Election

Bristolscale7

Paddy Power is giving 8/13 odds that the next government will be FF/FG. FG minority is the next closest but by a solar system at 6/1.

realdanbreen

Bristolscale7 wrote: »

Your tirade against D4 nabobs (although I'm sympathetic) qualifies as derailing.

Tirade! , you're having a laugh!

Akrasia

Absolam wrote: »

I take a different view (strangely enough ). I won't vote for candidates from the main political parties because I know that no matter what they say, the party will do whatever is best for the party regardless of whether it is good for the country, or the people of the country; up to and including sabotaging or reversing good initiatives by other parties. I'll vote for independents who may disagree with me on certain fundamental issues (like abortion or school patronage) if I believe they will honestly represent and advocate on behalf of their constituency, and vote on national & international issues in a way they genuinely believe will be to the benefit of the people, even though I might disagree with how they vote. I want the TDs that represent me to have a genuine desire to be of public service and not be motivated by self interest. Which is probably too much to ask but there you go!

The whole system is a bit of a mess though, because in the unlikely event that you manage to elect a principled honest publicly minded independent politician, that fact that he/she has these attributes makes it guaranteed that he/she will never have any influence on any of the decisions of the government


The government will occasionally require independents to make up the majority so they can form a government, but they're not going to choose anyone with any principles, they'll choose someone who has a price and can be bought.

They'll choose Michael Healy Rae because they know that he'll vote the way he's told to vote as long as his constituency gets the new schools and roads and grants that he asks for.

PopePalpatine

realdanbreen wrote: »

Why do you regard an opinion contrary to your opinion as 'derailing' the discussion?

JimmyBottlehead was talking about a politician who epitomises the "parish pump"-type independent candidate, and you tried to derail the discussion by bringing in D4 and Ireland's own wannabe "Wolf of Wall Street"-types.

For the record, I don't think someone from either of the latter two groups would be seen dead using country music in their campaign. :pac:

Stealthfins

Akrasia wrote:

They'll choose Michael Healy Rae because they know that he'll vote the way he's told to vote as long as his constituency gets the new schools and roads and grants that he asks for.

That's politics and democracy in a nutshell.

We vote in who's the best person who'll bring positive changes to our locality.

realdanbreen

Akrasia wrote: »

They'll choose Michael Healy Rae because they know that he'll vote the way he's told to vote as long as his constituency gets the new schools and roads and grants that he asks for.

Very silly of them. I hate new schols and roads and grants!

PopePalpatine

realdanbreen wrote: »

Very silly of them. I hate new schols and roads and grants!

I don't think Akrasia was giving out because the Healy-Raes were asking for new schools, roads and grants - just that they want them for Kerry, with little regard for the rest of the country.

lazygal

realdanbreen wrote: »

Very silly of them. I hate new schols and roads and grants!

I hate them too, when they're not provided because of need but because of a vote in Leinster house needing to go the right way.

Kiwi in IE

I'm really not very concerned about whatever candidate I vote for is going to do specifically for this electorate. I am more concerned with national issues in a general election.

Kiwi in IE

Stealthfins wrote: »

We vote in who's the best person who'll bring positive changes to our locality.

Is that not the point of local elections? Should general elections not focus on who is more likely to bring positive changes to the country as a whole?

Kiwi in IE

The longer I am here and the more I know about the way things work, the less I understand about the place. Anyone who votes according to 'family tradition' or 'civil war politics' without any proper consideration for the issues and the manifestos of those they are voting for, need to grow up! How is it rational to vote according to the past while completely ignoring the future?

Jimmy Bottlehead

realdanbreen wrote: »

Maybe if he had a private school D4 accent or talked hor$esh1t like some of the 'financial advisors' and developer types it might be more acceptable?

Maybe if he didn't use a ridiculous song to entertain voters and put forth an articulate agenda, it would be more impressive.

I'm from sligo so country accents don't phase me. Idiotic locally-driven pedants like the Healy-Raes are an embarrassment for both their socially backward views (against marriage equality) and their lack of focus on the bigger national picture.

Kiwi in IE

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Maybe if he didn't use a ridiculous song to entertain voters and put forth an articulate agenda, it would be more impressive.

I'm from sligo so country accents don't phase me. Idiotic locally-driven pedants like the Healy-Raes are an embarrassment for both their socially backward views (against marriage equality) and their lack of focus on the bigger national picture.

I just looked this twit up. He was responsible for removing the number 13 from car licence plates to 'save the motor industry'. Says it all!

Perhaps this time he should have campaigned to ban three sixes from appearing together in PPS numbers.

Absolam

Akrasia wrote: »

The whole system is a bit of a mess though, because in the unlikely event that you manage to elect a principled honest publicly minded independent politician, that fact that he/she has these attributes makes it guaranteed that he/she will never have any influence on any of the decisions of the government

So all I need is for everyone to forget the civil war and start voting for independents? Simples!

