Reasons to vote for Michael D Higgins

Pride Fighter

I'm just putting up a few videos which I think speak for themselves and in themselves are very good reasons to vote foe Michael D. Higgins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwidQilUWPs&sns=fb

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-vCJQ5lLPk&feature=relmfu

His final Dail speech.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJJ5q1_5jX8&feature=player_embedded#!


A fine candidate and in my opinion the best candidate who has given his life to Ireland and public service. He will continue to serve Ireland, should he win or lose. If he loses he will become in his own words an 'active citizen' where he will write and espouse his own message of social justice and equal rights. Hopefully he will win though, he will make an excellent president of our nation.

MadsL

Any man who calls a rabid neo-con 'political commentator' to stop being "a wanker" gets props from me...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOxKnsT-XZg

Zubeneschamali

The polls are showing it to be a two horse race, with Gallagher way out in front.

So, the main reason to vote Higgins is that if you don't, Fianna Fáil win an election. The usual 40% FF vote will be out, Higgins is the only one who can stop them.

CiaranC

1. Hes not Sean Gallagher.

jonniebgood1

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

So, the main reason to vote Higgins is that if you don't, Fianna Fáil win an election. The usual 40% FF vote will be out, Higgins is the only one who can stop them.

WRONG.

19% in last election-
If you want to go on like that we could say that its the Sinn Fein vote from 1918!

Snakeblood

jonniebgood1 wrote: »

WRONG.

19% in last election-
If you want to go on like that we could say that its the Sinn Fein vote from 1918!

That was hardly the usual FF vote, that was more the core imbeciles who were incapable of learning.

jonniebgood1

Snakeblood wrote: »

That was hardly the usual FF vote, that was more the core imbeciles who were incapable of learning.

So if someone voted labour in the last 2 elections they are still FF?

JohnnyTodd

Wee Man higgans gets my vote. Gallagher appears to have it wrapped up though.

Zubeneschamali

The last election was a freak: FF had just bankrupted the country for a generation and sold us all to the IMF/EU.

And they still got 19%.

Hence Gallaghers careful dance: he runs as an independent, but doesn't actually condemn Fianna Fáil. Once the FF core vote (still 40% from 2002, 2007) catches on that he's one of them, he shoots up to 40% in the polls.

jonniebgood1

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

The last election was a freak: FF had just bankrupted the country for a generation and sold us all to the IMF/EU.

And they still got 19%.

Hence Gallaghers careful dance: he runs as an independent, but doesn't actually condemn Fianna Fáil. Once the FF core vote (still 40% from 2002, 2007) catches on that he's one of them, he shoots up to 40% in the polls.

I understand the point. I just think its silly to say the reason is a FF vote when there are many reasons.

fishy fishy

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

The polls are showing it to be a two horse race, with Gallagher way out in front.

So, the main reason to vote Higgins is that if you don't, Fianna Fáil win an election. The usual 40% FF vote will be out, Higgins is the only one who can stop them.

omg everyone is talking about the "40% FF vote" all of a sudden. Just because it was mentioned in the media yesterday. Can people not think for themselves anymore - no wonder the country is the way it is with everyone quoting the media as gospel.

Snakeblood

jonniebgood1 wrote: »

So if someone voted labour in the last 2 elections they are still FF?

No, if someone voted for FF in the last election, they're a core imbecile who is incapable of learning. I thought I was pretty clear.

maddragon

Well, I have a Defence Forces postal vote and voted for Michael D last week. I pray to the souls of my ancestors and for generations yet unborn that as a nation we don't vote in a nobody from nowhere opportunist like Gallagher.

jonniebgood1

Snakeblood wrote: »

No, if someone voted for FF in the last election, they're a core imbecile who is incapable of learning. I thought I was pretty clear.

You were unclear, you are making no sense.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

Snakeblood

jonniebgood1 wrote: »

You were unclear, you are making no sense.

