Will you vote for Fianna Fail?

[muppet]

Hopefully it was post dark old days!

Hume was looked upon as a terrorist at the civil rights time
However others were deemed worse so John wasn't public enemy number one for too long

It's a pity his sdlp party turned into sihte without him

Late eighties.

The people I met were fantastic to me particularly as I knew no one when I went up there.

Mandela seemed more able to get the moderates agenda to the forefront after the whites granted universal franchise. That is not meant to be a criticism of Republicans or Nationalists, because there is obviously nothing remotely like Mandela coming from the Unionist/Loyalist side either.

[Lar Naparka]

And I would vote ff again if they put up a credible candidate in my constituency - the last one is gone.
As long as their leadership can spell - it would be an improvement.
Though I'm becoming more apathetic about the parties and their self serving selfish td's

I'd just about be able to pick a decent gov out of the entire dail

As you said in your previous post, it's all about perspective.


I would also consider voting for FF sometime in the future if I felt they had more credible policies than any of the other parties. I don't see this happening until every one of those who played a part in the last government has left the scene. Even then, I would not guarantee anything.
If I had to choose between FF and FG/Lab, I'd go with the latter not because I  think they are doing a good job but rather because I feel they are not quite as useless as the former.
If the present shower had got elected on the back of their pre-election policies in 2007 and 2002, they'd have landed us in the doo doo, same as FF.
That leaves SF as the only credible alternative.
I'd certainly vote for them if I felt that they had realistic, practical policies and right now, I don't. To the best of my knowledge, the majority of voters in the republic think the same way.
Can you tell me what SF's policy on education is right now? I could say the same about rural depopulation, emigration, and just about every other aspect of daily life down here.
You can forget about decades of biased media propaganda being the cause of SF's lack of widespread support down here. We're spoilt for choice when we go looking for news about any topic under the sun and that includes current affairs.
We've got the Mail, the Star and the Sun as well as our domestic dailies. UTV, SKY, BBC etc. as well as NBC and CNN are freely available so we don't have to rely on RTE and TV3.
If there's a conspiracy afoot to discredit SF, it's a worldwide one. On the other hand, it could just be that the Shinners blame everyone else for their lack of credibility and refuse to look in the mirror!
Still, they have a few able spokespeople and Mary Lou is gaining ground. Her popularity certainly outstrips that of her party.
Pearse Doherty is coming across quite well also but I'd say voters down here would consider him too young to lead the party.
Look, "Rromantic Ireland's dead and gone; it's with O'Leary in the grave," as WB Yeats said.
If SF ever develops policies that deal with current issues and concentrate on the here and now, they might do a lot better than they are doing right now.

[lawnseed]

Every time theres a budget or an important decision re anything from eduacation to health to employment. sinn fein put their costed alternative in the public domain and try to put it forward in the dail.
What do you want? Maybe a handwritten copy in the style of the book of kells
You need to get interested in the way your country is run. Take ownership of the place the brits have been out of your bit for 100years stop leaving it to 'themuns'

[Nally Stand]

But SF do "concentrate on the here and now". If McGuinness' election campaign proved anything, its that there are swathes of people in the 26 counties are aren't quite as capable of doing so themselves (but who will at the same time, sanctimoniously lecture others to do so).

[lawnseed]

But SF do "concentrate on the here and now". If McGuinness' election campaign proved anything, its that there are swathes of people in the 26 counties are aren't quite as capable of doing so themselves (but who will at the same time, sanctimoniously lecture others to do so).

Just you and me bro.. Ourselves alone.. theyve given up 

[lynchbhoy]

And I would vote ff again if they put up a credible candidate in my constituency - the last one is gone.
As long as their leadership can spell - it would be an improvement.
Though I'm becoming more apathetic about the parties and their self serving selfish td's

I'd just about be able to pick a decent gov out of the entire dail

As you said in your previous post, it's all about perspective.


