The Luke "Ming" Flanagan Thread

[AZOffaly]

The public are so sick of the mainstream parties, and the lack of emergence of anything new and credible, that they seem to want to vote for every crackpot going. Charisma is confused with substance. Anyone who is anti-something gets votes. The majority seem to want to exercise their votes as a protest, which they are entitled to do.

I think the next few Dáils will be packed with single issue independents and any sort of stable government will be very unlikely for a long time. Implementing any sort of reform, policies or legislation will become very, very difficult so I foresee a period of, either, aimless political drifting or the introduction of daft ideological agendas only to have them overturned by the next coalition of crazies with other ideologies.

In such an environment there will be no leadership or direction and we will be vulnerable to political whims and corruption that could makes the recent years look like utopia.

I could see Ireland becoming like Italy.

Good post. The "vote for anybody as long as he's anti-something" syndrome applies not just here, but throughout Europe. The difference, for which we should possibly be grateful, is that here we're electing mostly apes, whereas elsewhere in Europe there are dangerous people sidling closer to the levers of power.

Voting for all of these independents is the equivalent of throwing a punch at an opponent when your team is losing. It feels like the right thing to do, you are frustrated, but the consequences for your own side only sink in afterwards.

Quote of the month.

did I read that  le Front National won the most votes in France? That's scary stuff in a country with so much immigration from North Africa.

[Billys Boots]

Quote from: muppet on Today at 03:26:25 PM

    Voting for all of these independents is the equivalent of throwing a punch at an opponent when your team is losing. It feels like the right thing to do, you are frustrated, but the consequences for your own side only sink in afterwards.


Quote of the month.

I agree. 

[Hardy]

The public are so sick of the mainstream parties, and the lack of emergence of anything new and credible, that they seem to want to vote for every crackpot going. Charisma is confused with substance. Anyone who is anti-something gets votes. The majority seem to want to exercise their votes as a protest, which they are entitled to do.

I think the next few Dáils will be packed with single issue independents and any sort of stable government will be very unlikely for a long time. Implementing any sort of reform, policies or legislation will become very, very difficult so I foresee a period of, either, aimless political drifting or the introduction of daft ideological agendas only to have them overturned by the next coalition of crazies with other ideologies.

In such an environment there will be no leadership or direction and we will be vulnerable to political whims and corruption that could makes the recent years look like utopia.

I could see Ireland becoming like Italy.

Good post. The "vote for anybody as long as he's anti-something" syndrome applies not just here, but throughout Europe. The difference, for which we should possibly be grateful, is that here we're electing mostly apes, whereas elsewhere in Europe there are dangerous people sidling closer to the levers of power.

Voting for all of these independents is the equivalent of throwing a punch at an opponent when your team is losing. It feels like the right thing to do, you are frustrated, but the consequences for your own side only sink in afterwards.

Quote of the month.

did I read that  le Front National won the most votes in France? That's scary stuff in a country with so much immigration from North Africa.

Yep

[Billys Boots]

FN in France last week - scary.

[AZOffaly]

Paris and Brittany escaped it, but the rest is scary. At least our shower aren't overtly racist gobshites. Just stroke pulling gobshites.

[magpie seanie]

Paris and Brittany escaped it, but the rest is scary. At least our shower aren't overtly racist gobshites. Just stroke pulling gobshites.

By this you mean FF/FG/Lab I assume?

[AZOffaly]

Yep. Well, plus a couple of independents I can think of. Cough cough Healy-Rae, cough cough Wallace.

[foxcommander]

did I read that  le Front National won the most votes in France? That's scary stuff in a country with so much immigration from North Africa.

Have you ever thought that the french people don't want this level of immigration and this is how they are reacting to it?

Comes back to what I said in a different thread about Ireland - if the government don't tackle it now and ensure that a fair system of visas where need arises is introduced there will be a backlash and rise of similar parties.

[AZOffaly]

France colonised most of North Africa so tough shit on them if the North Africans decide to try their hand in France. They all speak French. I know it's a problem, but you reap what you sow.

