Can’t decide who to vote for..

Raichų

.. if I can be bothered at all!

There’s a few candidates in all fairness I could see being halfway decent, however I don’t imagine they’ll get into government so it matters little.

Fully expect it’ll be another few years of FFG & that is pretty depressing.

Ash.J.Williams

Will the Taoiseach even get elected

FrancieBrady

You have made it clear you are not satisfied with the incumbents.

I believe strongly in the need for good opposition keeping a government on it's toes and accountable.
If you have candidates you think are good, give them the mandate to fulfil an opposition role. The stronger the opposition the less 'depressing' the next term will be. Above anything else use your vote.

Raichų

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122877524#Comment_122877524

ah I definitely will vote because as you say lamenting a lack of change while also not pushing for a change is pretty pointless.

It’s just a bit of a shame there’s such a lack of decent candidates I suppose!

ax530

I believe if there is a good candidate on your ballot vote for them. If they are good will represent well in the Dail either in Government or opposition.

On party front even if a party goes into Government it is not certain the leader will be leader for duration of Gov so no point picking someone as want their current leader to be Taoiseach.

Again not sure how long until next election so if there is a good candidate better to vote for them otherwise they may not rerun next time and that is a loss over all.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058381934/can-t-decide-who-to-vote-for

If I can be bothered

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122877549#Comment_122877549

I definitely will vote

Is this the epitome of an undecided voter?

I can't speak for the candidates in your constituency, but some have decent enough candidates and others are dire.

Montage of Feck

WELL, I BELIEVE I'LL VOTE FOR A THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE!

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058381934/can-t-decide-who-to-vote-for

Have you used the which candidate website to see if you have a local candidate whom you align with?

https://www.whichcandidate.ie/

Or is it, and understandably so at times, just exhaustion and apathy with our politics that has overtaken you?

Oscar_Madison

A notable rise in independent candidates - very possibly leading towards a minority government resting on the support of a mixed bag of agendas- not a totally impossible situation but history not kind to such a set up -I’d prefer a party getting in that has a very clear mandate a good majority and importantly goals that they go about achieving with vigour .

A sh1t load of issues to sort out with housing being a huge issue impacting on many others such as open employment vacancies not filled in large cities as people can’t afford to live there, massive house price inflation and housing shortage leaving young people staying at home in early 30s further demise of small towns and villages due to concentration of jobs to big cities , pressure on rental market in terms of available places to rent, hotels being taken out of tourist areas to cater for demand for temporary accommodation for people fleeing wars etc- no less the threats of WW3, rising fuel prices and food, restaurants and small businesses closing down- fck it’s depressing just thinking about it

Good luck to whoever gets in - I’d like to see Labour do well - we need a solid 3rd party to stop FF and FG having a monopoly and hold them properly to account.

The Greens are finished - very unlikely we’ll see them in the next Dail line up - they had their chance to help resolve some of the key issues of this country and they blew it - we don’t need more fcking taxes that’s for sure

Raichų

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122877575#Comment_122877575

a little from column A & a little from column B to be honest. Those tools reckons with a few candidates we meet in the middle and the rest we barely agree at all!

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122877581#Comment_122877581

Yeah, my closest current match is about 63%. My own priorities are coloured by my constituency and having UHL as my local hospital. My order of priority is Health, Housing and defence. On the latter no party l, none is taking the state of the defence forces seriously and on the former, trusting both to the parties that have created the current situation and allowed it fester? Is lunacy.

Hyperbollix

If you own a home, drive a new(ish) car, don't find the cost of living to be an issue and are not too bothered with government failure in certain key areas because, "Im alright Jack", then vote status quo

If you are struggling in the above areas, or have a personal gripe in an area where government are badly lacking, vote change

As far as I'm concerned the best policy in any democracy is to keep incumbents on their toes and mix things up by giving a vote to opposition people who are in line with your way of thinking. That's why I won't be voting to capsize the boat, but just to gently rock it with a SF vote and maybe an independent.

Avon8

The sentiment SF and others keep repeating, basically that we've had 100 years of FF and FG and the people are sick of it, is actually someway effective despite being tiring and repetitive. I am very sick and tired of them personally and would like a change.

