Posts Tagged ‘fine Gael’

Leo Varadkar – The man who answers questions!

April 4, 2014

Leo Varadkar - Fine Gael

I was listening to George Hook on Newstalk as we were travelling down from Dublin. He was broadcasting from San Francisco and he was chatting about some politician and he described him as being a “Leo Varadkar type of politician“.

Immediately you know that he means a politician who will give a straight answer to a question when asked.

When you think about it this is quite an incredible and simple attribute to be known for!

In assigning such an attribute to a politician you would imagine  that no one single name should stand out – surely there are plenty who demonstrate this attribute on a regular basis either currently or in the past? Can we name them?

In truth there should be so many with this quality, that describing the straight talking/answer a question when asked attribute by mentioning a single politicians name would be confusing!

How is it that the youngest member of the Irish Government carries this torch?

Is it youth, is it not enough time in politics to be ultra cautious, is it a lack of fear of making an error against party policy, is it 100% confidence in his own ability and capability, is it not caring too much about politics and being prepared to simply say it as it is?

Is it his upbringing or the career he had before he became a full time politician – he lived in a relatively good part of Dublin, he studied medicine in Trinity and he worked in hospitals before opting for General Practice.

As a doctor do you get used to answering questions when asked?

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar of the Fine Gael party was appointed by the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny in March 2011. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 2007 and prior to this is served as a member of Fingal County Council since 2003. He received the highest vote in Ireland in the Local Elections of 2004.

Did his constituents like him because they saw him as someone who was prepared to answer their questions?

It is a great thing to see him doing really well and to see someone with these attributes progressing effectively in the Government but it is a very poor reflection on our recent political history that being prepared to answer a question is something that makes you unique!

Is there a lesson in this for all our politicians? 

Is there a lesson in this for all of us?

Greg Canty is a partner of Fuzion

Fuzion are a Marketing, PR and Graphic Design agency in Ireland with offices in Cork and Dublin

 

 

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Posted in Irish Politics, Personal development, Personal Marketing, Politics, Tourism | 4 Comments »

Discrimination against men!

August 29, 2013

Discrimination against men

I’m up to here with quotas for women and schemes and incentives .. enough!

The latest that has come onto my radar is a scheme and fund by Enterprise Ireland for “Ambitious Women”.

www.enterprise-ireland.com/ambitiouswomen – get your entry in because applications close on the 10th September!

Deirdre Clune - Fine GaelI spotted the very talented and intelligent Fine Gael Senator Deirdre Clune, blogging about it on her website  with the headline “New Fund means more Women will be at the Forefront of Irish Business“.

Now … before I go any further you are probably thinking that I have something against women.

I don’t!

I work with a team of women who are absolutely brilliant and during the course of my work I deal with incredible, intelligent, talented, professional and quite impressive women on an ongoing basis.

If you asked me to make a list of people who have impressed me lately, then truthfully more women would be on that list than men!

If you look around you and observe you can see some of these women rising to the top and starting to take the top positions in organisations. In political circles we are seeing exactly the same – Deirdre could very well be one of these in time.

The new Enterprise Ireland scheme (don’t get me wrong, any new scheme promoting entrepreneurship is great) is according to the blurb designed to “accelerate the number of high potential female-led businesses being set up in Ireland“

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mr Richard Bruton stated “I’m delighted to add that this recent announcement follows on from two other successful female entrepreneurship funds which were launched last year.“

If you read on you get even more of it: “The funding call is open to female-led start-ups in Manufacturing and Internationally Traded Services including Internet, Games, Apps, Cloud Computing, Enterprise Software, Lifesciences, Food, Consumer Products, Medical Devices and e-Health – This means that women can pursue viable business ideas in a multitude of areas, which in turn could generate jobs and get the economy moving“

“I do hope in addition to helping women jump start their business ideas the fund will also advance Ireland’s reputation on the world stage as these business areas are all globally exciting and sustainable.”

So, a female start up will get assistance but a guy with the same proposition won’t? Hmmm..

Ambitious and talented women in Ireland ….do you really want to be singled out for such special attention?

Such schemes specifically promoting women in business are wrong and if you think about it discriminatory to men and totally missing the point.

We need to be encouraging everyone to start a business – come on!

If there was a similar scheme for men, women would be up in arms and rightfully so.

Condoleezza RiceAmbitious women, wherever you are stand up and go for it

…not because there is a scheme or a quota but because you want it, you deserve it and you are more than able!