What don't you understand? Anyone who voted for FF in the last election (that's 19% of the vote) , after the ruin they made of the country, is a core imbecile, who would vote for FF under pretty much any circumstances. What isn't making sense about that?

Yahew

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

The last election was a freak: FF had just bankrupted the country for a generation and sold us all to the IMF/EU.

And they still got 19%.

Hence Gallaghers careful dance: he runs as an independent, but doesn't actually condemn Fianna Fáil. Once the FF core vote (still 40% from 2002, 2007) catches on that he's one of them, he shoots up to 40% in the polls.

you don't understand the term core vote. You can't, by definition, get lower than the core vote. The core vote is therefore, at a maximum, 19%. The highest vote isn't core, as it moves away. Core votes don't shift.

JohnnyTodd

Permabear wrote: »

This post had been deleted.

I hope you can afford the loss.... That hairless Cavan Coot is in!

Yahew

JohnnyTodd wrote: »

I hope you can afford the loss.... That hairless Cavan Coot is in!

It all depends on transfers. I have no idea why people would vote for developers either, and it is up to the opposition : Norris, Higgins, etc. to taint Gallagher's brand by calling him the FF candidate.

I think Higgins is playing this wrong. Here is what he has to say:

The Labour candidate said he never had a share, never had a company and was "100 miles away" from the Celtic Tiger.

He just lived of the State since birth. Outside his core, people are not anti-capitalist, or opposed to share ownership ( far more widespread than assumed). They are opposed to crony capitalism, and financial capitalism. Not the same as setting up a normal company, which far more people aspire to than actually do.

Ireland is so small every extended family has someone who is self-employed.

So, his choice of words when going after Gallagher should be more exact.

( As a non-socialist I would prefer Norris, or Higgins because they would lend a bit of gravitas. This guy, Gallagher, is an empty vessel).

Permabear

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JohnnyTodd

Permabear wrote: »

This post had been deleted.

Even if he does win, he'll be 7 feet under by next year.

smokingman

He's a big Johnny Cash fan...pretty good reason if you ask me.

Zubeneschamali

fishy fishy wrote: »

omg everyone is talking about the "40% FF vote" all of a sudden.

Look at the results of the general elections in 1997, 2002, 2007. The 1990 and 1997 presidential elections. The make-up of every local authority in the country.

FF get 40% of the vote, election after election.

Yahew

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

Look at the results of the general elections in 1997, 2002, 2007. The 1990 and 1997 presidential elections. The make-up of every local authority in the country.

FF get 40% of the vote, election after election.

They used to. Now they don't. Last time they got 19%. Keep up.

Zubeneschamali

Yahew wrote: »

Last time they got 19%. Keep up.

Actually, Mary McAleese got 45% last time, and Lenihan got 40% the time before, right in line with how Gallagher is doing this time.

Dr Galen

Permabear wrote: »

This post had been deleted.

What sort of odds did you get on that?

Personally I think what you plan to do with the winnings incredibly self centred and the epitomy of everything that is wrong with this country.

What you should be doing is donating to the Politics Forum Social Club

Yahew

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

Actually, Mary McAleese got 45% last time, and Lenihan got 40% the time before, right in line with how Gallagher is doing this time.

Clearly last time means the last major election. There is no existing 40% vote for FF. Gallagher is trending because everybody else is getting hammered by the media - McGuinness on IRA, Norris on the pedo rubbish, and Micky D is probably not a universal taste, although he could still win.

jonniebgood1

Snakeblood wrote: »

What don't you understand? Anyone who voted for FF in the last election (that's 19% of the vote) , after the ruin they made of the country, is a core imbecile, who would vote for FF under pretty much any circumstances. What isn't making sense about that?

If he gets the full FF support he will get 19%. Clearly that is not enough to get elected on its own.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

Zubeneschamali

The upside of Gallagher winning is that it puts one possible new face of Fianna Fáil out of harms way in the Áras for the forseeable future.

Snakeblood

jonniebgood1 wrote: »

If he gets the full FF support he will get 19%. Clearly that is not enough to get elected on its own.

