The Private Sector Vote

DrumSteve

why is it that none of the main parties are trying to go for the Private sector vote?

There's a lot of guff out there at the moment about the public sector but as far as i am aware they make up what... 10% of the population at a rough guess? There is a large bloc of disaffected and disgruntled ex/current private sector workers out there but they seem to be ignored...

now i now a lot of people will say its because the public sector has more clout... but IMO with gilmore giving everything to the unions/Public sector i dont see why FG dont step in there and actively go for the private sector vote.

meditraitor

DrumSteve wrote: »

now i now a lot of people will say its because the public sector has more clout... but IMO with gilmore giving everything to the unions/Public sector i dont see why FG dont step in there and actively go for the private sector vote.

Haha, Gilmore doesnt have anything to be giving so your post is pointless..... For that matter neither does FG.

If you feel the need to DRUM up support for FG then post something valid.

DrumSteve

For the record Im not an FG supporter so please dont attack me about a part of my post without actually looking at the main question in the post.

Thank you.

that was a **** pun at the end of your post btw.

steelcityblues

Most TDs adult working life was either spent in the public sector, or with considerable support from public partnerships, through grants and other schemes. Most don't have any noteworthy achievements to their name before entering the political world.

One would expect Labour to cosy a bit with the top brass in the public sector, but FG and perhaps FF too should know better and recognise the changing Ireland.

meditraitor

DrumSteve wrote: »

For the record Im not an FG supporter so please dont attack me about a part of my post without actually looking at the main question in the post.

Thank you.

that was a **** pun at the end of your post btw.

I thought it was good, anyway you post up something that appears to me to be nonsense and I will reply.

with gilmore giving everything to the unions/Public sector

What is he giving them?

i dont see why FG dont step in there and actively go for the private sector vote.

They are and have been for a long time,

There is a large bloc of disaffected and disgruntled ex/current private sector workers out there but they seem to be ignored...

These are the same people that have voted in FF! When they were driving around in their Beamer and volvo's to their 400k suburben home to watch their 50" flatscreens they didnt feel ignored.

DrumSteve

meditraitor wrote: »

I thought it was good, anyway you post up something that appears to me to be nonsense and I will reply.

I did put IMO somewhere in there...Then again if you think my opinion is nonsense that up to yourself.

They are and have been for a long time.

If you insist. it is my perception that they have not being doing this recently.

These are the same people that have voted in FF! When they were driving around in their Beamer and volvo's to their 400k suburben home to watch their 50" flatscreens they didnt feel ignored.

Would you also care to retract that rather crass statement? I can assure you as a Private sector employee myself i do not have any of the above.

meditraitor

DrumSteve wrote: »

Would you also care to retract that rather crass statement?.

No,

DrumSteve wrote: »

I can assure you as a Private sector employee myself i do not have any of the above.

Me neither, but I want them. If FG or Labour were in a position to give such a thing to me I would bow before them.... Thus is the nature of politics, if you can persuade enough people that you will give them some goodies they will vote for you....

Labour and FG have nothing to give right now. FF offered the stars and for a while people thought they would get them, the same people you are saying are now dissenfranchised (the biggest voting majority).... Boo hoo

Denerick

Public Sector workers by and large have good, steady, reliable salaries, good benefits including medical and retirement, good work conditions, outside the frontline and higher admin staff rarely work + 35 hours a week. If I was a public sector worker I'd be doing all my best to maintain this fantastic standing of work. I have been a clerical officer before so I know how 'difficult' the job is. They're having a royal good laugh, form a significant block of the electorate - what politician in his right mind wouldn't appease such a vote reliable core group? Labour and Gilmore can deceive us all they want, but if we want to tackle our deficit we have to tackle the level of public sector pay in this country and bring it down to private sector levels. Tough but true.

Tim Robbins

DrumSteve wrote: »

why is it that none of the main parties are trying to go for the Private sector vote?

There's a lot of guff out there at the moment about the public sector but as far as i am aware they make up what... 10% of the population at a rough guess? There is a large bloc of disaffected and disgruntled ex/current private sector workers out there but they seem to be ignored...

now i now a lot of people will say its because the public sector has more clout... but IMO with gilmore giving everything to the unions/Public sector i dont see why FG dont step in there and actively go for the private sector vote.

