Election 2011 Offical Thread.

[tommysmith]

Stop talking shit tommy you stupid cavan ****.

Welcome to the GaaBoard.

71 posts in and you make yourself the concierge!

He is that well mannered someone had to welcome him 

[AZOffaly]

Ah lads, this is about the election.


Is there a list of candidates yet? It'd be interesting to do a GAA Board poll on the constituencies and see how close we get.

[Denn Forever]

Is there a list of candidates yet? It'd be interesting to do a GAA Board poll on the constituencies and see how close we get.

Will Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin still be leader in the Dail if Gerry Adams is elected?  Would miss his contributions during Leader's question time.

[Nally Stand]

That Poll is a waste of time with all the nordies voting SF.

The 26 counties repeatedly voted FF into power so you might want to come down from the high horse on that one there Tommy! Even if your claim was true, then maybe you could learn a thing or two from the "nordies".

N.B. F**k I hate that word "nordies". Lads hows about no more referrences to "nordies" and "free staters" in the spirit of Irishness and anti-partitionism?

[brokencrossbar1]

That Poll is a waste of time with all the nordies voting SF.

The 26 counties repeatedly voted FF into power so you might want to come down from the high horse on that one there Tommy! Even if your claim was true, then maybe you could learn a thing or two from the "nordies".

N.B. F**k I hate that word "nordies". Lads hows about no more referrences to "nordies" and "free staters" in the spirit of Irishness and anti-partitionism?

Is it still ok to call them Mexicans or Gringos?

[Lone Shark]

Anybody else sick of the election already?

Not at all, I can't wait to see Dev spinning in his grave with a copy of the Irish Press shoved up his hole

as Charlie runs burning with the fires of Hell through Phoenix Park.

For Fine Gael's sake I really hope you have nothing to do with them especially on the canvassing end of things.

I was just thinking that Seanie. Maybe he's a FF plant, a sort of double agent. Like Ian Paisley being the IRA's best recruiter.

Lads I know ye're coming at this from a different perspective and of course deep seated rage is not an attractive trait that will bring along a lot of support, but surely ye must understand that while people keep it under their hats as best they can, for a lot of people who have seen through FF and their ways for the last five years, of course it's natural to want them to suffer. Just as the parents of a murdered child want the killer to go to jail for the crime, so it is natural that the citizens of Ireland would want to see justice done to those who brutally raped and sodomized our collective society.

A year or so ago I would have taken part in a discussion on this board on the death penalty and I remember opposing it on the grounds that if I wouldn't be willing to be the guy to flick the switch, then I shouldn't support it, but that was at a time when it would be designed for bog standard murderers and abusers. Fianna Fáil have systematically robbed thousands of wealth from everyone in this country for the enrichment of themselves and their friends, they have denied the opportunity to live and work in Ireland to a whole generation, and their administration of everything is geared towards re-election, to the point that if you're part of the clan, you get your debts written off and a cosy job on a state quango somewhere, if you're not, your vital medical treatments go undone. That's a crime, organised, orchestrated and deliberately executed, on a scale way beyond anything else in the history of the state. Ask me would I flick the switch if Bertie was in the chair? I honestly don't know.

Don't presume that because there are people out their who feel that they should all burn in hell, that they are a plant. I find it a quite natural feeling right now.

I also understand that I'm probably helping their cause by getting the backs up of traditional FF voters who are just looking for an excuse to return home to the party with their vote on March 11th, but I can't help it. These people are going to find some excuse to do so anyway,they're conditioned to do so.

No Lone Shark, in this case I'd strongly disagree with you. Its not about perspective. The comments were way over the top, completely unnecessary and unhelpful and that's from someone who is raging with FF myself.

I don't know if we disagree that much at all. Mayogodhelpus is over the the top and unhelpful, just as I am. I don't want to be, but I can't help it - I'm quivering with rage at the way we've been looted and pillaged like a tin pot African statelet.

