Sligo/Leitrim General Election! 2015/2016?

Jayop

This is tough to watch.

Jayop

McManus is literally the only one here who would get close to a vote from me. Shocking performances from the two FG bucks, O'Hara is a one issue candidate and i'm totally against her. Casserly is a wet blanket, Filan is just a joke and McSharry isn't much better. Shouting every now and again doesn't make you a good debater. Sweeney whilst talking nonsense on most issues has made some progressive points.

EuskalHerria

Not impressed with what I heard. Late listening, started around 9 so may have missed a few things.

Needed more time for each candidate. Was always going to be difficult. So frustrating when candidates won't actually answer the question and just waffle. McLoughlin and Casserly were at it and Perry is the master.

EuskalHerria

Woah woah woah, Casserly is against water charges? She changed her WhichCandidate profile because that is not what was up there before.

Also it was telling for Perry and McLoughlin to mumble and not say they were in favour. Only Leslie O'Hora stated he was in favour, even though he's not the only candidate who is.

prodsc

Far too much waffle that the presenter allowed to happen, one of the reasons why Ocean fm is hard to listen to. I think he was too busy waiting to make a smart remark, some of which were quite good!.

Not sure I will watch the other 2 now.

Jayop

Frankly that was an embarrassment. Getting close to a spoil vote after that.

They must have been the least forward thinking progressive bunch of main candidates in any constituency in the country.

Drugs are bad and people who take them are bad.
No to a woman's right to choose
Mumble mumble
Water charges something something.

Shocking stuff.

Bebo stunnah

That debate's changed who I will and wont be voting for, except for those who are alligned to partys I will never vote for. If I wasn't so anti FF I'd have no problem marking McSharry on the ballot. Even Niall Delaney remarked "Sometimes I wonder why you're in Fianna Fail" - it's probably the usual drivel you get from a minority party member in the run up to an election.

Agree with Casserly being a wet blanket. And that question where she didn't want to answer about forgoing a teachers pension if elected (and entitled to a ministers pension too). Filan came along strong but I'm not interested in him after all the local trade people that were shafted by Shafin Dev who he was a director of, plus it's my belief Renua is just an offshoot of FG. I never heard of Sweeney, but would have no problem adding him after that, he seems a bit of a Ming?

Goes without saying that anyone who votes for the 2 FG candidates shouldn't be allowed to vote. They made sure they got their mandatory party written speeches in. Did anyone get a count of the word "Recovery" from them?

Necro

Bebo stunnah wrote:

Goes without saying that anyone who votes for the 2 FG candidates shouldn't be allowed to vote. They made sure they got their mandatory party written speeches in. Did anyone get a count of the word "Recovery" from them?

Ridiculous comment. People are entitled to their views. It's called democracy. You lost me anyways when you claimed the rambling Sweeney who coined a few phrases from last night's televised leaders debate and basically had no opinion on anything was viable.

I did agree on Mac Sharry though, if he wasn't FF he might be in with a chance of a preference.

rizzodun

I think like the national debates this suffered from very poor moderation. Obviously a lot of mumbling going on but just when they were loosening up they got cut off, jumping from topic to topic, and definitely an agenda when the issue of the cancer services came up. Not that I'd let Perry in particular off easy in that respect.

I have even less time for Filan after that too, to me it seemed every comment laced with contempt for the people around him.

Casserley dissapointed but didn't surprise by not actually having an opinion on anything at all.

Not much mentioned about tourism bringing business to the region, focus on SME's as usual, despite the fact we're so far from Dublin and the candidates haven't a clue about the general logistics of transporting goods to the far side of the country to export. We need alternatives to attracting manufacturing companies to the North West.

Necro

rizzodun wrote:

I think like the national debates this suffered from very poor moderation. Obviously a lot of mumbling going on but just when they were loosening up they got cut off, jumping from topic to topic, and definitely an agenda when the issue of the cancer services came up. Not that I'd let Perry in particular off easy in that respect.

Perry certainly deserves his roasting, but let's not forget the supposed moderator Niall Delaney has led the vendetta against him for the past 5 years. I'm surprised he turned up to be honest. If I'm being completely honest and had to (gun to the head situation now) choose between him and McLoughlin I'd take Perry. McLoughlin has been almost non existent!

I haven't a balls notion who to vote for this time round. There is actually no clear candidate standing out.

I'll never vote for SF, one look at the north and you can see how we'd end up - and that's before getting into their murky past.

FF presided over the worst economic crisis in living memory - and if they get back in this soon we deserve every austerity measure under the sun.

FG have some good points - but have failed miserably on others.
Labour are going to be destroyed by the people.

Renua intrigue me, I am in favour of their stance on crime but couldn't vote for their local man here for reasons already stated above.

Independent candidates make me laugh. Only concerned about the local issues when the country as a whole needs sorting out first and foremost.

Social Democrats came across well last night but are wishy washy on several key issues... And have no local candidate in this constituency.
PBP/AAA - No. Just.. No.

I'll probably vote FG. And horribly regret it.

Jayop

If your problem with SF isn't the past then what exactly is the issue with their governance up there?

Have a read of this for some real truths and not soundbites put out by FF, FG and Lab that the media has lapped up.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/sinn-f%C3%A9in-in-government-the-northern-experience-1.2534549

Necro

Jayop wrote:

If your problem with SF isn't the past then what exactly is the issue with their governance up there?

