General Election TV debates

JohnnyFlash · 28-01-2020 01:10PM

shenanagans wrote: »

FG would rather hold FF up under a confidence and supply rather than see SF come in with FF. And MM would also prefer this.....he has more in common with FG.

Make no mistake, if the numbers stacked up then FG would try and seduce SF to form a coalition. LV and MLM actually like each other despite the politics.

The question here is whether SF want to actually play a bit of county hurling or do they prefer to just be a party of opposition.

Idbatterim · 28-01-2020 01:22PM

easypazz wrote: »

If FF and FG get something like say 49 and 44 seats then surely FG are entitled to expect a coalition?

It would play into SF's hands though as SF would be the main opposition party and build nicely for 5 years time.

I'd say FF and FG are petrified of Sinn Fein.

they arent. their vote will never top 15% or thereabouts...

FrancieBrady · 28-01-2020 01:23PM

golfball37 wrote: »

Martin now cannot row back on his SF assertions.

You can't see Martin waving the hands about and doing a 'woe is me, I'm making a great personal sarcrifice for the country' speech?
He fecking did one last night on Confidence and Supply ffs. He's a political opportunist. If SF are his only chance to be Taoiseach (and he is on his last one) he'll find the words and a way.

easypazz · 28-01-2020 01:25PM

FrancieBrady wrote: »

You can't see Martin waving the hands about and doing a 'woe is me, I'm making a great personal sarcrifice for the country' speech?
He fecking did one last night on Confidence and Supply ffs. He's a political opportunist. If SF are his only chance to be Taoiseach (and he is on his last one) he'll find the words and a way.

Exactly. If a SF / FF coalition happens and it is a success he may even get 2 terms.

Otherwise he walks and never gets seen again.

Naggdefy · 28-01-2020 01:25PM

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

If the numbers stack up then it will happen. They will huff and they’ll puff, and they’ll pretend to be trying to put together some sort of grand coalition involving everyone except SF and FG. And there will be lots of posturing and hot air. Might go on for a few weeks. Insults will be traded and Hugh O’Connell will explode with excitement.

And then Mehole and Mary will hold ‘private talks’ and a decision to go into coalition will happen for the ‘good of the country’.

Would you stop with your 'mehole', fairly boring at this stage. He's a decent man who has buried 2 children.

easypazz · 28-01-2020 01:27PM

Idbatterim wrote: »

they arent. their vote will never top 15% or thereabouts...

Rubbish, nobody knows that, there are a lot of constituencies Limerick county, Clare, Galway, Mayo and Sligo for example where they are thin on the ground.

Plenty of opportunity to make gains in these areas.

If we see a FF / FG arrangement again then SF will defacto be the main opposition party.

easypazz · 28-01-2020 01:28PM

Naggdefy wrote: »

Would you stop with your 'mehole', fairly boring at this stage. He's a decent man who has buried 2 children.

Christ that's a dirty pull from you right there.

JohnnyFlash · 28-01-2020 01:30PM

Naggdefy wrote: »

Would you stop with your 'mehole', fairly boring at this stage. He's a decent man who has buried 2 children.

I don’t see what his tragic and unimaginable loses have to do with his notoriously prickly and cranky nature, or a nickname long assigned to him.

SafeSurfer · 28-01-2020 01:30PM

FrancieBrady wrote: »

Martin runs a party that was born exactly the same way. What is your point here, other than wanting to drag a current debate back to the past?

You label MM as power hungry. My point is that current members of Sinn Fein were so power hungry they were willing to kill anyone who got in their way to achieve it. You can go back 100 years and talk about the war of independence and civil war if you want. I am talking about current party members of SF.

That is all.

SafeSurfer · 28-01-2020 01:32PM

easypazz wrote: »

Rubbish, nobody knows that, there are a lot of constituencies Limerick county, Clare, Galway, Mayo and Sligo for example where they are thin on the ground.

Plenty of opportunity to make gains in these areas.

If we see a FF / FG arrangement again then SF will defacto be the main opposition party.

Opportunities to make gains in areas like Sligo where for the first time in over 20 years they aren’t even running a candidate? I don’t think so.

Naggdefy · 28-01-2020 01:34PM

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

I don’t see what his tragic and unimaginable loses have to do with his notoriously prickly and cranky nature, or a nickname long assigned to him.