That's not the point though - you said this kind of rage wouldn't help Fine Gael, while funnily enough I think it would, if controlled. FG and Labour played nicey-nicey for too long, but for all the lauding of Richard Bruton, Michael Noonan has caught the zeitgeist so much more since he came in. Pearse Doherty has done so even more and I would argue his genuine anger as opposed to calm disagreement has been responsible for a real boost to SF's numbers.

I'm not saying it would work for everyone, but I actually think canvassers who were one step short of rounding up a mob would actually win more votes, particularly from people who have fallen for FF's spin and think "they're all the same". They're not all the same if one side wants the other destroyed.

[Lone Shark]

For what it's worth by the way, I think I would nearly prefer a Fine Gael overall majority. I don't think Fine Gael and Labour will be a marriage that can last beyond 1 term at most, especially when the dust settles on the current political debacle.

Agree completely - FG gets to be government, labour the opposition and FF become irrelevant from now on. It's the best thing that could happen to the country.

If FG get a clear majority it will be a case of blame FF for the first 6 months until the dust settles and then the reality of Government will hit them smack bang in the middle of the forehead and they will start floundering and in fighting.  Come their first budget they will be getting it consistently from the new FF leader Miceal Martin, that they promised a lot and have offered nothing.  Kenny's leadership will come under more scrutiny and the internal vultures will start circling and as they might just have a slight majority you will see there will be another election in 2 years.  Only guessing here like!

This is nothing other than wild conjecture, based on nothing at all. Any new government would be entitled to blame FF for the next 5 years and they'd be dead right - but that's not the point. Historically FG in government have always been good for the country and there is no reason why now would be any different. I can't imagine they'll have promised too much either, since everyone knows that any party promising the earth will be lying.

[mylestheslasher]

Tommy, how many votes did O Caolain get in the last 2 elections, well over 10k if memory serves me, making him one of the highest in Ireland.

When Kieran Doherty got elected to the dail in 1981 most of his votes were actually cast in Cavan. So if Donegal are "nordies" that vote SF, what does that make us Cavan folk. Think before you type lad.

[brokencrossbar1]

The thing is Lone Shark, the circumstances that FG now face are much different than they ever have and I simply don't think they have the quality or leadership to take them through it.  There needs to be basically a 2 party system created but I do not see FG as the obvious candidates against Labour.  As I said in my further post I think there needs to be a new "revolution", albeit it a social/political one.  Mindsets need to change and the reality of where the country is needs to be seen.  Let's face it this is the week that Enda Kenny could really have made massive political gains, and Eamon Gilmore but they have been fairly quiet.  I know that FF and Cowen in particular have hung themselves but a few sharp blows to finish the job off would have been good.  Either I have missed something, and I may have, but I haven't heard any real final blows being struck. 

[tommysmith]

Tommy, how many votes did O Caolain get in the last 2 elections, well over 10k if memory serves me, making him one of the highest in Ireland.

When Kieran Doherty got elected to the dail in 1981 most of his votes were actually cast in Cavan. So if Donegal are "nordies" that vote SF, what does that make us Cavan folk. Think before you type lad.

Settle lad let the election talk continue.

[Lone Shark]

The thing is Lone Shark, the circumstances that FG now face are much different than they ever have and I simply don't think they have the quality or leadership to take them through it.  There needs to be basically a 2 party system created but I do not see FG as the obvious candidates against Labour.  As I said in my further post I think there needs to be a new "revolution", albeit it a social/political one.  Mindsets need to change and the reality of where the country is needs to be seen.  Let's face it this is the week that Enda Kenny could really have made massive political gains, and Eamon Gilmore but they have been fairly quiet.  I know that FF and Cowen in particular have hung themselves but a few sharp blows to finish the job off would have been good.  Either I have missed something, and I may have, but I haven't heard any real final blows being struck.

I don't know that attacking the FF party this week would have been well received, I'd say they were as well off keeping their heads down and staying out of trouble. You have to remember that FF is polling at 14%, but not long ago there was a "floor" of 30% through which they could not fall. That means there is at least 16% of the electorate whose brain knows that voting FF is wrong, but they're just waiting for an excuse to justify acting on their conditioned instinct. When FF are digging their own hole, joining in could very easily backfire.

