Irish General Election - Friday, November 29th *Read OP for Mod Warnings*

Whether you're left or right leaning, use your vote. The might not form a government or even get a seat, but they erode votes going to FF/FG.

I’d agree with this, also if you feel a vote for say SD is wasted as your local candidate won’t get in then you should think that longer term the slightly better they do the more the party is likely to expand.

Exactly, the established parties analyse every last detail of previous votes. They spot the trends in local areas etc. So if people either don't vote, spoil their vote or worse just vote FF/FG because their is no option and thinking they'll get in anyway. That just plays into their hands in the years ahead.

Show them that there is a small or growing trend of 1st pref towards smaller parties and they'll take note.

Change will happen, whether by the rise of smaller parties or even worst case scenario, FF/FG shift policy.

Also, FPV% is a factor in party funding. If you want a party to get state funding, even if the local candidate is a no-hoper, you should give them the 1 and then transfer on.

May also help them to get the expenses refund for their own campaign.

Yes right on tax, left on social policy.

Left leaning ideals aint going to pay for themselves now are they

If Trump does what he says he's going to do on re-shoring American corporations and tariffs the money is going to disappear.

The Dept of Finance warned the government before the election that in the event of Trump victory that tax reciepts could plunge within 12 months.

We need as steady a hand as possible to try mitigate and handle the damage.

If windfall corporate taxes disappear the country currently has over a €6bn deficit per year.

We're in serious trouble by the looks of it.

The only hope we have is that parties stop making promises we can't afford.

Ordinarily FG would be that party but they've just overseen the biggest giveaway budget in the history of the state.

Simply put, if you don't vote you just don't have a say in it.

And along with that, if you don't vote, you can't really complain about any kind of result.

The short term nature of politics will never deliver long term solutions. There isn’t a reward for politicians with conviction and and a willingness for change. Ultimately the black whole of government department is where the incompetence and insane level of squandering happens. They give respective ministers the two fingers when called to account.

It doesn't take away from the vote that people have. There are plenty of independents and so on that are worthy of a vote.

I think it'd be a disaster for the party, as is, to get into government down here. They need another term, or two, in opposition. The party has a lot of work to do after the election. A re-build and some serious soul-searching is needed. I think it'd be a blessing for the party if MLMD didn't get re-elected. Be the perfect opportunity for her to step aside as leader. A more dynamic SF, under a new leader, is the way forward. They need to break away from the rigid model that we see in NI. That just doesn't work down here.

Its a hard no to that option.

But you go ahead and vote for a party that has paedos in its ranks.

Felt a bit let down by Independent Ireland in the locals, but will probably vote for them this time around anyway because the alternatives are even worse.

FF ministers in charge of the first 3 crisis you listed but I agree, FG only pretend to care.

Holly Cairns absolutely skewered Martin on housing today. She took him apart when he refused to answer direct questions on numbers. He was awful. She was very good.