What factors influence Irish people when they are deciding how to cast their ballots?

Tevez101

Just what the title says, what are all the things that Irish people take into consideration when deciding to vote...

seamus

In order of priority:

1. How have they affected my pocket?
2. What have they done for me recently?
3. How does/did my Mammy/Daddy/Granny/Grandad vote?
4. What is best for the country?

Dr. Baltar

I just want a tax break and more civil rights. Happy after that.

steelcityblues

The "He's a hard worker" nonsense used by voters for national elections!

Also, petty county rivalries in certain constituencies where a Westmeath FF voter will give the Westmeath FF guy #1 instead of the Longford FF guy for that reason!

Pivot Eoin

Who is the least useless out of all these bunch of tyrants? - Definitely 1 Factor

Iwasfrozen

Guys. This is the title for an essay given to first year politics students in UCD. Fúck off op and stop trying to cheat, I'm pretty sure this counts as plagerism.

Tevez101

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

Guys. This is the title for an essay given to first year politics students in UCD. Fúck off op and stop trying to cheat, I'm pretty sure this counts as plagerism.

Yeah it is a title of an essay for first year politics.

How the hell am I trying to cheat?

I'm simply asking people with an interest in politics why exactly they vote because I'll learn much more from getting responces from real people than I would ever do from looking through pages of notes and books. And BTW I have actually read and studied all the relevant notes and just want to add to them, and the answers that I've gotten hear have already been far clearer and better than the notes, to the point and more direct.

Besides, your not even a mod so your post has no place here.

ressem

I'll learn much more from getting responces from real people

The way your question has been phrased, you're more likely to get a load of narky comments presuming to know the reasoning behind other peoples' decisions.

It does to an amount depend on each individual candidate and their opponents.
In Ballinasloe during the last election a local doctor tried to run for FG. The tactic used by his opponents to dissuade voters was that 'If he's elected, the town will lose an excellent surgeon'.

I'd suggest that this resonated with many people as politics isn't seen as a useful or valued profession at any level below minister.

I've also seen studies that suggest that proximity (distance from a TD's haunts to the voters home) is a very telling attribute that determines whether someone will receive a vote, all other things being roughly even.
This wasn't restricted to Irish voters.

T runner

seamus wrote: »

In order of priority:

1. How have they affected my pocket?
2. What have they done for me recently?
3. How does/did my Mammy/Daddy/Granny/Grandad vote?
4. What is best for the country?

TDs in Ireland are de Facto very powerful county councillors. They are NOT parliamentarians.

If TDs were people who spend 5 days a week being national politicians with local councils looking after the parish pump you would find point 4 might become more relevant to voters.

I dont blame the Irish voters their chlice is limited to the people on the candidate list.

An interesting excercise might be to pick the best possible Dail out of the 500+ candidates in the 2007 election.

Would it be significantly better than the current Dail?

Blatter

seamus wrote: »

In order of priority:

1. How have they affected my pocket?
2. What have they done for me recently?
3. How does/did my Mammy/Daddy/Granny/Grandad vote?
4. What is best for the country?

This.

Talisman

I believe in horse for courses ...

In the local elections I have voted for the Independent and Sinn Fein candidates because they actually take an interest in the local communities. In my experience the main political party candidates think you should vote for them because they are the party representative or or use the name of a relative for some recognition, queries about local issues are fobbed off with prepared statements that don't answer the question asked.

Candidates that make a decent local councillor don't necessarily have what it takes to do a job at national level.

For national elections I vote for the candidates that I think the Dail would benefit from and try not to base preferences on political promises. Any canvassers that don't have the time to answer a query about a statement or policy and just rollout the olde "Well just give us your #2 preference then" line doesn't get a vote.

pawrick

My order of priority in last election:

1. Candidate is not a member of FF or a FF person running as an Independent

2. Which party is best for the country out of what remains (assumed we needed a change last time around so counted FF out)

3. Who is the most local of the candidates from the party I have chosen to vote for and work my way down the list from there depending on proximity - not the best way of doing it but I have seen what having no local rep. results in from our current set up and if you can't beat them join them.

Liam Byrne

Personally :

1) Their view of ethics & fairness
2) Sustainable approach to taxes and development
3) Honest and straight-talking
4) A non-party-political view
5) A belief in and support of people happy to make a living
6) A belief in charging those who do the dog on resources appropriately (along the lines of the long-abandoned Green policy of "polluter pays", but in every area of life where such goings-on affect others, including expenses and general self-interest)

I know - it narrows my choices significantly. But I live in hope, at least until the next election.

PeterIanStaker

Factors:

Who does mammy/daddy vote for?
Did he shake your hand at de granny's funeral?
Did he get de pothoile outside de loacal pub fixed?
Is he a nice fella?
Did the name of the pub he owns appear on the shirt of the local GAA club?
Do ya see him at mass?

Its a joke. An utter joke.