Faith and the Election

PDN

Just wondering how other posters see their faith as impacting their voting in the upcoming election.

By natural inclination I'm a socialist, but the pro-abortion position of most Labour candidates would stop me voting for them.

I work extensively with immigrants and am very unhappy with many of McDowell's policies at the Dept of Justice. Also the PDs are too right wing for me.

As a non-Catholic I'm sick of the way the present government has used State institutions and money to prop up Catholicism (sort of a religious version of the VHI equalisation).

I don't believe in robbing banks or shooting kids through the kneecaps, so Sinn Fein isn't an option.

As for Fine Gael - can I really bring myself to vote for a party that started life as the Blueshirts?

Hey! I'm off the hook. I've just realised I'm booked to speak at a conference in Moscow on the same day as the election!

Fanny Cradock

Blueshirts you say! I think I'll greet any FG canvaser with a rousing 'Hail O'Duffy' and a short, sharp Nazi salute next time they call to the door.


To be honest, PDN, it's something I've never really considered None of the parties would fit in with my Christian ideals, so I guess it is a matter of doing a little research and finding the party that most closely matches those ideals.

I'm fairly apathetic towards the whole process, and, consequently, I don't know a great deal about what each party stands for. Being perfectly honest, I would probably know more about the English Labour Party and their counterparts than I would about Irish political parties. For instance, I believe I voted for Proinsias De Rossa last time around because he looked like a 'nice man'.

As I'm keenly interested in environmental matters, I would probably vote the Greens. But it's just an assumption on may part that they would have a coherent manifesto that would have positive impact on the environment and the economy. Our world - God's world - is something I think Christians (and everyone else) should seek to safe guard.

panda100

PDN wrote:

Just wondering how other posters see their faith as impacting their voting in the upcoming election.

By natural inclination I'm a socialist, but the pro-abortion position of most Labour candidates would stop me voting for them.

I work extensively with immigrants and am very unhappy with many of McDowell's policies at the Dept of Justice. Also the PDs are too right wing for me.

I feel very much the same way as you. I would consider myself to be very left wing and have been involved with labouryouth in the past. However,there really seems to be a huge disdain for religon and in particularly catholicism within left partys in Ireland so I never felt comfortable within these group. I dont agree with many of the socialist,labour policies on abortion,sexual health policies and seperation of church and state.
However,I strongly disagree with war and after our goverment allowed our airports to be used in the war in Iraq I can never ever vote for finna fail or the pd's ever again. I also dont agree with Michael Mc Dowells treatment of refugees and finna fails greed for money. Something which has become very evident in the Shell issue up in Rossport.
I find generally that the green party hold the most values closest to my religon.

My religon is my way of life so yes It would greatly affect how I vote in elections.

Dave!

panda, which parties' policies on seperation of church and state don't you agree with, out of interest? I'm not familiar with any of them tbh Just FF's after Bertie's recent attack on secularism.

philologos

PDN wrote:

I don't believe in robbing banks or shooting kids through the kneecaps, so Sinn Fein isn't an option.

As for Fine Gael - can I really bring myself to vote for a party that started life as the Blueshirts?

Interesting, but aren't we meant to forgive people who have committed wrongs in the past, why not political parties. As far as I know, Fine Gael are not encouraging anti-Semitic attacks in Ireland any more, and as far as I know Sinn Féin have put the IRA behind them and they are willing to take the neccessary steps to move forward. I don't see much wrong with either of those two parties, and perhaps from a Christian perspective, we should give them serious thought instead of placing stereotypical views on them. Just a thought however.

PDN

Jakkass wrote:

Interesting, but aren't we meant to forgive people who have committed wrongs in the past, why not political parties. As far as I know, Fine Gael are not encouraging anti-Semitic attacks in Ireland any more, and as far as I know Sinn Féin have put the IRA behind them and they are willing to take the neccessary steps to move forward. I don't see much wrong with either of those two parties, and perhaps from a Christian perspective, we should give them serious thought instead of placing stereotypical views on them. Just a thought however.

Don't interrupt me with sense or reason when I'm ranting.

Excelsior

Green party (for Christ!)

(This sincere heresy was brought to you by a man who hasn't had his morning coffee yet)

irish_bob

if how central christianity is to a political party then i would think that ones options would be pretty slim in this country right now

personally if a party is in favour of keeping church and state , i see it as a possitive , which is why i favour the pd,s over fianna fail and fine gael who are both socially conservative partys , the pd,s while right wing on economic issues are liberal on social issues , the perfect party for me

im by and large a libertarian although i dont belive in the american system of health care where health is a product for sale to the highest bidder
no worries , no matter what the anti pd brigade say , the pd,s are a bunch of screaming libs compared to the republican party in the usa or even the dup in northern ireland

they get a bad press due to thier senior minister being both dour and overly serious but they are the party who,s core beliefs have been synomonous with the sucess this country has had for the past decade
they have not been rewarded unfortunatly at the polls and get blamed for the failings of the goverment much more than fianna fail
nowadays most young people wouldnt dare admit they supported the pd,s
its uncool , much better to say you are going to vote sinn fein even though the national question aside ( the only policy thier really about )they would leave young people much less well off
this doest not seem to register with young people who are making a good wage be it in construction or whatever , they perfer the anti establishment and rebelious vote for sinn fein