General Election and Government Formation Megathread (see post #1)

Mancomb Seepgood wrote: »

Agreed.It's condescending claptrap to suggest that people outside the M50 don't care about climate change.Farmers are very much affected by the change in weather patterns with increased extreme events and unpredictability.

Now does that mean that the Greens will have a good election in rural Ireland...probably not this time.They have quite a bit of policy development to do around a new vision for agriculture and rural development...but that's not to say the issues don't matter to people.

agreed
and we even have a farm - +90 acres. but we don't farm it anymore. its not viable. we sell the silage and hay and lease some of it to other farmers who are short of grass during the winter

a few years of the greens in power might actually get people thinking about farming, where our food comes from - local is better, and the things that farmers can contribute to the country eg imagine if every farm building room was covered in solar panels? it could hugely cut our dependence on fossil fuels for energy production

imagine villages and towns where people actually get to live and work locally and not face into long commutes. towns and villages not designed around the car.

blanch152 wrote: »

I really don't understand what Sinn Fein's problem is.

Surely they will expect the Irish people to realise what a horrible person Arlene Foster is and how they were right about her all along. I mean they weren't making it up, were they?

What is there to make up ?
Foster and her party have never even attempted to hide their disdain for the Republic or the Northern Ireland nationalist community.

charlie14 wrote: »

What is there to make up ?
Foster and her party have never even attempted to hide their disdain for the Republic or the Northern Ireland nationalist community.

She's as likely to have a go at FG as she is SF.

It's just a wrong decision to make in the eye of an election imo.

beggars_bush wrote: »

Isn't Coveneys brother fairly senior in RTE?

Someone said on another thread he’s in overall charge of the election coverage

blanch152 wrote: »

I really don't understand what Sinn Fein's problem is.

Surely they will expect the Irish people to realise what a horrible person Arlene Foster is and how they were right about her all along. I mean they weren't making it up, were they?

Because SF like an easy ride and no one to ever question or comment on them in any negative light- it’s why they feast on social media as it’s an echo chamber of oneness that they can control. Their cheerleaders are semi-fanatical types with far too much time on their hands with matching chips on both shoulders about just about everything in ireland.
There’s only every one story (usually bad) and one side of the story with SF and woe be tied anyone that dares criticise

Bishop of hope wrote: »

It wouldn't surprise me to see FF use them in a confidence and supply arrangement.

Even though MM said very firmly in the first debate he definitely wouldn't be going into power with them?

cameramonkey wrote: »

What do you mean by "largely unexplained poll ratings"?

If one looks at the increase in SF support it comes mainly from women and younger voters 18 to 34. The increase in SF support among these 2 groups is matched by a corresponding decrease in support for independents. Come Election Day I would predict an increase in support for independents among these 2 groups and a corresponding decrease in support for SF.

Sir Oxman wrote: »

And that is why this interview should not take place in the middle of a general election.
It is accepted that rivals parties to SF use the IRA/troubles narrative to increase their own support and deny SF legitimacy as a legal political party in our part of Ireland.

And why shouldn’t we hear the truth about SF? Are we to only hear the “good” bits? Too many people living in a SF social media bubble but in the real world it’s right every part of this party is examined and scrutinised with a fine tooth comb.

Sir Oxman wrote: »

No problem hearing Arlene's story but RTE have a duty not to do anything that may influence the election outcome.
For instance, I would not be happy if they broadcast an interview with the families and survivors of Bloody Sunday during an election campaign as that could possibly increase SF's vote.
Or interviewing the many people whose loved ones killed themselves due to the effect the FF and the Greens had on our people 2007-2011 and subsequent years.



Do you see?

Debate is good. Debate about what kind of a country we want and what lies at the heart of the political parties who seek to shape our future is entirely appropriate. Never more so than during an election campaign. Let’s hear the people of this island discuss the consequences of the policies of politic parties. SF are well able to defend any position that would appear to be indefensible to other parties and politicians. FF and FG are well able to defend those hurt by their policies also.

road_high wrote: »

SF are completely paranoid. How do you even know Foster will be talking about them? They need to get a grip and realise not every conversation is about them- regardless of how they’d like to control dialogue and criticism. A scary prospect for freedom of expression if and when they get into power

As far as I am aware SF have not made any statement or complaint regarding Arlene's scheduled appearance so your claim of paranoia and suppression of free speech from the party is utter drivel.

It would be funny if she said something that landed Leo or Martin in it -
like she was promised that the RIC would be commemorated, or that Michael would shore up the SDLP to counteract SF.

There'd be some uproar.

They've collapsed here in Meath. They plummeted from 8 councillors to 3, and fell from 18% to 10% 1st preferences. The fact that Peadar Toibin is by far Aontu's best hope of getting a seat doesn't help either.