The Official 2016 Irish General Election thread

[seafoid]

Exactly. So what I'm saying is if the 'National' parties and more appropriately the 'Government' actually governed the whole country, you wouldn't have the rise of Rea-Nua. Like take away the whole 'Biddy needs a hip operation so bump her up the list' type stuff, and what do they 'get done'. They protect local post offices. They try and improve local infrastructure. They try and get local jobs. So on and so forth. Surely part of being the Government of a country means you should have a national strategy that looks at those things anyway, thereby taking most of the wind out of their sails.

The problem is that much government is unprincipled. They set targets for things like ambulance coverage and then ignore the fact that they don't meet them. The doctor candidate in Clare reflects the fact that they can't be relied upon to meet coverage for things like GPs. A blind eye is turned to things like queues for hip operations, in part because TDs prefer to "fix things"  rather than set up a proper system. Local councils have been emasculated so that you needn't be talking to your local counciller.

the ROI is so centralised. Local councils have no power. There is no reason for this in 2016.

[T Fearon]

Politicians have f..k all to say about the NHS.Waiting lists are caused by consultants prioritising private work,anything the Govt tries to do is opposed unless the BMA approves.All the govt does is hand over piles of dosh

[Rossfan]

Micky Martin wants a load of Dàil reform before Government negotiations begin.
Presumably he's still looking at being in some kind of benign opposition?

[imtommygunn]

Nonsense tony. Politicians are driving consultants into private work.

Politicians have everything to do with waiting lists.

[T Fearon]

How? They provide ample cash already.Consultants prioritise their private work.

[imtommygunn]

Maybe some do but not the ones i know. 

The tories are pushing a lot towards private work.

If you believe half of what hunt says you are easily led.

[Applesisapples]

How? They provide ample cash already.Consultants prioritise their private work.

Maybe if the actual Doctors and Nurses (including consultants) were paid what they are worth and less was spent on admin it would improve the service.

[AQMP]

Looks like SF are going to be squeezed out in Longford Wmeath and Mitchell in Dublin Bay North needs a healthy transfer from AAA-PBP's John Lyons to get through.  That's going to be tight.  The difference between the exit polls and their actual vote equates to around about 4-5 seats.

Edit:  Mitchell of SF elected with two independents.  Aodhan O Riordain misses out

[Rossfan]

Enough of this British Health Service crisis and get back to the subject of the thread.
FF seem to want a Govt administered by FG and others but with FF having a veto on everything.
I expect they will keep such a lame duck thing running till the October 2017 budget where they will pull the plug on some populist issue.
Meanwhile there could be some interesting discussions in FG one of which will no doubt be Enda's retirement date.
Do the remains of Labour go into the lame duck Govt or try to rebuild and steal some thunder from SF in opposition?

[seafoid]

FG should go into Gov with SF and start building 20k social houses a year to generate real growth cross country. They can borrow at 1%. Ignoring SF means ignoring 40% of Done gal and Louth and a lot of working people.

[armaghniac]

FG should go into Gov with SF and start building 20k social houses a year to generate real growth cross country. They can borrow at 1%. Ignoring SF means ignoring 40% of Done gal and Louth and a lot of working people.

Or 27% of Donegal perhaps.
Borrowing at1% if they can get the rents from these houses to pay it back. Can they?

[seafoid]

FG should go into Gov with SF and start building 20k social houses a year to generate real growth cross country. They can borrow at 1%. Ignoring SF means ignoring 40% of Done gal and Louth and a lot of working people.

Or 27% of Donegal perhaps.
Borrowing at1% if they can get the rents from these houses to pay it back. Can they?

Think of how much they are paying in rent for 60,000 families already. Social housing would generate a lot of employment and tax revenue. If they wait a few months they can borrow at minus rates. 

[Maguire01]

FG should go into Gov with SF and start building 20k social houses a year to generate real growth cross country. They can borrow at 1%. Ignoring SF means ignoring 40% of Done gal and Louth and a lot of working people.

27.5% in Donegal and 28.9% in Louth. Not that it really matters if it was 40%, because this is a national election, so people in one constituency are no more or no less important than those in others.

Anyway, SF has said it won't go into government with FF or FG. It has effectively ruled itself out of government. It could compromise on a couple of issues in order to get in, for example, and sort out the housing crisis, but it isn't willing to do that. It's much easier to be in opposition and talk about what you could do, but won't.

[Farrandeelin]

Did Aodhan O Riordan get in?

[seafoid]

Did Aodhan O Riordan get in?

No
Labour are still on 6
http://www.rte.ie/news/election-2016/