I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here

Eight months ago George Lee, an economist reporter for Irish national television (RTE), decided to join Fine Gael (political party) and run for election in a by-election. Lee said he wanted to bring about change as the present Government was failing the Irish people. He said he would bring a new energy to the Irish political system. 27,000 people gave Mr Lee their vote because they believed he cared. Yesterday, Mr Lee gave a two finger salute to the Irish people as he resigned from politics after only eight months. Mr Lee said the Irish political system was ineffective and did not give him centre stage for his yet undeclared ideas. However, Mr lee was happy to enjoy several weeks paid holidays during his short term in office, and his job at RTE remains open for him.

I think George Lee has done a great dis-service to the Irish people, not just the 27,000 people who voted for him but also those people who viewed George Lee as a decent and honourable man, there is nothing decent or honourable about what George Lee has done. George Lee is concerned only with George Lee. I have never voted Fine Gael in my life, but that is neither here nor there. George Lee had an opportunity to encourage a new generation to get interested in politics, but it was too much hard work. George could have entered every school in this country and encouraged and been mentor to a new generation of political activists, however, George Lee done the sums and decided that the best pension was to be found on return to RTE before his unpaid leave was void in May.

Politics is hard work and George just was not up to the task, George missed the 6 O' Clock news, he missed being the centre of attention, he, like many who are addicted to the TV camera, just needed his daily fix and he was not getting it in the Dail. When I was a member of the Sinners - I worked my sweat to blood - but I never thought that I should be President of Sinn Fein, I watched people like COC give up his job as bank manager and go on the dole to work full time for the community. I watched him being ignored and marginalised as his new vision for the Sinners was not welcome, did he run away, No, politics is a long hard road and while we are entitled to criticise our politicians we have one of the greatest Political systems in the world.

Yes we have our problems, however, like a mature nation and people we deal with those problems by constant vigilence and critique, we dont run as soon as the going gets tough, we dont throw the toys out of the pram because we are not getting everything that we want. How dare George Lee abuse the democratic will of the people in this way, if you add up the time George Lee has spent in the Dail since being elected, most of us have spent more time in traffic jams, politics is about the long slog, sacrifice and guts. Who in their right mind would put themselves up to such public scrutiny and investigation. While I have and will continue to critique our politicians, our political system has more safe guards, checks and balances than any other democracy in the world, this does not mean that it is without fault, but running away does nothing for anyone only the self server.

look at how we as a people dealt with John Boy, while he was not alone, we as a people have made changes in the ways things are done in the Dail. We who helped scribe John Boys departure from that leather seat made history, George Lee could have made history, he could have used his time and knowledge to help our young people to get involved with politics and change how things are done if that were necessary. George Lee has shown one thing and one thing only and that he was not fit for purpose. For George Lee to say that he was approached by Fine Gale and not the other way round is ridiculous, nobody put a gun to his head. No, George Lee seen an opportunity to get full access to the TV screen, to be even more popular in woolly jumper land, he grasped that opportunity without considering the task ahead, without considering his responsibility to those who would elect him.

Fine Gael are not the losers here, the electorate are the losers, the people who used their time, energy and hard earned money to get to the ballot box are the losers here. Joe Duffy can have all the phone in's he wants but the very people who are saying George Lee was right to quit are the very quiters who have this country the way it is. George Lee is a quitter, he is a self server, he is a manipulator, he is all that is wrong with this country right now, we need leadership, we need stayers, not distractions.

It is clear from many commentators that they know little or nothing about our political system. If every politician was to walk away because they were frustrated with our political system, the Dail would be empty. I am absolutely fuming, angry, that this woolly jumper has used and abused our political system in this self serving way, how dare you. I watched Noel Whelan and Ivan Yates talk with Pat Penny last night on RTE, and they were absolutely correct when they said this was about George Lee and not Fine Gael, Enda Kenny or Richard Bruton. This is about a man who loves to be centre of attention, yet he did not produce one single word about what his policies for the country would be.

George Lee could tell us that Ricahrd Bruton rarely spoke to him, so what, I have lived my life without talking to Richard and my sleep is unbroken. Politics is about making your move, getting support, being clear in your direction and focus, George Lee was focused on Geroge Lee. I swear to God my key board is on fire I am so feakin angry. I have seen first hand what it takes it be in politics, I have watched the daily slog, I have watched the sacrifice. I know all about the corruption, the slight of hand, the wheeling and dealing. But thats where we come in, we are the interview panel for these people, if they are not up to task we simply let them go after 4/5 years some times sooner (remember 82), no employment appeals tribunal, just out on their heads, dont quote pensions and all that nonsense, thats again where we come in, we have already through our protests whether here or through other forum made changes in that regard.

We the people are the Board of Directors in relation to Dail Eireann, your vote is your power, we will not make changes by running like spoiled public school boys, I have always listened to Geroge Lee's economic commentary, I have often quoted him both academically, in business and in general conversation, never again, never again. He has for me become another intellectual mouth-piece, another woolly jumper seeking the comfort of the TV camera. He has let the people down so badly, those who support his self serving decision to run away are no better than he is, these are the same people who have our country in the state it is in today, people who would rather run and hide than face up to the task of moving this country forward, people who dont want to dirty their hands with the shovel of daily grind, they who hide behind their own delusions of self worth. I have sent an email to George Lee and I hope when he reads it he looks deep within himself, I hope he can look at the young people in this country and tell them that he had an opportunity to do good but decided that his own career and opportunities were far too important, than to be bothered with their needs, however, George wont be looking into anyones eyes as he can now go back an hide behind the RTE camera. Still at least he will see his own reflection in the camera lense that should please him.


How dare George Lee go on national TV and suggest that he has empathy with the 437,000 people on the live register, or the 60,000 young Irish men and women forced from this country last year, or the 37,000 people with mortgage arrears. George Lee's bed hoping from one 140,000 job to the next is simply the two finger salute for those people who would die to have a single hours work. Geroge Lee has shown that his empathy is with George Lee, he has shown that he has no imagination and that he is better suited to reading the ideas of others off the auto-que.