Who voted for the greens??

Metalfan

Alright put your hands up and explain what ye were thinking cause to me it seems like all these guys do is try to find ways to make the cost of living in this country more and more expensive. They want to increase carbon tax, they want to increase electricity bills. Don't they know there is a recession on??

Liam Byrne

I've already indicated elsewhere that yes, unfortunately I'm guilty as charged.

In my defence, however, they lied through their teeth about FF, Shannon & Tara in order to gain my vote. (yes, I know now that I should have known better than to trust a politician).

And since getting into power they have voted confidence in con-men, shafted us with the NAMA / bank bailout, and taxed existing systems BEFORE providing the green alternative that would make it acceptable to punish those not choosing it, which is an approach that I would wholeheartedly support if they had enough cop-on to implement it.

So if it's any mitigating factor, I will NEVER, EVER, EVER vote for the parasites again, and will probably throw any visiting canvassers for same into the septic tank so that at least I can get something decent in return for their tax on same.....let them "inspect" it up close.

flutered

defineatly not guilty, as i had the misfortune to depend on them one time.

Cookie_Monster

I did but I already apologised for it here

Sleepy

.O/

Sorry. Voted for them as I didn't like the FG candidate, can't stand Labour and they had promised not to go into coalition with FF.

Won't make the same mistake again.

Metalfan

Liam Byrne wrote: »

and taxed existing systems BEFORE providing the green alternative that would make it acceptable to punish those not choosing it

I think you hit the nail on the head with that statement ... fine have your carbon tax etc but give us an alternative! ... If we had nice cheap affordable electric cars then great tax the gas guzzlers ... but we don't! We have to drive internal combustion powered vehicles so forcing us to pay extra as a sort of punishment for not driving a non existant (or massively expensive/impractical alternative) is a joke.

Metalfan

cookie monster and sleepy's apologies are noted and accepted on condition that next time they are voting they remember that Eamon Ryan is a dick

Poly

Sleepy wrote: »

.O/

Sorry. Voted for them as I didn't like the FG candidate, can't stand Labour and they had promised not to go into coalition with FF.

Won't make the same mistake again.

+1, I look forward to the day when Gormless, Ryan, Bolye and co. are fcuked out of office. Spineless b@stards the lot of them.

RobAMerc

I think this is the point - hardly anybody did vote for them yet they used the corrupt power hungry outgoing government to get themselves into power in order to implement their fundamentalist agenda.

Metalfan

RobAMerc wrote: »

I think this is the point - hardly anybody did vote for them yet they used the corrupt power hungry outgoing government to get themselves into power in order to implement their fundamentalist agenda.

yeah according to this guy http://rulehibernia.com/2010/08/carbon-tax-is-bull****/ the greens got a smaller percentage of the popular vote here than the BNP did in the UK. That pretty much sums it up really

shampon

Metalfan wrote: »

Who Voted for the Greens

Yeeha, whoever voted for the Greens should be taken up against a wall and

have a hummer drive overthem again and again at top revs in first gear...

Liam Byrne

Metalfan wrote: »

We have to drive internal combustion powered vehicles so forcing us to pay extra as a sort of punishment for not driving a non existant (or massively expensive/impractical alternative) is a joke.

....not to mention punishing us for not using the non-existent public transport system.

JohnMearsheimer

I didn't....I hope their next general election campaign will be about as successful as the Progressive Democrats in 2007.

Metalfan

JohnMearsheimer wrote: »

I didn't....I hope their next general election campaign will be about as successful as the Progressive Democrats in 2007.

I'd imagine it will the Greens will be hammered and FF will get off with only a few scratches the jammy ba$tard$

RobAMerc

I happened to be in the same place as Dan Boyle, Eamon Ryan and Trevor Seargent the other day. For the for time ever I felt some empathy with suicide bombers - I'd gladly have sacrificed myself to rid the earth of these 3 retards.

CoalBucket

JohnMearsheimer wrote: »

I didn't....I hope their next general election campaign will be about as successful as the Progressive Democrats in 2007.

