General Election TV debates

markodaly wrote: »

Francie just admitted that he and everyone knows who was behind this murder. Yet not one charge was brought forward.
This tells its own story, and people want these people in government? :rolleyes:

I can understand your view here if you support Special Powers for Gardai and Courts.

There is the matter of 'evidence' that will stand in a court.
Direct your questions to those tasked with bringing people to justice.

FrancieBrady wrote: »

I can understand your view here if you support Special Powers for Gardai and Courts.

There is the matter of 'evidence' that will stand in a court.
Direct your questions to those tasked with bringing people to justice.

Just curious Francie,do they even give you a teabreak there in SF HQ? You're up all night trying to defend them.

car_radio19834 wrote: »

Sinn Fein mightn't have the best policies,

So you just ignore this fact and vote for them regardless, makes sense.
Surely it is critical that a serious political party has decent policies to take the next step - increase the demographic of those who vote for the party. Other than playing to the 'them and us' which is is all SF seem to be able do.

realdanbreen wrote: »

Just curious Francie,do they even give you a teabreak there in SF HQ? You're up all night trying to defend them.

Franciebady has said it will be his first time voting SF and he is not SF supporter.
But I honestly think he would have done a much better job than Mary Lou did in last nights debate.
I dunno what that says but there you go!

pjohnson wrote: »

FF and FG acolytes doing great. Dragging things back to the troubles to try and distract from their own far more recent disasters.

Yeah it is funny how SF try to paint the troubles as so long ago, sweep it under the carpet. Yet, are first in the queue for any Republican commemoration no matter what the date in history. Sure just leave out the inconvenient parts. Yet, many in SF still refer to each other as 'comrade/comrádaí' aping the echoes of the armed struggle etc. Talk about picking and choosing! One foot in and one foot out.

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

Franciebady has said it will be his first time voting SF and he is not SF supporter.
/quote]

Well Gerry Adams said he was never a member of the provost so there you go!

car_radio19834 wrote: »

I'm not far from 30, had to move to a city for a decent job. I'm in a decent job and I'm stuck paying massive rents in a run down place sharing with clowns.

It's no life!

This is it. Renting in Ireland is a f***king disaster. Grand if your'e a student but otherwise? Having to share your home with strangers while working your b***ocks off and no sign of FF&FG doing anything meaningful to change the situation. Meanwhile those that don't work get A rated houses.

Strawberry Milkshake wrote: »

Why don’t we have an SD candidate?

Because the party is very small and is mainly comprised of ex-Labour members. In Sligo-Leitrim I'd say those are more likely to coalesce around Bree.

Are the west brits of the country going to drag up **** that nobody cares about again in 5 years time? It’s pathetic. Rte don’t give a duck about Paul Quinn they are afraid of paying higher tax on their scandalous salary’s that’s the fact of it. They will be back taking a few lines of coke with their Brandy’s at the wkend and the Quinn’s Will be far from their mind.

FrancieBrady wrote: »

The reality is gormdubh, is that the purpose of 'victim exploitation' is that no answer is going to be the right one.
No matter what Mary Lou said last night it would have been the wrong answer.

These are the same people who called for SF to get rid of Gerry Adams because he was 'tainted'.

Here is yet another leader being tainted.

What people are realising is, that it is all a ploy. It has been seen through.

Do you not see Francie that it is the SF party that is tainted? As they have difficulty honestly confronting the past due to playing two different games in two different jurisdictions.
Gerry Adams for example great politician, but I had no respect for him as he was not honest about his membership of the IRA. Also if he did not join surely he was letting down his comrades?

Martin McGuinness I had great respect for him he was honest about his past in the IRA and did not shy away from it. Voted for him in the 2011 presidential election.

Mary Lou is tarnished by not being able to distant herself from instances where SF and the IRA became entwined in the public consciousness thanks to Conor Murphy.
It will take a long time for SF to be able to do this and behave like a normal party while republicans kill innocent people like Paul Quinn, then refer to Quinn as a criminal.

I cannot think of a time where FG/FF tried to distance themselves from comments a party member made about murder.

In my view last nights debate has shown me that SF need to be more honest about these issues. In the way Martin McGuinness was, so they can win the floating voter over.

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

Do you not see Francie that it is the SF party that is tainted? As they have difficulty honestly confronting the past due to playing two different games in two different jurisdictions.
Gerry Adams for example great politician, but I had no respect for him as he was not honest about his membership of the IRA. Also if he did not join surely he was letting down his comrades?

Martin McGuinness I had great respect for him he was honest about his past in the IRA and did not shy away from it. Voted for him in the 2011 presidential election.

Mary Lou is tarnished by not being able to distant herself from instances where SF and the IRA became entwined in the public consciousness thanks to Conor Murphy.
It will take a long time for SF to be able to do this and behave like a normal party while republicans kill innocent people like Paul Quinn, then refer to Quinn as a criminal.

I cannot think of a time where FG/FF tried to distance themselves from comments a party member made about murder.

In my view last nights debate has shown me that SF need to be more honest about these issues. In the way Martin McGuinness was, so they can win the floating voter over.

There never was a doubt in my mind that SF were a party emerging from a conflict/war situation. That is never an easy thing to do nor an easy thing to navigate. The early years of our own emergence as a state was littered with acrimonious allegations and accusations, so much so that it was decided to lock away testimonies until the people involved were dead.


But I have also long ago accepted that SF have put that behind them.
The allegations still come when they put their heads too far over the parapet, from people who couldn't give a hoot about the victims when SF are offering no threat electorally.
I think SF's surge shows that more and more people are also accepting this and recognising what FG and FF are doing when they exploit victims and their families.

FrancieBrady wrote: »

But I have also long ago accepted that they have put that behind them.
The allegations still come when they put their heads too far over the parapet from people who couldn't give a hoot about the victims when SF are offering no threat electorally.
I think SF's surge shows that more and more people are also accepting this.

I think the truth is that there are many young working class voters who have no memory of the troubles who are voting for SF. As a result of the vacuum from the collapse of Labour in particular. It is not a question of people accepting it, I think it is a question of many not being old enough to remember it.

I think yesterday has proven that for the older demographic of voters SF are still a 'no go' in the way they treat thier issues from the past. Plus Mary Lou's lack of debating skills is not going to help.