No Fund will mean more women are at the forefront of Irish business – you can do it for yourselves the same as the rest of us! 

P.S. I’m waiting for the torrent of abuse when I publish this post – It won’t be pretty!!

Greg Canty is a partner of Fuzion 

Fuzion are a Marketing, PR and Graphic Design firm in Ireland with offices in Cork and Dublin

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Posted in Brand Loyalty, HR, Ireland, Positivity | 31 Comments »

The Candidates – Deirdre Clune, Fine Gael (Cork South Central)

February 21, 2011
Deirdre Clune - Fine Gael

Impressive Deirdre - no generic flyer here!

As part of the election process I am going to do a “Ronseal” (what does their tin say about them) review of the political candidates literature that comes in through our letterbox and score them accordingly!!

Candidate: Deirdre Clune, Fine Gael (Cork South Central)

Deirdre was quite progressive in getting her literature to me to review – well done !

Design and Layout (5)
I must admit I wouldn’t be blown away by the design and layout of the literature but to be fair it is comprehensive and allows plenty of space to build the arguments and convince the reader of Deirdre’s merits – score 4

Photo (10)
The main photo of Deirdre is ok – she is wearing a light coloured smart business style jacket (against the standard Fine Gael “sky” background!) but she looks quite stern in the picture. The inside picture is much more relaxed and shows a warmer person – I have never met Deirdre so I have no idea what she is like. I like the person on the inside much more – score 7.5

Contact Details (5)
In terms of the contact details the full deal is here except .. a land line instead of a mobile number, which seems to be standard practice for all the other candidates. Deirdre has listed her website, her email address as well as her Facebook and twitter pages listed .. ok, in that respect Deirdre is very progressive allowing everyone an opportunity to really find out more about her, what she is like and what she is up to – score 5

Background (10)
Deirdre tells us about her background (she is obviously quite intelligent and very qualified), her education and profession, her family life and what she has been doing in the political arena – the flyer lists her different political posts but I am disappointed she has not listed her achievements during the course of this work – score 8

Sales Pitch (10)
The sales pitch in the flyer is quite strong – it covers the Fine Gael big items, it covers local issues that Deirdre wants to address and it also builds convincing arguments and a sense of a Fine Gael “team” – there is a good balance between Deirdre and the party message – score 8

Big Picture (10)
The big picture arguments are well made without over-promising, I liked the Fine Gael “business team” profile, which is reassuring and I just hope that these specific promises can be delivered on – score 9

Overall Score
This is not a generic Fine Gael flyer, which I love. Deirdre has put together her own literature and builds a strong argument unlike many of the other Fine Gael candidates. It shows how much you respect your voters – Well done Deirdre!! – overall score 41.5 out of 50.

Best of luck in the elections Deirdre I suspect you will do well ..

Greg Canty is a partner of Fuzion Communications

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Posted in General Election 2011, Irish Economy, Irish Politics | 2 Comments »

The Candidates – Jerry Buttimer, Fine Gael (Cork South Central)

February 13, 2011
Jerry Buttimer, Fine Gael

Jerry Buttimer, Fine Gael - tell us more Jerry

As part of the election process I am going to do a “Ronseal” (what does their tin say about them) review of the political candidates literature that comes in through our letterbox and score them accordingly!!

Candidate: Jerry Buttimer, Fine Gael (Cork South Central)

This review is quite easy for me as it follows a standard format that some of the Fine Gael candidates are using – I have other candidates reviewed already so my job is easy – check out Derry Canty!

Design and Layout (5)
Jerry and his FG team opted for a really small flyer, A6 size, it’s tiny but it is printed on heavier paper than the other candidates so far. For some reason there is no mention of which constituency Jerry is running in prominently on the flyer  – score 3

Photo (10)
There is a only a fair photo of Jerry, looking just ok, giving no hint of his personality and with a slightly vacant look in his eyes. He is wearing a dark suit with a light blue shirt and red and blue striped blue tie – standard attire for a politician I guess! Would you trust this man? The photo doesn’t engage with me so I will give a neutral score here – score 5

Contact Details (5)
He includes both his email address and his personal phone number on his flyer, a nice “open” approach. As well as this he has his Facebook and twitter pages listed .. ok, that puts him in the progressive box and gives everyone an opportunity to really find out more about what he is like and what he is up to – score 5