And have one of their TDs voted back into government like Harney or completely obliterated to only 3 elected TDs (a 50 % reduction in their case)

RichardAnd

Though I'm not keen on any party, I have a particular hatred for the Greens. They used to be seen as different from the rest but after the 2007 general election, their true colours came out when they broke their word and went into coalition with FF. Being with FF wouldnt' have bothered me, lying about it however, that's a different matter.

They also took a hit when they badgered FF not to reintroduce the third level fees which is a very necessary step towards improving our education system. Rather than do the right and unpopular thing, they flew the populist flag to buy themselves a few votes off students.

I actually did vote for them last time round but it was my first general election so I wasn't as informed as I am now.

Cookie_Monster

Metalfan wrote: »

cookie monster and sleepy's apologies are noted and accepted on condition that next time they are voting they remember that Eamon Ryan is a dick

indeed, I'm going to vote them -1 next time

CoalBucket

In the UK if you don't get enough votes you lose your election deposit, I hope there is something like that here.

Or even better if you get less than lets say 500 votes you should be barred from running for election again

Liam Byrne

CoalBucket wrote: »

In the UK if you don't get enough votes you lose your election deposit, I hope there is something like that here.

Or even better if you get less than lets say 500 votes you should be barred from running for election again

In this country the reverse might work better........look at all the votes O'Dea & O'Donoghue and Healy-Rae get!!!!

I gave them a number two the last time..i wont be voting for them again..im actually pissed off at them for the damage they've done to their legitimate issues..

Scofflaw

I did, and will be voting for them again on the basis of the current record. Indeed, I'll be voting for John Gormley.

cordially,
Scofflaw

Dubstar07

Haven't voted for them previously, but prior to 2007 would have had sympathies towards the 'green' agenda. Still do mind but I don't think they are the right people to carry the batton.

Besides I emailed Gormley and Ryan prior to Xmas last year and still waiting on a response!!!

P. Breathnach

Scofflaw wrote: »

I did, and will be voting for them again on the basis of the current record. Indeed, I'll be voting for John Gormley.

Are you happy with his position on waste disposal?

Scofflaw

Dubstar07 wrote: »

Haven't voted for them previously, but prior to 2007 would have had sympathies towards the 'green' agenda. Still do mind but I don't think they are the right people to carry the batton.

They've never particularly been the right people to carry the baton, but at least they've been carrying it, which is more than can be said for any other Irish party.

cordially,
Scofflaw

Scofflaw

P. Breathnach wrote: »

Are you happy with his position on waste disposal?

What - uncomfortable? The Ringsend incinerator was never a huge issue for me, but I accept that he campaigned on the basis of objecting to it, so I can hardly cavil at his delaying it with the powers at his disposal.

Do I think the Greens are completely right on waste disposal more generally? Not entirely - I think they tend to get too focused on opposing particular forms of disposal, even where the numbers don't necessarily stack up.

cordially,
Scofflaw

Sponge Bob

I loathe Galway Greens, vermin.

Liam Byrne

Scofflaw wrote: »

They've never particularly been the right people to carry the baton, but at least they've been carrying it, which is more than can be said for any other Irish party.

Unfortunately they're 100% interested in using that baton to beat people with, without offering a single carrot in return.

RayM

I gave the Greens (Deirdre de Burca) a second or third preference in the last election. I wouldn't completely rule out voting for them again (albeit in the distant future), if they're still in existence, hopefully in a new and detoxified form. While they've brought their impending electoral rout upon themselves, I think Irish politics will be poorer without them.

Scofflaw

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Unfortunately they're 100% interested in using that baton to beat people with, without offering a single carrot in return.

