Election 2011 Offical Thread.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

We'll see how the next 5 yrs go, but I am not expecting much tbh. 

Is that because Fianna Fáil set the bar so low and what could you expect after 14 years and the guts of the last 80 under Fianna Fáil

[Main Street]

Good debate on TV3  now.
Grandad Blueshirt really should keep himself off the airwaves and out of the limelight.

[Bogball XV]

Good debate on TV3  now.
Grandad Blueshirt really should keep himself off the airwaves and out of the limelight.

disagree, I like him.  If I am that spritely and intellectually nimble when I hit the mid eighties (unlikely enough anyway), I'll be a happy man.

[Bogball XV]

We'll see how the next 5 yrs go, but I am not expecting much tbh. 

Is that because Fianna Fáil set the bar so low and what could you expect after 14 years and the guts of the last 80 under Fianna Fáil

No, it's because I don't think there'll be that much of a difference in approach.  Their pre-election programme for govt had very little definite policy plans anyway.

In 2007 they barely mentioned the events that were en-route, no, they talked about the extra guards they'd recruit to deal with the massive crime problems that were highlighted daily in the Herald, the extra spending on education, on welfare etc.  They supported the guarantee, they're broadly in favour of the bailout deal, they do want to sell off whatever few assets of value we have left.

Look, I realise their hands are tied to a large extent with regards to most things, so I'm wiling to lower my expectations.  If they can make a decent stab at dismantling the current health service then I'll be satisfied with them.  I don't think they'll be able to though, certainly not in 5 yrs.

It'll at least be a relief to see the Irish people make scape goats of another crowd of poor politicians anyway, that's something we learned from thatcher, it's always someone elses fault.  The vitriol directed at banks for daring to loan people money they wanted and at politicians for daring to do what the electorate wanted them to do was getting tiresome.

[Ulick]

Sandra McLellan takes a seat in Cork East for Sinn Féin.

[ross4life]

Luke "Ming" Flanagan elected.

2 FG more than likely to carry in on his transfers.

Ming not only elected but the first man that got in our region, He's gone into the pub now met him on the way out with a big hand shake & well done!

[Louth Exile]

Luke "Ming" Flanagan elected.

2 FG more than likely to carry in on his transfers.

Ming not only elected but the first man that got in our region, He's gone into the pub now met him on the way out with a big hand shake & well done!

Ming's first day in the Dail!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-0sXXNrx-4


RTE have completely ignored the constituency of Louth as soon as the man from the North got home, "I haven't looked at it at all" John Bowman!!

Anyway, Kirk was the only gtd FF seat in the country, Adams was sadly the poll topper, but Fergus O Dowd was home in first count and will be a minister, Nash for Labour will comfortably take the third seat and Fitzer is odds on to take the final seat. The count is now adjourned until 10.30 in the morning when they will distribute Breatnach (FF) which will give Carroll (FF) the very last desperate chance of getting in ahead of Fitzer for FG.

[mylestheslasher]

Luke "Ming" Flanagan elected.

2 FG more than likely to carry in on his transfers.

Ming not only elected but the first man that got in our region, He's gone into the pub now met him on the way out with a big hand shake & well done!

Ming's first day in the Dail!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-0sXXNrx-4


RTE have completely ignored the constituency of Louth as soon as the man from the North got home, "I haven't looked at it at all" John Bowman!!

Anyway, Kirk was the only gtd FF seat in the country, Adams was sadly the poll topper, but Fergus O Dowd was home in first count and will be a minister, Nash for Labour will comfortably take the third seat and Fitzer is odds on to take the final seat. The count is now adjourned until 10.30 in the morning when they will distribute Breatnach (FF) which will give Carroll (FF) the very last desperate chance of getting in ahead of Fitzer for FG.

"sadly" Adams tops the poll but good old "fitzer" will prob get in. You did hear fitzers radio interview where he sounded like an out and out village idiot right? I know which of the 2 i'd prefer to represent me.

[seafoid]

ahh jeezus enda has run out of scripted materail digging a hole for himself on rte

Reading between the lines, he is hinting the bank situation is worse than we have been told. He is not as articulate or skilled at dodging questions as some of the others, but it is clear there is bad news coming.

I think so too, Muppet. Thre is going to be an awful lot of sewage exposed to the light in the next few weeks.

[AZOffaly]

I'm fairly proud of our country today. Despite fears to the contrary, Fianna Fail were punished, and punished hard. As it should be. They serve us, not the other way around. You could tell from the looks of some of the Fianna Failers that they were shocked at the scale of the swing away from them. That is democracy lads, and I hope Enda, Eamonn and Gerry learn that as well.

I also am encouraged in the performance of Sinn Fein. Not because I agree with many of their policies, but they are a real alternative, and that's a good avenue for letting politicians know when you are fed up. SF will only end up with 10-14 seats, but they've been in practically every contest they've entered, and polled reasonably well in all cases. They are still not attracting transfers, but if that happens in the next election, they could well be over 20. Gone (for now at least) are the days when SF candidates were eliminated after the first count with votes in the low hundreds.

Finally, FF have a real job on to reinvent themselves, but just as FG did so after 2002, I expect FF to bounce back. They are a centre right party who tried to be everything to everyone. If they go back to basics, and reinvent themselves locally, they *will* benefit from the hard times ahead. People will be quick to forget that FF caused a lot of the problems, and will blame the current keyholders i.e. FG and Labour. I think it will take two elections, but I wouldn't be surprised to see FF back in power within 10 years, and maybe even in coalition with a more centre oriented Sinn Fein.

[Big Puff]

Does this mean that Sinn Fein are the biggest party on this island, purely on votes from the last elections both sides of the boarder?

[Bogball XV]

I'm fairly proud of our country today. Despite fears to the contrary, Fianna Fail were punished, and punished hard.

The problem is I don't know why people voted FG other than to punish FF.

Each party should have published exactly what it was going to do re the main issues at present with timescales for everything.  Let the people vote on that, then at least they'd have a real mandate to do the things that must be done.

As is, FG imo were deliberately vague on everything, talking about forming review groups on most key issues and far away solutions in terms of public sector redundancies and healthcare, whilst talking about how they'd heard promising noises from the EU over over interest rate renegotiations (hint, reduce the capital and the interest rate doesn't matter as much).  I know manifestos, particularly opposition manifestos are normally vague, but it seems to me that FG put themselves out there as 'anyone but FF', to me it's discouraging that their approach worked to such an extent.

[oakleafgael]

Does this mean that Sinn Fein are the biggest party on this island, purely on votes from the last elections both sides of the boarder?

Not even close to it. FG and Labour would have far more. They may be bigger than FF now although there wouldnt be much in it.

[Main Street]

Good debate on TV3  now.
Grandad Blueshirt really should keep himself off the airwaves and out of the limelight.

disagree, I like him.  If I am that spritely and intellectually nimble when I hit the mid eighties (unlikely enough anyway), I'll be a happy man.

Liking him or admiring Fitzgerald's very admirable capacity at his current age, is completely besides the point.
He is somehow presented as a high brow, respected intellectual on political/economic/constitutional issues of government policy.
He is just not able to debate his opinions, with the likes of Gurdjieff and the others on a panel which has a lively debate going.
He is a distraction in the debate.
In Garret's world, the banks and economic interests are more important than the people and he hums and dithered his way to justifying that, when the question was directly put to him last night about why should the citizens be stripped in order to protect them. His dithering means either he is an academic fraud or a person who is just too old to debate the core constitutional issues of the rights of citizens and sovereignity.

[lawnseed]

just wondering how are ff going to be effective opposition when fg and lab are implementing ff policies it can only be sinnfein