Election 2011 Offical Thread.

[Rossfan]

At this stage I suspect Labour are scared of their lives that FG mightn't need them to form a Govt .
FF are talking about backing a minority FG govt , which I believe is a tactic to get Blueshirt voters to transfer to the FFers.
Meanwhile Labour could lose lots of potential seats to SF and various shades of lefties.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

FF are talking about backing a minority FG govt , which I believe is a tactic to get Blueshirt voters to transfer to the FFers.

There are no depths to which that venal shower will not descend to get (and retain) their grubby mitts on power.

[andoireabu]

Actually we're off track here as my seat will be in Dun Laoghaire - not Longford/Westmeath.

So local issues here only.

any corporation who wants to do business here signs a contract guarenteeing (sp) their employees wages and yax payments for a set time.  their corp. tax is slightly lower to encourage them to work here.  If at any stage they decide to pack up and leave, they have to buy out their contract, ie pay their employees the remaining wages for the year as well as the redundency money and also the tax they would have paid if fully operational.  Means the country is not suddenly stripped of a big tax paying company which puts in a lot of money and employs a lot of people without having time to find a replacement or at least try to find one.  No company will join if they think they won't make it but companies who are successful and are not in danger will be drawn to the lower tax rate.  Sort of win win.  Basically the same idea that if a football club were going to buy a player they would have to buy out their contract so the selling club would not be out of pocket on them.  Feel free to rip this idea to shreds if it makes no sense but its an idea and you can never have too many of those. Plus I might be a little drunk

[An Gaeilgoir]

Happened to be listenig to the radio this morning and anyone who thinks there will be much chance of change will be disappointed.
The "Academia" revolution has died a death, with Fintan o Toole, Dunphy etc. have pulled the plug on their plans, citing timelines and family sacrifices as their downfall.

Morning Ireland did a vox pop around Cork/ Limerick this morning, and the main topics were "potholes and local jobs". Also a lot of "sure they are all the same, not going to vote" etc. I really do dispair.

But the prize of the day goes to Mattie mc Grath and his supporters in Tipperary on the Pat Kenny show, i genuinely thought it was Pat Short pulling the piss, I nearly crashed the car with rage. Gombeen men and women of the highest order, "let them do what they want in Dublin, but who is going to tar me road and keep the local school open, its Mattie thats who. Shure we never get anything down here except for what Mattie gets us and so on and so on, no mention of IMF, Banks, unemployment, taxation.I'm sure its a picture repeated all over the country.

All politics are local, write FF off at your peril. Depressing all round.

[Declan]

Depressing all round

Meanwhile back in the real world

http://www.thejournal.ie/woman-died-of-hypothermia-in-flat-after-council-refused-to-fix-heating-2011-1/

[Shamrock Shore]

Mattie McGrath is two ends of a bollox.

But is anyone surprised. We deserve these cnuts cos we elect them. Great man for the 'finerals' and sorting out the auld medical card and widow's pinshin. Has been know to call bank staff to berate them over foreclosing on constituent's bad loans.

A complete goon who will top the poll.

[AZOffaly]

Happened to be listenig to the radio this morning and anyone who thinks there will be much chance of change will be disappointed.
The "Academia" revolution has died a death, with Fintan o Toole, Dunphy etc. have pulled the plug on their plans, citing timelines and family sacrifices as their downfall.

Morning Ireland did a vox pop around Cork/ Limerick this morning, and the main topics were "potholes and local jobs". Also a lot of "sure they are all the same, not going to vote" etc. I really do dispair.

But the prize of the day goes to Mattie mc Grath and his supporters in Tipperary on the Pat Kenny show, i genuinely thought it was Pat Short pulling the piss, I nearly crashed the car with rage. Gombeen men and women of the highest order, "let them do what they want in Dublin, but who is going to tar me road and keep the local school open, its Mattie thats who. Shure we never get anything down here except for what Mattie gets us and so on and so on, no mention of IMF, Banks, unemployment, taxation.I'm sure its a picture repeated all over the country.

All politics are local, write FF off at your peril. Depressing all round.

Just on that, I heard a bit of that from Limerick as well, and I did hear something new, something that I think will be replicated around the country. I heard the lads in Carew Park who had voted Fianna Fáil all their lives saying they were not going to vote Fianna Fáil this time around. They weren't too sure who they *were* going to vote for, but they were unanimous in the fact that FF could stay away from their doors.

I think that's something different.

[An Gaeilgoir]

Happened to be listenig to the radio this morning and anyone who thinks there will be much chance of change will be disappointed.
The "Academia" revolution has died a death, with Fintan o Toole, Dunphy etc. have pulled the plug on their plans, citing timelines and family sacrifices as their downfall.

Morning Ireland did a vox pop around Cork/ Limerick this morning, and the main topics were "potholes and local jobs". Also a lot of "sure they are all the same, not going to vote" etc. I really do dispair.

But the prize of the day goes to Mattie mc Grath and his supporters in Tipperary on the Pat Kenny show, i genuinely thought it was Pat Short pulling the piss, I nearly crashed the car with rage. Gombeen men and women of the highest order, "let them do what they want in Dublin, but who is going to tar me road and keep the local school open, its Mattie thats who. Shure we never get anything down here except for what Mattie gets us and so on and so on, no mention of IMF, Banks, unemployment, taxation.I'm sure its a picture repeated all over the country.