The problem is that change could only realistically be SF. Even leaving aside the questionable quality of their individual candidates, and the glaring aspect of who is actually making the decisions, id be inclined to actually give them a chance for once, had it not been got their behavior during the pandemic.

The covid period has become forgotten about as people just try to move past it as quickly as possible. But it's still by far and away the most politically impactful period of most of our lives. And SF's behavior was abhorrent. They rowed in behind a zero covid policy that they, and anybody with a rational bone in their body, knew was impossible to impose on an island with a shared border. Indeed a border that freedom of movement across was fundamental to their existence

That period of time was crazy. People were scared, the economy was in tatters, the printers were rolling leading to the cost of living crisis we're all feeling 3 years later. The very last thing anyone needed was populist and opportunist nonsense, yet that's what we got from the opposition. SF constantly say "give us a chance and judge us on our results". Well there's a measurable result. 'Zero Covid' has been one of the most disasterous policies in modern history in basically every country it was implemented. It was rightly dismissed as complete nonsense here but that overall pressure contributed heavily to the ban on outdoor construction and thus the opportunity to make a dent in our housing crisis went abegging. A crisis they now bring up at every opportunity

So personally I'm left with the depressing prospect of wanting change but that change only realistically meaning SF. At a time where another pandemic, a global trade war and nuclear denotations are all distinct possibilities, id rather not have muppets at the helm, as SF proved themselves to be in early 2021

magicbastarder

a piece of advice i saw somewhere else (bluesky, i think); if you're undecided, think of the most vulnerable person you know and vote in their interests.

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122877796#Comment_122877796

That's great advice tbh. The truest measure of a successful society is IMHO how those most in need of care, support and protection are provided for.

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058381934/can-t-decide-who-to-vote-for

With our electoral system, you are free to vote for the people who you think are half decent without wasting your vote, and then you can use your vote to try to get the people you hate the most voted out

Eg, 10 candidates, you like candidates A and B, and really really hate candidates C and D, so you should use your vote to vote A and B as 1 and 2 preference, and then pick between the bland middle of the road candidates almost at random if you don't care, until you get to the 9th and 10th preferences where you either don't vote at all, or give then your 9th and 10th preference.

Thats the beauty of this PRSTV system. You do not have to compromise your beliefs when voting because you're afraid of accidentally helping a candidate you really don't want to represent you.

After the election, you may not get the candidates that you like, maybe the middle of the road candidates got elected, but at least you know you tried your best to get your preferred candidates in, and keep the terrible candidates out.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122877698#Comment_122877698

If only life was that black & white. You can own a home and a new car while still being bothered by government failures in some areas. You can be struggling and not give a toss about aspects of government that don't affect you personally. That 'I'm alright Jack' attitude isn't confined to a single demographic.

dxhound2005

I saw an interesting thing on the Bookies thread. They are advertising that if you cannot decide what to bet on, they will put together a bet for you. The staff at the polling station will probably be happy to fill in a voting paper for you.

Very quiet round my way. Only Sinn Fein have called so far. We have 24 candidates, not a place for the bewildered.

Ubbquittious

Here are some tips for you:

*Vote for candidate with best smile on their poster

*Vote for candidate with greatest amount of posters (or least if you like rooting for the underdog)

*Pick a rightwing extremist just for sh1ts and giggles and to rile up the incumbents

*Pick the extremist espousing the most ludicrous conspiracy theories

*Vote for someone you know won't get in just to help them get their deposit back

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122878084#Comment_122878084

+1 on this. I own my home outright, same with my car. I'm in my 40s and retired. I have a son in University who will soon be entering the "real world". My concerns as a voter revolve around how I can make sure he enters a fair society, with opportunity to own a home or at the very least, rent affordably and with secure tenure.

I'm far from rich but I am more financially secure than perhaps 90-95% of the population. My concerns aren't about feathering my nest, rather they are genuinely around the housing & health of our population along with any new government beginning meaningful dialogue with NI parties & Stormont as to what unification would look like.

