of the pockets of the thousands of single parents, who on the same day Joan made her speech, were hit with cruel cuts to their income thanks to the Minister for Social Protection’s changes to social welfare payments.

Lorraine and Lilywhites

Last week we predicted Labour Party Senator Lorraine Higgins, or Lovely Lorraine, had as much chance of getting a Dáil seat in Galway East as Lovely Leitrim had of winning an All-Ireland.

One woman from Lovely Leitrim has been in touch to complain – she reckons the county’s footballers are not without hope.

Meanwhile, bookie John Mulholland reckons our prediction was a bit “harsh” and that based on the odds, Lovely Lorraine actually has the same chance of a seat as Kildare had of winning the Leinster football final.

Fair enough, we’re happy to clarify Lovely Lorraine has as much chance of winning a Dáil seat as the Lovely Lilywhites do of winning the Leinster championship.

This being the same Lilywhites that lost to Dublin by 19 points in the Leinster semi-final last Sunday . . .

Meanwhile, if there was a Dáil seat for having a sense of humour and being thick skinned, Lovely Lorraine, we reckon, wouldn’t get her deposit back.

Pints of NIMBYism all round

As Junior Tourism Minister Michael Ring – Ringer – was in Galway last week, lauding the McGhettigan family for investing in the Irish tourism industry by opening a new bar in Eyre Square, his Fine Gael colleague, Galway City Councillor Pearce Flannery was busy whipping up residents’ fears over plans for a new bar and restaurant in Knocknacarra.

When was the last occasion a Blueshirt opposed development, investment, jobs and small business? Surely it’s not because this business happens to be in Pearce’s back yard?

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.