Favoured Coalition Partnership

[Billys Boots]

The PD's (bless them) have been given a clear message. Your Ultra right wing politics are not welcome in this country.  Bertie should look elsewhere.

Yes, but who in FF will want to 'mind' Angola? And will Bertie (or Cowan, or anyone in FF) want to bear the electoral responsibility (apart from the 'collective' cabinet responsibility, which is easily brushed off) for Angola?

[blast05]

His current posturing goes against what the people have decided and show him up as what he is - greedy and arrogant.

Would you go way out of that .... even a press secretary for FF wouldn't come out with a comment of that extreme

[AZOffaly]

This line that 60% of people voted against Fianna Fail is being spouted here fairly regularly as if it were a bad thing, and Richard Bruton mentioned it last night as well. But in a field of say of 6 established parties, numerous independents and various smaller parties, 4 out of 10 people voted FF. That's a very big vote.

How many voted 'against' Fine Gael and Labour?

I think there is no doubt at all that Fianna Fail are by far and away the most popular political party in this Country.

[Declan]

I think there is no doubt at all that Fianna Fail are by far and away the most popular political party in this Country

You're quite right in that AZ. 41% share of the vote proves that. However the people haven't felt that its a good idea to let them govern alone now in 20 odd years so it's a matter of who will go in with them now. If Bertie says his favoured option is the PDs and the independents do people believe him??? 

[Fishead_Sam]

This line that 60% of people voted against Fianna Fail is being spouted here fairly regularly as if it were a bad thing, and Richard Bruton mentioned it last night as well. But in a field of say of 6 established parties, numerous independents and various smaller parties, 4 out of 10 people voted FF. That's a very big vote.

How many voted 'against' Fine Gael and Labour?

I think there is no doubt at all that Fianna Fail are by far and away the most popular political party in this Country.

Fianna Failers vote FF no matter what happens, if FF where to deport the whole of Offaly to Siberia FF's would still vote for them. Ethics & Conscience don't appear to be compatiable characteristics, remember when Des O'Malley was kicked out of FF because he had conviction not to vote against the right for non-married people to buy condoms, the rest of the FF sheep vote the party line to restrict condoms availability. Des O'Malley was kicked out for having his own mind and he knew what the right thing to do.

[AZOffaly]

At this point I would have trouble believing Bertie's radio

Ah no, I think he'd like the PDs to have won a few more seats for a bit of more of the same. I think he would like Mata Harney to have the Health Portfolio for a bit longer.

I am inclined to believe that is his favourite option alright. If the Fianna Fail party was able to work with 8 PDs, they will surely be able to manage 2 PDs and a couple of Fianna Fail wannabes.

[AZOffaly]

if FF where to deport the whole of Offaly to Siberia FF's would still vote for them.

Siberia is nice in the Summer

Ah no seriously, your point about Fianna Fail always towing the party line is a good one, however a lot of people see that as positive. i.e. they know what the Party Line is and they know they will stick to it, right or wrong. they have been wrong before, and will be wrong again, and the PD thing was obviously a wrong stance to take. Incidentaly Brian Lenihan made that point last night as well, and I took that to be a clear wooing signal to the FFers who are currently in the PDs, such as Fiona O'Malley, Mary Harney, Noel Grealish etc etc to come back like prodigal sons and daughters.

But right or wrong, the thing they believe in is that the Party line should be followed, or else the next step is in-fighting, division,  splits and mixed messages to the electorate. I realise I am coming across here as a die hard FF supporter, when in reality my vote was one that Enda was targetting, i.e. those who vote FF, but do so after making a decision rather than simply putting a '1' beside the FF candidate regardless.

[AZOffaly]

For the record, I voted FF 1 & 2 in North Tipp, and Labour #3, Greens #4 because I would have liked to see a FF & Labour coalition.

[magpie seanie]

Fianna Failers vote FF no matter what happens, if FF where to deport the whole of Offaly to Siberia FF's would still vote for them. Ethics & Conscience don't appear to be compatiable characteristics

That's a terribly condescending view. It's like the attitude of unionists toward SF voters in the north. Regardless of anything you have to respect a party getting a mandate. FF got over 50% more first preferences than the party lead by the man who thinks he won the election. In fairness, you couldn't make it up.

[resdubwhite]

For the record, I voted FF 1 & 2 in North Tipp, and Labour #3, Greens #4 because I would have liked to see a FF & Labour coalition.

How did you vote in Offaly?

[DUBSFORSAM1]

As for "deliberate hedging on the cautious side"  .... it is this cautious approach that has brainwashed people into thinking that FF are doing a good job on the economy. When they announce yet another exchequer surplus its "oh look, we've done such a good job managing the economy that we've a pile of extra money left over and were going to giev it all back to you" and yet people buy it time after time.

I don't see what's so wrong with this. It's called revenue buoyancy in economist parlance and it's generally caused when more people are in employment than were anticipated when the budget was drawn up, thus reducing social welfare payouts and increasing tax revenue. How you expect a Minister for Finance to anticipate how many extra jobs are going to be created in the upcoming year is beyond me.

So your saying that in any other area of business it would be acceptable to have such inaccurate forecasts and not be able to update them??? For example its always such a rush of money in teh last 3/4 weeks of the year that he has no idea is appearing???....When you say you create 60k jobs a year you budget for that...

[belleaqua]

This rubbish about 60% of people voting against Fianna Fail as justicication for forming an alternative government is amazing. In what other multi-party parliamentary democracy would you see such a party after 10 years in government and the media hostility against it get such a mandate. If thats the case 73% voted against Fine Gael.

I stated here two weeks ago that I was voting for my local Fianna Fail candidate here who is my neighbour not along party lines. I have never been politically aligned as my house had the old civil war party split, father-fianna fail, mother fine gael. Since this campaign went on I have been drawn towards Fianna Fail.

The performance of Bertie Ahern in the debate impressed me and the subsequent media claims that it was a draw disgusted me. It didnt do Enda Kenny any service either. I think he should accept that the mandate there is for Fianna Fail to form a government.

The Alliance for Change is 7 seats short of Fianna Fail and if you want to throw in the Greens them 3 parties are one seat short of 1 party!

[AZOffaly]

How did you vote in Offaly?

I binned my Laois Offaly polling card If I had been up there I'd have voted Biffo as #1, and probably FF #2 & 3 as well. I might have given Olwyn Enright a #4 on purely aesthetic grounds

[blast05]

FF got over 50% more first preferences than the party lead by the man who thinks he won the election. In fairness, you couldn't make it up.

In fairness i think your second sentence ties in fairly closely with the 2nd part of your fist sentence !!
Where has Kenny claimed to have actually won the election ?

[Onlooker]

I ca'nt understand how a true blue Fine Gaeler like Fishead Sam has a photo of a deceased Fianna Fail TD and Government Minister on all his posts.   Does he not know who Sean Flanagan was?.