I would also consider voting for FF sometime in the future if I felt they had more credible policies than any of the other parties. I don't see this happening until every one of those who played a part in the last government has left the scene. Even then, I would not guarantee anything.
If I had to choose between FF and FG/Lab, I'd go with the latter not because I  think they are doing a good job but rather because I feel they are not quite as useless as the former.
If the present shower had got elected on the back of their pre-election policies in 2007 and 2002, they'd have landed us in the doo doo, same as FF.
That leaves SF as the only credible alternative.
I'd certainly vote for them if I felt that they had realistic, practical policies and right now, I don't. To the best of my knowledge, the majority of voters in the republic think the same way.
Can you tell me what SF's policy on education is right now? I could say the same about rural depopulation, emigration, and just about every other aspect of daily life down here.
You can forget about decades of biased media propaganda being the cause of SF's lack of widespread support down here. We're spoilt for choice when we go looking for news about any topic under the sun and that includes current affairs.
We've got the Mail, the Star and the Sun as well as our domestic dailies. UTV, SKY, BBC etc. as well as NBC and CNN are freely available so we don't have to rely on RTE and TV3.
If there's a conspiracy afoot to discredit SF, it's a worldwide one. On the other hand, it could just be that the Shinners blame everyone else for their lack of credibility and refuse to look in the mirror!
Still, they have a few able spokespeople and Mary Lou is gaining ground. Her popularity certainly outstrips that of her party.
Pearse Doherty is coming across quite well also but I'd say voters down here would consider him too young to lead the party.
Look, "Rromantic Ireland's dead and gone; it's with O'Leary in the grave," as WB Yeats said.
If SF ever develops policies that deal with current issues and concentrate on the here and now, they might do a lot better than they are doing right now.

apologies LAr- I should have made myself clearer.
My comments about nationalist/republicans/Irish/catholics being mirepresented and given a disgraceful anti bias - was mostly 1968-1994/2000 ish.
any modern day campaign against sf (which im not that bothered about) is prob due t ff owned media rags trying to undermine them as their profile raises in the south and means they are a potential threat to ff, fg etc - well not potential, they are a growing threat.
so the status quo dont want them. power is money and all that.
remember where all the media agencies you quoted get their info from - its not their on the ground people- its from central state sources- thats why they all report the same news, why their wording is often identical as they rebroadcast the same source transmission!! again my beef is from yesteryear.

its funny you should mention the oft trotted out about what are sf's policies on ecnomics etc etc
sure we have ff who used to do that- dont think they have a leg to stand on with that regard after the financial fiasco they presided over.
likewise fg have not covered themselves in glory - though they will try to take credit for the resolution and 'stability' to the country - but as I read a michael noonan comment in yesterdays paper, he says we are lucky that market conditions in europe are favourable this past couple of years!! thats the nail on the head.
if europe was still in ruins, we would still be in the mire.
ff fg et al are not better in their finance or economic policies that sf or anyone really.
we are a country not a company and the country was always going to right itself - especally with the corporate tax rate we have that lures and retains wompanies and employers.
Even bankrupt Iceland have returned to prosperity. thougth without the safety net of the EU - but they burned the banks and bond holders.
so i say that its much of a muchness in comparison of the policies between all political parties here. its a myth that sf are any more clueless than the rest. imo they ar eall clueless.
remember that irespective of who gets into gov - the securocrats in the civil service remain the same and they advise and tell the gov what they should be doing- thus policies dont really deviate much - despite pre-election pledges to radically change all and sundry.

romantic Ireland is dead and gone, we are all capitalistic me feiner bastards now.
apart from those poor unfortunates that havent a pot to piss in. the real casualties of halfwit prev clueless gov policy and continued clueless gov policy that cant/wont assist them.

my prob is not will I vote ff again, but will I vote at all.
people complain saying that its us that vote theese eejits into office.
but when you have self effacing ex cops, civil servants, teachers, doctors etc etc all standing for local election - what chance have you got when any of these become TD and end up in gov ? what business acumen have any of these fcukers got?
we have a teacher leading the country that can hardly spell and a litany of gobshite sheep in gov and opposition.

as I said, id just about make a gov aout of the pick of all td's in the dail.

im too much of a fat cat capitalist myself to join in or start a revolution

[muppet]

Every time theres a budget or an important decision re anything from eduacation to health to employment. sinn fein put their costed alternative in the public domain and try to put it forward in the dail.
What do you want? Maybe a handwritten copy in the style of the book of kells
You need to get interested in the way your country is run. Take ownership of the place the brits have been out of your bit for 100years stop leaving it to 'themuns'

They put great stock in it being 'costed'.

It is like saying, we added it all up.

Only in politics could you make multi-billion euro proposals and boast that you had actually checked to see what it might cost.

[LeoMc]

Every time theres a budget or an important decision re anything from eduacation to health to employment. sinn fein put their costed alternative in the public domain and try to put it forward in the dail.
What do you want? Maybe a handwritten copy in the style of the book of kells
You need to get interested in the way your country is run. Take ownership of the place the brits have been out of your bit for 100years stop leaving it to 'themuns'

They put great stock in it being 'costed'.

It is like saying, we added it all up.

Only in politics could you make multi-billion euro proposals and boast that you had actually checked to see what it might cost.

Only in Politics can you promise billions without having to say how you will pay for it.
At every election you will hear promises to abolish tuition fees or household charges  or give everyone medical cards or a new road.

