What would be your choice for the make-up of the next Goverment?

PH01

I'm hoping for a FF lead one, but I'm not really pushed. A couple of months at the right side of the house might suit us nicely.

pete

Labour, Socialists, Greens

With Joe Higgins as Minister for Finance.

The Brigadier

So many of those options really just don't work...

FF and FG are both right of centre parties

Labour, Workers, Socailists, Greens are all lefties....

The PDs well I won't comment for fear of offending people:)

You really shouldn't have coalitions between parties who are diametrically opposed...

I'd like to see a FG Majority government..... I don't like coalitions anyway...

Celt

Originally posted by The Brigadier
So many of those options really just don't work...

FF and FG are both right of centre parties

Labour, Workers, Socailists, Greens are all lefties....

The PDs well I won't comment for fear of offending people:)

You really shouldn't have coalitions between parties who are diametrically opposed...

I'd like to see a FG Majority government..... I don't like coalitions anyway...

The rainbow coalition?

And wasnt FG in government with labour and DL a while back?

billy the squid

I too would like to see a Fine Gael majority government. Fine Gael didnt ever get on too well in a coalition with labour.

Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein spell trouble and secret deals for the IRA prisoners.

Fianna Fail and PDs - well if they were all that great they wouldnt have got the kicking they did last week. They have been in power too long and have become arrogent. remember the quote

"if we ran winnie the pooh or jack frost in that constituency we would still get two seats."

bet the politician who said that is eating his words now.

Hobbes

how about one without FF and FG?

gom

Labour /Green Minority government please. Enda Kenny as Taoiseach is worse than Bertie in my opinion(and i'm opposed to the government).

Even if the next government is a Rainbow government of FG/LABOUR/GREENS then I hope that they stitch it so Pat Rabbitte is Taoiseach. Enda Kenny would only get a term and we would be back to FF led government following the next election.



As for the Poll

Why not Minorty led governments???

WHy not a SF / Labour coalition?? WHo knows what will happen up north in the next 3 years

Jimi-Spandex

Labour & Green if at all possible.

I'd love to see Pat Rabitte as Taoiseach. Now that would be quality entertainment.

villain_97

An FG majority Government would sort out the country's problems.Sort out crime also and bring fresh thinking to the Northern impasse.The best option up there is FG/Labour

arcadegame2004

Hmmmm....

Well I generally agree with this Govt's policies - especially the PD policies which sadly have not been advanced nearly as much as they should been. I would have voted PD but there was no candidate in my area. So I voted FG.

The corruption within FF, especially at local level as revealed by the Flood/Mahon Tribunal, was my main reason for voting FG and Independents in local-government and European elections.

I wont commit yet, 3 years before a General Election, on who I will vote for, other than to say that regardless of any Rainbow transfer-pact, that even if I do vote FG in 2007, I will NOT transfer to lefties, though I may transfer to Independents. I despise the Left. I agree with some of their ideas on social-policy, e.g. gay-marriage. But I despise their economic-policies, e.g. blanket opposition to ALL privatisation regardless of implications for competition, SF's desire to raise Corporation-Tax, the Greens hatred of the EU.

That way I can help move the centre-of-gravity of a potential future FG-led Government to the centre, and reduce the influence of the Left in any such Government.

FF and FG are both right of centre parties

I consider FG to be a centre-party. But then the hard-left think anyone who doesn't agree with them is automatically rightwing. No such thing as centrism according to them.

villain_97

Fg see themselves as a party of the progressive centre.i think that Rabbitte's labour is not all that left wing.That is why i think a coalition of Kenny's FG and Rabbitte's Labour will work better than past coalitions between the two.it would be disasterous if FF have another term or worst case scenario for our beloved country if FF and SF were in Government.Fine Gael/labour best bet.hopfully they won't need the Greens

monument

I was under the impression that, besides one or two points, FG and FF are pretty much the same. I think both are rightwing (economic), and authoritarian (social) [see http://www.politicalcompass.org/ - although Irish parties are not listed].

Labour / SF – not going to happen, well not unless a lot of people with chips on their backs leave one or both parties, or grow up.

eoinm

my choice would be FG, PD + independants/greens

my opinion was that FF were center left, FG center right and the rest were obvious. FF have changed in the sence that they have McCreevy, Dempsy et. al. who never had the guts to leave and join the PD's.