Background (10)
There is absolutely nothing on the flyer about Jerry. When I say nothing I really mean nothing.. how can I be expected to vote for you if I know nothing about you, what you believe in, what you are qualified at, what you have achieved – score 0

Sales Pitch (10)
The sales pitch on the flyer is a generic Fine Gael pitch and not why we should vote for Jerry. To be fair it does give a point by point review of what they would do. It is a little generic though using terms such as “radical stimulus plan” and “radical reforms” , tell me more, I’d love to hear more about these radical changes .. – score 5

Big Picture (10)
The big picture argument was the same as the sales pitch and did attempt to explain how FG would make a difference. At least there is an attempt at explaining how the “big picture” might be different if we voted for them – score 8

Overall Score
This is a Fine Gael flyer with Jerry’s picture and contact details on it. As I suspected we will see exactly the same across the length and breadth of the country with other candidate’s names and pictures.

Jerry (or Derry as the case will be), people vote for people and you know this – your flyer is a wasted opportunity to get your message across to your voters. Lots of pressing the flesh is needed to show them you – check out Aine Collin’s (Fine Gael) flyer who goes some way to showing what she is like and why we should vote for  “her” – overall score 26 out of 50.

Best of luck in the elections Jerry or was it Derry!?

Greg Canty is a partner of Fuzion Communications

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Posted in General Election 2011, Irish Economy, Irish Politics, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

The Candidates – Simon Coveney, Fine Gael (Cork South Central)

February 7, 2011
Simon Coveney Fine Gael

Really Impressive Simon - Well done!

As part of the election process I am going to do a “Ronseal” (what does their tin say about them) review of the political candidates literature that comes in through our letterbox and score them accordingly!!

Candidate: Simon Coveney, Fine Gael (Cork South Central)

I must admit this impressed me the minute it landed in my hand – It looks different, it feels different and my only complaint is that I wish Simon was in my constituency!

Design and Layout (5)
This is refreshing, a big glossy A3 sheet (double the size of an A4 page) delivered in a landscape 3 panel format – why not? It looks and feels good and it is totally different to all the other literature I have reviewed – what a great way to stand out!

The other and really important thing? – it is printed in Cork. I just spotted this very subtly, not oversold but a point I appreciate – score 5

Photo (10)
The main photo used for Simon is one of him “in action” – it captures someone with a real task in mind. On the inside there is a casual photo of Simon, showing a more relaxed down to earth guy – this one was just ok, but it does show a different aspect of what he is all about. All in all I would want to vote for the guy in the photo – score 9

Contact Details (5)
He includes both his email address and his personal phone number on his flyer, as well as his own website his Facebook page and his Twitter page .. that puts him in the very progressive box and gives everyone an opportunity to really find out more about what he is like and what he is up to and a real chance to interact with him (tip for Simon: more effort on the profile pic and presentation on Facebook)  – score 5

Background (10)
This is the one area where Simon left me down (I’m sure he will be gutted!) – with such a comprehensive package he didn’t tell me anything about him. Ok, you can see his positive attitude, he gives his opinions and some of his philosophy, which is really strong but what about him? What qualifies him to take a seat, what has he accomplished? – Please let me know, it’s important – score 6

Sales Pitch (10)
The sales pitch for Fine Gael is really refreshing and strong on the flyer and I would definitely get a sense that this is the way I would like to vote. However it is mostly about Fine Gael and not enough about Simon. I do like the “personal” letter that Simon has written “To every Cork person“, which appears at the back of the flyer and carries his signature. This is really about Fine Gael with just a tiny flavour of Simon as I have already mentioned. As a Fine Gael pitch it excels and I love the avoiding of the blatant Fianna Fail bashing – it is positive and forward looking, more about solutions than pointing out problems – score 8

Big Picture (10)
The big picture arguments are really strong with solid approaches and policies for the main areas. I love the “Irish pride” angle and the sense that we need to work together to drive into the future. Well done here – score 10

Overall Score
I am totally sold, but I would love to have learnt more about Simon – wasted opportunity. The arguments and presentation are strong enough for me to be convinced that Simon means business and is very serious about winning a seat. He makes promises here and they seem to have substance.

As I said in the beginning , I’m sorry Simon is not in my constituency – overall score 43 out of 50.

Best of luck in the elections Simon!

