General Election Louth Constituency

ShiverinEskimo wrote: »

The Louth hospital is a disproportionate issue these days. Most of the candidates talking about reopening it are paying lip service as it's unlikely at this stage it will ever be done. Would require massive investment, staffing and modernisation before it could reopen and with the state the HSE is doomed to for the next decade at least that investment would never be made available even if a pro-reopening candidate made it into government. Short of a Louth TD being given the Health minister post, it's pie in the sky stuff at this stage, much as it pains me to say it.

What are people's main concerns about Louth in general? For me it's crime. Breathnach's calls for cross-border crime taskforce resonates well with me. The border is a magical forcefield for criminals as it stands. Would like to see that tackled properly somehow. Depending on how the Brexit deal pans out a flare up of smuggling and cross-border organised crime is very much on the cards.

Healthcare in the region is an issue but dont let any politician ramble on about reinstating the Louth County Hospital to full acute status. Too far gone at this stage. What candidates could be pushed on is using the capacity at LCH for stepdown beds, convalesance after time in OLOL to free beds there and also respite capacity. The LCH is already the regions centre for Endoscopy services and similar daycase eg opthamolgy and at a push 'minor' op procedure services could be developed to take presure off OLOL. MIU and the expansion of this to some paediatrics is progress. A one stop shop primary care centre in Dundalk is badly needed - GP referrals for xrays and minor diagnostics in preperation for a consultation in OLOL would help wiaiting lists and reduce waiting times at clinics. I see today there is a planning application to add 2 stories to OLOL for acute surgical facilities which will have a significant impact. A pre-admission holding area so that people are not lying on stretchers (usually from an ambulance unit tying up that unit) is a must but they are running out of space on the current site. Acquiring what is currently United Park for anciilliary services to allow the more expansions of the more acute needs on the main campus should be pushed.

Safe injecting facilities across the region with support and detox services should top candiates agendas also.

Crime is a major issue currently. I'm not sure that there is a quick fix with the general time for due process to occur. As bad as it is, short of something like internment of suspects we have to let police do their job. What is probably more of an issue is reform of the judiciary, expiditing criminal cases and providing capacity in the prion service. That said do we want to be a society that is always all about locking people up? There are other models to look at eg restorative justice that are proven to be more effective than incarceration. Dealing with the drug epidemic even to the extent of legalisation would completely change criminality in this country.

Jobs in a Drogheda v Dundalk v Dublin shouldnt rank that highly in concerns. up to 1 hour commute to work people should adapt to. Time to lose the Dundalk V Drogheda stuff and focus on what can benefit the region. Appropriate transport infrastructure is the main issue here. There should not be hundreds of cars parked at each junction off the M1. Safe carparking, car pooling initiatives, buses should be introduced at ky points off the M1. (re)Opening of railway stations eg Dunleer and an audit of old lines that could be reopened eg Navan to Dublin.

Globally and very much nationally and locally we need to take a long term look at the nation's health-GP referral schemes to personal trainers may seem daft and extravigant but would save a fortune in the medium and long term.

I'm intrigued by the 'living wage' experiments that have been done in Scandanavia and something we should look in to here as a reform of the welfare system.

We are so far behind on enviornmental issues that it is a national embaressment but this is not just for new policies with new politicians - we need to consider our own conduct and attitude toward things beyond recycling as flytipping and general littering is costing unnecessary money to clean up. Maybe school initiatives to develop respect invested in?

Cross border issues and Brexit is a wait and see but initially get rid of the whole dying poluting agri fuel and use the tax system with authorised suppliers to agriculture directly. There are bound to be ways more sophisticated to tackle this issue than spending millions cleaning up the mess by smuggling fuels and the chemicals left from the 'washing'.

Incoherent, misspelt ramble over...

Salary Negotiator wrote: »

Fitzer appears to have left a branded car in my housing estate. No NCT, no tax or insurance displayed.

All in the post :pac:

Call the guards and get it towed away.:p

event wrote: »

2SF
2FG
1FF

Thats me estimate on it but wouldn't be surprised to see 2FF with FG losing 1

So its looking lilke

2 SF (O Murchu & Munster)
1 FF (Breatnach)
1 FG (O'Dowd)
1 Lab (Nash

Ivan Yeats called Breathach,O 'Dowd, Nash, O'Murchu and .......... Byrne!!

I wonder if Mary-Lou's narcissism will have cost her party/candidates votes?

She could have avoided the debate last night and played the victim thus attracting a certain amount of sympathy. Instead, she insisted on appearing and was badly caught out on questions about the central criminal court, the death of Paul Quinn and green energy.

