I think it will be FF/FG again with god knows who. Hopefully a left wing party
It will be November 15th
I think they said "all 9". Maybe that's changed since. Maybe the Healy Rae's or Claire & Mick Wally declared as a party.
I believe it's FF, FG, Greens, SF, Labour, Soc Dems, PBP/Solidarity, Independent Ireland, Aontu and Right to Change.
Essentially, every registered political party with at least 1 TD from the previous dail.
This does lead to the nonsense that means Joan Collins, the Right to Change TD, is leader and gets to attend. And she's the only party member running for election. According to Wikipedia there are 18 parties running with more than 1 candidate, so the following are not included: The Irish People, National Party, Ireland First, The Irish Freedom Party, Liberty Republic, Centre Party, Independents 4 change, party for animal welfare, rabharta.
I wouldn't be advocating for any of the non-included to be added, it's a nonsense already having 10 people at the debate.
"Liberty Republic"
Sounds like a fekin pop band 🤣
The claim of not being able agree on anything is always thrown at the left but jesus every lad on the far right seems to have his own party.
He could have said that Willie was wrong to say that. Very simple.
From the FG manifesto.
"A New Department of Infrastructure. Fine Gael will merge the Department of Transport and the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Communications, as well as the infrastructure part of the Department of Public Expenditure. The OPW will be subsumed into the new department except for the National Monuments Service, which will move to the Department of Housing. A special team reporting to Cabinet will have responsibility for ‘mega projects’ – those worth more than €100 million"
This sounds utterly stupid. More than ever the department of transport needs to be out on its own and be treated as one of the most important portfolios in the government.
As for OPW it's just pure populism. That fekin bike shed should not detract from the important work they do across the country. If they want to split it just leave OPW as an independent national monument service.
Aontu promoting a candidate in Laois who is a teacher and the notable contribution - setting up a residents association. Nothing against any of that but there is a clear absence of alternatives
You have to compare like for like polls. The IT Ipsos poll has FG at 25 down one FF and FG at 19 each. However we know that generally FF support is underestimated in most polls as a lot are conducted over mobile phones.
https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/elections-2024/fine-gael-holds-six-point-lead-as-opinion-poll-shows-big-jump-for-independents/a943324755.html
In today's Independent there is an article on transfers. It says FF and FG look like transferring to each other at about 70%. They are even getting a stronger transfer from the SD/Green/ Lab block than SF are when have finished there preferences within this block.
If the present trend continues and I think FG have started to strengthen again, ifFF and FG will have a vote share of 45%+ I think they will hit 90 seats or very near it. If tgey are only short a couple of seats or if tgey have a slender majority I think they will opt for a couple like minded Independents. Micheal Lowry has regularly voted with the government, Veronica Murphy and Kate O'Connell if they get elected.
Peter Fitzgerald, Nattie McGrath, the Healy Rae's Noel Grelish are all options to give stability if there is only a slim majority rather than having to give cabinet positions away
new incarnation of direct democracy apparently
Into all that "freeman of the land" or whatever it's called bollix.
Would be very surprised if Matty Mcgrath or the two Healy Rae brothers would get involved in any government arrangement, they all prefer to act like county councillors so wouldn't get involved in any major national decisions especially if they were tough ones and likely to be unpopular.Its far easier to stand aside and yap away .
They would not be 'part of the government' as such but would be pledged to support it, something the HR brothers have family experience of
The data on second preferences in today's Irish Independent shows both FF and FG doing better on transfers than SF. That will be important for the last seats.
Don't think it's the same with Jackie the father and the two lads now, Lowry would be safe enough alright .
Do " independents " ecosystem in other countries? Their existence, is a large part of the problem…
The "two lads" are the most two faced shittes in the Dail.
They would do anything to protect their property empire. Including getting into bet with "Dem big fanshy suit warin fat cats in da big shmoke"
They can be trusted to do nothing other than line their own pockets.
They went through a charade last time of talks about government but of course when the crunch came they ran also abstained from actually voting for a Taoiseach as well .
it was 2021
he should have rectified every day he could prove he attended, whether in person or online.
rather then have this hanging over years later…
Ivan Yates predicting Roderic O'Gorman out in Dublin West - a lightning rod for refugee sentiment and the failed referendums could sink him.
Are political parties unable to create their own policy on drug decriminalisation? They keep mentioning the Citizens Assembly.
The lack of individual thought from our political parties on the big policies is stark.
Let's hope the failed referendums will spell the end of the Citizen's Assemblies.
The referendums were not following the recommendations of the Citizens Assembly; and now FG are trying to ignore the one on drug reform also (which was deliberately hampered in what it could recommend also).
It's a by-product of our voting system. Other countries with pr systems use list systems or quota based systems (ie your party must have x% to get seats) which means independents don't really exist.
It makes them completely ridiculous. Governments will just ignore what ever they say if they don't like what they come up with.
I hope that's the last of them. The Citizen's Assembly is the Dail.
They were extremely effective until the current Government decided to not actually listen to them. They should be retained and listened to - representative politics isn't always the answer (but direct democracy, referendum on everything absolutely isn't either)
They were successful because the sitting government agreed with their recommendations.
We don't have Citizen's Assemblies on health or transport policy and so on. I've never understood the point of them. Complete waste of money if you ask me.
Health and transport policies are not exceptionally controversial. If you don't understand why they're held on the types of issues they are, you're never going to understand why they're useful.
Fine Gael are copying the policies of Indy Ireland
https://x.com/independent_ire/status/1858178652661289298
Have you looked at what the Citizens Assembly have been talking about the past 10 years? Issues to do with fix term parliaments, an aging population, how referendums are run.
None of these are controversial in the slightest.
Yes. And I'm pretty sure based on that list that you have "looked" solely by reading the Wikipedia article which is five years out of date; because your posts make it pretty clear you don't understand the system. Maybe don't suggest tearing down a system you didn't know anything much about until five minutes ago?
Aging population one has the pension age thing in it - an absolutely massive issue in the last election. Two single weekend meetings on more minor issues does not take down the impact of the major issue ones - 8th referendum, assisted dying, climate, drugs use etc.
I've been against these assemblies for years and I've posted on boards about them. I wasn't happy when they delayed the marriage equality law to this nonsense when they could have brought in the referendum without it, a year or two earlier.
Yes I did Google what they were talking about and I suspect you didn't realise what trivial rubbish they were wasting our money on.
Look if it got marriage equality and the 8th Amendment over the line.. Grand. But let's leave it there. The few million could be spent on something else.
Again, you don't have a clue about this. Marriage equality was not run through a citizens assembly, they didn't even exist at the time that referendum was run
You're against them because you don't understand them.
