Govt cannot ‘wave magic wand and deliver’ flood relief, says Taoiseach


Static-Jak

28 comments
  1. Yes, these floods, having never happened before, can’t be magically fixed. It’s like the housing crisis, which appeared on the scene last year out of nowhere, couldn’t have been anticipated.

  2. In fairness Taoiseach, I’m not under the belief this government has the ability to deliver mundane requirements let alone emergency ones. Or indeed, the interest to try.

    Maybe if we we can label the problem as something threatening data centres they’ll jump to it.

  3. They can definitely hand wave away responsibility though 

  4. In fairness the government has been talking a big game about using legislation to fast track or protect vital infrastructure from legal challenge. It’s been mentioned for a number of schemes like Metrolink or the Dublin Airport cap.

    Yet they continue not to actually do it. If you won’t do it for Metrolink, or Dart+ or Cork Luas, or the [Greater Dublin Drainage Projects](https://www.water.ie/projects/local-projects/greater-dublin-drainage) or flood relief schemes… then just why are you talking about it at all? If not these sorts of projects, what could possibly merit such protection?

  5. Between FF and FG it has been 100 years of running the country, you could have had everyone born since the state was founded put down 5 bricks and you’d have the Great Wall of Ireland by now

  6. Some of the ‘magic wand would have required things like not building on flood plains and adequately planning and implementing surface water drainage and other things that are usually unpopular with their political supporters.

    There are a mixture of issues about climate change driving more rain fall, bad planning and lack of infrastructure to deal with any of that and the never ending inertia around projects like these.

  7. These houses will flood again and again. Eventually they’ll have to copy the Welsh government – [buy and demolish properties](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/feb/02/south-wales-council-buy-demolish-homes-flooding-clydach-terrace-ynysybwl) that they cannot defend from floods.

    These flood events will only get more extreme with climate change and it’s not realistic to keep paying people to live in flood risk areas. James Brown the Wexford TD said that the real solution is flood payments. There’s a radio silence on nature based solutions that slow the water’s route from uplands down to rivers but the government would never be able to handle a holistic solution like that. Just keep paying until the money runs out.

  8. It seems to me that we they really aren’t capable to much … they cannot build house overnight, can’t organise food relief. What can they do then do all the taxes we pay them?

  9. If it isn’t the governments job to fix issues for its citizens. Then maybe it’s time to have a new government

  10. The Taoiseach has been in cabinet since 1997. There were massive floods in Enniscorthy in the year 2000 and again a few weeks ago. He is part of the problem and he has to claim personal responsibility for the lack of flood defences for that town as either a cabinet Minister, Leader of the opposition or as Taoiseach.

  11. No one is asking for a magic wand, they are asking to be taken seriously and work begun.

    I hope the citizens of Enniscorthy were suitably unimpressed by this lll judged media opportunity.

  12. Do Fianna Fail and Fianna Gael believe you can only fix things via magic wand?

  13. Give them a break, they’ve tried nothing and they’re all out of ideas

  14. Just like they don’t have a magic wand to fix the housing crisis or so they say to hide their incompetence

  15. They don’t need a wand they need to have the country’s money working for the country. Not for themselves.

  16. I’m throughly looking forward to them blaming Poseidon for causing this. The met Eireann one was a bold strategy but fuck it why not the ancient god of the seas.

  17. In fairness, they can’t wave magic wand and deliver anything.
    Look at our hospital wait times.
    The housing crisis etc

    All clearly came out of the blue. We’ve never even *had* rain in this country before.

  18. Gotta give them credit. At least they’re not even trying to hide their hatred for regular people anymore.

  19. In the past couple of months they’ve given Ukraine 150m so im sure they can buy some food packages and use the army

  20. Oh my god why would you even say that. You’re supposed to make people hopeful not discouraged.

  21. Just do one thing correctly….just one

    Public transportation

    Housing

    Health

    Cost of living

    Heating ffs (highest in Europe)

    Mental health

    Government spending

    ANYTHING!!

    What drives me mental is FG/FF have been in power through out the history of the state so this horseshit of waving a magic wand is bollox, they don’t plan past 4 year cycles so impossible to get shot done

  22. It cannot or it will not?

    Because things are preventable. Even if those have not happened before (which they have).

    The problem is that when you neglect existing infrastructure and delay new one, you are at risk.

    And this government, and all the previous FF and FG ones, love doing that.

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