Who exactly are the floods of immigrants in Ireland, from outside th EU I mean? I don't really see thousands and thousands of them.

[dec]

France colonised most of North Africa so tough shit on them if the North Africans decide to try their hand in France. They all speak French. I know it's a problem, but you reap what you sow.

Who exactly are the floods of immigrants in Ireland, from outside th EU I mean? I don't really see thousands and thousands of them.

The majority of immigrants in the UK are from the Caribbean and India/Pakistan/Bangladesh.

Guess who colonised those areas?

[foxcommander]

France colonised most of North Africa so tough shit on them if the North Africans decide to try their hand in France. They all speak French. I know it's a problem, but you reap what you sow.

Who exactly are the floods of immigrants in Ireland, from outside th EU I mean? I don't really see thousands and thousands of them.

According to Alan Shatter in 2013 53,000 people applied for Irish citizenship since he had taken office.
Don't tell me this is not a large enough number. Not to mention the extended families that will tag along once they get granted.

You might need a wee trip to specsavers

[muppet]

France colonised most of North Africa so tough shit on them if the North Africans decide to try their hand in France. They all speak French. I know it's a problem, but you reap what you sow.

Who exactly are the floods of immigrants in Ireland, from outside th EU I mean? I don't really see thousands and thousands of them.

According to Alan Shatter in 2013 53,000 people applied for Irish citizenship since he had taken office.
Don't tell me this is not a large enough number. Not to mention the extended families that will tag along once they get granted.

You might need a wee trip to specsavers

How many were granted?

[Rossfan]

France colonised most of North Africa so tough shit on them if the North Africans decide to try their hand in France. They all speak French. I know it's a problem, but you reap what you sow.

Who exactly are the floods of immigrants in Ireland, from outside th EU I mean? I don't really see thousands and thousands of them.

According to Alan Shatter in 2013 53,000 people applied for Irish citizenship since he had taken office.
Don't tell me this is not a large enough number. Not to mention the extended families that will tag along once they get granted.

You might need a wee trip to specsavers

We could always send them all home if the Australians, Yanks, Canadians etc send home all the floods of Irish immigrants from their Countries.

[foxcommander]

We could always send them all home if the Australians, Yanks, Canadians etc send home all the floods of Irish immigrants from their Countries.

Would gladly swap if it meant our families could come home.

[foxcommander]

France colonised most of North Africa so tough shit on them if the North Africans decide to try their hand in France. They all speak French. I know it's a problem, but you reap what you sow.

Who exactly are the floods of immigrants in Ireland, from outside th EU I mean? I don't really see thousands and thousands of them.

According to Alan Shatter in 2013 53,000 people applied for Irish citizenship since he had taken office.
Don't tell me this is not a large enough number. Not to mention the extended families that will tag along once they get granted.

You might need a wee trip to specsavers

How many were granted?

If you need stats - from 2013. This is from Shatters department so we know we can't trust him to tell the truth.



· 166,000 new applications received in 2013. These include visas, residence, citizenship and protection applications.

· 97,000 new or renewed registrations of permission to remain in the State in 2013 (in respect of immigrants intending to stay longer than 90 days in the country).

· 95,000 visa applications; cumulative increase of 14% since 2011. Visa approval rate is 91%. Top 3 nationalities applying for visas were India 16%, Russia 15%, and China 11%.

· Over 30,000 applications for citizenship decided, and 18 citizenship ceremonies held during 2013.

The provisional 2013 year end estimate of non-EEA nationals with permission to remain in the State is approximately 120,000.

Provisional figures indicate that 946 applications for asylum were submitted in 2013.

Provisional figures for end 2013 indicate that there were approximately 4,370 persons seeking international protection accommodated in direct provision centres in the State

Almost 2,250 persons were deported/removed from the State in 2013

This number comprises of some 1,890 persons who were refused entry into the State at ports of entry and were returned to the place from where they had come.