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DÁIL ÉIREANN HAS voted to postpone the sale of its stake in AIB this afternoon after government TDs forgot to vote.
The motion to prevent the sale of 25% of AIB was proposed by Labour, and gave rise to a polarising debate about what to do with the government’s 99% shares.
But, as campaigns for the Fine Gael leadership get underway today, it seems the government forgot all about it.
“Remarkable way for it to happen…” Labour leader Brendan Howlin said on Twitter.
“…with government TDs forgetting to take their own side, but the Labour motion delaying the sale of AIB shares has passed.”
“Dáil passes motion not to sell AIB until fiscal rules are renegotiated. Government forgets to call vote [as it was] distracted by the leadership race,” said Sinn Féin’s finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty.
But a spokesman for the Department of Finance told Fora.ie the sale was still expected to go ahead when market conditions were suitable.
The government maintains the option of ignoring the vote and going ahead with the sale, as planned.
Finance minister Michael Noonan, who announced his retirement today amid a spate of Fine Gael announcements, said previously that the government should have the opportunity “to sell some of the State’s shareholding in AIB during 2017 or indeed early 2018″.
“Such a sale is provided for in the Programme for a Partnership Government and the ultimate decision will be subject to a range of factors including prevailing market conditions but the overriding consideration will be whether any transaction is likely to maximise the return for the State.”
But Labour wanted assurances sought to ensure that the money would be used to pay for new homes, schools and hospitals.
In an article over the weekend, Howlin said that the sale would “reduce our debt-GDP ratio by just 1%”.
He said that the estimated €3 billion that the government would get from the sale of the shares must be kept in AIB “until such time as we know we can use it”.
What is remarkable is that having lost the election on their plans for the economy, Fine Gael are now presiding over a single party government in the economic area.
“Ministers Noonan and Donohoe may be pleasant men, but at their core they are old school Fine Gael.”
Updated at 4.15pm to include a statement from a Department spokesperson.
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So to get the nomination he veers wildly to the right. Now we have the slow lumbering move to the centre to grab the undecideds.
Slow!? He’s moved to the centre so fast his head is spinning, he’s saying all of his statements about immigrants etc were just suggestions!
In fairness it’s a good thing he is, at least it proves most of the crazy stuff was just for show and attention
It’s a sad day when Fox News is being referred to as ‘the centre’ of American political discourse.
Trump didn’t have to do this. Megan Kelly only has an audience when Trump is sitting g in front of her.
She’s also very hot!
I wouldn’t kick her out of bed for atin biscuits
Ah yeah, that’s what I want from a ‘news’ network – a pretty face to distract while I stomach all the poisonous lies designed to control.
I apologisemy my embarassing gender and it’s ins
insistencw on turning everything that involves a woman into an analysis of how sexy she is.
What ??
Your embarrassing gender?
Is that not a bit sexist?
And we’re stuck looking at Vincent Browne…!
@rob. Ever considered that she may feel the same about you? Surely you judge political commentators on their insight, intelligent remarks, ability to analyse situations and to handle politicians. I’ve never yet read a comment on Vincent Browne’s ridability factor.
That’s a shame Rob.
Everyone thought it was inevitable that you and Meg would end up as an item.
I’m sure she’s crushed.
“insight, intelligent remarks, ability to analyse situations”
We are talking about Megyn Kelley right?? The woman who claimed on live TV that Jesus and Santa were white. Hardly first class journalism.
And you wouldn’t ride her……????? why exactly?
Alister just commented (albeit in a subtle way) on Vincent Browne’s ridability…
Sorry mate, still not getting it.
OK you know how there are some women on the planet that you are not attracted to?? Well think of her as one of those for me. It’s really that simple, Not sue how you can’t get it. I’m the same way with Katie Hopkins too, You get that one?
Ahhhhhh you mean like Katherine Zappone!
Gottit.
Cheers!
Jesus and Santa are white. FACT
As is my Unicorn.. But other people have different coloured ones. That’s the beauty of fictional characters.
Yesterday night?
Ah go easy Áine, yesterday night was obviously a late one so the author is a bit worse for wear today morning.
I’m sure by the afternoon of the day that this is, all will back to normal.
He’ll make a fine politician. U-turns all over the place!!
And back tracking everywhere. Says what his followers want to hear and then….
Fox News need Trump a hell of a lot more than he needs them. They know a winner when they see one.
This is a “scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” The ultimate symbiotic relationship. With Fox News backing him I think Trump will win. If he does, I hope his first order of business is to put an end to group rights and entitlements, sort out the PC culture which prevails at the the universities and colleges. Indeed, that’s where all the nonsense started. Sort out the Mexican border and stop arming Syrian “rebels”. There’s no such thing, just militias all of whom are as bad as each other. That would be a good start.
Well said Marg. Don’t forgot Trump is virulently opposed to TTIP and wants to audit the Federal Reserve. Imagine what would happen if hew uncovers grand scale criminality with that audit — the consequences that would have throughout the world? It would revolutionize the banking system and see an end to those illegal thieving banker bailouts that blight ours and other countries throughout Europe.
It’s all a big act folks. Ask yourself, why has Kelly and Fox News waited a week to broadcast the interview? It’s all about building hype and media attention.
This is not news, this is showbusiness, and Donald is the biggest star. And journalists and media executives know this.
Saw him being interviewed by Piers Morgan and he didn’t seem that bad. I think it was his strategy to be outrageous to get redneck vote. – Now he’s going all moderate on things. By election day a lot of people will have forgotten the earlier stuff
He’s not a republican, He only ran as one because they are easier to manipulate.
People that are voting for him are just as bad and crazy as he is.
Yes, that damned democracy is so annoying.
Yeah, imagine if that happened anywhere else, imagine if politicians here were awful, and treated vulnerable people terribly, and looked after their rich buddies and were all-round awful people, and the voters in that country democratically voted them back into office. They’d be awful stupid eejits right enough….
The anarchic side of me would love to see this cartoon character become president just to show what money can do…and what it shouldn’t do.
have your say