They don’t sit on Fridays Carol…

Jesus do they ever work?!! Well whatever….’Ming Mondays’ perhaps?

So you don’t like his best mate Wallace then?

It’s pink collar crime.

I visited Yasser Arafat’s grave a few years back.

I hope you put some flowers on it.

Yup.

The rest of them claims expenses for the different expensive suits they wear every day. If he wants to dress the way he does and remains in the dail, that’s fine by me.

I agree Fiona. A collar should be worn. Wearing a T-shirt is a flagrant 2 fingers to Dail Eireann and makes a mockery of the institution of leadership in our country. Regardless of what people think of the Muppet show politics/politicians in this country, the formality of the Dail should be respected.

Why would it be an improvement? Because your conservative views prefer a suit to hide the dirt. I prefer a person to let me see it all and wear their true self on their sleeve or lack of! :)

That’s what I want, not some spanner trying to look good in a suit. We’ve loads of them and most are a waste of space. This man ignores all that formal crap and gets on with the job. That we need more of in this country. Suit me eye!

what ff and fg have done throughout the histroy of our country makes a mockery of the dail. if a politicain is as honest and hard working as luke he should be let wear whatever he wants.

Charlie wore a Charvet shirt so it must be the right thing to do.

And a reasonable smell from him if you get anywhere close.

Should he wear a bowler hat too?

“Again Luke Flanagan makes national news and it is about what he is wearing and not the work he is doing. ”

Perhaps if he wasn’t dressed like a 14 year old, people would pay more attention to him and not his teeshirt slogans.

Well said! People here just don’t like him based on appearance and a back-round of smoking weed. Pretty sad considering the rats surrounding our t-shirt wearing friend. There’s a real ‘burn the guy who’s different’ attitude. Open your ears,you might find he talks more sense than the rest of the muppets in there

Said no one, ever.

No they don’t but the opposite is also true…he’s an ignorant boor who has no respect for the Institutions of this State and everything that is wrong with our a society is reflected in the Thing.

On both counts he’s a disgrace as well. Parish politics as per usual from the rural constituencies.

You have to look the part to play the part. He’s also a shockingly bad TD.
He’s making a laughing stock out of the Irish, and disrespecting our democratic institution. I’m actually embarrased about this.

If you want to be embarrassed try giving away natural resources and kicking Bejazus out of farmers in mayo. Try Eamon Gilmore or boffun Kenny plenty hard core stuff to be actually embarrassed about

Exactly look at the actions of this Govt and the last and indeed most of the Govts here for the last 90 years. They have rarely ever put the interests of the country first. Some like Ahern, Haughey, Cowen etc have worked very hard to ensure that they and their friends profited and beat the country and economy to a pulp in doing so. Active enemies of Ireland and her people.

If people think that Flanagan is the problem and men like Kenny, Gilmore, Martin are not, then we are just biding time till our next economic collapse, next corruption tribunal and mass emigration event.

At Ross Bowe… would you prefer he waffled on about Dublin politics rather than looking after his own constituency. “Parish politics” is a lazy insult. Give it a rest, the man works hard and is good at it!

@ Arch Archibaldovich
You have to look the part to play the part – Look the part of what? What does that nonsense mean? Should all CEOs wear suits? Do you want to tell Richard Branson and Zuckerberg that!

He’s also a shockingly bad TD – Please enlighten me on why you think so or is that another appearance dig that carries no weight.

He’s making a laughing stock out of the Irish – In what way, do tell? Or is he just upsetting your conservative dress sensibilities.

and disrespecting our democratic institution – In what manner has he done this? You are spouting nonsense again.

I’m actually embarrased about this – Well boohoo to you, there are far more embarrassing, still sitting and disgracefully corrupt politicians to make one embarrassed, get a grip!

No his job is in the national legislature so he shouldn’t be bringing local issues to the Dail. You clearly don’t understand what a TD’s job is.

Wrong.
If you went to the doctor tomorrow and he was in T-shirt and jeans?
The dentist was in Hawaiian shirt and flip flops? You get on a flight and the pilot was wearing a mohecian haircut and rings in his nose what would you think?
He might be a perfectly good pilot and we shouldn’t be judging him.

I’ve never heard such nonsense.
How you dress and present yourself is important in the message it sends out and if you can’t see that…..

@Sean Slevin – What do you mean ‘wrong’. It’s an opinion not a fact ya big silly.

I love that idea of the blue boiler suits, Shane. That would put manners on the lot of them.

Flannagan is a joke.And no that girl would not have lived if she had gotten to Roscommon hospital,she had a torn artery,you cant survive that.

Jo mac… go look up the reports…. the doctors and the ambulance drivers have all said that she would be alive today if they could have brought her to Roscommon.

I think I’ll listen to those people first rather than some guy, yourself, named after a burger.

Can’t really say I’ve a bad word about Flanagan, but the company he keeps certainly is a joke.

He’s not a joke… tell me why, go on! Bet you can’t find any muck on him and he does trojan work for his constituency.

