Election 2011 Offical Thread.

[Donnellys Hollow]

O'Driscoll try, who else?

Despite some poor decision making by O'Leary but with players like Earls, Fitzgerald and Sexton we can get away with it, today.

Not sure what it has got to do with the election.

I suppose Gordon D'Arcy is giving a very good Dick 'butterfingers' Spring impression.

[muppet]

O'Driscoll try, who else?

Despite some poor decision making by O'Leary but with players like Earls, Fitzgerald and Sexton we can get away with it, today.

Not sure what it has got to do with the election.

I suppose Gordon D'Arcy is giving a very good Dick 'butterfingers' Spring impression.

Woops, wondered where than post went.

Probably as relevant though as the crap they are talking about.

[Nally Stand]

SBP/Red C tomorrow:

FG 35 (-2),
Lab 22 (+3),
FF 17 (-1),
SF 13 (+1),
Green 2 (-1),
Other 11 (n/c)

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

SBP/Red C tomorrow:

FG 35 (-2),
Lab 22 (+3),
FF 17 (-1),
SF 13 (+1),
Green 2 (-1),
Other 11 (n/c)

Stable, more of the same. Kinda beggars belief that 17% of Irish people would be so treacherous.

[muppet]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/04/opinion/04fri2.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Now Ireland

Ireland's government becomes the first, but likely not the last, to be brought down by the shocks battering the euro. Parliament was dissolved this week, and elections are scheduled for later this month. Fianna Fail, the party that has ruled Ireland for most of its independent history, may be headed for an epochal defeat.

Voters rightly blame Fianna Fail for the reckless policies of recent years, when the "Celtic Tiger" investment boom gave way to a speculative housing bubble fed by lax regulation and cozy ties between bankers and politicians. When that bubble burst in 2008, Fianna Fail pledged more than the government could afford to rescue its banker friends. The bankers emerged nearly whole. Ireland emerged nearly broken.

The European Union provided bailout money last fall, but with austerity conditions so strict and interest rates so high that Ireland has been left with no realistic prospects for resuming growth and paying off its debts.

There are lessons that go well beyond Ireland, and Europe's leaders need to understand them before the next economy founders. They also need to look hard at the costs of the growth-choking conditions they imposed on Greece last year, at German insistence. New challenges are already on the horizon with Portugal and Spain the most vulnerable to speculative attack.

Too much austerity too soon can trap an economy in a vicious downward spiral of decline. (Congressional Republicans please take note.) Shrinking economies cannot shrink their ratios of debt to output. Only recovery programs premised on renewed growth can do that.

Ireland's debts are so large, and its interest rates so high, that it now needs 5 percent annual growth just to stay afloat. Because of the harsh austerity budgets Europe has demanded, it is generating no growth at all.

Irish opposition parties want to revisit the bailout terms. The Fine Gael party, on the center-right, wants to negotiate down the 6 percent interest rate. The Labour Party, its usual center-left ally, wants time to phase in spending cuts and tax increases. Those positions make economic sense. Creditor nations like Germany insist there can be no renegotiation. They need to think again.

At Friday's summit meeting in Brussels, European leaders must resolve to manage these crises, rather than limping along from bailout to bailout and destructive austerity program to destructive austerity program.

To restore Europe's economic health, they need to agree on a comprehensive solution to the euro-zone crisis. That will require much stronger coordination of national fiscal policies, a much larger market intervention fund, negotiated debt rescheduling and an explicit link between deficit reduction timetables and the return of economic growth. There is no more time to delay.

[Nally Stand]

SBP/Red C tomorrow:

FG 35 (-2),
Lab 22 (+3),
FF 17 (-1),
SF 13 (+1),
Green 2 (-1),
Other 11 (n/c)

Stable, more of the same. Kinda beggars belief that 17% of Irish people would be so treacherous.

Nothing surprises anymore!

[comethekingdom]

On a brighter note - did any of ye see the chick for FG running in Meath - Catherine Yore - pic of her in the Indo today - fit as fcuk. She'd be getting my vote for sure !!

[muppet]

On a brighter note - did any of ye see the chick for FG running in Meath - Catherine Yore - pic of her in the Indo today - fit as fcuk. She'd be getting my vote for sure !!

Yore a dirty b'stard.

[comethekingdom]

Maybe she's durty?

[Hound]

SBP/Red C tomorrow:

FG 35 (-2),
Lab 22 (+3),
FF 17 (-1),
SF 13 (+1),
Green 2 (-1),
Other 11 (n/c)

Stable, more of the same. Kinda beggars belief that 17% of Irish people would be so treacherous.

Completely and utterly Fine Gael's fault for not giving those 17% a decent alternative.

For fecks sake, having a political leader who's afraid of a debate, how embarrasing.

And it seems Enda and his supporters have really learnt something from FF over the last few years - the art of the ridiculous excuse (avoid the truth, deflect, change the subject)

[muppet]

The Irish Banks owe the world over €500,000,000,000.

Brian Lenihan decided that we are all responsible for paying off that debt. It looks likely that we will have to stump up for up to half of it and that figure is rising (possibly another €50 Billion already due to Central Bank Emergency lending).

