Social Democrats

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120276068#Comment_120276068

Really? Is that how you remember it? Because I remember her showing honour and integrity in the face of cronyism and stroke politics by her FG boss, the worst health minister in the last 25 years. She was Minister of State for Primary Care. Some links might help you remember.

Shortall resigns as minister (irishexaminer.com)

"It is no longer possible for me to fulfil my role as Minister of State for Primary Care because of lack of support for the reforms in the Programme for Government and the values which underpin it.

"The public have a right to expect that decisions on health infrastructure and staffing will be made in the public interest based on health need and not driven by other concerns.

It deepened after Dr Reilly added two towns in his north Dublin constituency to a priority list for the location of new centres.

The original list, based largely on need in poorer areas, had been drawn up by Ms Shortall. 

Varadkar: Reilly move ‘like stroke politics’ (irishexaminer.com)

Health Minister James Reilly’s decision to add two sites in his constituency to a list of locations for primary care centres does look like stroke politics, his Cabinet colleague Leo Varadkar has admitted.

“It does look like it. I don’t know if it is or not. You know, you have to trust your colleagues to make the right decisions and make them on the right basis and I do trust Dr Reilly in that regard. But I don’t know all the details.”

Primary care centres - Stroke politics are an insult (irishexaminer.com)

Micheál Martin’s call for the resignation of Health Minister James Reilly over the preferment of two primary care centres in his own constituency would not have sounded so hollow if Mr Martin had had the courage to speak out in government when some of his own colleagues were engaging in the naked preferment of their own constituencies.

Two other areas were also included, following the intervention of government politicians — Kilkenny was included in the list even though it was only ranked in 151st position, while Ballaghaderreen was 244th. Ms Shortall says that she resigned as a junior minister in protest against those four late additions.

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Gilmore did not back his TD because he was too deep in the trough and was eyeing up a cozy EU job (which he still has).

Reilly was also the reason we still don't have a Childrens Hospital and it will cost multiples of the original plan. In 2012 he said it would be built by 2016 for €478 million. More fool you and the taxpayer.

Children's hospital 'can be built in four years' - Independent.ie

Cluedo Monopoly

On a positive, Shortall was an instrumental member and chair of the committee that produced the cross party Slaintecare report which had widespread approval.

However FFG have been slow to implement it and it's now falling apart with several high profile resignations from the Slaintecare Implementation Advisory Council.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120279751#Comment_120279751

More rewriting of history. You didn't refer to 'social issues' in your original claim. You said; "They'll pay lip service to more 'woke' issues to pull in gullible younger voters" which is nonsense. Leading positive change through referendums, particularly on the abortion issue which had divided the country for decades, is a lot more than paying lip service.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120280027#Comment_120280027

And she was the originator of MUP for alcohol, which eventually came in in January 2022.

Augme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120279634#Comment_120279634

To succeed at what, not getting elected?

Labour are still smoothered in toxicity from 2011. In that election they earned 19% of the first preference vote. In 2020 they earned 4% and and since then they have changed leaders twice and are still at roughly 4% of the vote. Labour have performed worse at each general election since 2011. Also, why would the social democrat TDs jump at the opportunity to get into power with centre right party FG? Labours demise was that they thought that it was a good idea for a left wing party to go into government with a right psrty and it would end up being a great success. A strange one at that really.

I'm fairly confident the Social Democrats primary motivation isn't to deny Sinn Fein power.

Annasopra

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120279288#Comment_120279288

Boundary reviews...

MegamanBoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120280047#Comment_120280047

Maybe there is a debate to be had on whether the terms 'woke' issues and social issues can be used interchangeably.

I wouldn't find it very interesting but more importantly it's of no relevance here.

Let me show you what's happening here with a very simple analogy.

Suppose there's a football team called FFG FC and I call them rubbish.

You say they're not, they won two games.

I say what about the twenty games they lost?

You refuse to talk about the twenty games they lost.

Sound familiar?

For Forks Sake

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120280455#Comment_120280455

Well, you got your rant out of the way, but you're entirely wrong.

Roisin Shortall, 2011

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30527547.html

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120279288#Comment_120279288

I sincerely doubt that she was going to get the vote of too many dairy farmers anyway. Michael Collins has cornered that particular market down there (along with the FF/FG candidates). Her core vote would be the alternative farmers and various bohemian types that you find scattered all around West Cork.

Her big threat will be SF. 2020 proved that there's a left-wing quota in the constituency so they'll be trying to win it. In the last election SF polled 24.5% nationally but only 10.8% in CSW. That was fractionally more than her own vote but she was able to get ahead on transfers. Currently SF are polling ~35% nationally. Some of that increase is very likely to make its way to the candidate that they run in CSW next time out and that might be too much for her.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120280455#Comment_120280455

The rest of the parties didn't stand idly by.