I’m stuck with Aengus O’Snodaigh… you know the guy that has a side line in printers and drives around with Garda uniforms in the back of his car just in case he wants to go to a fancy dress party.

Go on call him a stoner and sure maybe we can call you a drunk…. but I wouldn’t because that it’d be petty. He’s an honest man which is a lot more than can be said for most of the rest of them.

I await your response.

@Trips – are we really at the point now where you think the fact that hes “honest” is enough to justify his existence in there?? i knew that would get a 16 year old boy a job in a sweet shop but can we not expect a little more??

@Rob Well let me see, here’s a little more then….
– Support for turf cutters and the idiocy of how the bogs have been divvied up in a patchy manner.
– Support for farmers over Shannon flooding
– Support for small rural schools
– Has taken on Pat Rabbitte over the giving away of our natural resources with the pathetic oil licences giving so much away to big corporations
– Stopping the closure of Roscommon hospital, had he won, that young girl would still be alive today
– He’s pushing for TD salaries to be reduced by 50% and is actively showing his determination in this by donating half of his to various local charities
– He has the lowest expenses claims of any TD
– He’s pushing for the number of TDs to be reduced
– He works in support of the Irish fishing industry quotas and against previous govt’s wholesale give away of Irish quotas… I could go on.

And here’s one to lighten the mood….

– He admitted to smoking marijuana, big deal, so did Cowen.

Agreed. He is representing his people; he should look professional doing it.

If I walked into a Doctor’s Surgery, Bank Managers or Solicitors office and they were wearing a Cookie Monster’s t-shirt; I’d be walking straight out.

It’s a lack of respect and a lack of professionalism.

Absolutely. It’s an insult – if I ever showed up for work like that I’d be sent packing. Even if they want to cultivate a certain image and ditch the business suit and tie that can be done. A clean open neck shirt for example. But these two look dirty and let’s get one thing clear here – it’s nothing to do with “taking a stand” and everything to do with waking up and not bothering their holes to have a shave, a shower and put on some clean clothes because they quite simply don’t give a toss. Roll out of bed, throw on the nearest thing to hand and head on down to Leinster House for a few hours to launch into unimplementable half-assed tirades. And we’re paying for this.

Agreed. If nothing else, it distracts you from listening to what the man has to say – you spend 2 mins watching and thinking to yourself: “Oscar the Grouch?…Really?” – at which point he suddenly sits down and you’ve missed the entire debate. Maybe that’s the idea though…

Best be careful what you say about Ming, I got ‘ticked off’ by the editor for a fairly innocent remark I made a while back. Suffice to say, my opinion on him hasn’t changed.

Yer man from Tipp is always well turned out. We prefer our robber barons to be dressed nicely.

He’s not that intelligent

He’s more intelligent than you like to think

Leave out last two words

I care, he is mocking our political institution. What other governments or international businesses will take us seriously when they see images like these coming out of our parliamentary chamber?

So Arch you would like to see a bunch of clones with little or no personality rubber stamping government policy? I think Ming reflects what makes us Irish in that we are quirky and like to push against the grain a little. Don’t forget it was men in suits who have destroyed our economy and lost us our independence.

So you’re attributing their misdeeds to their attire, Paul?

No CPM I mean what you wear is no reflection for your ability or dedication.

I expect all public servants to at least dress appropriately for the jobs we are paying them to do. Doing those jobs competently is a separate issue. Gardai, Army, Members of Parliament, whoever.

Our televised Dail is a window to the world on what sort of society we are.

If Ireland was a person, my Ireland does not wear a t shirt when it is at the office doing its job in front of the media, national and international.

Wallace and Ming may not care about the impression they send overseas, but I do.

If we were a booming world-leading economy, fair enough. But we are on the ropes and having a bunch of adults dressed like teenagers who have just dragged themselves out of bed as part of our parliament is no acceptable.

For those lucky enough to have jobs, the vast majority are expected to dress respectfully at their place of employment. Suck it up. That’s life. Don’t get arrogant because you are in the Dail and you rate yourself as some sort of righteous messiah who dances to a different beat to everyone else.

“I expect all public servants to at least dress appropriately for the jobs we are paying them to do. ”

They’re expected to represent their people. I personally am quite the fan of Oscar and his shenanigans. And the only time I wear a suit/shirt is when I get drunk and act like an idiot, so appropriateness is relative.

totally agree, smart casual at least

If his employers have a problem with his dresscode or his work he will find out at the next election. I’m sure deputy Flanagan is well aware of that fact. Hopefully they will judge him only on the latter.

No, he’s just adding to their efforts by further demeaning the process and the institution. It’s a different form of contempt but contempt nonetheless.

I have to agree Rodger. I have no doubt that if the likes of Liam Lynch and Micheal Collins got their hands on FF and FG that they would all be taken for a walk up the Dublin Mountains and that would be that.

Flanagan is only showin

I have to agree Rodger. I have no doubt that if the likes of Liam Lynch and Micheal Collins got their hands on FF and FG that they would all be taken for a walk up the Dublin Mountains and that would be that.