Greg Canty is a partner of Fuzion Communications

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Posted in Ireland, Irish Economy, Irish Politics, Marketing, Recession | Leave a Comment »

The Candidates – Derry Canty, Fine Gael (Cork North West)

January 30, 2011
Derry Canty, Fine Gael

Derry - we want to hear about you!

As part of the election process I am going to do a “Ronseal” (what does their tin say about them) review of the political candidates literature that comes in through our letterbox and score them accordingly!!

Candidate: Derry Canty, Fine Gael (Cork North West)

Now this review is tricky as he is a namesake and I know him! .. but, the idea here is to review the candidates purely based on that flyer that comes through the letterbox. After all I reckon that is as much as most people voting will get to see of their candidates unless they have been really active in their particular area.

Design and Layout (5)
Derry and his team opted for a really small flyer, A6 size, it’s tiny but it is printed on heavier paper than the other candidates so far. For some reason there is no mention of which constituency Derry is running in – score 3

Photo (10)
There is a good enough photo of Derry, looking friendly and approachable. He is wearing a dark suit with a white shirt and a blue tie – standard attire for a politician I guess! Would you trust this man? On the higher side of average I guess! – score 7

Contact Details (5)
He includes both his email address and his personal phone number on his flyer, a nice “open” approach. As well as this he has his Facebook page listed .. ok, that puts him in the progressive box and gives everyone an opportunity to really find out more about what he is like and what he is up to – score 5

Background (10)
There is absolutely nothing on the flyer about Derry. When I say nothing I really mean nothing.. how can I be expected to vote for you if I know nothing about you, what you believe in, what you are qualified at, what you have achieved – score 0

Sales Pitch (10)
The sales pitch on the flyer is a generic Fine Gael pitch and not why we should vote for Derry. To be fair it does give a point by point review of what they would do. It is a little generic though using terms such as “radical stimulus plan” and “radical reforms” , tell me more, I’d love to hear more about these radical changes .. – score 5

Big Picture (10)
The big picture argument was the same as the sales pitch and did attempt to explain how FG would make a difference. At least there is an attempt at explaining how the “big picture” might be different if we voted for them – score 8

Overall Score
This is a Fine Gael flyer with Derry’s picture and contact details on it. I suspect we will see exactly the same across the length and breadth of the country with other candidate’s names and pictures.

Derry, people vote for people and you know this – your flyer is a wasted opportunity to get your message across to your voters. Lots of pressing the flesh is needed to show them you – check out Aine Collins flyer who goes some way to showing what she is like and why we should vote for  “her” – overall score 28 out of 50.

Best of luck in the elections Derry!

Greg Canty is a partner of Fuzion Communications

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Posted in Irish Economy, Irish Politics, Marketing, PR | 1 Comment »

The Candidates – Aine Collins, Fine Gael

January 24, 2011
Aine Collins, Fine Gael

Not too bad Aine!

As part of the election process I am going to do a “Ronseal” review of the political candidates literature that comes in through our letterbox and score them accordingly!! What exactly is their tin saying about what they do and more importantly promise they will do

Candidate: Aine Collins, Fine Gael (Cork North West Central)

Design and Layout (5)
Simple A5 flyer that actually looks ok, except the election area you can barely make out!  – score 3.5

Photo (10)
Aine’s photo is really nice, she is smiling and looks really pleasant, someone that you would trust. She is wearing a casual but smart top with a nice necklace, something you might wear to a casual dinner during the summer. All in all someone you would like to do business with – score 9

Contact Details (5)
She includes both her email address and her personal phone number on her flyer, a nice “open” approach. However there is no sign of either Facebook or twitter, where people could really interact and get to know her – score 3.5

Background (10)
Family woman and a qualified accountant that has been actively assisting starts ups in the Millstreet area. We need business acumen now more than ever so this is good. – score 8

Sales Pitch (10)
Specifically Aine talks about gender imbalance in the Dail as one of her main sales pitches as well as being young and vibrant. For me this is where she blows it – there is no need to play the female card, that’s obvious and here is where she loses me (she wouldn’t have if she said nothing!! .. and still managed to get the female vote) – score 3

Big Picture (10)
She believes in indigenous business and the agri-business sector and communities working together. Simple but valid – score 7

Overall Score
Out of a possible score of 50 Aine scored 34 losing at least 5 in her closing sales pitch!

Good luck with the election Aine!

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Posted in Graphic Design, Irish Politics, Marketing | 5 Comments »