I'm sure they'd love to give you a carrot, but the carrot jar is empty, just now. Even Fianna Fáil don't seem to be handing out carrots, and that's pretty much their raison d'etre.

cordially,
Scofflaw

Liam Byrne

Scofflaw wrote: »

I'm sure they'd love to give you a carrot, but the carrot jar is empty, just now. Even Fianna Fáil don't seem to be handing out carrots, and that's pretty much their raison d'etre.

cordially,
Scofflaw

I've news for ya......my carrot jar is empty too, so until the Greens provide alternatives and recognise that yes, I am concientious ALREADY about green issues so no "stick" will change my behaviour, they're not getting a cent more from me.

Oh - and P.S. There's still plenty carrots for the likes of Callely and Dempsey & Co, so I would suggest they start there and stop voting confidence in the likes of O'Donoghue and O'Dea.....maybe THEN we could take the above comment seriously......"empty" my arse : only for ordinary easy-target people that they can screw every cent out of, but not for their so-called Government partners.

Scofflaw

Liam Byrne wrote: »

I've news for ya......my carrot jar is empty too, so until the Greens provide alternatives and recognise that yes, I am concientious ALREADY about green issues so no "stick" will change my behaviour, they're not getting a cent more from me.

Oh - and P.S. There's still plenty carrots for the likes of Callely and Dempsey & Co, so I would suggest they start there and stop voting confidence in the likes of O'Donoghue and O'Dea.....maybe THEN we could take the above comment seriously......"empty" my arse : only for ordinary easy-target people that they can screw every cent out of, but not for their so-called Government partners.

Fair enough - we've had that argument several times, so I don't see any point in going over it again. Once again, I congratulate you on being environmentally conscientious. You're probably more conscientious than I am - I recognise that I sometimes do need a stick waved at me.

cordially,
Scofflaw

ArphaRima

I have never voted for the greens. Quite simply I dont understand how anyone who ever read any of their manifestos could ever vote for them.
None of their policies ever made any sense. They never expected to get into power so they didnt have to.

Now that they are in power I see them as the most dangerous force in Irish politics.

People voted for a party based on the idea that they support environmental issues in general. There are ways of supporting environmental issues without voting in a crackpot party of ideological mental-cases who only want to tax EVERYTHING.

RATM

Scofflaw wrote: »

I did, and will be voting for them again on the basis of the current record. Indeed, I'll be voting for John Gormley.

cordially,
Scofflaw

I'm in the same boat here. I voted for them last time out and I most likely will do so again. I can't say Im 100% happy with their performance (standing by whilst public transport got cut, silence on Shannon, Corrib once in power) nor can I say I'm happy about Gormely acting the pratt over that incinerator solely (it seems to me) for local political capital when the national issue should be of more concern.

However I'm no longer the idealist who voted for them and am more realistic now. I firmly believe that the Greens in govt. have boxed above their weight and the raft of abuse regularly directed at them, largely by those who would never vote for them anyway, is evidence of their strong showing.

There's no doubt that the Greens have matured in government and that has meant sometimes compromising on their principles. But I accept that simply because they are still very much a minority party they can't just stamp their principled feet on every single topic of concern. This is realpolitik and you choose which battles you want to win the most and compromise on the others.

But for me the greatest trick the Greens will pull is yet to come. If they manage to get legislation through banning corporate donations then they will have certainly secured my vote next time out. This single piece of legislation has the potential to take vested business interests out of Irish politics once and for all. The same vested interests who populated the Galway tent and have this country in the mess its in. And for that the electorate can give out all they want about the Greens but they will have done all the people of Ireland a huge justice if they pull it off IMO.

Liam Byrne

RATM wrote: »

This is realpolitik and you choose which battles you want to win the most and compromise on the others.

The Greens have chosen all the wrong ones; and - stunningly - I mean ALL.

I will leave myself open to correction, but off the top of my head they have voted the complete OPPOSITE to how I would have wished and have introduced absolutely no legislation that I did want.

They have actively "counter-represented" me in legislation like NAMA and Shannon and electricity cost rises and Dáil expenses and Dáil discussions regarding con-men, and have done an amount of punishment stick-waving which negatively impacts my life and finances - despite them refusing point-blank to do a single thing about offering an alternative.

