Govt plans spark allegations of vote buying

dbnavan

from breakingnews.ie

Govt plans spark allegations of vote buying

As the Fianna Fail - Progressive Democrat coalition struggles in the latest opinion poll, it is claimed the Government is planning a number of big spending projects in the run up to the election.

Reports in today's Sunday Independent have claimed two initiatives in particular will appeal to hundreds of thousands of voters, and could leave the Government open to accusations it is trying to buy votes.

The Sunday Independent said the Government is planning to allow 600,000 pensioners to use public transport whenever they want, as a planned extension to the Free Travel Scheme.

At the moment there are some time restrictions in place, which would be lift under the plans.

The newspaper also alleges that the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will announce plans to buy out the West Link toll bridge on the M50 in Dublin before the election, to appeal to the hundreds of thousands caught up in on-going traffic jams.

That measure alone could cost over 1bn.

The ESRI has already appealed to the Government not to repeat tax cuts and spending increases announced before the last election, as it would increase inflation.


Sounds to me just like why Charlie was remembered so well buy the elders of the state cause "he gave us the free travel" .......so that makes everything else ok does it? :rolleyes:

Akrasia

I don't trust a single word that appears in the Sunday Independent (and neither should anyone else), but if Bertie thinks he can impress voters by Giving 1 billion euros of Irish tax payers money to those bastards who own the toll bridges then he deserves to be lynched. Especially while he's planning to impose new tolls on loads of other major roads around the country

There are already provisions in their contract that state the toll booths have to ensure there isn't undue delay and this means they could be legally obliged to lift their barriers at peak times. Instead of buying off these fat cats with more of our money, they could try enforcing their own contract.

jd

The thing about extending free use of public transport to peak times is nuts. Having it off peak only helps balance traffic between peak and non peak times.

NewDubliner

The vote-buying has begun already:

Offaly Independent (Sat 29 July): Decentralisation to Tullamore has begun in earnest as 80 employees from the Department of Finance took up their posts in a new premises at Tullamore Business park on Monday.

There were smiling faces on both workers and politicians as Flanagan Construction officially handed over the keys to the premises ahead of the official opening date in September, when 130 employees will complete the move.....

Not mentioned is that already-booming town of Tullamore's windfall comes at the expense of 17 new staff being hired, 10 being promoted, some 100 Dublin-based staff being left with uncertain futures while 100 others are being trained at some cost to replace them.

In whose constituency would this be, now?

InFront

I have trouble believing anything that The Independent write as well, really. But unrelated to their article, I do feel that FF will be quick off the mark to do their damndest to improve their ratings in the polls before the next GE. One thing theyre good at that has never been a feature of FG or Labour is that they know how to win elections, and they are not afraid of making big decisions or big statements to do so.

Buying the toll bridge and extending the travel scheme wouldnt surprise me. They want a third term, and unfortunately they are far from being written off.

dbnavan

InFront wrote:

I have trouble believing anything that The Independent write as well, really. But unrelated to their article, I do feel that FF will be quick off the mark to do their damndest to improve their ratings in the polls before the next GE. One thing theyre good at that has never been a feature of FG or Labour is that they know how to win elections, and they are not afraid of making big decisions or big statements to do so.

Buying the toll bridge and extending the travel scheme wouldnt surprise me. They want a third term, and unfortunately they are far from being written off.

FG have won the last 2 by-elections and are ahead in all recent polls. I think that people know its time for a change, yes sure lifting the tolls on the M50 would be a major boost for them but voters with any sort of intellegence and memory will know its too little, too late.

InFront

dbnavan wrote:

FG have won the last 2 by-elections and are ahead in all recent polls. I think that people know its time for a change, yes sure lifting the tolls on the M50 would be a major boost for them but voters with any sort of intellegence and memory will know its too little, too late.

I hope that you're right. FF might be behind, but theyre not far behind in the opinion polls. they have a lot of tricks up their sleeves, and they can be and will be dirty players when it comes to elections. They are the single most successful party at getting into power in the history of the country.

I personally would not like to see the PD's annhilated in the next election, I think they are a far more efficient, enterprising and economically intelligent political party than their cousins in FF. However if it means denying power to the FFers, Hasta la vista, Mary.

People always get into a rage with the current administration and badmouth them swear 'never again'. Yet every controversy and scandal and incompetance always blows over in the end, people have short memories.
I hope that by now enough mud has been slung at the wall for some of it to stick, but when FF come out with their big promises (like extending the travel scheme) and, significantly, warnings of economic downturn under an inexperienced government, will the voting public still have such a staunch and uncompromising vote?
However the latest opinion poll will have been a morale boost for the opposition (in whatever form it takes:) ) and I hope that it's a case of more to follow.

Time Magazine

InFront wrote:

they have a lot of tricks up their sleeves, and they can be and will be dirty players when it comes to elections. They are the single most successful party at getting into power in the history of the country.

[strike]Country.[/strike] Europe.

Ah, the good ole' days of Micheál Martin's €10bn wonder[strike]bra[/strike]plan to fix the health service. And those 2,000 extra gardaí. And what was it, 200,000 new medical cards? And ending waiting lists for social housing by 2006. With the polls slating FF - much moreso than this time five years ago - what could they possibly pretend to do next time in government?

"Martin, Cecelia's just turned 21 and I need something big for it. Create an extravagent policy with the number 21 stuck onto the end of it for me. Good man. I might put in Justice next, you never know."

MontgomeryClift

That extension of the travel scheme is a good one, though. That's to buy a good deal of the elderly vote, and hope they don't care too much about younger people's stuff, like inflation, uncontrolled immigration, house prices, lack of schools and bad planning.

Reminds me of 'The Matlock Expressway.'

jd

MontgomeryClift wrote:

That extension of the travel scheme is a good one, though.

Do you mean a good vote catcher, or good per se?
jd

MontgomeryClift

jd wrote:

Do you mean a good vote catcher, or good per se?
jd

A good vote catcher.