Apparently, there will be a "massive" amount of investment in electric car chargers. When asked to define "massive", she said that it would be "substantial". When pressed, she couldn't give numbers for either.

Those that vote for SF, will always vote for SF. Those who may be undecided will surely have been concerned by a "massive" and "substantial" lack of policy detail to enable their political aspirations.

PGE1970 wrote: »

Ivan Yeats called Breathach,O 'Dowd, Nash, O'Murchu and .......... Byrne!!

Just listened to that. He also said Dundalk was a bigger town than Drawda. As usual, he's talking through his hoop.

I think she was really lacking in substance about how she is going to fund her policies etc. However, if you are a mid to late 20's professional on 30K per annum and she's saying she's going to exempt you from the USC for up to the first 30K of your income and then tax people on 140K at 57%, you can see how people would vote for SF. Never mind how they will fund the loss of tax income or the fact that people on and companies offering the few salaries at over 140K will up sticks and leave Ireland.

Just a quick question regarding fringe candidates that obviously have no chance of winning. The likes of David Bradley who got a couple of hundred votes last time and is going again this time around. Or Topanga Bird who is unknown in Louth and has zero chance of being elected.

Why do they put themselves forward. I reckon at the very least it's going to cost them a grand as well as hundreds of wasted hours walking the streets and knocking on doors. Is it an ego thing? I see Topanga Bird has had two full page ads in a local paper this week and they don't come cheap. Does she genuinely think she has a chance or is it just a case of being seen to try and do something rather than sniping from the sidelines?

Any former fringe candidates here able to enlighten me?

event wrote: »

Or this guy

https://www.facebook.com/587504668428229/posts/790556641456363/

That video came up as an advertisement in my facebook feed the other night. Is he some sort of conspiracy theorist or what's his story?

patsman07 wrote: »

That video came up as an advertisement in my facebook feed the other night. Is he some sort of conspiracy theorist or what's his story?

Me too, he must have paid for the ads so

event wrote: »

I think Leo won it to be honest. MLMD definitely lost though

That would be my conclusion also.

I'm not party affiliated and vote for who I consider to be best candidate. I wont be voting or either FG, FF or SF next Saturday so could watch this from perhaps a more neutral perspective.

I thought Leo spoke best, articulated his policies best and was best briefed. However, he still has a certain D4 attitude and I have great difficulty in respecting a cabinet including him, Simon Harris and Eoghan Murphy. It looks to me like 3 lads from Blackrock playing at being politicians for a school project and making a mess of it.

Michael Martin did ok. His quip to MLM at the end about her biggest regret being when she joined FF was excellent. Quote of the night! I always get the feeling from him that he is a thoroughly decent man with very good intentions towards the country. But he is a legacy from a bitter past.

Finally MLM. She began by trying to shout the others down and almost baited them to attack her which, I expect, was a SF ploy to portray the other two (men) as bullies. They were wise to this though. she had uncomfortable moments when dealing (or not) with the Central Criminal Court and the Quinn murder. Her input re car charging points was laughable.

However, where she and SF fall down is there is no substance on policy to back up their aspirations. I would simply have no confidence in them to run a bath never mind a country. She said nothing last night to dissuade me from this position. I've always seen SF as a party who will complain about everything and will be happy to do so as it suits them better than leading by example.

Nesta99 wrote: »

If SF poll as currently predicted there is going to be a lot of difficulty forming a government without a seismic change in policy for parties as independants and fringe parties will not necessarily get any one of 3 partiess polling in and around 23%. So options/opinions? FG with another confidence and supply agreement with FF or visa versa. FF cosy up to SF or visa versa. Or FG/FF/SF (not with eachother) in a rainbow coalition that will have every one of the rest so likely to collapse early.

This is my worry - what if on Monday morning neither FF or FG have a majority (which is the most likely outcome) and there is no possibility of forming a coalition? Are we back to the polls again? And what are the ramifications of that? Would there be a possibility that SF could run more candidates? Or would it be the same candidates - just round 2? The thoughts of it

Nice bit of electioneering out in Lordship last night.

FF & FG posters burned off the poles & big hand painted placard advising locals not to vote for Black and Tans.

They haven't gone away you know. :rolleyes:

Interfering with election posters is very childish.
The last time I did it I was about 9 years old. I drew a moustache on Dev.

joeysoap wrote: »

Best statement ever

“Sinn Féin will not be intimidated or bullied.”

Who are SF intimidating or bullying?
You appear to be intimating they are.
Or am i reading your post wrong?