Will 'Boards' have any effect on the General Election?

blackcard · 15-12-2015 09:44PM #1

I presume most of the larger parties have someone employed to post on their behalf, some may use a number of pseudonyms. I expect they will be very busy in the run up to the General Election. You will also have general supporters of parties posting. Some of the posts will be biased or inaccurate or misleading as these keyboard warriors attempt to influence your vote. So, do you think 'Boards' will have any effect on the way you vote?

Buona Fortuna · 15-12-2015 09:46PM

No

Pintman Paddy Losty · 15-12-2015 09:47PM

Minimal effect I'd say.

Boards demographic is mostly young low income males in late twenties to early thirties. You get a lot of lefty and republican types so it can seem like that side of things is on the rise, but the core of the Irish electorate (middle Ireland) don't spend their time arguing about Irish Water and a united Ireland online.

melissak · 15-12-2015 09:51PM

What exactly is meant by middle Ireland? Would you say boards has more men than women. Was there a poll for demographics?

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Minimal effect I'd say.

Boards demographic is mostly young low income males in late twenties to early thirties. You get a lot of lefty and republican types so it can seem like that side of things is on the rise, but the core of the Irish electorate (middle Ireland) don't spend their time arguing about Irish Water and a united Ireland online.

melissak · 15-12-2015 09:53PM

I might be swayed by arguments On here.I haven't a clue who I will vote for. I have serious reservations about them all

jamesbere · 15-12-2015 09:56PM

Tarquin Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lim-bus-stop-F'tang-F'tang-Olé-Biscuitbarrel is getting my vote anyway

darkpagandeath · 15-12-2015 09:56PM

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Minimal effect I'd say.

Boards demographic is mostly young low income males in late twenties to early thirties. You get a lot of lefty and republican types so it can seem like that side of things is on the rise, but the core of the Irish electorate (middle Ireland) don't spend their time arguing about Irish Water and a united Ireland online.

I'm sure you have Data to back that up ? Where have I heard Middle earth before... Let me think.

Pintman Paddy Losty · 15-12-2015 09:57PM

melissak wrote: »

What exactly is meant by middle Ireland? Would you say boards has more men than women. Was there a poll for demographics?

Middle Ireland is Terry and Tracy Taxpayer. Professionals and middle income earners. The ones paying for everything.

I think there was a census done years ago and the site is majority young male.

I think boards ran a mock GE in 2011 with transfers and all to predict the results. Needless to say the Republican Socialist Utopia that boardsies voted for never materialised in real life.

mad muffin · 15-12-2015 09:57PM

Enda Kenny is best Kenny! Our dear leader will rule on!

All hail our dear leader!

darkpagandeath · 15-12-2015 09:57PM

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Middle Ireland is Terry and Tracy Taxpayer. Professionals and middle income earners. The ones paying for everything.

I think there was a census done years ago and the site is majority young male.

I think boards ran a mock GE in 2011 with transfers and all to predict the results. Needless to say the Republican Socialist Utopia that boardsies voted for never materialised in real life.

Is "I" think fact ?

The Randy Riverbeast · 15-12-2015 09:58PM

Probably not, we have enough people spouting their political ****e as if they were being paid for it so most people should know how to spot it and glaze over anything they post.

The Moldy Gowl · 15-12-2015 09:58PM

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Minimal effect I'd say.

Boards demographic is mostly young low income males in late twenties to early thirties. You get a lot of lefty and republican types so it can seem like that side of things is on the rise, but the core of the Irish electorate (middle Ireland) don't spend their time arguing about Irish Water and a united Ireland online.

Come here to me you.

Where have I seen your username?
I have a vague feeling of seeing or hearing of pint man paddy losty and him drinking 80 pints or something, this week.

XR3i · 15-12-2015 09:59PM

the moderators control the gubbermint

For Forks Sake · 15-12-2015 10:01PM

I'd imagine it'd be as reliable a barometer as a journal.ie poll, which usually shows 50-60% support for Sinn Fein. Somehow this fails to play out in the real world.

blackcard · 15-12-2015 10:04PM

darkpagandeath wrote: »

I'm sure you have Data to back that up ? Where have I heard Middle earth before... Let me think.

I sometimes drop in to the 'Irish Water' thread for a laugh, seems to be about 3 or 4 posters on either side of the argument each trying to convince the other side of the merits of their argument but there is not a chance in hell of that happening. I imagine any thread about the General Election will follow the same path.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 15-12-2015 10:05PM

Absolutely zero impact from AH, as the population here is very remote from the country as a whole. The politics forum will have more balanced debate but will still have minimal impact as, again, boards users are not typical of the general population.

mikeym · 15-12-2015 10:08PM

No.

