2026 Galway West By Election

Whether you feel Labour made silly un-keepable promises or whether you think they downright lied to get into power and were actually more than happy with the deal they made with FG is irrelevant… The SD's are seen as having neither of these qualities and that is the big difference with them

FFG would be further to the right than the centre I'd argue.

And the SDs will stay "pure" as long as they absolve themselves from the responsibility of "power". That is not necessarily a bad thing.

It's an analog scale, not just 3 different groupings. Aontú and II are both further to the right but that doesn't make FFG centrists. Doing so completely ignores how they run the country for the benefit of big businesses, bankers and multinationals while ignoring things like housing and healthcare

Jesus it's a motley crew we have to pick from, hard to get too energised about any of them…

Ah,"bankers" - so beloved by sloganeers. I am not sure what this actually means in concrete policy terms!

As regards "multinationals" they account for easily half of the country's total tax take (including income tax and indirect taxes from their employees). Tax - that stuff that pays for schools, pensions, nurses, disability services and countless more boring stuff. The boring stuff that the SDs (etc) want much more money spent on. How does this work without the tax-rich "multinational" base? It seems you don't like "big business" in general so its hardly from them. Irish "socialists" in general seem peculiarly silent on realistic revenue raising.

That is if we leave aside another favourite populist slogan - "tax the rich"!

By the way, if we had a genuine and honest socialist party I would be strongly inclined to vote for them. As opposed to populist, whether left or right.

Or they get into power, come good on their promises, or at least most of them, and get re-elected for doing so. They would still then be "pure" in many peoples eyes

I have taken a look at the Nordic countries. Take a look at the income tax in Sweden on the lowest third of income earners compared to the same cohort in Ireland. Services are good but all people are required to pay towards them in tax and insurance. Also, I looked at the number of rich millionaires departing Norway for tax exile when a surcharge tax was added for them. There was a similar exodus in France under Hollande for the same reason. Taxing nothing brings in nothing.

But most "wealth" in Ireland is held in the form of property and most of that is in the form of housing. Now compare our levels of property tax with most of Europe - and particularly high public social spending countries. I can't see any of our "socialist" parties calling for similar levels of property tax here.

As for "taxing multinationals fairly" I assume you mean taxing them more? (And why only multinationals, by the way?). We have prospered in terms of jobs (largely well paid) and total corporation tax by taxing at the a very competitive level. Again 15% of a lot is better than 30% of very little. Unless they are really here for the weather?

"your time is up, your time is up, cut off his mic" 😄

"why did your party say you can debate in irish when you can't" 😄

Did he just say he is moving into "a one square metre house"? and then "anyone who cannot afford to buy a house in galway is homeless"

How do we produce such crackpots?

I just opened Galway Bay FM's website and I'm met with a massive advertisement for Sean Kyne….

Keane, Ogbu and the Sinn fein lad not coming across very well from what I'm hearing. I liked that idea from the non-galway lad to allow cars of 3 people or more to use the bus lanes. We should take his idea and not vote him in.

All the others are impossible to separate.

It is true. Bus Eireann said the demand is via city, as that is where services are, schools, rail station, etc. Hence why Bus Connects is going via Salmon Weir.

The Galway Tour Co refused to take the licenced route Knocknacarra-Parkmore as they would not be able to keep a schedule due to QB congestion.

Otherwise it is up to the firms to provide private buses for their employees - like the HSE shuttle bus - which does not have a fixed route.

The worker on €240 an hour (how many?) is paying very substantial income tax. The pensioner on €240 pw (the State Pension is €299 by the way) does not pay any tax on this, nor should they. But the pensioner who owns a €900,000 house is wealthy compared to a young worker paying rent on a relatively low wage (or, indeed, a pensioner paying rent). There are systems to deal with low income/high wealth situations. The social democratic and high social spending states you previously alluded to recognise this and apply substantial property taxes in their various ways.

A house is a property investment as well as a place to live - it is a valuable asset and the increase property prices over decades reflects this. Any Party serious about "wealth tax" needs to address this, as house property is where the majority of wealth in this country resides. Bizarrely "socialist" SF imposed a cap on property tax (rates) in Northern Ireland - the cap doesn't affect low or middle value homes but only the high value property in the leafy suburbs and country mansions. All while services in the jurisdiction are crumbling for want of funding - which very much affects "ordinary people". This, of course, is their choice. But it is not "socialist" or "left".

(But, perhaps, all those living in the expensive high end house are pensioners living on €240pw?).