FF's natural ideological partners are Labour in my opinion.

monument

Originally posted by eoinm
my opinion was that FF were center left

You're joking, right?

eoinm

Originally posted by monument
You're joking, right?

historically yes FF was center left
recently, as pointed out by the McCreevy bit they aren't, hence the backbench revolt against the PD's

monument

Woops, missed the 'were'.

villain_97

FG are a centre party with an authoritarian streak but a social conscience.FF are a catch-all or pragmatic party who change policy to suit their coalition partners.They are currently a centre right party because of the PDs.

Fine Gael and labour currently have the centre ground and centre Left to themselves as FF and the PDs occupy the centre right.The climate is perfect for an FG/Labour Pact to win the next General Election.Sinn Fein will harm FF more than Labour and will not harm FG whatsoever.Labour will probably benefit from Fianna Failers in Dublin who are scared of SF being in Government with FF.Fianna Fail's flimsicle support from so many ideoligies is proving its downfall.Sinne Fein is eating its support because they were too easy on them over past few years.

Fine Gael on the other hand is more united than ever and Enda Kenny is proving a force to be reckond with.Notice how the Government seemed scared of him in the Dail this week?If Rabbitte and Kenny can form an alliance well in advance of the next Genral Election,then Government is awaiting them

PH01

Originally posted by monument
Woops, missed the 'were'.

Basically centrealist which consists of both right and left of centre. Now, how far centre-right or center-left depends on the mood we're in

Fianna Fail Abu!

gom

FG FF

WHats the diffence? Not much in my mind.
I'm not concerned on historical standing. Majority FF or Majority FG would both have exactly the same centerist policies(centerist economics, Centre-right Crime). If a governments actions are rightist then it is RightWing.

While I very happy to see FF and the PDs take a trashing in the Local elections. I bloody pissed thinking of a FG recovery. The Media is all full of positive FG Headlines. The truth is that FG gains are no where in line with FF loses. FG just held on. That leds me to believe that FG lost all its swing votes in the 2002 general elections. So .. FG is just holding its core vote. FF is losing out to votes from SF and Labour(esb. in Dublin).

While the European elections show FG doing extremely well I would put that down to its attitude come election time. FG had policies that people voted for. In the East constituancy(traditionally a large farmer strong hold) voters were faced with two choices. FF or FG. If you don't like what FF is doing give the others a go and that is what happened.

European votes are not as important as Local election votes in teh run up to the General Election. The Media has just started blowing a new trumpit which just doesn't sound right to me...


Ultamitly I can't see a clear government in the next General Election. FF won't go into coalition with the PDs again if the Cabinet Reshuffle is in the popular FF grassroots interest. FF would fall back into the Centre. pat Rabbitte will resist Enda Kenny's calls for a pact in the run up which would cost FG dearly(possibly Labour also). If Labour went into coalition with FG it would be trashed in the subsequent election due to allying with a Centre-Right party. The only way I can see a successful FG/Labour coalition is

1. Pat Rabbitte becoming Taoiseach
2. Labour wielding unrealistic power on the government policies, just like the PDs do on government
3. A new FG leader who is seen as a Dubliner - Gay Mitchell or Richard Bruton

ANyway
Minorty governments are realistic. Role on Labour Minorty government

pete

What would be your choice for the make-up of the next Goverment?

Hmm on reflection, I'd have to say something that shows off their cheekbones & highlights their eyes.

therecklessone

Originally posted by pete
Hmm on reflection, I'd have to say something that shows off their cheekbones & highlights their eyes.

And on that note, I'd choose something cheaper than Mary Harney's last cosmetics bill...

Cork

Originally posted by therecklessone


And on that note, I'd choose something cheaper than Mary Harney's last cosmetics bill...

Mary Harney's cosmetic bill is far cheaper than the cost of of investigaring the awarding of this countrys second mobile phone licence by the FG/ Lab government.

But ignore this governments achievements regarding employment and taxation. This government is far more successful than any other Irish government.

And this at a time of a sluggish worldwide economy.