They all voted for MUP including SF.

The only voice in the Oireachtas raised against it was Prof Sean Barrett, a TCD Senator at the time.

Annasopra

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120280800#Comment_120280800

I dont think any predictions can realistically be made on any constituency until we know what the actual constituencies will be. We dont know because there is a boundary review and potentially 10ish new TDs

farmingquestion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120279422#Comment_120279422

She's young and says things young people like to hear.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120280489#Comment_120280489

There is no debate. You’ve jumped from using a very narrow term WOKE to the broader term SOCIAL ISSUES to try to hide your earlier mistakes.

MegamanBoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120281482#Comment_120281482

If anything wouldn't 'woke' be broader, given it could encompass cultural and environmental issues?

But anyway, you're obviously going to keep sidetracking, so good luck to ya. 👋

jmcc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120279598#Comment_120279598

The Dublin media wanted its very own Greta Thunberg. The problem was that they were caught up in that Children's Crusade and the Greens were only ever a fringe party. Had she been an FF or FG candidate, she might have had a chance of being elected.

Regards...jmcc

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120281588#Comment_120281588

No, it wouldn’t be broader. Woke wouldn’t include the issues you’re trying to drag in; “disabled, unhoused and leave the elderly die on trolleys”.

Lip service does not generally cover leading on two successful referendums.

Ten of Swords

Mod - If you want to discuss the other political parties in detail there are dedicated threads for them. Discuss the Social Democrats in this one please.

silverharp

The Social Democrats were Zero Covid loons if I remember correctly, they come across as the party of expensive opinions

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120281308#Comment_120281308

Recent indications are that it's going to be roughly 20 extra seats. So yes, if the current constituencies were maintained then half of them would see additional seats (They won't be maintained though because 5-seaters gaining a seat will need to be split into two 3-seaters).

Now, I take your point that we won't know for certain until the the Electoral Commission announces what the new constituencies what they will be. However we do have a good idea what might happen with the Cork constituencies. That's because we know that they try and maintain county boundaries and they try and maintain existing constituencies (unless a 5 seater gets too big and they need to split it up - and there are none of those in Cork). We also now have preliminary results for the Census, which we can use to calculate the TD/per head values.

So for the existing 5 constituencies those are:

1. Cork North-Central (4 seater) - 32,835
2. Cork East (4) - 32,733
3. Cork South-Central - 32,679
4. Cork North West (3) -32,004
5. Cork South West (3) - 30,744

With the highest representation per capita in the county Cork-South West is very unlikely to gain a seat. The most likely scenario is that some of the other constituencies gain seats and then the remaining constituencies (like CSW) will shrink in size. That way all of the constituencies will have their TD/capita ratios shrunk below the constitutionally mandated limit of 30,000. The concern for the left-wing parties in CSW would be that that could see areas nearer the city, such as Kinsale, being transferred back into Cork South Central. We should know for certain sometime this summer.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120279422#Comment_120279422

Well we're gonna find out if you're right

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2023/0226/1358983-social-democrats-leadership-latest/

Larbre34

She'll be eaten alive playing senior hurling. Swallowed whole.

I'm convinced now this is a gambit to lead into reunification with Labour.

elperello

Not every day we get a new party leader.

I wish her the best of luck, she will need it.

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120278315#Comment_120278315

Is Bacik still in politics?

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120278989#Comment_120278989

They surely would contest the next election, retiring is the same as handing the seats away and would probably finish the SDs

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120290151#Comment_120290151

She’s the leader of the Labour Party.

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120290166#Comment_120290166

I'll take that as a no then.

I remember her being elected to the post but it's been a bare cupboard since.

Allinall

Ok.

To answer your question- she is still involved in politics.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120290141#Comment_120290141

Assuming current constituency boundaries (which I know we can't, but that's another day's work) they're all in a fight to hold their seats (barring the two outgoing leaders if they run again). On the surface Cairns being in a three-seat rural constituency might make it toughest of all for her but CSW being very untypical 'rural Ireland' might be her salvation...

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120290212#Comment_120290212

I was being a bit drole, her leadership doesn't appear to be what is needed to refloat Labour.

If anything it is doubling down on the party being a South Dublin niche.

If the SDs merge with them. There would have to be a new name, Labour have a damaged brand now

It's a tough role for Cairns, don't envy her.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120290121#Comment_120290121

Don't underestimate women politicians or feel threatened by them. Like Catherine Connolly she is well able for the "3 unwise men".