And I am - or rather was - a green voter.

I will be really, really glad to see the back of them.

bmaxi

Metalfan wrote: »

cookie monster and sleepy's apologies are noted and accepted on condition that next time they are voting they remember that Eamon Ryan is a dick

I must protest, on behalf of dicks everywhere.

Liam Byrne

Scofflaw wrote: »

I recognise that I sometimes do need a stick waved at me.

So do certain bankers and FF politicians and senators........when are the Greens going to start doing that ?

C'mere......any chance of waving that stick at Anglo Irish Bank, or Sean Fitzpatrick, or Callely, or Dempsey, or Ahern (where IS that report ?) or O'Dea ?

Or is it just the easy targets that your gang like waving them at ?

Scofflaw

Liam Byrne wrote: »

So do certain bankers and FF politicians and senators........when are the Greens going to start doing that ?

C'mere......any chance of waving that stick at Anglo Irish Bank, or Sean Fitzpatrick, or Callely, or Dempsey, or Ahern (where IS that report ?) or O'Dea ?

Or is it just the easy targets that your gang like waving them at ?

I don't know, Liam - the Greens didn't claim to go into government to be Fianna Fáil's conscience. That was the PD's claim. It's something I'd regard as a waste of time and my vote.

cordially,
Scofflaw

mikemac

CoalBucket wrote: »

In the UK if you don't get enough votes you lose your election deposit, I hope there is something like that here.

It's the same here

reprazant

Do people actually know that this price rise is a Green initiative?

The Indo insinuated as much when they kept mentioning the fact that it was a green initiative, but without the capital letter so basically making it seem as if it was the Greens without saying it was them. When I read it I instantly though that it was a FF piece designed to absolve them from the flak of the increase, which it seems to have done.

The increase is to be used to offset costs faced by electricity producers which are obliged to buy a proportion of renewable and peat-generated electricity. That sounds as if the original legislation which obliged the electricity producers to use renewable energy was the Green part and this legislation helping them financially is the FF part.

It Indo going for the Greens jugular is completely FF as well. I think anyway.

Rabble Rabble

They want to increase carbon tax, they want to increase electricity bills. Don't they know there is a recession on??

That is the cost of the green agenda. If you voted green that is what you voted for. If you voted Green to make youself feel moral supererior, well tough.

Carbon taxes et. all - which are necessary if the planet is heating - have to price things to change behaviour. So the tax has to be

1) universal( unlike VAT it needs to apply to goods bought by people on lower incomes)
2) high enough to change behaviour.

Denerick

I voted for the Greens the last time. I don't recall them ever having eaten children, launched nuclear weapons, or shooting puppies. But do carry on this self mortification exercise. Do whatever you can to make yourselves feel better.

loobylou

I voted for them, I thought they were a party of honesty and integrity. Will never vote for them again though, going into coalition with FF having categorically ruled it out beforehand was a step too far for me.
Should have learnt though, Labour had done the same after my voting for them many years ago, so I vowed never to vote for them again either.
FF I consider inherently corrupt.
I'm not at all convinced that FG are a whole lot different from FF and would not vote for them with Kenny as leader anyway.
Voting for Independents is relatively pointless.
Looks like I've run out of choices!!

ArphaRima

I voted for the Greens the last time. I don't recall them ever having eaten children, launched nuclear weapons, or shooting puppies. But do carry on this self mortification exercise. Do whatever you can to make yourselves feel better

I doubt you recall any of the things they did.
I'd say you're like 90% of the people who voted for them. You like being environmentally friendly, so voted for a party called the Green party. I bet you never even read up on their policies before or since.

You wont listen to any criticism of the green party because obviously we all hate the environment and any tax increases.

The Green party know what's good for us. By default.

Of course if we had a party called the Renewable party or some sh1t you might be forced to choose.

OhNoYouDidn't

This thread right here sums up why Irish politics is and will remain a corrupt cesspit. A principaled party got into government and are trying to push through an agenda for our own good as a country versus what we want to hear. The polluter pays principal is inherently sound, planning needs to be fixed etc. FF won't fix it on their own.