All politics are local, write FF off at your peril. Depressing all round.

Just on that, I heard a bit of that from Limerick as well, and I did hear something new, something that I think will be replicated around the country. I heard the lads in Carew Park who had voted Fianna Fáil all their lives saying they were not going to vote Fianna Fáil this time around. They weren't too sure who they *were* going to vote for, but they were unanimous in the fact that FF could stay away from their doors.

I think that's something different.

I am wondering will this start off a generation of FG/ LAB or whoever voters, who will vote along party lines instead of a candidates' ability and the cycle will be repeated over again and again. I suppose our system tends towards this type of voting.

[Lone Shark]

Happened to be listenig to the radio this morning and anyone who thinks there will be much chance of change will be disappointed.
The "Academia" revolution has died a death, with Fintan o Toole, Dunphy etc. have pulled the plug on their plans, citing timelines and family sacrifices as their downfall.

Morning Ireland did a vox pop around Cork/ Limerick this morning, and the main topics were "potholes and local jobs". Also a lot of "sure they are all the same, not going to vote" etc. I really do dispair.

But the prize of the day goes to Mattie mc Grath and his supporters in Tipperary on the Pat Kenny show, i genuinely thought it was Pat Short pulling the piss, I nearly crashed the car with rage. Gombeen men and women of the highest order, "let them do what they want in Dublin, but who is going to tar me road and keep the local school open, its Mattie thats who. Shure we never get anything down here except for what Mattie gets us and so on and so on, no mention of IMF, Banks, unemployment, taxation.I'm sure its a picture repeated all over the country.

All politics are local, write FF off at your peril. Depressing all round.

Just on that, I heard a bit of that from Limerick as well, and I did hear something new, something that I think will be replicated around the country. I heard the lads in Carew Park who had voted Fianna Fáil all their lives saying they were not going to vote Fianna Fáil this time around. They weren't too sure who they *were* going to vote for, but they were unanimous in the fact that FF could stay away from their doors.

I think that's something different.

It's easy to say that you won't vote Fianna Fáil when you're talking to a radio researcher who will tut tut to themselves and look down on you for suggesting that you're going to vote that way. It's another thing to engage your brain and do the right thing in a ballot box when a century of conditioning has told you that you vote Fianna Fáil even as they set fire to your house.

I'll believe things are different when we vote differently - not when we tell pollsters differently.

[thejuice]

Can't believe it, O'Toole, Dunphy et al were all set to save the country but "ah sorry lads the elections too early, I have too many things on this month to be running for government."

Maybe its not that important to them after all 

[Maguire01]

Can't believe it, O'Toole, Dunphy et al were all set to save the country but "ah sorry lads the elections too early, I have too many things on this month to be running for government."

Maybe its not that important to them after all 

Yeah, read O'Toole's column in The Irish Times on Saturday - very poor of them. Reckoned they wouldn't have time to mobilise with the date being brought forward. Which is just rubbish, given the 'new media' platforms available. I reckon they could have had someone elected in any constituency they ran in - and probably would have picked up votes from people who would/will otherwise stay at home.

[muppet]

Can't believe it, O'Toole, Dunphy et al were all set to save the country but "ah sorry lads the elections too early, I have too many things on this month to be running for government."

Maybe its not that important to them after all 

Yeah, read O'Toole's column in The Irish Times on Saturday - very poor of them. Reckoned they wouldn't have time to mobilise with the date being brought forward. Which is just rubbish, given the 'new media' platforms available. I reckon they could have had someone elected in any constituency they ran in - and probably would have picked up votes from people who would/will otherwise stay at home.

No doubt the time available problem is really a cash available problem.

They may have been hoping to raise funds from donors but there is very few of them and very little time to find them. Of course relying on political donations to  get elected to perform political reform may have been hypocritical anyway.

[Maguire01]

Can't believe it, O'Toole, Dunphy et al were all set to save the country but "ah sorry lads the elections too early, I have too many things on this month to be running for government."

Maybe its not that important to them after all 

Yeah, read O'Toole's column in The Irish Times on Saturday - very poor of them. Reckoned they wouldn't have time to mobilise with the date being brought forward. Which is just rubbish, given the 'new media' platforms available. I reckon they could have had someone elected in any constituency they ran in - and probably would have picked up votes from people who would/will otherwise stay at home.

No doubt the time available problem is really a cash available problem.

They may have been hoping to raise funds from donors but there is very few of them and very little time to find them. Of course relying on political donations to  get elected to perform political reform may have been hypocritical anyway.

I may be mistaken, but I thought i had read that they had significant donations pledged already - and i'd imagine they could have raised a lot more from individuals - small amounts from large numbers of individuals - than any of the other parties.

How much cash would they have needed, i wonder?

[AZOffaly]

Brian Cowen has announced on Midlands Radio 103 that he is not running in Laois Offaly.

[Rossfan]

Can't believe it, O'Toole, Dunphy et al were all set to save the country but "ah sorry lads the elections too early, I have too many things on this month to be running for government."

Maybe its not that important to them after all 

Yeah, read O'Toole's column in The Irish Times on Saturday - very poor of them. Reckoned they wouldn't have time to mobilise with the date being brought forward. Which is just rubbish, given the 'new media' platforms available. I reckon they could have had someone elected in any constituency they ran in - and probably would have picked up votes from people who would/will otherwise stay at home.

The chattering classes never do anything other than talk ( sh1te mainly)