General Election 2016

Little_Lord_Fauntleroy · January 13, 2016, 3:24pm

I dont really vote mate

tallback · January 13, 2016, 3:26pm

Fine. You’re probably better off out of this thread to be honest then. If you don’t vote then on what sort of basis do you have to be criticising politicians/governments etc or telling other voters where they went wrong. I’d say the spot a celeb thread would be more your scene…

Little_Lord_Fauntleroy · January 13, 2016, 3:27pm

I have opinions on politics mate but removing the electronic voting machines left me scarred to such an extent ill never vote again

Julio_Geordio · January 13, 2016, 3:27pm

tallback:

Excellent thread idea.

I think we should all nail our colours to the mast as to how we’re voting and what govt we hope is installed. That way we can understand the subtext behind the various posts.

I’ll be voting Fine Gael and I’ll probably throw a preference the way of Labour. I hope the present government is returned. While I’d fully accept that they have made plenty of mistakes over the last 5 years I also remember the madhouse atmosphere of 5 years ago and if you had offered me then a return to relative stability, 5% annual growth rates and unemployment less than 9% I’d have bitten your hand off. Secure the economy and there are options on how to spend the resulting taxes etc.

Finally, no matter what, I’m looking forward to about 12 hours in front of the telly on the count day - always enjoyable to watch as the picture starts to emerge from count centres around the country.

I don’t know how I’ll vote really. Noonan will get my number one as I think he is the greatest Irish man that ever lived. But I wouldn’t give any other FGer even my 5th preference.

I’d love to vote against the establishment, but I won’t vote for any of the way left parties, we are only just getting back on the straight and narrow, we need to hold steady for the time being. I’d have voted for the social democrats if they had put forward an even half way credible candidate.

tallback · January 13, 2016, 3:29pm

You and Nora Owen mate.

tallback · January 13, 2016, 3:31pm

I think that’s a fair assessment - there are not very many credible potential government options out there.

Social Democrats seem the most interesting of the newish parties/arrangements. There inability to pick a leader though would lead me to worry about their ability/appetite to make hard decisions should they ever end up in gov though.

Fagan_ODowd · January 13, 2016, 3:40pm

Sidney · January 13, 2016, 3:40pm

I’ll be giving my number one vote to Eoin O’Broin of Sinn Fein, with my other scoring votes going to candidates from what the press like to call “the far left”.

tallback · January 13, 2016, 3:42pm

What government do you hope to see in office Sidney?

Sidney · January 13, 2016, 3:52pm

A left-wing rainbow coalition government led by Sinn Fein.

Given that clearly isn’t going to happen, I would suggest that any non-right wing undecideds vote for candidates who are further to the left on the political spectrum than they are so as to create as effective a bulwark against Fine Gael as possible and to shift the general political agenda as leftwards as possible.

tallback · January 13, 2016, 4:03pm

How would you feel about a SF/FF government as a Sinn Fein voter?

Sidney · January 13, 2016, 4:35pm

Depends who was leading it.

I don’t see Sinn Fein getting more seats than Fianna Fail though. SF going in as a junior partner to FF would likely mean a significant loss of seats at the next election however successful a government it would be. Anyway I don’t see both parties getting more than 70 seats between them which is not nearly enough.

From a long-term perspective of party strength it would be better for SF to stay out of government and presumably FF are thinking the same thing, certainly if it means being a junior partner.

An FG/FF coalition would not be good for the country. Poor as Labour were in government I’d still prefer them as a junior partner to FF.

The formation of the next government could a total mess if the seat count ends up as it looks likely to. FF and SF will want to stay out of government and the current parties likely won’t have enough to form one without outside help.

Julio_Geordio · January 13, 2016, 4:38pm

In one way maybe, but it might allow a real right/left to develop which wouldn’t be a bad thing long term.

Juhniallio · January 13, 2016, 4:47pm

It’ll be fg/labour/renua and whatever else is needed to make up the numbers, probably Shane Ross and his bunch of merry men. That’s what I think anyway.
I’ll be voting labour and then down through in a lefterly fashion. Neither ff nor fg will be numbered on my ballot paper.

Juhniallio · January 13, 2016, 4:48pm

I don’t know if even at that they’ll have enough.

Sidney · January 13, 2016, 4:48pm

Unfortunately, for a left/right divide to happen, you likely need a right-wing government to fuck up the country and for FG and FF to both be discredited as a result.

Julio_Geordio · January 13, 2016, 4:49pm

So you are worried they won’t fuck up the country?

Sidney · January 13, 2016, 4:52pm

They’ll fuck it up even more than they have and people will probably still keep voting for them.

TreatyStones · January 13, 2016, 4:52pm

I had a look at the voting for the Limerick constituency to see was there any value in Emmet O’Brien (Ind) to get in but he’s already 5/4. I think he might just edge Tom Neville for the last seat as he’s probably the most transfer friendly from all the other outside candidates.

Niall Collins FF 1/80
Patrick O’Donovan FG 1/25
Tom Neville FG 2/9
Emmet O’Brien (Ind ex FF) 5/4
James Heffernan (SD ex Labour) 6/1
Seamus Brown (SF) 12/1
Richard O’Donoghue (Ind exFF) 33/1

It’s a sorry enough looking bunch.

Steven_Naimsith · January 13, 2016, 4:54pm

LOLz.
There’s no such thing as “Ind exFF”, or “Ind exFG” for that matter.