Would you support a new Rural Political Party

Bangoverthebar

Would you support a new Rural Political Party.

I would, but would like it to be independent of the ifa, icmsa, beef plan etc.

If should represent all rural ireland not be fragmented into tillage or dairy interests and the like.

A couple of things i would support in a manifesto.

- No government support for Lobby groups (an taisce)

- full financial disclosure of funding recieved and if coming from shell companies the true owner of same must be disclosed.

- any enviromental policy changes to be relfected across all industry and society and farming not carry the lions share of change/hardship.

- a complete stop put on the changes placed on the livestock sector until the rest of industry caught up.

Siamsa Sessions

Who would you get to stand for election?

mr.stonewall

It could be similar to the protest vote with sinn fein at the last election. I get the feeling that many in FF and FG would be really worried if a rural part were to get a bit of momentum going into a general election.

I personally would support one

alps

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058294224/would-you-support-a-new-rural-political-party

What do you mean by support?

Once you've found this faultless foolproof ideal candidate, will you..

Put your hand in your pocket to fund their expenses and time missed from work?

Fundraise?

Canvess every evening after work?

Go to meetings to formulate and direct policy programmes?

Present yourself to your friends and colleagues as this candidate's supporter?

Or do you mean give them a vote?

Bangoverthebar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120528125#Comment_120528125

I would back a rural party as you suggest or should we just lie down and get bowled over by the green agenda.

I for one and am sick or hearing enviro experts on our national airways spewing lies and saying Agri is the biggest polluter.

Total bull shite, Fosil fuel use is the biggest polluter but its segemented into transport, energy etc to male it look like only a minor problem.

No politican is faultless.

I want to farm for my life and i want my son to farm, if he wants to for his life. We needs less government not more.

Bangoverthebar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120527742#Comment_120527742

Plenty of clever articulated people in all aspects of farming.

ESetter

I would reckon that its not just farmers that would vote for a rural political party. Rural people are very fed up of the anti rural stance taken by this govt. We can do nothing right in their eyes

alps

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120528377#Comment_120528377

Fair play👍

endainoz

It would make zero difference against those policies you mentioned, they're mostly EU directives anyway. It's pretty much a guarantee the greens will not be in the next government, but this so called green agenda is going absolutely nowhere.

Barring a major surprise, the next government will be a left leaning coalition comprising of Sinn Fein, Labour, Social Democrats and PBP. None of these seem to care much about rural Ireland. Social democrats in particular seem to be hell bent on demonising horse, and dog racing amongst other rural centric things.

This rural party craic is stuff pushed but the likes of the healy raes who are bigger gangsters than anyone in the Dail.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058294224/would-you-support-a-new-rural-political-party

any enviromental policy changes to be relfected across all industry and society and farming not carry the lions share of change/hardship.

Lions share 🙄, I'd love to know how you're measuring that as argiculture has the lowest % reduction to achieve and will remain the highest in terms of emissions by a country mile. So much so that other sectors of the economy have to pick up the slack

Like a lot of things in life my answer is "it depends".

I'm glad in the title it's framed as a "rural party", I think that's more important than anything. I've heard "farmers party" mentioned and that's just a bad result waiting to happen.

It would depend on the proposed policies.

But, for a party with a positive view and able candidates I'd vote for, and canvass for them.

I think the biodiversity strategy and the nature restoration law are existential threats to my way of life. Adversaries will frame that as preferring to burn down the planet when it is not, I simply disagree with the new religions masquerading as science.

Michael Fitzmaurice is an able operator and he's correct to say the programme for Government is where it's at. We're either at the table or outside the door, I think where we're at right now is clearly outside the door.

FG & FF politicians are largely no longer interested, I'd argue they haven't been for some time. A lot of politicians on the so called left are openly, maybe ignorantly, anti farming.

Just for balance, farming itself does itself no favours a lot of the time, including our lobby groups.

SuperTortoise

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120529219#Comment_120529219

Farmland is a carbon sink, you should be thanking us for storing all of your carbon emissions for you. We should be charging you for the privilege except policy makers are as corrupt as the day is long and nobody counts carbon capture from farmland.