He's not prickly. He never loses his cool. He's no different than Leo, Eamonn Ryan etc.

Now Dessie O'Malley was someone you'd call narky, cranky, prickly. PR school has left very few like that today.

FrancieBrady · 28-01-2020 01:41PM

SafeSurfer wrote: »

You label MM as power hungry. My point is that current members of Sinn Fein were so power hungry they were willing to kill anyone who got in their way to achieve it. You can go back 100 years and talk about the war of independence and civil war if you want. I am talking about current party members of SF.

That is all.

SO what? You undermine the conflict/war in northern Ireland down to a 'power struggle' all you want.

Even if it was, how does that alter the fact that MM is also power hungry? You don't have to kill anybody to be described as 'power hungry'.

Get over yourself here, you aren't countering the point at all.

RandomViewer · 28-01-2020 01:52PM

SafeSurfer wrote: »

Yawn.

Yawn all yo like, FG dont even bother trying to hide he owns them.

blanch152 · 28-01-2020 02:10PM

easypazz wrote: »

If FF and FG get something like say 49 and 44 seats then surely FG are entitled to expect a coalition?

It would play into SF's hands though as SF would be the main opposition party and build nicely for 5 years time.

I'd say FF and FG are petrified of Sinn Fein.

I don't think FF and FG are petrified of Sinn Fein per se.

Rather I would see it that FF and FG are rightly afraid of the damage that Sinn Fein would do to our democracy, our society and our economy if they ever wielded serious power in the South. In the North, they are held in check by the balances applied through the unique provisions of the Stormont Assembly.

jammiedodgers · 28-01-2020 02:13PM

golfball37 wrote: »

I still think we could have a John A Costello type Taoiseach like John McGuinness come February. Martin now cannot row back on his SF assertions but the FF Ard Comhairle may decide differently, if its the only option availabe.

Yeah, imagine a politician going back on their word :eek:

Fr_Dougal · 28-01-2020 02:14PM

easypazz wrote: »

MM has also ruled out a coalition with FG. According to MM the people want a new government.

His only option, to implement what the people keep telling him on the doorsteps, may be to form a new government with SF.

No he hasn’t, he was very careful with his words. He said that people want change, he never categorically ruled out a FF/FG coalition.

He did, however, rule out a SF/IRA coalition.

“We will not be going into coalition with Sin Féin,” he said.

blanch152 · 28-01-2020 02:16PM

FrancieBrady wrote: »

Martin runs a party that was born exactly the same way. What is your point here, other than wanting to drag a current debate back to the past?

So we can talk about Fianna Fail historically being founded in 1922 in a completely different era, but we can't talk about the involvement of current Sinn Fein representatives in terrorist activity.

Got it.

SafeSurfer · 28-01-2020 02:17PM

FrancieBrady wrote: »

SO what? You undermine the conflict/war in northern Ireland down to a 'power struggle' all you want.

Even if it was, how does that alter the fact that MM is also power hungry? You don't have to kill anybody to be described as 'power hungry'.

Get over yourself here, you aren't countering the point at all.

You are being ridiculous now Frankie. Describing a person as power hungry even though they ruled out SF as a partner therefore narrowing their path to power.

If the Northern Ireland conflict wasn’t a power struggle what was it and is it?

FrancieBrady · 28-01-2020 02:18PM

blanch152 wrote: »

So we can talk about Fianna Fail historically being founded in 1922 in a completely different era, but we can't talk about the involvement of current Sinn Fein representatives in terrorist activity.

Got it.

You talk away about it blanch. I ain't stopping you.

blanch152 · 28-01-2020 02:19PM

RandomViewer wrote: »

Word is Dinny is getting final say on FG candidates,

Final say?

All Fine Gael candidates had to go to Dinny's Island to be vetted appropriately beforehand.

StupidLikeAFox · 28-01-2020 02:19PM

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

I don’t see what his tragic and unimaginable loses have to do with his notoriously prickly and cranky nature, or a nickname long assigned to him.

Talking about people with nicknames is extremely childish. Its literally schoolyard stuff and takes away from any point you are trying to make, or else it looks like you don't actually have a point but want to stick the boot in anyway for no apparent reason.