We have less than 2,000,000 people working now. that means the total debt per worker is around €250,000 and each worker is currently committed to paying at least €100,000 back to the world's banks.

the art of the ridiculous excuse (avoid the truth, deflect, change the subject)

Well played sir, you are as good as any of them.

[lawnseed]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/04/opinion/04fri2.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Now Ireland

Ireland's government becomes the first, but likely not the last, to be brought down by the shocks battering the euro. Parliament was dissolved this week, and elections are scheduled for later this month. Fianna Fail, the party that has ruled Ireland for most of its independent history, may be headed for an epochal defeat.

Voters rightly blame Fianna Fail for the reckless policies of recent years, when the "Celtic Tiger" investment boom gave way to a speculative housing bubble fed by lax regulation and cozy ties between bankers and politicians. When that bubble burst in 2008, Fianna Fail pledged more than the government could afford to rescue its banker friends. The bankers emerged nearly whole. Ireland emerged nearly broken.

The European Union provided bailout money last fall, but with austerity conditions so strict and interest rates so high that Ireland has been left with no realistic prospects for resuming growth and paying off its debts.

There are lessons that go well beyond Ireland, and Europe's leaders need to understand them before the next economy founders. They also need to look hard at the costs of the growth-choking conditions they imposed on Greece last year, at German insistence. New challenges are already on the horizon with Portugal and Spain the most vulnerable to speculative attack.

Too much austerity too soon can trap an economy in a vicious downward spiral of decline. (Congressional Republicans please take note.) Shrinking economies cannot shrink their ratios of debt to output. Only recovery programs premised on renewed growth can do that.

Ireland's debts are so large, and its interest rates so high, that it now needs 5 percent annual growth just to stay afloat. Because of the harsh austerity budgets Europe has demanded, it is generating no growth at all.

Irish opposition parties want to revisit the bailout terms. The Fine Gael party, on the center-right, wants to negotiate down the 6 percent interest rate. The Labour Party, its usual center-left ally, wants time to phase in spending cuts and tax increases. Those positions make economic sense. Creditor nations like Germany insist there can be no renegotiation. They need to think again.

At Friday's summit meeting in Brussels, European leaders must resolve to manage these crises, rather than limping along from bailout to bailout and destructive austerity program to destructive austerity program.

To restore Europe's economic health, they need to agree on a comprehensive solution to the euro-zone crisis. That will require much stronger coordination of national fiscal policies, a much larger market intervention fund, negotiated debt rescheduling and an explicit link between deficit reduction timetables and the return of economic growth. There is no more time to delay.

great post muppet i was hoping someone would mention this article also there were bond holders interviewed (their reps) who actually sold off some of their irish debt for 50 cents on the dollar only to find that biffo made the debt good with his stupid guarantee and they lost money anyway. there needs to be a complete investigation into fainna fails relationship with the banks/developers/cronies.. and jail MUST follow the outcome if there is evidence of treachery

[Orangemac]

I would like to see Fine Gael get elected with a strong majority but every day you despair more and more of them.

Enda Kenny's pathetic performances. Promises of bailing people in neg equity, reversal of changes to tax on pensions.

More bullshit. Promises to win votes. Why not tell the truth ( I know the answer to this).

There are 2 problems and no easy answer to either.

Budget deficit of €20billion. Needs to be reduced mainly through spending. Quangos, high public sector wages etc. Unemployment needs to be brought down to 8% within 5 years.

€50 billion owed by banks needs to be reduced as not borrowed by state. Money borrowed cannot be paid in 4 years.

[muppet]

I would like to see Fine Gael get elected with a strong majority but every day you despair more and more of them.

Enda Kenny's pathetic performances. Promises of bailing people in neg equity, reversal of changes to tax on pensions.

More bullshit. Promises to win votes. Why not tell the truth ( I know the answer to this).

There are 2 problems and no easy answer to either.

Budget deficit of €20billion. Needs to be reduced mainly through spending. Quangos, high public sector wages etc. Unemployment needs to be brought down to 8% within 5 years.

€50 billion owed by banks needs to be reduced as not borrowed by state. Money borrowed cannot be paid in 4 years.

The negative equity thing is populist nonsense but the pension changes recently introduced were to either force people out of pensions (and into high income tax) or to force the pensions to buy Irish Government bonds (and who the hell would want to do that?). Those measures will accelerate the pensions time-bomb we were hearing about for the last ten years and are a seriously bad idea.

[Hound]

The Irish Banks owe the world over €500,000,000,000.

Brian Lenihan decided that we are all responsible for paying off that debt. It looks likely that we will have to stump up for up to half of it and that figure is rising (possibly another €50 Billion already due to Central Bank Emergency lending).

We have less than 2,000,000 people working now. that means the total debt per worker is around €250,000 and each worker is currently committed to paying at least €100,000 back to the world's banks.

the art of the ridiculous excuse (avoid the truth, deflect, change the subject)

Well played sir, you are as good as any of them.

You're hilarious. "Talk about what I want to talk about, or I'll shoot you down". (If you can show me where I used any excuse, never mind a ridiculous one I'll take my hat off to you).

FG's only vote strategy is "we havent improved one iota since we got whupped in the last election, and we certainly still have nothing even resembling a leader, but even we can't be worse than the other crowd".

With all the cards stacked in their favour, Kenny is still doing his best to make this a contest.