No other industry you listed can claim to capture more carbon that it emits.

You'll have to try a bit harder next time pinning the blame on Irish agriculture.

Jim_Hodge

That's not a rural party, it's a farmers party. I live in a very rural area but less than 10% of people in the area have anything to do with agriculture. Rural areas need more specific representation but it cannot be dictated by farming interests only.

Furze99

I might/ likely would but can see problems in that rural Ireland is really quite diverse with multiple issues. There are however some big interest groups in that mix and these could / would inevitably dominate the agendas and policies, leading to others being side lined.

There's a bunch of rural independents there as a core but some chancers in there and I doubt if all could pull together for more than a couple of days.

Birdnuts

Don't think it will go anywhere - majority of larger/intensive farmers will still vote FFG. I also think it will be the next CAP that will shape the future of farming post 2028 and no one in the sector here appears to be aware or awake to that, lest of all the main farming orgs who seem to think the CAP budget will just keep expanding as the EU expands, to maintain the current bloated structure that just favours big agri business, while farmer numbers, farmland environmental quality etc. continues to decline across the block.

Birdnuts

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120529346#Comment_120529346

Very true - rural Ireland is very different now to what it was only a few decades ago. Many living there now have no connection to farming and are unlikely to be that motivated on agendas that the likes of the IFA want to push

Siamsa Sessions

How soon before this thread descends into a slagging match?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120529482#Comment_120529482

Sez you....

endainoz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120529482#Comment_120529482

Probably in the next couple of hours once more of the usual suspects see it trending....

Furze99

What might work better is a party dedicated to a region e.g. we live in the general south east and despite being fairly heavily populated, it's largely ignored in terms of public services and state investment. So could see that being attractive.

ruwithme

Was a lad got elected as a td for this constituency some decades back, based on it being the pothole capital of ireland. Another lad some year's later on a hospital closure issue.

The hospital closed anyway & we're still the capital for potholes.

John_Rambo

I'd imagine the party would be on the back foot from the get go representing a minority vote grouping although they'd garner a bit of support from urbanites originally from rural areas, but that would change as they got older and want to vote for improvement in the area they're rearing their kids.

A party concentrating on only one sector of the community is a tough call. All encompassing ones will have an advantage.

1848

The history of Farmers parties is poor - Farmers party in the early days of the state merged with Cumann na nGael to form Fine Gael in early 1930's & Clann na Talmhan in 1940-50's also disappeared. That was at a time when there were many more farmers than now. Proposed party smacks of populism - poorly developed ideas aimed at attracting votes. Look what Brexit & Trump have created & indeed the failure of Beef Plan in recent years here - all based on populism. Farmers need to influence the policies of the centrist parties - Fine Gael & Fianna Fail. Any party to succeed needs to have coherent strategies. Water quality is one of the first issues to tackle for agriculture. Improving water quality will take the pressure off agriculture - change in practices regarding slurry storage & application, reduced chemical fertilizer, buffer zones along watercourses etc. This has already been demonstrated e.g. Agricultural catchments programme in west Cork.

Packrat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120529229#Comment_120529229

As close to what I'd have liked to have written myself.

130,000 farmers spread across a country of maybe 2.5 million voters can't elect candidates.

As someone else said, many already have strong party loyalties which they won't drop.

I'd vote for a good version of a rural/farmers party but I think they'd be a bit player in the long term.

Many in urban society have bought ERs bullsh1t to some degree where few of them would support a rural/farming party.

Doomed to failure I think.

Bangoverthebar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120530575#Comment_120530575

Im not sure it would be doomed to failure in the short term. It would not take many seats to have a voice.

There are loads of issues for a genuine rural life focused agenda and i think people are sick of the Status quo.

Like any small business idea, you never know what you can achieve if you sit on your hands and do nothing.

mr.stonewall

So many constituencies across the country are often too tight to call for the last seat in them. They would be transfer friendly grouping in rural areas and this would be the difference. A group that could pull 10-20 seats at the next election from a standing start would have the potential to be king makers having upset the status quo just look at the greens at the formation of the last government.