But if ye really want to sink to talk about cheap red top tabloid fodder - Its your choice.

therecklessone

Originally posted by Cork
Mary Harney's cosmetic bill is far cheaper than the cost of of investigaring the awarding of this countrys second mobile phone licence by the FG/ Lab government.

Won't be time to investiagte that. Mahon reckons it'll take him 11 years to get to the bottom of FF bribery and corruption on the planning one.

Jaysus Cork lighten up. You'd swear your favourite party had just got their ar*es spanked in the locals...and the Euros...

Lucky you swung the right way on the referendum, or you'd be rightly f*cked.

Raskolnikov

Fine Gael majority that's pro-Europe and right wing in economic policy. Sick to death of hearing people trying to rip this hopeless pseduo-socialist government off. Heavily reduce all forms of taxes so we can cut down on welfare payments, unemployment benefit (if you're out of work, you'll still get PRSI payments) and scrap the public health service. We ought to remodel our economy based on that of the USA minus the protection subsidy on indigenous firms, massive military spending and education cuts. Not that that's every likely to happen though, I don't think anyone is radical enough to reform this economy.

therecklessone

Originally posted by Raskolnikov
Fine Gael majority that's pro-Europe and right wing in economic policy. Sick to death of hearing people trying to rip this hopeless pseduo-socialist government off. Heavily reduce all forms of taxes so we can cut down on welfare payments, unemployment benefit (if you're out of work, you'll still get PRSI payments) and scrap the public health service.

Thank Christ its one man, one vote. I can't think of anything more objectionable.

Personally I hope for a coalition involving Labour, either with Fianna Fail or Fine Gael (I don't believe the other opposition parties offer a realistic alternative as partners in government).

Pat Rabbite would make a superb member of a coalition, more than likely as a Tanasite or Minister for Finance. I just can't see Enda Kenny as Taoiseach...

Raskolnikov

Originally posted by therecklessone
Thank Christ its one man, one vote. I can't think of anything more objectionable.

Why is it so objectionable? 'Free' healthcare and welfare programs are the root of economic slavery. Give the people "social" and "welfare" freedoms and they will think they are free. Then strip them of their political/economic rights and they won't even begin to know how to protest. Once the people have submitted their economic and political freedoms to the mechanics of bureaucracy, it becomes easier to enslave them in various and more exciting ways. And if a few of them start griping, simply "legalize" something to mollify their passions: gay marriage, drugs, whatever will shut them up and keep them politically ignorant or at the least politically disinterested. I doubt it will work for very long, but, hey, people like you can keep the dream alive for the rest of us.

therecklessone

Originally posted by Raskolnikov
Why is it so objectionable? 'Free' healthcare and welfare programs are the root of economic slavery.

The US system has been a failure for years now. Health care is massively expensive, and those who find themselves employed in positions that don't allow health care benefits are abandoned to chance. That is wrong.

I believe that every state should prioritise health care, education, and transport as their three most cherished policy areas. Educate your people, protect their health, and enable their free movement, and you will done more for the economic health of the state than anything else.

pete

edit: ah never mind

sk_irl

Isn' t this a lovely country. there's not one choice on that list that i would like to see as a government of this country. most people in the country would probably agree that all of these choices are sh!t

but what does it matter even if anyone did actually go out and set up a good party nobody would vote for them because everyone in this country is too scared of change. i suggest that every single existing political party is abolished and a whole new set of parties are set up.

but of course there are so many factors in the way, petty civil war politics being the main problem. and then there is the fact that there are very few people in the country who actually have clearly stated political opinions. it's always so hard to judge with people, are labour left or fight these days? fine gael, where do they stand at the minute? and fianna fail? well there are oh so many questions there? the onyl realistic part on the "left" are sinn fein and well they're not going to give up their paramilitary wing are they?

does it count as a democracy when you can only choose between parties by picking the one you least fear?

mike65

Sadly my ideal is'nt listed proberly as it is'nt likely - FG and PD so went with FG PD Labour, hoping Labour are the rump. They have changed much since the disasterous 82-87 coalition where they undermind FG economic policy at every turn but I still worry they will scare the horses.

Mike.

PH01

I'm gonna post this same poll next year just to see if there is a change.
Ooh, isn't politics exciting....