The nasal whining from people because they might have to actually pay their way as opposed to the old cute hoor politics is pathetic.

Fine, some people don't care about the environment or the wider community. But the vitriol towords any party that does things slightly differently is a very telling aspect of Irish policitcal life and directly contributes to the torpid mess we are in today.

ArphaRima

How dare I for wanting sensible governance.

OhNoYouDidn't

fluffer wrote: »

I doubt you recall any of the things they did.
I'd say you're like 90% of the people who voted for them. You like being environmentally friendly, so voted for a party called the Green party. I bet you never even read up on their policies before or since.

You wont listen to any criticism of the green party because obviously we all hate the environment and any tax increases.

The Green party know what's good for us. By default.

Of course if we had a party called the Renewable party or some sh1t you might be forced to choose.

Thats a strawman. No-one is actually saying the Greens are doing a particularly good job. But what they are saying is the level of abuse that goes their way is entirely disproportionate.

Any possibility of a new way in Irish politics gets destroyed by cynics and begrudgers.

OhNoYouDidn't

fluffer wrote: »

How dare I for wanting sensible governance.

That FF provide? :rolleyes:

The Greens are at least trying to change things for the better.

This is a threat to some people

Denerick

fluffer wrote: »

I doubt you recall any of the things they did.
I'd say you're like 90% of the people who voted for them. You like being environmentally friendly, so voted for a party called the Green party. I bet you never even read up on their policies before or since.

You wont listen to any criticism of the green party because obviously we all hate the environment and any tax increases.

The Green party know what's good for us. By default.

Of course if we had a party called the Renewable party or some sh1t you might be forced to choose.

Thanks for knowing so much about me personally. I was fully aware of their manifesto and disagreed with large parts of it. I voted for them because I didn't want to vote for the big three, who were essentially arguing over the same thing. Fine Gael in particular were complete hypocrites, wanting to pump the boom at the time and running with ridiculously populist policies, such as an end to road tolls.

Without your analysis of my state of mind or complete lack of political knowledge I would never be able to achieve a state of political progression, so thank you for the generous use of your time, devoted to bettering me as a person.

Liam Byrne

Scofflaw wrote: »

I don't know, Liam - the Greens didn't claim to go into government to be Fianna Fáil's conscience. That was the PD's claim. It's something I'd regard as a waste of time and my vote.

cordially,
Scofflaw

No - They actually claimed that they wouldn't go in there with them at all. So I didn't vote for them "to be FF's conscience".

And anyway.....if there are GOVERNMENT decisions to excuse and condone such behaviour, then the Greens can simply be THEIR OWN conscience and vote accordingly.

So given the way they've voted on those issues, combined with their tax first and maybe (but probably not) provide an alternative further down the line, they're not worth their place in the Dáil, let alone a Government.

Others saying that the level of venom sent in the Green's direction is disproportionate are missing the point completely.

ANYONE who supported stopping the abuse of Shannon / Tara and was elected based on that, and then did a u-turn upon landing on a seat would be criticised
ANYONE who condoned O'Dea's behaviour will be criticised
ANYONE who voted confidence in Cowen - the idiot who led us into this mess with unsustainable policies - would be criticised
ANYONE who voted for NAMA and bailing out the cesspit that is Anglo wiould be criticised
ANYONE who reckons the waste in so-called "expenses" is acceptable and doesn't propose to change the rules once and for all would be criticised
ANYONE who proposes taxes to punish people who have no alternative would be criticised

ANYONE = from any party, FG or Labour included

It's not about the size of them versus FF; it's about the decisions they've made that are unacceptable, and the inaction and "happy to stay in power" mentality that overrides any ethics or good of the country.

Denerick

To be fair to the Greens, they do know that much of their support in the last election was soft and that they will be lucky to hang on to two seats this time round. Gormly is likely to lose his seat, for one.