The following terms should be added to the swear filter:

Mehole
Lieo
Mary Loony McDonald
Liebour
Rich Boy Barrett
FFG

Im sure there is many more.

FrancieBrady · 28-01-2020 02:20PM

SafeSurfer wrote: »

You are being ridiculous now Frankie. Describing a person as power hungry even though they ruled out SF as a partner therefore narrowing their path to power.

If the Northern Ireland conflict wasn’t a power struggle what was it and is it?

Power hungry doesn't necessarily imply intelligence. He wouldn't be the first to allow the eye on the prize to be blinded and crash in flames.

blanch152 · 28-01-2020 02:21PM

McMurphy wrote: »

16-1 I think on Paddy Power.

Nice wedge of cash there for a betting man.

Edit, 6 - 1, 16-1 on a ff minority govt which I think may be ultimately where we're headed.

I got in with a €20 bet on FF/SF at 12/1.

SafeSurfer · 28-01-2020 02:23PM

FrancieBrady wrote: »

Power hungry doesn't necessarily imply intelligence. He wouldn't be the first to allow the eye on the prize to be blinded and crash in flames.

Obfuscate much?

FrancieBrady · 28-01-2020 02:26PM

SafeSurfer wrote: »

Obfuscate much?

You said he has narrowed his path to power, I agree.

He hasn't the smarts to see that. Doesn't in my opinion mean he isn't 'power hungry'.

McMurphy · 28-01-2020 02:27PM

blanch152 wrote: »

I got in with a €20 bet on FF/SF at 12/1.

Don't see it myself, Martin painted himself into a corner with categorically ruling out both FG and SF, so if there's to be a coalition with SF, doubtful it will be with him as leader, and he wants to be Taoiseach more than anything else in the whole world, which is why I think it will be a.slight reversal of the current set up, with FF having slightly more seats than FG.

Who knows though, the shinners might even outpoll FG, nothing would surprise me, and the bookies have ruled out Leo being returned going by the odds.

FrancieBrady · 28-01-2020 02:31PM

McMurphy wrote: »

Don't see it myself, Martin basil painted himself into a corner with categorically ruling out both FG and SF, so if there's to be a coalition with SF, doubtful it will be with him as leader, and he wants to be Taoiseach more than anything else in the whole world, which is why I think it will be a.slight reversal of the current set up, with FF having slightly more seats than FG.

Who knows though, the shinners might even outpoll FG, nothing would surprise me, and the bookies have ruled out Leo being returned going by the odds.

I could see FG catching FF here. Varadkar is doing well against them after a bad start.

SafeSurfer · 28-01-2020 02:41PM

FrancieBrady wrote: »

You said he has narrowed his path to power, I agree.

He hasn't the smarts to see that. Doesn't in my opinion mean he isn't 'power hungry'.

Of course the alternative is that he is not power hungry enough to entertain the idea of coalescing with a party like Sinn Fein.

More a morality issue than an intelligence issue.

Even though SF leader Mary Lou is the privately schooled daughter of a property developer who sends her kids to private schools it doesn’t mean that representitives from working class backgrounds who have gone through the public school system are any less intelligent.

easypazz · 28-01-2020 02:42PM

FrancieBrady wrote: »

I could see FG catching FF here. Varadkar is doing well against them after a bad start.

That is very possible, the next polls will be interesting, at the weekend I assume.

FG had a terrible start.

Tans gaffe - now subsided
Homeless dude scooped up by a track machine - all forgotten about
Teenager chopped up in Drogheda - largely forgotten about.
Hospital trolleys at peak - largely easing.

They have remained gaffe free since then and Leo is plugging his message consistently.

5 years fixing FF's mess, 4 years coming from a low base it is impossible to have everything built quickly

Give us 5 more years, with money behind us, to deliver results.

FrancieBrady · 28-01-2020 02:44PM

SafeSurfer wrote: »

Of course the alternative is that he is not power hungry enough to entertain the idea of coalescing with a party like Sinn Fein.

More a morality issue than an intelligence issue.

Even though SF leader Mary Lou is the privately schooled daughter of a property who sends her kids to private schools it doesn’t mean that representitives from working class backgrounds who have gone through the public school system are any less intelligent.

What???

General Election TV debates

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