Had to happen really

Stunned. FF almost never do resignations

too right,what kind of an impression is that giving to irish people having a crook running the country.
haughey must have had bigger heels to dig in with

Mixed feelings about it! Started to get really disappointed with FF before the last election and this was only compounded since. I do think Bertie was an incredibly hard worker and the Peace Process is his legacy. And for me he was the only leader in my lifetime that I actually felt proud of mixing it up with the other leaders of the world.

even when he wore that lemon blazer in i think it was washington.
apparently he bought it in a shop/store/pub that in kerry that makes a mean seafood chowder.

I grew up looking at Albert "Snoop Doggy Food" Renyolds and John "Brutal" Bruton on the telly and I always wondered why our leaders were the only ones that looked mentally retarded when world leaders met. Bertie mixing it up with Westlife was a breath of fresh air even though the air went stale.

I worked with Bertie for 2 years - diamond of a guy, and really genuine. He'll be missed!!.

genuine crook if half the stuff being bandied about is true. If anybody other than a politician did half that stuff they'd end in jail. After the way big H robbed this country we should crack down seriously on dodgy politicians. CAB should go after dodgy politico's like any other crook.

innocent till proven guilty - crook you say - tell me what specific crime he is guilty off

What did he do? Give me a list of bad things (bad for the country) that you feel he did over the past ten years

If he took a few quid from mates along the way, it wasn't for expensive cars, big property portfolio, mistress was it? There has never even been a sniff that he did anything wrong / corrupt in return for it.

There are VERY FEW people whose personal lives would stand up to the intense scrutiny that his has been exposed to over the recent past. Do we want a bunch of Daniel O'Donnell / Mother Theresa types with impecable pasts running the country, or do we want someone who lives as close to the ordinary-man-on-the-street life? Bertis would not have got as far in politics as he didi if he was a 10% pure jobsworth, as such the country would not have gained the benefit we have over the past 10 yrs, including peace etc.

Am Gutted

What he got for himself was only a small proportion of what he was able to get for the country

He was the minister for finance and he had no bank account!!!! Not illegal but very very dodgy.

Haughey claimed that Ahern was the most devious conniving f*cker out of the lot of them.

Ah, but look at what's coming next....

had no bank account as was goign through divorce etc (makes sense to me)

most devious conniving - politically


Best Taoiseach we ever had.


Bertie for President

I think he was certainly the best FF'er of a very dodgy lot. He was politically conceived in and era when being crooked was not only politically acceptable but a political necessity to both survive and succeed.

In light of what has come out about that era I think Bertie's sins were minimal indeed, but he had them none the less. It would be ignoring the facts to think otherwise. One thing I will say is that he worked harder to line the pockets of everyone in this country than those of his own, surrounded himself for a time with very intelligent and astute individuals and brought Irish Politics to a level that was respected and recognised internationally.

It would be great if he became president of the E.U. and join Charlie Mc. in Brussels who I think was THE most intelligent and important politician in recent times. It could only raise Irelands profile and maybe even get a few extra shilling's sent our way .

Let’s hope we never have to deal again with the Bullshit and Cost of Tribunals and the scams of developers and landowners that rape the hardworking PAY’er while lining their own pockets and those of dirty politicians. Bertie may not have been crooked, but he was close enough to the mover and shakers to further his own political aspirations but smart enough not to get caught up in it (I think).