anyone here going to vote sinn féin?

Quackles wrote: »

Absolutely I will vote Sinn Féin. While I'm not naive enough to think that they will be in government, I think a term in strong opposition will make them a formidable force in the future of politics on this island, and I look forward to being properly represented for a change.

I think your absolutely right. By ruling out coalition with Sinn Fein the other political parties ensure that they will remain in opposition, opposing all the unpopular decisions that will have to be made in the coming years.

I think their promise of no one need suffer if we just burn the bondholders and introduce a wealth tax will look very appealing to many after a few FG/LAB government austerity budgets.

SINN FEIN I WOULD NEVER VOTE FOR:D

lugha wrote: »

I'm afraid you will be disappointed. There is almost no chance of SF being in power in which case they will barely be in a position to make any change, much less any fundamental kind.

Yes, you may be right. But I will be using my democratic right to vote for the party which appeals to me.

lugha wrote: »

Well at least that is a sensible reason to vote for them. They certainly will be a different type of opposition to FF.
But for those who will vote SF because they approve of their policies, that will never be implemented because they won't be in power ...... :rolleyes:

Hey hey, I'm not saying they'll NEVER be in government, just not this time out. This time out, I see them making a strong presence in the opposition and holding the incoming crowd to account so that they don't screw things up even more than FF did.. If, indeed, that is possible. Doing this should put them in an even better position for the next election, because you just know we're not out of the woods with a FG/Labour government. Personally, I think the SF policies are a refreshing alternative to the 'rob the poor to feed the rich' attitude of the other parties.

horgan_p wrote: »

Because they're neither FF nor FG

I think that sums up why Sinn Féin will get very many votes. Only the most naive or disingenuous would contend that Fine Gael will be different to Fianna Fáil in any substantive way when they get into government. They won't; they quite simply will not. They will listen to the same discredited senior civil servants, and act upon their advice. In their heart of hearts Fine Gael know that Fianna Fáil's actions and policies are based on precisely the same information and advice which will be available to Fine Gael when they get into government. In that sense Fine Gael's promises are knowingly dishonest. Like the election campaign of Bertie Ahern's Fianna Fáil in 2007, Fine Gael is promising us everything, particularly lower taxes. It's quite perturbing that some people fail to see the inherent Bertiesque of Fine Gael's election promises in 2011.

Unfortunately, the way the figures most likely will stack up Labour will be avoided by a large number of people because a vote for Labour is in effect a vote for Fianna Fáil's equally conservative socio-economic soulmate, Fine Gael.

Having said all of that, I'm not in the slightest convinced by Sinn Féin's policies, many of which appear to be populist entirely because Sinn Féin has little chance of being the principal governing party. As I said before, I'm deeply disappointed that Gerry Adams has not brushed up on his knowledge of the economy since the 2007 election. It's unforgivable particularly since so many people would sincerely like an intelligent, articulate and thoughtful alternative to the mainstream parties. Gerry Adams clearly has these qualities in abundance. That he instead offers us soundbites rather than a rigorous discussion of the economy demeans him, benefits his political opponents and disheartens those of us who yearn for that alternative voice. I think Labour, also, is being dishonest about the reality and, like Fine Gael, is attempting to buy our votes with all sorts of entirely inappropriate promises given our impecuniousness.

I'm willing to pay more taxes for better services, as I always have been. I want a fiscally reliable government, as much as I want an innovative government. I don't need to be bribed by any party, and I'm repelled by the actions of all parties in this regard. I'd rather not think about what these political bribes tell us about the integrity of the Irish electorate, but the popular emphasis on personalities over policies in this election doesn't bode well for that integrity.

Most of all, I want radical reform of the Irish political system - changing the electoral system to put an end to clientalism and electing national legislators to the Dáil rather than politicians concerned with local issues; abolishing Seanad Éireann, which remains a travesty of democracy and ethics with each passing day; the development of a more outward European and global political elite which has higher aspirations for Ireland than merely keeping Irish legislation up with British legislation. These systems, institutions and practices, among others, demean the idea of a sovereign Ireland that's worth fighting for.

There's an extraordinary lack of pride and patriotism - in the truest, most noble, civic meaning of those values - in Irish political culture today. For me, Fintan O'Toole is one of the few people who has articulated those values and inspired belief again in the potential of Ireland.

Apologies for the pessimism.

Jim236 wrote: »

Sinn Féin from what I undertsand want to reduce the deficit but over a longer period of 7 or 8 years, so arguably the economy wouldn't shrink as much as it would under Fianna Fáil's 4 year plan, which is supported by Fine Gael. Their stimulus plan is based over a number of years, so its completely misleading to say they want to use the NPRF 2 times over. Most of the NPRF would be used to fund the budget deficit for year 1, and upon 'burning the bondholders' by separating sovereign debt from private debt, Sinn Féin would then return to the markets again. This money, combined with whats left over in the NPRF, can be used as a stimulus to the economy which will help to create jobs, which in turn will provide people with more disposable income, which in turn will increase retail sales etc etc, and this in turn will increase tax intake.

That is complete bullsh*t. First of all, there is not enough money in the NPRF to cover the deficit for this year, never mind next or the year after. There certainly will be nothing left for any stimulus. The plan is to spend the NPRF twice (on the deficit and then on the stimulus) which is impossible. Its like someone using all their savings to pay off a car loan and then thinking they can still use their savings to start a new business despite the fact that its all none. Once we spend the NPRF on the deficit, thats it, its gone and can not be spent again. Its not that hard to understand.

Jim236 wrote: »

Remember, we weren't bailed out because we couldn't manage our sovereign debt. Thats completely managable, its the banking or private debt that forced us into the situation we're now in.

And the suggestion that we wouldn't be able to return to the markets because we burnt the bondholers is complete nonsense. All the markets care about is your ability to pay, not who you didn't bail out. And assuming we've separated private debt from sovereign debt, we wouldn't be faced with the banking crisis we are now (which hasn't gone away btw), and which is the reason yields on Irish bonds are so high, because of the never-ending cost of recapitalising the banks.

Do you honestly think the bond market will believe we have any ability to pay less than 12 months have we defaulted on our last debt. Without the banking debt the government still spends ~€18bn more than it takes in. SFs plan to reverse all cuts and get rid of the USC will only increase that deficit further. So Sinn Fein are going to go to the bond markets looking to borrow around €20bn and they think they are going to get it at a decent interest rate despite the fact that they told the very same people that we are keeping the €18bn they loaned us last year and that they are not going to get a cent of that back. It will not work.

FoxT wrote: »

I was & remain sickened by Martin Ferris turning up to collect convicted garda killers from jail on their release.

Jerry McCabe was a guard, married with children, who was murdered by the IRA in the course of a robbery.

For a TD to turn up & collect the killers of a garda from jail, was a political act. Essentially the statement he was making was - Sinn Fein does not care about the rule of law. Sinn Fein does not care about the Gardai, and Sinn Fein does not care about victims of violent crimes when those crimes are perpetrated in the interests of Sinn Fein fundraising.

I will never,ever, vote for Sinn Fein, because they cannot be trusted with even the basic 'dont kill people' stuff.


-FoxT

Never never as Mr Paisley used to say.

I agree with your point above. But I doubt that is your only reason for never ever voting Sinn Fein.