Which Irish political party would you like to see in a new government?

Direct democracy ireland

Seriously

StupidLikeAFox wrote: »

You could stop basing your vote on your own personal opinions and realise that your vote should go to the party or candidate who (in your opinion) will deliver the best possible outcome for the country over the following 5 years

If you feel that you have a better vision for the country, there is nothing stopping you from gathering a group of like minded individuals and start expressing your opinions loudly - that people might be influenced by your opinions and rally behind you - thus gaining support for your ideas and getting elected to national office, where you can begin to put your ideas into practice (easier said than done of course)



Alternatively, you can draw a cock on your ballot and apply some twisted logic that the fact you have spoiled your vote will somehow jerk the powers that be into changing their strategy (good luck with that)

lol. stop basing your vote on your own personal opinion. well that says it all. you should base your vote on someone elses personal opinion. nothing to stop you getting elected to national office. what about the finances to run an election campaign thats not funded by any of the political parties

Vote for none of the above

gowley wrote: »

lol. stop basing your vote on your own personal opinion. well that says it all. you should base your vote on someone elses personal opinion. nothing to stop you getting elected to national office. what about the finances to run an election campaign thats not funded by any of the political parties

I stand by it. "Personal opinions" was probably the wrong turn of phrase. The point is that your own personal concerns and desires should be a factor in the decision of who to vote for, but at the same time you have to realise that taking the approach of "I don't agree with them so Im not voting for anybody" benefits nobody. If you think that voting [FF/FG/Lab/SF/Ind] (delete as appropriate) will result in a better outcome for the nation than voting for [FF/FG/Lab/SF/Ind] (delete as appropriate) then you have a choice.

On the funding point, if you feel you can offer a real alternative you can influence enough people to fund an election campaign.

Reekwind wrote: »

The caveat at the end makes a mockery of that entire paragraph. There's actually quite a lot stopping someone from establishing a political party, never mind one that would aspire to national government. Unless of course you're happy to bankroll such a venture to the tune of a few million euro?

When I said "easier said than done" I meant in terms of support. If you have the support and the will of the people behind you you will get elected. I take Stephen Donnelly as an example of this. He was an ordinary guy who had the qualifications and background required to build up a support base and get elected. He did not wake up one morning and think "Im sick of this ****" then get elected the next day. Ireland is one of the few places where you don't need millions to get elected. A few thousand (or tens of thousands) for sure, but if you are establishing a new political party surely this level of funding is not out of reach?

seven_eleven wrote: »

Ah, I dont believe any of them can deliver a good possible outcome. The last few times I have voted, I have deeply regretted it and only learned not to trust the parties and their so called "promises".

Look, its a democracy, its entirely transparent, you can vote for whoever is on the ballot or if you feel the people on the ballot are not up to scratch you can vote for an independent, you can join a party and change it from the inside or else you can stand for election yourself.

A spoiled vote is a cop out - you are given a choice to have an input into the future of the country and you are saying "**** it, i'm goin to throw my toys out of the pram and let someone else will decide for me anyway"

seven_eleven wrote: »

I have other things to be concerned about, I have my own aspirations. I do not want to go off and start running for government myself. In the past, none of the independents have gained my trust either.

I simply cannot abide by your mentality. I'm free to do what I want, and I do not think that my vote for a political party that I do not want in government will be of any benefit.

There are other ways I feel like I can contribute to the future of this country, and politics isnt one. Something I have ZERO confidence in at the moment.

I will NEVER, give my vote to any of the current political parties for their actions, past and present, UNLESS they severely change, and by god it will take a lot for me to gain some respect for them.
All of the independents in my area, shall also not receive my vote, unless a new person comes along that I feel is competent enough.
Although, it hasnt happened before, and the chances of an indi making much of a difference is slim to none as somebody mentioned previously.

It sickens me that you think I should use my vote in such a way.

haha, im sorry that im sickening you. Im only expressing an opinion.,

The point i was trying to make is that if you are given the choice of A,B,C,D,E,F - you will you choose none of the above. This has zero effect on the next five years of government. So essentially you are content in letting others decide the future of the country, while at the same time claiming some entitlement to have an opinion on how the country is run due to a "spoiled vote".

None of those listed.
Can't see a viable Other happening any time soon.
As only options in my constituency are basiclly the same cronies we have had since Haughey's time. Unlikely to even bother wasting the time voting until that changes.

Cody Pomeray wrote: »

You don't think Ireland is business-friendly enough?

We're the 10th easiest country in the world to open a business,
the 9th easiest country in the world for resolving company insolvency,
the 6th most desirable country in the world in terms of paying taxes,
those figures come from the World Bank.
This morning we had reports of companies whose Irish subsidiaries paid 0% tax on hundreds of millions of euros of profit.

We're plenty business friendly. Believe me I have no time for some of the outlandish Union demands, I'm talking about ordinary householders when I say we're not household friendly enough.

Nobody else wants to deal with this so, if there were an election in the morning, I would vote Sinn Féin. There has to be some balance in terms of how we divide our tax system between firms and households.

Personally, from experience would disagree with the World Bank crap. Ireland may be a great place for business if you are a multinational looking for the tax breaks. For start-ups - it sucks.

heyjude wrote: »

We need a new government made up of new people, with fresh new ideas, rather than retreads or clones. Maybe for a change we could try electing a government whose cabinet isn't composed of former teachers, farmers, publicans or trade union officials. I'm not talking about adding a few more auctioneers, accountants or solicitors either, but what about involving some actual business people who know what it takes to create real jobs.

Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Labour or any combination of them, have all had their chances and failed. The announcement, as good news, that 400 jobs are being created through the introduction of the water tax, just sums up my disillusionment with the system. If they truly see that as good news, then why not introduce another 20 various charges(taxes) and you can create thousands of jobs collecting them all

I'm not sure why business people are automatically held up as a shining example of how to create jobs. Making money is the raison d'être for businessmen and women, which isn't necessarily good or bad. Creating jobs (and occasionally cutting them) is a by-product of this process. Simply put, profit is what you're judged on - not "job creation".

Oh but wait a minute...that Sean Quinn fellow up in Cavan created loads of employment in the area. Now that's the sort of no-nonsense go-getter we need in Government!