[Maguire01]

That Poll is a waste of time with all the nordies voting SF.

The 26 counties repeatedly voted FF into power so you might want to come down from the high horse on that one there Tommy! Even if your claim was true, then maybe you could learn a thing or two from the "nordies".

Yes, because we really have the whole 'effective politics' thing working up here. 

[brokencrossbar1]

The thing is Lone Shark, the circumstances that FG now face are much different than they ever have and I simply don't think they have the quality or leadership to take them through it.  There needs to be basically a 2 party system created but I do not see FG as the obvious candidates against Labour.  As I said in my further post I think there needs to be a new "revolution", albeit it a social/political one.  Mindsets need to change and the reality of where the country is needs to be seen.  Let's face it this is the week that Enda Kenny could really have made massive political gains, and Eamon Gilmore but they have been fairly quiet.  I know that FF and Cowen in particular have hung themselves but a few sharp blows to finish the job off would have been good.  Either I have missed something, and I may have, but I haven't heard any real final blows being struck.

I don't know that attacking the FF party this week would have been well received, I'd say they were as well off keeping their heads down and staying out of trouble. You have to remember that FF is polling at 14%, but not long ago there was a "floor" of 30% through which they could not fall. That means there is at least 16% of the electorate whose brain knows that voting FF is wrong, but they're just waiting for an excuse to justify acting on their conditioned instinct. When FF are digging their own hole, joining in could very easily backfire.

i know what you are saying but I think there was a real chance to finish FF off completely and I think that both Labour and FG missed a great opportunity. 

[Puckoon]

That Poll is a waste of time with all the nordies voting SF.

The 26 counties repeatedly voted FF into power so you might want to come down from the high horse on that one there Tommy! Even if your claim was true, then maybe you could learn a thing or two from the "nordies".

N.B. F**k I hate that word "nordies". Lads hows about no more referrences to "nordies" and "free staters" in the spirit of Irishness and anti-partitionism?

Is it still ok to call them Mexicans or Gringos?

Fundamental flaw there - they can't (by definition) be both.

I'm down with Mexicans though.

[whiskeysteve]

The thing is Lone Shark, the circumstances that FG now face are much different than they ever have and I simply don't think they have the quality or leadership to take them through it.  There needs to be basically a 2 party system created but I do not see FG as the obvious candidates against Labour.  As I said in my further post I think there needs to be a new "revolution", albeit it a social/political one.  Mindsets need to change and the reality of where the country is needs to be seen.  Let's face it this is the week that Enda Kenny could really have made massive political gains, and Eamon Gilmore but they have been fairly quiet.  I know that FF and Cowen in particular have hung themselves but a few sharp blows to finish the job off would have been good.  Either I have missed something, and I may have, but I haven't heard any real final blows being struck.

I don't know that attacking the FF party this week would have been well received, I'd say they were as well off keeping their heads down and staying out of trouble. You have to remember that FF is polling at 14%, but not long ago there was a "floor" of 30% through which they could not fall. That means there is at least 16% of the electorate whose brain knows that voting FF is wrong, but they're just waiting for an excuse to justify acting on their conditioned instinct. When FF are digging their own hole, joining in could very easily backfire.

i know what you are saying but I think there was a real chance to finish FF off completely and I think that both Labour and FG missed a great opportunity.

Timing is everything BC. Wait til the 3/4 weeks before the election, when the offensive will be fresh in the minds of voters.

This is only the early stages of a prolonged collapse (mortgage crisis, mass public sector cuts/redundancies, Eurozone default?) there will be many, many opportunities to cremate FF. I mean, can you see anything on the horizon that will grant them significant reprieve? Not for the next decade I don't!

Honestly I think electoral performance will be the least of a FF ministers worries in the next few years. They will find it difficult showing their faces in public and I think this ends with physical attacks.