We must ensure that when a border poll does happen? That the whole island knows what a yes means. From the NHS, to UK civil service and existing welfare & community support schemes aswell as education and all aspects of ensuring a shared society. Address it all now and ensure no misunderstanding or surprises when the day comes.

A 4th thread on my part regarding our island's security. If we remain neutral, we'll and good. But as a nation we must stop the neglect of our own defence. I don't propose we buy aircraft carriers our become an overnight superpower.

The basis for our future defence was lain out in the defence commission report published in Feb 2022. Now I'd argue that the report became obsolete 2days after publication with the invasion of Ukraine and a seismic shift in European security environment.

We have yet to procure a primary Radar and we still rely on others for meaningful defence of our air & sea. That isn't neutrality, it is safety upon the sufferance of others. It isn't good enough and it is an abrogation of sovereignty. We must do better on that front.

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058381934/can-t-decide-who-to-vote-for

It will almost certainly be a coalition of some type like the rest of Europe and that means even a single TD could make an impact on what happens. If you decide you don't want even the possibility of even a small change of having a say in it then that's up to you.

If you don't like the state of Irish politics then you can either whine and be ignored or get involved and work to change it. In my lifetime there have been monumental changes in Ireland, that did not happen because of the whiners, it's because of the people who got involved. The active membership of FF or FG is probably less than 5000, the number of people who get themselves involved in policy making is in the hundreds. Provided your ideas are not totally of the wall, change is not as difficult as some think.

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122877833#Comment_122877833

I would suggest that is you HATE candidates 9 and 10, you wouldn't make them your 9th and 10th choice, because in the end you might end up giving them a vote.

Just leave them out of any votes at all. Much easier.

Arghus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058381934/can-t-decide-who-to-vote-for

It's probably been said many times already, but if you feel another few years of FFG are depressing: then vote for someone else! Not voting at all is probably the absolute worst thing as it reinforces the status quo.

Now, I wouldn't say that personally I feel especially enthused about the choices we have in front of us, but it's very easy to be sceptical too.

If you have a disinterested and cynical electorate, well, then, that produces cynical and disinterested politicians too.

Hyperbollix

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122878084#Comment_122878084

True, but on balance I find "I'm alright Jack" more often than not applies to those who are by definition, doing alright. I have friends and family who don't really keep abreast of current affairs and certainly don't fret about housing or hospital beds. They are home owners with young families, quite comfortable, can drive a new car and enjoy 2/3 trips abroad per year (arguably paid for by this government and their generous non means tested child allowance policies)

I'd be very surprised if any of them were going to give their number 1 to Sinn Fein or some "loopy lefty" independent.

Dublinandy3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122877575#Comment_122877575

That website is great, thanks. I wasn't going to vote as it was all noise, now it looks like I have a choice I want to vote for.

extra-ordinary_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122877575#Comment_122877575

Thanks for the link.

Looks like Aontú it is so.

_Brian

centralist parties of FF/G have done a decent job developing the state to where it is now. A modern thriving country from a near third world backwater in just 50 years. Likely they will merge over next few election cycles

Is it perfect ??
No it’s not, mistakes have been made and likely more will be too.

But if you think PBP or SF wouldnt make mistakes then you’re a fool, and for sure they wouldn’t have had the capability to turn the country around so quickly after the impact of covid.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122878589#Comment_122878589

If you genuinely have no preference/equal dislike between candidates 9 and 10, then correct, giving one a preference over the other is pointless.

But if you hate one just a tiny bit more than the other, it makes sense to state a preference. Because you're stating that you'd prefer candidate B over candidate A, say.

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122879246#Comment_122879246

But if you find you hate 2 candidates, why would you even vote for either of them?

con___manx1

The state of the health system in this country and nobody cares. Vote fg fair play. When you or a family member is sick just remember what you voted for.

Just an example IReland has the highest skin cancer rates in the world.

Currently there is only 45 dermatologist across all major hospitals to deal with that and other skin conditions.

Our population has grown 1 million in ten years our helath system isn't coping.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122879520#Comment_122879520

It's a preference. It's a case where you can hate both candidates, but still would prefer to see one over the other in office.