Would an election create a "feel good" bounce to restore consumer confidence ?

mikedublin

I think a General Election now would have a big benificial effect on the domestic economy, in that it would help "draw a line" under the recession. Thousands of people are at the moment scared sick over the up-coming budget, and I think a lot of consumers are saving as much as they can and waiting to see what happens in December.

An election would allow all the parties to put out on the table what they would and wouldn't do, and then people can have a chance to vote. Whoever wins then has a full mandate to do what ever they have said they would do, and can get on with it. And I think it would help create a "feel good" factor that would help encourage consumer confidence and get people spending and hiring new staff and we can get out of this much quicker.

I think there is so much anger out there at the moment, that it is holding any recovery back, and until that anger is released (in an election where the people and parties responsible are finally made to hear what the people think of them), we won't have any meaningful recovery or growth.

Do you agree ? I feel the current government have nothing to offer but more poverty, hardship and doom and gloom, and a new government - any new government - would be able to draw a symbolic line under whats gone before and get everyone working together towards recovery.

lmimmfn

how? we owe billions, were going to get heavier tax increases over and over for the next few years( not just this December, December 2011/2012/2013.... ), anyone spending is crazy

Whoever wins the next election has to continue implementing the 4 year budget which will be proposed to the EU/ECB in November. So they will have their hands tied completely in regards economic policy for nigh on their full term.

Firefox11

[
Do you agree ? I feel the current government have nothing to offer but more poverty, hardship and doom and gloom, and a new government - any new government - would be able to draw a symbolic line under whats gone before and get everyone working together towards recovery.[/QUOTE]

Unfortunately a new government will only offer but more poverty, hardship and doom and gloom. It may make the populace feel good for a few days but it will mean squat to the condition the country is in. The same problems will be there and the same hard choices to be made.

I can see an election maybe early next year if it goes smoothly, well then all and good. To be honest i could not care less. The thing worries me is that any sort of political instability seen from the markets will be the final nail in the coffin.

mikemac

Firefox11 wrote: »

Unfortunately a new government will only offer but more poverty, hardship and doom and gloom.

Will we see this sketch make a comeback?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLA-4zZM0cI

Sticky_Fingers

I understand the sentiment OP but I honestly believe that any "feel good bounce" would do more harm than good. To take and extreme example, if we had a general election next week and there was a candidate like Obama running I'm sure that he would be swept to power on a wave of optimism with a mandate of change.

The problem is that there is very little change that any government can enact that can wipe away the billions owed and the seemingly terminal decline of the Irish exchequer. All that hope would sour and we would blame our O' Bama for a problem that he never caused and had no hope in fixing which would lead to a a far deeper depression in the public moral and resulting in yet another lameduck government.

I personally don't want empty platitudes and promises of change for changes sake. If one politician or party was to come clean and tell me up front that the country is screwed and that we can't continue as we are I would have some respect for them.

If they presented a feasible plan of action on how to combat the situation, no matter how harsh or unpleasant I would listen to them.

If they then promised to follow through on their plan (assuming I agreed with it) I would seriously consider voting for them.

This sounds perfectly reasonable but the problem is that we don't even have politicians who can trade on their charisma and charm let alone speak the plain truth. We have the same old gombeens and used car salesmen that the public views with distrust and suspicion.

I see no difference between FF and FG, the Greens are in cloud cuckooland while Labour are boarding a rocketship to join them. We have independent Td's like Jackie Healie Rae (Sp?) who will no doubt get reelected and have unwarranted influence when he inevitably whores himself out to the new government.

There will be no great uplift in public sentiment, it will be the same old sh!t all over again except with new faces in cheaper suits.

*Feelingstressed, that is one excellent clip, makes me think that Ireland is just returning to its natural state of affairs after years of daydreaming (off to find the "coming home" ESB ad on youtube)

mikedublin

Its sad that people seem to have given up all hope that things might be different if we had an election. The fear and uncertinty - esspecially over the next budget - is setting up 2011 as a horrible year of even deeper economic contraction and job losses, emigration and business closures.

ei.sdraob

Are there any studies from the US in 2008 exploring the effect of elections on the economy? just out of interest

since alot of CHANGE was promised there


hey i have a slogan for FF running in the next election "The CHANGE TURN THE CORNER party"

mrgaa1

regarding the OP - if there was an election we'd hear all the usual rubbish about what we'd do and what they've done or haven't done - when alls settled down the same mess is there. As others have said the debt is still there, the unemployed are still there, business's are struggling.

I'd be more in favour of there being a united government for the next 12 months - where all parties work together and then after the 12 months an election to take place.
More than anything we need

1. Leadership
2. Unity
3. The best people doing the right job
4. Hard decisions taken on pay, taxes, removal of the fat from all sectors
5. Employment

In my view the first 3 are quick and easy to do. The last two are the hardest but must be done.

jimmycrackcorm

People are calling for an election right left and center to simply express their anger at Fianna Fail and to extract some sort of revenge. But after a new party takes power we'll still be in the same mess and what will people do with their anger then? All the focus has been on getting the government out; you'll never see someone posting "Get this shower out and then cut public service pay".

FF have taken some harsh and unpopular decisions - can we say any of the other parties will too?