[johnneycool]

Hopefully it was post dark old days!

Hume was looked upon as a terrorist at the civil rights time
However others were deemed worse so John wasn't public enemy number one for too long

It's a pity his sdlp party turned into sihte without him

Late eighties.

The people I met were fantastic to me particularly as I knew no one when I went up there.

Mandela seemed more able to get the moderates agenda to the forefront after the whites granted universal franchise. That is not meant to be a criticism of Republicans or Nationalists, because there is obviously nothing remotely like Mandela coming from the Unionist/Loyalist side either.

You mean an F. W. de Klerk type person I presume?

[All of a Sludden]

National update: FF the largest party with 37 local seats remaining

Just 37 council seats around the country remain to be decided this morning, with Fianna Fáil set to become the largest party at local council level.
The party has won 257 seats so far. Independents and others are next with 229 seats. Fine Gael has 221 seats, while Sinn Féin has 153 seats.
Labour has taken the biggest hit, with just 50 seats so far in local councils around the country - half its figure from the last local elections in 2009.
Elsewhere, first official counts are expected in the South and Midlands/NorthWest constituencies at lunchtime.

[seafoid]

Very poor result for FF - they won't get back to glory days any time soon if they can't rise above 30% when the Government is struggling.
I'd say a lot of younger voters have given up on them.
I was looking at the council results in Galway city- in one ward FG got one seat on the last count and FF got none and most of the seats went to independents.

[Mayo4Sam]

Its obviously sad given his personal circumstances but he's clearly a sc**bag (given the previous assault) and you'd think its against better judgement of a justice spokesman to be writing to the judge on the case

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/collins-wrote-to-judge-seeking-leniency-for-drug-dealer-1.1837240


Collins wrote to judge seeking leniency for drug dealer

Fianna Fáil justice spokesman appealed on behalf of Limerick criminal


Fianna Fáil justice spokesman Niall Collins wrote to a judge asking him not to jail a convicted drug dealer, it emerged at a sentencing hearing this week.

At a sitting of Limerick Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Carroll Moran was asked not to attach any weight to the letter written by the TD. The handwritten letter was presented by lawyers representing a 40- year-old father of four from Co Limerick.

Earlier this year, Hugo Porter of St Patrick's Villa's , Castleconnell, Co Limerick, pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis and cannabis resin for the purpose of sale or supply.

The drugs, which had a street value of almost €18,000, were recovered by gardaí in a field at Garden Hill, Castleconnell, on June 24th, 2011.

At Porter's sentencing hearing on Monday, the judge was told the convicted man was the sole carer of his four young children as his wife had died in tragic circumstances earlier this year.

Defence counsel Michael Collins argued that the family circumstances of the accused man placed the case in the "exceptional category". He said this was supported by the letter written by Deputy Collins, which was presented to the judge.

The letter, which was not read out in court, was dated last month and was written on personalised headed paper and included Niall Collins's photograph and contact details.

Prosecution counsel John O'Sullivan urged the judge "not to attach too much weight" to the letter.

He said the practice of public representatives writing to sentencing judges was "not uncommon" in the recent past but that it was no longer commonplace.

A co-accused in the drugs case, Alan Lysaght (39), from Scanlon Park, Castleconnell, was jailed for three years with the final year suspended.

Adjourning sentencing in the case of Porter, the judge said he had to consider the possible activation of a suspended sentence for an earlier assault case and an appropriate sentence for the drugs case. A two-year prison sentence was suspended in 2009 for an assault in which Porter produced a broken glass during a dispute in Co Clare.

Sentencing was adjourned until October 10th next.

Attempts to contact Deputy Collins tonight were unsuccessful.

[AZOffaly]

Yeah, tricky one. Politicians shouldn't be sticking their noses in. However it does seem hard on the kids, but then again I don't know this guys form. €18k of hash wouldn't exactly put him up there with the Caseys, Kellys and co, but it's still drug dealing.

[Farrandeelin]

Brian Crowley has been (or is in the process of being) expelled. No FF MEP. All I can say is WOW!

[macdanger2]

Personally, I think he's no loss to FF, a bandwagon party member if there ever was one. I was living down in Cork in 04 when the Bertie bus was in full swing and his posters were plastered with the FF logo the same as anyone. I remember seeing massive posters by the side of the road in 09 when the wheels had come off the bus and you could literally barely see the FF logo on his poster. And now, a few weeks after getting elected on the FF ticket (and no doubt availing of party funds, canvassers, etc), he jumps ship. TBF, he probably could have gotten elected if he was standing for the DUP but all the same it shows a complete lack of integrity on his part.