The Official 2016 Irish General Election thread

[muppet]

Meanwhile this is what happens during our campaign while we have record number of families becoming homeless in January

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/election-2016/battle-of-ballymahon-gardai-called-to-dispute-between-candidates-following-alleged-leaflet-theft-34476773.html

Muppet - I've read O'Flynn's website and campaign literature and he does list his priorities with the promissory note deal being top of the list so I don't think he's just a whinger to quote our great leader.

I hope all of the Ballymahon crowd get done for littering.

As for O'Flynn, there was a brief moment when I thought he was right. But that was a long time ago, before the Troika etc, and now a single-issue candidate has as much chance of overturning the Promissory Note deal as I have of winning the Champions League.

[Unlaoised]

Scary thing is that while FG and Labour have done okay for a period after the mess they were left with,we can see the general public maybe getting tired of it now...

Change is good but going back to FF is a no go for me...

They destroyed this county for me and for all future generations that should never be forgotten.

[Canalman]

Scary thing is that while FG and Labour have done okay for a period after the mess they were left with,we can see the general public maybe getting tired of it now...

Change is good but going back to FF is a no go for me...

They destroyed this county for me and for all future generations that should never be forgotten.

Grain of truth in that, but in fairness the global recession at the time was imo anyway the main factor.  Don't think FF can be solely blamed for the economic carnage that engulfed the whole of the periphery of Europe and caused banks to collapse worldwide etc etc.

Sovereignizing the banking debt was and will imo anyway be FF's worst action.

[Rossfan]

Scary thing is that while FG and Labour have done okay for a period after the mess they were left with,we can see the general public maybe getting tired of it now...

Change is good but going back to FF is a no go for me...

They destroyed this county for me and for all future generations that should never be forgotten.

+1.
That leaves no choice but FG/Lab and whoever else they can bring on board.
There is of course SF/AAAPBP/even Loonierleft/ anti water charge thugs and God knows what else.

[seafoid]

Scary thing is that while FG and Labour have done okay for a period after the mess they were left with,we can see the general public maybe getting tired of it now...

Change is good but going back to FF is a no go for me...

They destroyed this county for me and for all future generations that should never be forgotten.

Grain of truth in that, but in fairness the global recession at the time was imo anyway the main factor.  Don't think FF can be solely blamed for the economic carnage that engulfed the whole of the periphery of Europe and caused banks to collapse worldwide etc etc.

Sovereignizing the banking debt was and will imo anyway be FF's worst action.

Every country faced Lehman but no country was as vulnerable as Ireland. FF had no plan B and drove the country into the humiliation of an IMF bailout.

[ballinaman]

In terms of ballsin' up an election..will this be the biggest ever? should have been a slam dunk for FG/LAB. 2 thoroughly unlikeable leaders can seriously damage you.
Kenny has to go on offensive tonight and he's likely to make an even bigger balls of it.

[weareros]

Scary thing is that while FG and Labour have done okay for a period after the mess they were left with,we can see the general public maybe getting tired of it now...

Change is good but going back to FF is a no go for me...

They destroyed this county for me and for all future generations that should never be forgotten.

Grain of truth in that, but in fairness the global recession at the time was imo anyway the main factor.  Don't think FF can be solely blamed for the economic carnage that engulfed the whole of the periphery of Europe and caused banks to collapse worldwide etc etc.

Sovereignizing the banking debt was and will imo anyway be FF's worst action.

But Ireland let the real estate bubble blow up more than any other country and FF were cheerleaders for the industry and the reckless development and borrowing - which is why banks in turn had to saved on the backs of the Irish people. Hard to fathom how quickly some forget.

[mikehunt]

Scary thing is that while FG and Labour have done okay for a period after the mess they were left with,we can see the general public maybe getting tired of it now...

Change is good but going back to FF is a no go for me...

They destroyed this county for me and for all future generations that should never be forgotten.

Grain of truth in that, but in fairness the global recession at the time was imo anyway the main factor.  Don't think FF can be solely blamed for the economic carnage that engulfed the whole of the periphery of Europe and caused banks to collapse worldwide etc etc.

Sovereignizing the banking debt was and will imo anyway be FF's worst action.

But Ireland let the real estate bubble blow up more than any other country and FF were cheerleaders for the industry and the reckless development and borrowing - which is why banks in turn had to saved on the backs of the Irish people. Hard to fathom how quickly some forget.

Does anyone seriously believe that if FG were in power they would have done anything different during the boom years?

[Farrandeelin]

Who's 'winning' the debate?

[seafoid]

Scary thing is that while FG and Labour have done okay for a period after the mess they were left with,we can see the general public maybe getting tired of it now...

Change is good but going back to FF is a no go for me...

They destroyed this county for me and for all future generations that should never be forgotten.

Grain of truth in that, but in fairness the global recession at the time was imo anyway the main factor.  Don't think FF can be solely blamed for the economic carnage that engulfed the whole of the periphery of Europe and caused banks to collapse worldwide etc etc.

Sovereignizing the banking debt was and will imo anyway be FF's worst action.

But Ireland let the real estate bubble blow up more than any other country and FF were cheerleaders for the industry and the reckless development and borrowing - which is why banks in turn had to saved on the backs of the Irish people. Hard to fathom how quickly some forget.

Does anyone seriously believe that if FG were in power they would have done anything different during the boom years?

I think they would have had a better handle on the data so the FG fin min would have been less likely to have given a blanket guarantee . FF are hopeless on that sort of stuff.

[Rossfan]

Who's 'winning' the debate?

Probably a scoreless draw.

[mikehunt]

Watching Kenny flap the McNulty question was akin to watching a seal trying to w**k. Rewound it three times it was so funny. 

[AZOffaly]

God help us all but Micheal Martin and Joan Burton were the most impressive. Kenny is a disaster and Gerry is grand with generalities but he struggles on specifics. I dunno lads. Dustin for Taoiseach.

[seafoid]

FG had a bad election run in. The recovery idea didn't work and now FF are nearly up to them. They must have been very poorly advised.

[Hardy]

I thought Martin won it hands down.

Kenny - Ireland's Gordon Brown. Who taught him all the stiff-limbed gestures and weird facial tics and grimaces?

You have to think that if FG had any other of their cabinet members as leader they'd be coasting home.