PopePalpatine

Seeing as we're on the eve of the election, I wish there was a thread like this in t'udder forum. It'd be fun watching the Catholic Right trying to balance FF's policy on holding a referendum on the 8th Amendment against their support for the marriage equality referendum, and wailing about how FG betrayed the "pro-life promise". :pac:

Huntergonzo

PopePalpatine wrote: »

Seeing as we're on the eve of the election, I wish there was a thread like this in t'udder forum. It'd be fun watching the Catholic Right trying to balance FF's policy on holding a referendum on the 8th Amendment against their support for the marriage equality referendum, and wailing about how FG betrayed the "pro-life promise". :pac:

It would be fun alright, but I'd imagine there'd be warnings aplenty if we arrived over there with opposing views to theirs.

The religious generally prefer the aul censorship, the little rascals.

Kiwi in IE

Haha one of the ones who has complained on that thread has more posts in A&A than she does in Christianity.

realdanbreen

Kiwi in IE wrote: »

Haha one of the ones who has complained on that thread has more posts in A&A than she does in Christianity.

That's probably because the A&A forum is a cosier place what with the small numbers of A&A'S that are out there!

realdanbreen

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Maybe if he didn't use a ridiculous song to entertain voters and put forth an articulate agenda, it would be more impressive.

I'm from sligo so country accents don't phase me.

Wow! country accents don't 'phase ' you. It's a sign of the inferiority complexes of some around here that they would be influenced by someones accent.

Huntergonzo

realdanbreen wrote: »

That's probably because the A&A forum is a cosier place what with the small numbers of A&A'S that are out there!

Why how many are out there? Is there a definite figure?

seamus

Kiwi in IE wrote: »

Is that not the point of local elections? Should general elections not focus on who is more likely to bring positive changes to the country as a whole?

Yes. But many people don't understand this. They vote local politicians to the national parliament on the basis of what they will do for the locality.

It's the very definition of populism, and it's why the Healy-Raes get voted in Kerry - to hell with what's best for the country, I want a well-paved bohreen and a full service hospital in a country town.

Largely the problem was caused by governments in the 1970s and 1980s. They recognised that the path to national elections was in pulling strings at a local level and bullying the local council into doing things for them. So over a number of governments, powers were continually taken from local government and moved to national government until the local councillors were little more than whipping boys and gophers for the local TDs. Local governments had to (and still do) beg the Dail for funding, which meant that the government's constituencies were well funded, while those who had few representatives in government (like Donegal), were continually left out of the loop and underfunded.

That is slowly coming back now, the introduction of local property tax vested a lot more power in the local government, and the ability of TDs to meddle in local affairs is being slowly but surely curtailed because major infrastructural powers - building roads, managing water, building schools - has been moved to national authorities who don't answer to the local TD.

realdanbreen

Huntergonzo wrote: »

Why how many are out there? Is there a definite figure?

What is it with you A/A guys and figures? Rainman wouldn't get a look in with some of you!

Bristolscale7

Voted this morning. I remarked to one of the workers that turn out seemed low and she said the numbers were down. I'm not sure which parties benefit most from low turn out.

Cabaal

Bristolscale7 wrote: »

Voted this morning. I remarked to one of the workers that turn out seemed low and she said the numbers were down. I'm not sure which parties benefit most from low turn out.

Surely its abit too early to comment on voter turnout?

seamus

Bristolscale7 wrote: »

Voted this morning. I remarked to one of the workers that turn out seemed low and she said the numbers were down. I'm not sure which parties benefit most from low turn out.

Would have said it was pretty busy myself for 7:30 in the morning. That said I'm at a new polling station so I've no frame of reference, and the station is very central so would be on a lot of peoples' way to work.

Other stations I passed on the way in were pretty quiet alright.

When things are going well and/or it hasn't been a particularly robust campaign, numbers do tend to be down.

Huntergonzo

realdanbreen wrote: »

What is it with you A/A guys and figures? Rainman wouldn't get a look in with some of you!

Haha ok ok I'm sorry for asking relevant questions, continue on with your conjecture.

sheep?

Isn't it usually in the evening when the turnout is higher? People coming home from work, students back from college etc.

realdanbreen

Bristolscale7 wrote: »

Voted this morning. I remarked to one of the workers that turn out seemed low and she said the numbers were down. I'm not sure which parties benefit most from low turn out.

Made an early start to voting myself as I have a number of votes to cast and Tipperary is a big county.

lazygal

realdanbreen wrote: »

Made an early start to voting myself as I have a number of votes to cast and Tipperary is a big county.

Hi Mattie.

Trent Houseboat

My polling station was very quiet, but this is my first general election going there so I have nothing to compare it too.
If numbers are low, I certainly couldn't blame the weather as I saw a queue out the door of a McDonalds of people looking for a free breakfast.

McMuffin Early, McMuffin Often.