Rubbish, teenagers been wearing statement t-shirts for decades , This is not intelligent piece of sartorial protest ,rather this is a puerile teen aged angst type nonsense more befitting clown college than the Dail . You expect this out of a first year college student living in room replete traffic cones and a “bring me to your dealer” poster .Problem is that this guy is an adult and a parliamentarian , he is representing constituents with real issues that like it or not require a degree of gravitas .I don’t care what he does in his spare time , he can smoke his own turf if he wants ,but it’s time to grow up . Now if he wants to be respected, he should man up and refuse to sit beside that tax dodging, ex developer, “Namaite” disgrace he sits beside!

Respect comes with a suit? Maybe it did in the fifties. All the best crooks wear them now. The churchmen, the bankers, the party donation takers all tell me that formal attire earns you nothing in 2012. Some still being conned?

No he is not. He is treating the people with a contempt they do not deserve.

@Tensing Norgay,

Agreed. It just isn’t professional looking. I don’t care about the ‘red thumbs down’ I get. One wouldn’t be met by the dentist, doctor, teacher, store sales person in a dirty (looking) faded jeans and cheap washed out t shirt. He is representing the Irish electorate. It’s called respect. I hope when the Dail comes back in September/October, that they at least wash their hair and be wearing some kind of professional clothing.

My dentist wears jeans and a t-shirt, teachers in my kids’ school wear the same, me too. People are paid for their work, their skills and professionalism, none of which are reduced by casual dressing or improved by a jacket and tie. I’m more than happy to be judged on the quality of my work rather than the quality of my tailoring, thankfully my boss has similar priorities.
This man is following through with pretty much all of his election promises, he dresses the same as he did beforehand, he hasn’t allowed the institution to change his appearance, his behaviour or his priorities. Do we really want people in the Dáil who readily conform to the norm? What’s the norm in that place? Useless gobsh1tes who try to present an air of professionalism to hide the fact they’re mostly bluffing, spoofing, spouting the party line and milking expenses. Wear what you like and do your job, let your work speak for you.

you’d think wallace’s girlfriend would ask him to dress decently too. having to sit beside him all day dressed like that must be an embarrassment even to a hardcore socialist

We’re not the laughing stock. In other countries, fights break out in parliaments.

Don’t you be dissing mah Muppets! Unlike the cretins in the Dáil, they bring joy, happiness and education to the world.

LOL We’re not the laughing stock of Europe because Ming Flanagan wears T-shirts. We have that covered by Kenny, Cowen and the late Linehan to name but a few. All of whom were well suited.

We’re the laughing stock of the world because we elected shi5 bags like Micheal Martin and we listen to his explanation about how the party donations ended up in his wifes account, that we celebrated men like Jack Lynch and Garret Fitzgerald, even though they both devastated the economy, that we elected men like Ahern, Cowen, the Lenihans, Ray Burke, Lowry, Lawlor, o’Dea and other crud that are not fit to even run a lemonade stand.

Ming Flanagan wouldn’t even be in the top 500 worst politicians we’ve had, where as most of our Taoiseach’s would be in top 20.

If the men and women of 1916 walked into the Dail today its not Ming Flanagan or the majority of the independants who would be worrying themselves. Most of the respectable suited members would trample each other in the rush to escape.

What Ming wears going to the Dail has no bearing whatsoever on our ability to attract jobs and investment. If we are not taken seriously then you need to look elsewhere. A taoiseach who can’t seem to string a sentence together on his own might be a good place to start.

I agree with you Rommel about our former leader. Look at all the bad publicity that generated for the country. All it takes is for one or two foreign newspapers to pick up on a story. Ming is lookin to generate publicity for himself. We have enough muppets in the dail!

I had our current leader in mind but now that you mention it…….

to be honest i couldn’t give a damn what they where wearing as long as they did there job competently, but hey, we can all dream about a competent politician can’t we

Is that the royal ‘we’?

No it means we educated people who don’t vote for idiots

Ross,
Your track record suggests otherwise.

Ross, I’m concerned. Are you having an identity crisis?

Anthony Dáil Éireann is ONLY concerned with parochial politics. If it were concerned with national politics it would allow elected TD’s claim expenses for travelling and from debates dealing with items of national concern taking place anywhere in the country. As it stands Dáil Éireann will only allow TD’s claim expenses for travelling to and from their own constituencies. This therefore ensures that parochial politics will always be held on a higher footing than national politics. Naturally does this not extend to Ministers whose expenses are covered by their own Department! Not exactly democratic if you ask me!

can you give your computer back to your daddy now and run along and play out side with your friends..good lad. grown up time now!

Have you ever actually heard the man debate? He’s a finer politician than anyone else in the Dáil.

Almost everyone has an IQ of around 100 plus or minus ten, doesn’t matter how old you are. Ever listen to him discuss reform of local govt? He had great ideas.

Well, that IQ level would be an improvement on the rest of the Dail – so what’s the problem?