Are you happy with how your GE vote worked out?

PomBear

As it says on the tin, are you happy with who you voted for?
Either your number one or who your transfer went to......
also, are you happy with who your constituency voted in?


For me, I gave my number one in Galway West to Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (SF), he didn't get in but did quite well, a thousand or so off fighting for the last seat. With his high vote, he was nominated to be a Seanad candidate and got elected there.

My transfers ended up with Catherine Connolly (Ind) who was eliminated on the final count so indifferent to it.

Galway West returned
Eamon O'Cuiv (FF): Not happy with him being re-elected at all for obvious reasons but everyone knew he was going to get back in.

Noel Grealish (Ind): Not happy with him either. Typical parish pump politicians who sits with the likes of Lowry and Healy-Rae. Spoke about 3 times in his last term and supported bank bailouts.

Derek Nolan (Lab), Brian Walsh (FG) and Sean Kyne (FG)- All First termers got in, all of which seem condemned to be silent in the Government backbenches. So not exactly happy there but can understand why their respective parties didn't pick them for ministries/junior ministries, just wonder is Galway underrepresented in the parliamentary parties as a major city. I wonder will it hurt them in the polls.....

What's your views and thoughts on howv your vote worked out?

Knight990

I gave my first preference to Shane Ross, and i'm quite happy that he got elected and is now representing me in Dublin South. I spread the rest of my votes across the opposition parties, Labour first and Fine Gael.

Shane Ross showed himself to be quite a strong voice in the Independent bloc, which gives me every confidence for what this bloc of people will be able to achieve (if they can work together, but that's an ancient problem going back a long way )

As for the Labour turnout, I think in hindsight it was a little much for me to expect them to be the majority party in what I figured was a completely likely coalition. Any notion of Labour leading alone was swiftly swept away by the reality of the situation.

I'm broadly happy with Fine Gael so far - I think the best was made of the situation in broad terms across the country and I share this sentiment in my own constituency.

I was always an advocate of the Independent politician, but with that I know that power falls to the parties ultimately, so I tried to balance both of these ideas and I figure it's come out well.

Seth Brundle

I'm happy that my vote helped ensure that FF or na glasraí did not secure any seats in Kildare N.

Beyond that, I feel its probably too early to make a decision on the performance of the government so far.

Denerick

Greens got my number one, Labour my number 2, and Fine Gael my 3, 4, 5 and 6 (They ran 4 in my constituency and 3 got elected)

I deliberately vote by party and generally think the individual candidate is irrelevant. With the exception of someone like Shane Ross, who I would have voted for in a heartbeat if he ran up here.

bmaxi

In Wexford we were spoilt for choice when it came to rubbish candidates. I immediately rule out FF and SF candidates, as far as I'm concerned anybody who associates themselves with those parties will never represent my views.
I gave my No.1 to Brendan Howlin and was then left with the dilemma of Larry,Curly and Mo for FG but as it was crucial to vote for them to ensure FF were disposed of, I went Twomey ,Kehoe, D'Arcy. I didn't take the populist Wallace route and the rest of the bunch were either disaffected Sinners or nondescripts.
All in all I'm happy with the way it panned out although I would have been happier if John (€15,000 is not a big deal) Browne had not grabbed the last seat.

My first 5 preferences in wicklow were all elected so yes I'm happy with that.

PeterIanStaker

Obviously I didn't vote for FF or SF/IRA, and neither of the candidates ran by them in my constituency got elected. Still too early to see how it pans out, but I'm not optimistic at all.

Jim236

I gave my no.1 to the Sinn Féin candidate who got elected, and was glad to see Labour got 2 TDs as well. Was a bit disappointed to see Fine Gael get a seat, but better them than Fianna Fáil.

Oh_Noes

I gave my number 1 to Sinn Fein and my number 2 to an independent. The Sinn Feinn councillor only lost out by a couple hundred votes in the end. It was frustrating because he lost to Nicky McFadden, who basically got in on transfers. She had signs all over Athlone saying "A Vote for McFadden is a Vote for an Athlone Cabinet Minister". Really a rubbish display of over-confidence from her seeing as she crawled in on the last count and is a backbencher who isn't at all vocal in the Dail. I'd be surprised if she spoke even once. Athlone is in chaos atm with the road restructuring and this clown does nothing about it.

I would like to see an end to the alternative voting system.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

Nobody I voted for got in. I should have transferred my vote from Mayo.

Jim236

Oh_Noes wrote: »

I gave my number 1 to Sinn Fein and my number 2 to an independent. The Sinn Feinn councillor only lost out by a couple hundred votes in the end. It was frustrating because he lost to Nicky McFadden, who basically got in on transfers. She had signs all over Athlone saying "A Vote for McFadden is a Vote for an Athlone Cabinet Minister". Really a rubbish display of over-confidence from her seeing as she crawled in on the last count and is a backbencher who isn't at all vocal in the Dail. I'd be surprised if she spoke even once. Athlone is in chaos atm with the road restructuring and this clown does nothing about it.