I didn't say it was. I said the usual FF vote was 40% (which it was), their core vote is 19% (which it is) , and their core vote is composed of imbeciles given the circumstances surrounding the last election (which they are).

Edit:
I mentioned this because I thought that your example of Sinn Fein in 1918 as relevant today is a lot less applicable than the previous 5 election results for Fianna Fail, which were usually around 40% and only hit 19% with the calamity that Fianna Fail brought on Ireland, when the casual voters deserted FF entirely and all that was left was their absolute core vote.

Yahew

At €4000 it sounds like an expensive pair of headphones.

Then again, given what it needs to do I suppose it would have to be.





/ gets coat.

jonniebgood1

Snakeblood wrote: »

I didn't say it was. I said the usual FF vote was 40% (which it was), their core vote is 19% (which it is) , and their core vote is composed of imbeciles given the circumstances surrounding the last election (which they are).

Edit:
I mentioned this because I thought that your example of Sinn Fein in 1918 as relevant today is a lot less applicable than the previous 5 election results for Fianna Fail, which were usually around 40% and only hit 19% with the calamity that Fianna Fail brought on Ireland, when the casual voters deserted FF entirely and all that was left was their absolute core vote.

I agree. My point is there is more than the core FF people voting for him. There is clearly something else that people see in him. He is getting a higher vote with young people apparantly

anymore

Yahew wrote: »

It all depends on transfers. I have no idea why people would vote for developers either, and it is up to the opposition : Norris, Higgins, etc. to taint Gallagher's brand by calling him the FF candidate.

I think Higgins is playing this wrong. Here is what he has to say:

The Labour candidate said he never had a share, never had a company and was "100 miles away" from the Celtic Tiger.

He just lived of the State since birth. Outside his core, people are not anti-capitalist, or opposed to share ownership ( far more widespread than assumed). They are opposed to crony capitalism, and financial capitalism. Not the same as setting up a normal company, which far more people aspire to than actually do.

Ireland is so small every extended family has someone who is self-employed.

So, his choice of words when going after Gallagher should be more exact.

( As a non-socialist I would prefer Norris, or Higgins because they would lend a bit of gravitas. This guy, Gallagher, is an empty vessel).

There is one very important point that Labour party politicians should be making about the building boom. It allowed thousands of ordinary working class guys to take the step away from being masons, plumbers, carpenters etc emlpoyed by someone else all thier lives to becoming self -employed as sub -contractors and sometimes main contractors and many have very well for themsleves and despite the recession are still doing ok. Most of these people have gone away and built thier own homes and many of thier kids go to College and join the professional classes. Some have even done enormously well for themselves. It has been a remarkable example of people migrating from the working classes to the middle and evem upper classes.

LordSutch

Well if you want to vote for Michael D Higgins (or Sean G) then click here & vote Now . . .

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056430246

colly10

CiaranC wrote: »

1. Hes not Sean Gallagher.

Gallagher had 700k from enterprise Ireland pumped into his failing business. I don't think ye'd get that kind of money wasted it if weren't for his political connections.
I see it didn't take long for FF to get the vote again

anymore

colly10 wrote: »

Gallagher had 700k from enterprise Ireland pumped into his failing business. I don't think ye'd get that kind of money wasted it if weren't for his political connections.
I see it didn't take long for FF to get the vote again

I read from Phoenix magazine that the Irish Film Board gave over € 1 million in funding to Brendan Gleeson's movie ' At Swim' last year. This is in addition to the other development funding this movie has received over the last few years and is separate from any other funding the movies recieved from other cultural bodies. Apparently the invlovement of TG4 in this non irish movie allows the movie to apply for grants from the Broadcasting Authority of Irleland's Sound and Vision Fund.
The articles also notes that Gleeson is a very well paid movie star and is reported to have received $ 1.5 million for one movie alone.
So maybe this puts Gallagher's Enterpirse Ireland funding into some kind of perspective.