While people are often set in their roots to party lines, this grouping could be transfer friendly. People want a different option. We only have to look the last presidential election and see what Peter Casey did from nowhere to second with the views of the silent majority. It could be easier to do this with a solo candidate, doing this will a group and holding the ethos of the group together will be vital, if they are to succeed

Clear message and everyone on the same page

Greengrass53

I couldn't possibly vote for someone who pays such little attention to their dental hygiene

screamer

I think the current proposal is too farmer orientated. There are far more people in the countryside than farmers and I wouldn’t like a new party to just be about them. Rural Ireland and policies in it need some joined up thinking, because right now it’s push everyone into urban homes, where services are under huge pressure already. Jobs are concentrated in those areas, but with hybrid working we are seeing huge growth in asking prices in the countryside where rural wages cannot compete with urban wages. Planning permission is also a huge issue, and these are just a sample of things. Overall I am suppportive, id like to see a bit more inclusion and I am utterly fed up of what we have sitting in the dail at the moment, on both sides of the trough.

Grueller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120530690#Comment_120530690

This post is very correct in that the countryside is in serious danger of becoming gentrified. Only the wealthy can afford to buy in it and if planning permissions disappear then where do the next generation of rural families go? I would be inclined to vote for a rural party.

Grueller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120530673#Comment_120530673

How very enlightened and open minded

older by the day

And let's say they get 15 to 20 seats. What then, would they go for a left government SF, social democratics, people b4 profit. Hardly.. so would they join a FF FF government.

It's a lot easier to be a hurler on the ditch. If I had a safe independent seat I would hold on to it, than be a stools weak leg.

Greengrass53

Yeah I think so. How could you possibly have any respect for someone who wilfully ignores something so basic.

fits

If ‘rural’ is shorthand for anti green anti environment - no I wouldn’t vote for it.

if it’s about rural regeneration and preservation and supporting village populations, better services, better transport links, supporting business and farming that is sustainable, rewarding rural innovation etc I’d be interested.

bogman_bass

It depends.

if it’s a eurosceptic or right wing party coming in by the back door they can take a running jump

If push comes to shove are they willing to form a government? If not it’s all hot air.

Downtown123

The bother with all of this new found support for farmers by a certain far right element is pure piggybacking on the success in the Netherlands.

I saw a tweet whereby someone was questioning the viability of a farmers party to which a troll replied with - we need to support our farmers, Brazil etc. - all the usual stuff. Then someone called out the troll that if you go back to his tweets from November he expressed severe disdain for farmers and all landowners. The far right seem to see farmers as an easy way of gaining votes.

Im surprised that Fitzmaurice is talking about joining them. I thought he’d be cuter than that. That said he’s around a long time and it’s time that he does something or shut up. He doesn’t want to end up as another Denis Naughton I suppose.

A sure fire way of knowing that this won’t be successful is the fact that Healy Raes are steering clear

amacca

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120534498#Comment_120534498

I presume the intended meaning of disappear is

That local people getting permission to build in their area might become a thing of the past + they wouldn't be able to afford the land anyway as rich toffs from the big schmoke would be hoovering it up and parachuting in with their Mercedes GL wagens and range rovers for the summer months ...

That's only partially tongue in cheek by the way...I'm aware of some areas where locals whose families have been there for three generations can't get permission to build on their family land (apparently they haven't satisfied planners etc regarding a sufficient connection to the area) but down the road non locals have put up what amount to holiday homes on plots that had an existing derelict dwelling they could afford to outbid the locals for......

K.G.

Irelands urban population is 3.2 out of 5.1 million.of that remain rural population how would could be classed as what I ll call real rural people.i ll throw a figure of 130 thousand as being farmers and we double that for partners so you re looking at 5 % of the electorat.what would be the" catchfire"issue that is going to draw the voters to the party.not making a point just wondering is there really a market for a party

alps

There are so many diverse viewpoints from within farming alone that even if the initial euphoria could get someone over the line, the honeymoon would be so short lived that it would soon decend into chaos.