I would like to see an end to the alternative voting system.

So on the one hand you complain that your no.1 preference only lost out by a few hundred votes after transfers (which was only possible because of our voting system), but then when a candidate you don't like gets the seat, you think the voting system needs to be changed?

If we had the system used in the UK (First Past The Post), Fianna Fáil would still have at least 50 TDs because so many of the gains made by other parties were as a result of transfers and FF actually did ok on first preferences.

Btw we use PR-STV here, not AV.

bijapos

Jim236 wrote: »

If we had the system used in the UK (First Past The Post), Fianna Fáil would still have at least 50 TDs .............

If we had the system used in the UK (First Past The Post), Fianna Fáil would probably still be in power because in the 2007 GE they would have received a massive overall majority and would have formed a single party government. :mad:

Deise Tom

We should bring in First Past the Post in Ireland. A much fairer way of doing things in my view.

Liam Byrne

Going back to the thread topic, I'm getting increasingly p'd off at the current government's stance on continuing the ridiculous FF policies and hammering ordinary people even more.

We all knew that it would take time to undo the damage that FF did, but FG knew that when they started their election campaign, and screwing people who have been prudent and managed to put away some money for pensions, etc, is not the answer.

Fair enough if they left out the first €100,000 or so, but yet again they are hitting mainly ordinary people (although as an ordinary pension I can't afford a pension because I need what I get to make ends meet).

While pension income below €12,000 will be unchanged, income above €60,000 face a cut of 12%.

Source : http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/1124/economy_pensions.html

I've no problem with the "above €60,000" figure, particularly as they'd have (a) had the money in the first place and (b) gotten tax relief putting it in, but there's a massive gap between €12,000 and €60,000, and yet again it wallops someone who's barely getting by and simply trying to provide for their family.

Also, the telling point re who they are giving priority to is here :

There is no confirmation of when the Government will implement recommendations to tax retirement lump sums above €200,000.

Basically, screw the little person first.

We really, really need to get the guys in the Dáil to live on an ordinary person's wages of €25,000 - €30,000 and see what real life is like!

FG & Labour were a welcome improvement on the corruption, but they're not turning out to be much good in terms of fairness and policies.

Jim236

Deise Tom wrote: »

We should bring in First Past the Post in Ireland. A much fairer way of doing things in my view.

You wouldn't be saying that if Fianna Fáil had got well over 40 TDs in the last election (unless you're a FFer), which it would've under FPTP. Thanks to PR-STV, FF were decimated.

steelcityblues

Deise Tom wrote: »

We should bring in First Past the Post in Ireland. A much fairer way of doing things in my view.

It could recreate almost a One party State.

Plus, we've seen how the Lib Dems get shafted in terms of seats with this system.

sheesh

pretty happy.
the ffer lost his seat, he was useless even when FF were in power and spending loads of money.
the FGer retained his seat and is a gov Minister.
we have a new Labour candidate so now we have a minister and a second government TD in the consitituency.

It could not have gone better. Electionwise.

Of course the country is still fecked but you have to try and stay positive.

hatrickpatrick

Literally my top four candidates got in. Couldn't be happier.

My vote:
1: Richard Boyd Barrett
2: Eamonn Gilmore
3: Mary Mitchell O'C
4: Sean Barrett

Order of election:
Gilmore
S. Barrett
MMoc
Richard

irishh_bob

steelcityblues wrote: »

It could recreate almost a One party State.

Plus, we've seen how the Lib Dems get shafted in terms of seats with this system.

thats the point

StudentDad

I'm glad FF got wiped out at the election. The farther they are from the reins of power the better. Although, this country badly needs electoral reform. If I had my way I'd get rid of half of the TD's in the Dail and reform the Senate. It will be interesting to see if the current govt. actually reforms things as they promised prior to the election or will they drop kick the subject as far away as possible.

SD

Deise Tom

StudentDad wrote: »

I'm glad FF got wiped out at the election. The farther they are from the reins of power the better. Although, this country badly needs electoral reform. If I had my way I'd get rid of half of the TD's in the Dail and reform the Senate. It will be interesting to see if the current govt. actually reforms things as they promised prior to the election or will they drop kick the subject as far away as possible.

SD

Should get rid of more than half the county, city, town and borough councillors first. A considerable amount of them are there only to have their photo taken and printed in the local papers. There is one in Waterford, who happens to be the mayor and i never knew till this week what he looks like. Any function that happens and the mayor is asked to attend, you can be sure that its the deputy that will turn up and you never hear of him on the local radio or in the local papers bringing up anything at the council meetings.