Berserker · 15-12-2015 10:11PM

Little to none. I recall a boards poll before the last Presidential election which showed that the SF candidate was a country mile ahead of the rest. He ended up finishing a poor third, if I remember correctly, getting half the votes of the candidate that finished second in that election. Boards is a snapshot of the feeling amongst a small section of the voting public. The majority here are politically to the left too, socially and economically.

cml387 · 15-12-2015 10:12PM

I always follow the advice of our great poet WB Yeats..

The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Wx · 15-12-2015 10:13PM

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Minimal effect I'd say.

Boards demographic is mostly young low income males in late twenties to early thirties. You get a lot of lefty and republican types so it can seem like that side of things is on the rise, but the core of the Irish electorate (middle Ireland) don't spend their time arguing about Irish Water and a united Ireland online.

Are you sure of all of what you say?

For Forks Sake · 15-12-2015 10:14PM

jamesbere wrote: »

Tarquin Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lim-bus-stop-F'tang-F'tang-Olé-Biscuitbarrel is getting my vote anyway

Is he running in North - Central?

15-12-2015 10:15PM

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Minimal effect I'd say.

Boards demographic is mostly young low income males in late twenties to early thirties. You get a lot of lefty and republican types so it can seem like that side of things is on the rise, but the core of the Irish electorate (middle Ireland) don't spend their time arguing about Irish Water and a united Ireland online.

Across all forums?

blackcard · 15-12-2015 10:18PM

melissak wrote: »

I might be swayed by arguments On here.I haven't a clue who I will vote for. I have serious reservations about them all

I don't think you should believe a fraction of the stuff that is posted on here

quarefarmers · 15-12-2015 10:22PM

This site is just a piss take,pinch of salt

Fleawuss · 15-12-2015 10:30PM

Cason Plain Monogamy wrote: »

Absolutely zero impact from AH, as the population here is very remote from the country as a whole. The politics forum will have more balanced debate but will still have minimal impact as, again, boards users are not typical of the general population.

I would agree with you if you wrote "zero impact ON AH."
There is among the brilliant repartee, incisive analysis and savage put downs a general ability to spot BS a mile off. The poor souls in the Other House are mere party apparatchiks hoping for a pat on the head from a party grandee and to elbow their way into a photo of a sod turning for the local rag.

benjamin d · 15-12-2015 10:30PM

The more I hear online from the socialists/Sinn Fein/AAA and the likes the more I feel that Fine Gael could nick an overall majority come election time. For all the bluster of the left wing it doesn't really translate to votes. I'd consider myself left wing but at the minute I think Fine Gael are our best option pragmatically because I feel totally alienated by the idiotic policies and career protesting antics of the alternative. I would have considered myself a Labour voter before now.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 15-12-2015 10:39PM

Fleawuss wrote: »

I would agree with you if you wrote "zero impact ON AH."
There is among the brilliant repartee, incisive analysis and savage put downs a general ability to spot BS a mile off. The poor souls in the Other House are mere party apparatchiks hoping for a pat on the head from a party grandee and to elbow their way into a photo of a sod turning for the local rag.

My point is thus proven.

No similarity to opinion in the real world.

Thanks.

Son Of A Vidic · 15-12-2015 10:51PM

Thread could have been locked after the second post.

B.A._Baracus · 15-12-2015 11:13PM

Not to imply that boards.ie is small. It's just when you compare the amount of users who use the forum against the population of Ireland.... It's a very low percentage.

So no. Boards.ie won't have any big impact.

dxhound2005 · 15-12-2015 11:22PM

blackcard wrote: »

I presume most of the larger parties have someone employed to post on their behalf, some may use a number of pseudonyms. I expect they will be very busy in the run up to the General Election. You will also have general supporters of parties posting. Some of the posts will be biased or inaccurate or misleading as these keyboard warriors attempt to influence your vote. So, do you think 'Boards' will have any effect on the way you vote?

I presume you have some evidence to back this up? Another poster started a thread a while back claiming that some of us on AH were being paid by political parties. I challenged them to produce the evidence and they failed to do so.

Everyone on here is using a pseudonym. But we are all limited to one.

The_Valeyard · 15-12-2015 11:37PM

Unless a pyrotechnic or arsonist is running for election, AH will have little influence.

Will 'Boards' have any effect on the General Election?

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