General Election 2024

[AustinPowers]

When harris starts talking you would swear it was a sketch show parody.

Always thought he was  like a dodgy, slimy  politicial character   from the likes of Killnaskully or  Father Ted.

[WT4E]

Coalition topic was painful for the boys. ML neve interested and the lads where in her from the start... I wish people would vote out FGFF party

[weareros]

Didn't think there was a clear winner but noticeable that Mary Lou is at her best when attacking government record but poor enough outlining their policies.

The Irish Times not surprisingly gave it to Simon Harris. Doubt it was anyway good enough to make up the ground he lost. The Business Post gave it to McDonald.


###
Irish Times
So what is the verdict?

Simon Harris was probably the winner. He was lucky they dealt with the RTÉ and Charlotte Fallon question early. He had most ground to make up and the trickiest assignment in terms of judging his tone.

He became increasingly assertive and scored a few big points against McDonald. Both he and Martin became more and more like government colleagues towards the end rather than political rivals.

Martin was a bit more cautious. Too cautious at the beginning. A lot of detail - too much - in some of his replies. Became more assertive towards the end and was actually strongest on the coalition options.

It was a strange debate for Mary Lou McDonald. She struggled on housing (especially on the questions about banks backing the party's affordable housing proposal) and did not have the same grasp of detail as her rivals in terms of explaining the party's approach to finances. She did not respond to Harris' brazen go at her on justice.

Martin did not do himself any harm but probably less prominent than Harris.

Five years ago she was the clear winner of the first debate but I think her performance tonight was not persuasive enough to sway enough voters in the direction of Sinn Féin.

###
Business Post
There wasn't much between them, but you'd have to say its advantage McDonald, with Martin steady in the middle, and Harris still scrambling to pull his campaign back on track after a bad week.

[armaghniac]

Five years ago she was the clear winner of the first debate but I think her performance tonight was not persuasive enough to sway enough voters in the direction of Sinn Féin.

SF have gone back in 5 years. Then they had something to say about the importance of housing, but that is now largely accepted by everyone. When she was asked where she was going to get the builders to build the extra houses she was completely vague on the answer. Aontú have a plan to bribe builders to come back from abroad, but she did not propose anything like that.
Likewise on the finances she said that SF would spend more, but still have a surplus, but she wasn't clear about what they would not have. 

Harris really created a problem for himself with McGahon. You have supermarkets throwing out McGregor whiskey because of a civil case, while Harris claims that McGahon is good to go because the criminal case did not succeed. While I don't think he is malign, Harris is an insubstantial leader.

[trileacman]

Five years ago she was the clear winner of the first debate but I think her performance tonight was not persuasive enough to sway enough voters in the direction of Sinn Féin.

SF have gone back in 5 years. Then they had something to say about the importance of housing, but that is now largely accepted by everyone. When she was asked where she was going to get the builders to build the extra houses she was completely vague on the answer. Aontú have a plan to bribe builders to come back from abroad, but she did not propose anything like that.
Likewise on the finances she said that SF would spend more, but still have a surplus, but she wasn't clear about what they would not have. 

Harris really created a problem for himself with McGahon. You have supermarkets throwing out McGregor whiskey because of a civil case, while Harris claims that McGahon is good to go because the criminal case did not succeed. While I don't think he is malign, Harris is an insubstantial leader.

He's always been a drip to be honest. It was surprising that he was selected so easily by FG and it speaks to the malign influence of a cosy metropolitan cabal and its control of Irish politics.

I agree that SF really haven't developed at all in the last 5 years. It's really just the same ould guff from them and that has its own natural ceiling. ML referring to them as tweedledum and tweedledee is nothing new or original. Their position on any issue seems as obscure as ever.

[Rossfan]

What percentage of voters watched that?
What percentage of those will change their intended vote because of what those 3 said last night?
It's not a Presidential Election, it's 43 separate elections.
I did NOT watch it.

[Pub Bore]

What percentage of voters watched that?
What percentage of those will change their intended vote because of what those 3 said last night?
It's not a Presidential Election, it's 43 separate elections.
I did NOT watch it.

I have to admit I bailed out after 30 mins or so.  My daughter (an undecided voter) watched it all and declared it a three way draw and is still undecided this morning.  It didn't move the dial for her, nor for most people I'd think.

[johnnycool]

What percentage of voters watched that?
What percentage of those will change their intended vote because of what those 3 said last night?
It's not a Presidential Election, it's 43 separate elections.
I did NOT watch it.

I have to admit I bailed out after 30 mins or so.  My daughter (an undecided voter) watched it all and declared it a three way draw and is still undecided this morning.  It didn't move the dial for her, nor for most people I'd think.

Would a few celebrity endorsements or a few media outlets declaring one way or another US style sway you?

[Pub Bore]

What percentage of voters watched that?
What percentage of those will change their intended vote because of what those 3 said last night?
It's not a Presidential Election, it's 43 separate elections.
I did NOT watch it.

I have to admit I bailed out after 30 mins or so.  My daughter (an undecided voter) watched it all and declared it a three way draw and is still undecided this morning.  It didn't move the dial for her, nor for most people I'd think.

Would a few celebrity endorsements or a few media outlets declaring one way or another US style sway you?

I live in the North so don't have a vote, but celebrity endorsements aren't worth the egos they're written on.

[Rossfan]

A big NOOOOOO to that Pub Bore.
We're not stupid yanks.


Meanwhile GAA concerned as Parties seem to be adopting soccer as a National sport.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-41524904.html

[Substandard]

For what it's worth,  my take would be Martin exceeded my expectations.  He has a tendency to get hissy and turn nasty,  I'd imagine in preparation he was warned against that, and avoided several instances where I'd have expected him to snap.
McDonald came across as competent,  just about, and certainly nothing more.  It didn't feel like she landed many particularly telling blows, and overall didn't seem polished or assured.  I didn't see anything that would sway undecideds,  or an answerable rallying post.
Harris was an improvement,  one of the things that annoys me about him is he tends to babble, and answers often seem padded with fluff and fake sincerity, but he came across much more measured last night.  Insofar as any of them would have had to take a standing count at any time, his garda reference landed hard on Mary Lou.
I'd imagine it was a decent consolidation exercise for them all in that their own support would be happy enough with each performance,  but none stood out as a clear winner.
I think Martin is the one with most at stake.  I believe he desperately wants to be Taoiseach as a standalone, and not as a shared compromise.  His dislike of Sinn Féin is intensely personal.  As long as he leads FF, there will be no chance of involvement with SF, but I'd imagine down the line there will be a change that will see them more likely to deal with SF in the future to separate and establish daylight between themselves and FG.

[Denn Forever]

Have you read any of the election literature coming through your door? Extensive research, show that 75% (sample size 4) are very big on immegration.  How soon we forget. Remember the 80s?  Only 40 ears ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32-WdYOeJLk

[armaghniac]

Have you read any of the election literature coming through your door? Extensive research, show that 75% (sample size 4) are very big on immegration.  How soon we forget. Remember the 80s?  Only 40 ears ago.

Hopefully people will approach the election without half baked references to the 1980s, whether it be references to the Enniskillen bomb, to Charlie Haughey getting envelopes or to migration. 

[Snapchap]

A big NOOOOOO to that Pub Bore.
We're not stupid yanks.

Nina Carberry must have been elected by virtue of her vast political experience and sharp intellect then?
https://x.com/Editorialz/status/1801615170436743558

Ditto Maria Walsh?

[Rossfan]

Yawwwwwnnnnn.
They were elected because loads if  people voted for them in the EU election in a Constituency that spanned over half the 26 Counties.
Remind me again how your Party's candidate did......