The PDs went after that vote and look what happened. Remember this is Ireland. Everything is the opposite to rational common sense.

Your question is a kin to the question, why is it everyone in Ireland moans about developers, planning but will never write a planning objection or contact their county councillors to see who is voting for what?

IrishTonyO

meditraitor wrote: »

No,



Me neither, but I want them. If FG or Labour were in a position to give such a thing to me I would bow before them.... Thus is the nature of politics, if you can persuade enough people that you will give them some goodies they will vote for you....

It is that attitude that has the country the way it is now!

meditraitor wrote: »

Labour and FG have nothing to give right now. FF offered the stars and for a while people thought they would get them, the same people you are saying are now dissenfranchised (the biggest voting majority).... Boo hoo

I really find your posts very childish and trying to get a reaction rather than trying to debate the issue, so will give them the respect they deserve

thebman

Tim Robbins wrote: »

The PDs went after that vote and look what happened. Remember this is Ireland. Everything is the opposite to rational common sense.

Your question is a kin to the question, why is it everyone in Ireland moans about developers, planning but will never write a planning objection or contact their county councillors to see who is voting for what?

The PD's got into government

A real, proper, liberal party would get my vote and don't really consider myself the most liberal person but Ireland needs steering in a more liberal direction.

The government is far too involved in areas they have no real need to be in and are just interfering with things they don't really understand.

Its not only unneeded management but as they don't know what they are doing, it is bad management too.

Hobby Horse

Public sector workers influence on the country doesn't come from their numbers or votes, but from the influence they wield in the administration of this country.

As far as I know public sector workers tend to vote along pretty much along national lines. The unions themselves may endorse Left wing canditates but that's not carried over into the support of their members at the ballot box.

Euro_Kraut

The reason that there is no 'private sector vote' is because the idea of the dividing an electorate on the basis of who their employer is, is ridiculous.

This Private V Public phenomenon has been set up by FF and their buddies in the Indo and Sindo as a way of detracting from the banking issue. It panders to one section of the community (in this instance workers from the private sector) by making them feel A) morally superior to others and hard done by.

It is a potent political tactic and I applaud their creativity. At a time when FF should be on 5% in the polls their vote is actually holding up at 20-25%. It seems that plenty of people have taken the bait. It may even by enough to allow FF to hold on to power come the 2012 election.

Denerick

Euro_Kraut wrote: »

The reason that there is no 'private sector vote' is because the idea of the dividing an electorate on the basis of who their employer is, is ridiculous.

This Private V Public phenomenon has been set up by FF and their buddies in the Indo and Sindo as a way of detracting from the banking issue. It panders to one section of the community (in this instance workers from the private sector) by making them feel A) morally superior to others and hard done by.

It is a potent political tactic and I applaud their creativity. At a time when FF should be on 5% in the polls their vote is actually holding up at 20-25%. It seems that plenty of people have taken the bait. It may even by enough to allow FF to hold on to power come the 2012 election.

I agree that the press has been doing some over the top national trolling, but the reality is that the average public sector wage, and job security is far better than the private sector. Considering the private sector support the public sector by its taxes and innovation and all round 'running' of the economy, I think its perfectly fair for private sector workers to expect the public sector to be on a par with them. Any other attitude will not do, the public sector cannot expect not to experience wage cuts in line with the recession. Benchmarking should work both ways.

ei.sdraob

Euro_Kraut wrote: »

The reason that there is no 'private sector vote' is because the idea of the dividing an electorate on the basis of who their employer is, is ridiculous.

Political parties have long targeted various "classes"

In modern Ireland we now have a protected "upper" class of public sector "workers" with the power to do great damage to the country

The OPs question is valid, why are there no parties targeting the large private sector underclass who get to live in the real world

skooby

IMO they are not targeting the private sector because they don't have anything to offer them. It will take some sort of devine intervention for somebody to step into power and create about half a million jobs in the morning. Targetting the private sector with promises of keeping their jobs safe is a political minefield. It looks as if it will be a long term recovery which will not be resolved in any term of office so whoever does get into power will be getting in on the strength of promises which will be not met in time for the following election.