Grueller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120534498#Comment_120534498

Take my local area. My Sister in law is a nurse working in the local hospital, her husband a garda in the same local town, their two kids are in the local primary school. They applied for planning permission on a site from her parents land. On the same road she has a brother, parents, four uncles and aunts and five first cousins. She was refused four times and was told that she had insufficient need to live in the area. This is effectively rural planning permission disappearing.

There is a development of houses released in the local town, a four bed semi is €515,000. Rural houses ready to move into are freely making this and above in our area, so ergo only the wealthy can afford them.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120537759#Comment_120537759

the likes of the greens would probably welcome such a new party. dilute the FF/FG/ind vote even further.

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120538017#Comment_120538017

This is it. So would Sinn Fein.

Keeping the greens and Sinn Fein out is a simple manifesto I could get behind.

Castlekeeper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120537942#Comment_120537942

That seems more like a kind of ribbon development than one off rural housing based on need tbh.

It worked well historically in peaceful rural societies for peasants and subsisting farmers but is not really compatible with any kind of sustainable modern industrial society.

On a side note, I, and I'd say a lot of people, would find living in the middle of that amount of relatives a bit claustrophobic!

whisky_galore

The healy raes are cute as sh1thouse rats. They wont join when they can have it every way as independents. They never do anything that goes against their own self interests.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120538106#Comment_120538106

I wouldn't vote for them.

older by the day

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120538530#Comment_120538530

Only people with short memories would. When asked how they would pay for their day dreaming schemes, an increase of inheritance tax to 40 percent will pay for it. They will crucify self employed people.

Grand job they are doing in the north. Even biden could not stand them too long.

Grueller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120538049#Comment_120538049

Proposed house is not Not ribbon development. Down a private driveway with 2 other houses and just about visible from the road. Probably 200 metres from the public road.

Grueller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120538009#Comment_120538009

Ya. It was in the post you quoted. No need to live in the area.

blackbox

I generally support farmers but "- No government support for Lobby groups (an taisce)" is ridiculous.

What you mean is you don't want support for groups that have a different agenda to you and a different idea of what "rural" means.

Farmers are a large lobby group - would you end government supports for farming?

Castlekeeper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120539045#Comment_120539045

Oh I just used the phrase ribbon development based on your post where you ourlined that 11 of her relatives had houses already on the same road. I obviously have no idea of the actual layout of the area.

You wouldn't normally see multiple houses built on a private road 200m from a public road.

Most such dwellings are farmhouses/limited to farmers. It's against general planning guidelines I think, backfield development or something?

They're probably better off in the long run as such a property would be almost unsellable.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120537789#Comment_120537789

Farmers have history for putting lobby groups into chaos anyway.

They won't put in any effort and then wonder why their needs aren't being delivered.

When Private meat processors were going from strength to strength farmers broke three or four factories in no time

BagofWeed

I've never been a fan of this urban/rural divide that a lot of people tend to buy into. Ireland only has one/two cities, Dublin/Belfast with the rest being rural. I always hear people in Cork etc moaning about how Dublin gets 'everything' and we get nothing and I don't agree with it as Dublin is severely lacking (as is the rest of Ireland) in transport infrastructure and planning for housing. The other common moan is about Dublin dictating to the rest of Ireland, more bull as most of our politicians 'dictating' from Dublin are politicians sent there from the rest of the country although I completely agree with the dislike of Eamon Ryan and I'm sure a lot of dubs dislike him too.

The concept of what is rural and what is urban is a complex matter too for example I'm technically in an urban area but personally it doesn't feel very urban to me as I have sweeping views of the countryside and can be surrounded by fields in over twenty mins on foot. I jog and walk in the countryside all the time. Would someone living in say Kilgarvan class Tralee as urban or not ? Would someone in Araglin class Fermoy as urban ? etc etc. A Dub would obviously view them all as rural yet there are obvious significant differences between the towns/villages in the examples. So the urban/rural divide isn't clear cut.