Yet, it fails to mention they talk out of both sides of their mouths depending on what side of the border they're on.

Water charges? In the South - abolish them!
In the North - you pay for them! Albeit through an admittedly better (but more expensive) system.

Same with property tax. Abolish in the South, Rates in the North.

And, as I said before - that's BEFORE we bring up their murky past.

Jayop

Necrominus wrote: »

Yet, it fails to mention they talk out of both sides of their mouths depending on what side of the border they're on.

Water charges? In the South - abolish them!
In the North - you pay for them! Albeit through an admittedly better (but more expensive) system.

Same with property tax. Abolish in the South, Rates in the North.

And, as I said before - that's BEFORE we bring up their murky past.

Do you know what you get for your rates?

For one thing it covers your bin collection which I pay McGrath Waste at least €276 a year for. It pays for proper road works and gritting in poor weather. It pays for regional leisure and tourist activities. If the rates/property tax in the south was set up for anything other than bailing the banks I'd condemn them.


Also, the choice to charge rates isn't one that Stormont has.

Necro

Jayop wrote:

For one thing it covers your bin collection which I pay McGrath Waste at least €276 a year for. It pays for proper road works and gritting in poor weather. It pays for regional leisure and tourist activities. If the rates/property tax in the south was set up for anything other than bailing the banks I'd condemn them.

I know exactly what you get for your rates having family in the UK. I'm aware it's a better system. I actually don't have a problem with them.
I expect that, should SF get into power, this is exactly what they will try to do - therefore not really abolishing anything.

Also does it not concern you that in over 15 years of being in government that SF have not had finance or crime ministers in the North? All sorts of alarm bells start going off in my head as a result. To me it means they haven't a clue in any of those areas.

EuskalHerria

Watching the parts of the debate I missed. I dislike some of you for not warning how bad it was.

Really liked the cancer services campaigners contribution though. I don't think that should be forgotten.

Jayop

Necrominus wrote: »

I know exactly what you get for your rates having family in the UK. I'm aware it's a better system. I actually don't have a problem with them.
I expect that, should SF get into power, this is exactly what they will try to do - therefore not really abolishing anything.

Also does it not concern you that in over 15 years of being in government that SF have not had finance or crime ministers in the North? All sorts of alarm bells start going off in my head as a result. To me it means they haven't a clue in any of those areas.

Those are the plum ministries and the dup keep them for themselves.

They've done great jobs in the posts they've had.

EuskalHerria

Heard a bit more today, for better or worse.

At a time when people are pointing at high rates for businesses in Sligo leading to financial hardship and closures, is it wise for Finbarr Filan to wander around with a smile after helping introduce the BID which will increase rates for businesses?

Necro

Niall Delaney is a disgrace. Absolute and utter vendetta against sitting candidates that he couldn't even leave alone tonight.

Jayop

Necrominus wrote: »

Niall Delaney is a disgrace. Absolute and utter vendetta against sitting candidates that he couldn't even leave alone tonight.

Vendetta against people who make pre-election promises, don't keep them and then make the same empty promises again??

Necro

Jayop wrote:

Vendetta against people who make pre-election promises, don't keep them and then make the same empty promises again??

It borders on obsession though. Sure every single politician makes promises they don't keep so I really don't get that argument.
Bit better tonight. Murray coming across better than other two FG candidates and might be best bet for a seat here.

Jayop

Necrominus wrote: »

It borders on obsession though. Sure every single politician makes promises they don't keep so I really don't get that argument.
Bit better tonight. Murray coming across better than other two FG candidates and might be best bet for a seat here.

Not all made them on this very same platform 5 years ago and promised their careers if they didn't deliver. Perry did just that and was properly called up on it. All politicians should be held to such account and publicly shamed for lying to the electorate.

Necro

Jayop wrote:

Not all made them on this very same platform 5 years ago and promised their careers if they didn't deliver. Perry did just that and was properly called up on it. All politicians should be held to such account and publicly shamed for lying to the electorate.

Sure they're all at it so I don't buy that. Scanlon and Devins resigned the party whip for FF over the same issue and then promptly rejoined when a little bit of the dust had settled. Devins didn't even have the guts to face the electorate afterwards. Perry will probably lose his seat and will deserve to. A moderator however is supposed to be impartial. Delaney is not.

Bebo stunnah

Tonights one is almost unwatchable with Gerry Reynolds shouting over everyone else.

rizzodun

Jaysus those snide remarks by Delaney are annoying, fair dues to O' Keefe for standing her ground and saying she delayed her view on fracking until she did some research, and getting a hard time for actually using her brain rather than running with the rest of them.

Necro

He started well I thought but cannot deal with any criticism at all. Afraid he'll look as bad as the other two FG last night.

Necro

rizzodun wrote:

Jaysus those snide remarks by Delaney are annoying, fair dues to O' Keefe for standing her ground and saying she delayed her view on fracking until she did some research, and getting a hard time for actually using her brain rather than running with the rest of them.

He's an absolute ass. Wasn't the last debate ran by someone actually educated in politics as opposed to sensationalist local issues?

EuskalHerria

As if we needed a reminder as to why Marcella McGarry was voted out...

Necro

Bree just shown up for the bully that he is. This has devolved into another cluster****

Jayop

I'm too busy to watch tonight. Hows the young buck from PPP doing?

rizzodun

Jayop wrote: »

I'm too busy to watch tonight. Hows the young buck from PPP doing?

He's at the table, so... there's that...