Loads of wheelies.
[QUOTE=“His Holiness Da Dalai Lama, post: 950207, member: 1503”]It will never change mate. We are a nation of Frans.
[/QUOTE]
You wish mate, you wish
No it wouldn’t have. The combined left (Lab/SF/PBP/Greens/Ind left) will never get to 84 seats. FG and FF and their associated independents (Healy Rae, Lowry, Ross, McGrath, Fleming, Grealish etc etc) will invariably comprise a majority.
The only possible way I can see things changing is if FG and FF are forced into a coalition together. After a couple of years of that then people’s eyes might finally open to the fact that they are two flavours of the same centre-right blandness and may go elsewhere in search of alternatives. But for that to happen the parties on the left would have to turn down offers from either FG or FF to enter a coalition and be prepared to sit on the sidelines for an election cycle or two. You know the fuckers won’t. Lab will jump into bed with either one. SF would bite the hand off FF if the offer came. They all sell their souls when they get the whiff of a bit of power.
[QUOTE=“His Holiness Da Dalai Lama, post: 950275, member: 1503”]No it wouldn’t have. The combined left (Lab/SF/PBP/Greens/Ind left) will never get to 84 seats. FG and FF and their associated independents (Healy Rae, Lowry, Ross, McGrath, Fleming, Grealish etc etc) will invariably comprise a majority.
The only possible way I can see things changing is if FG and FF are forced into a coalition together. After a couple of years of that then people’s eyes might finally open to the fact that they are two flavours of the same centre-right blandness and may go elsewhere in search of alternatives. But for that to happen the parties on the left would have to turn down offers from either FG or FF to enter a coalition and be prepared to sit on the sidelines for an election cycle or two. You know the fuckers won’t. Lab will jump into bed with either one. SF would bite the hand off FF if the offer came. They all sell their souls when they get the whiff of a bit of power.[/QUOTE]
The coalition isn’t the problem, it’s the fact that Labour were willing to do whatever it took to get into power - making promises they couldn’t keep and then doing everything they were told by the dominant power to keep it that way. If the Shinners do get the chance of a coalition in the next election I can’t see it lasting long as they would not be afraid to pull the plug on the government if their requests were not being made good and there would be a lot of political capital to be made by a party actually showing some conviction in what they stand for.
All true.
But, could Labour have actually known how bad the states coffers were before actually going into coalition? FG promised the sun, moon & stars pre election lest ye all forget. It was easy for the media to attack Labour for making harsh decisions as the weaker of 2 animals IMO.
I agree with all who say that Gilmore & Co should have stuck it out and refused the chance to take power though, through sheer patience they could very well have done a Sinn Fein on it yesterday & turned the political landscape even further upside down.
[QUOTE=“carryharry, post: 950300, member: 1517”]All true.
But, could Labour have actually known how bad the states coffers were before actually going into coalition? FG promised the sun, moon & stars pre election lest ye all forget. It was easy for the media to attack Labour for making harsh decisions as the weaker of 2 animals IMO.
I agree with all who say that Gilmore & Co should have stuck it out and refused the chance to take power though, through sheer patience they could very well have done a Sinn Fein on it yesterday & turned the political landscape even further upside down.[/QUOTE]
wtf?
Yes.
[QUOTE=“carryharry, post: 950300, member: 1517”]All true.
But, could Labour have actually known how bad the states coffers were before actually going into coalition? FG promised the sun, moon & stars pre election lest ye all forget. It was easy for the media to attack Labour for making harsh decisions as the weaker of 2 animals IMO.
I agree with all who say that Gilmore & Co should have stuck it out and refused the chance to take power though, through sheer patience they could very well have done a Sinn Fein on it yesterday & turned the political landscape even further upside down.[/QUOTE]
Fine Gael have always been a far right party, it was to be expected. Labour claim to be left wing and their votes mainly claim from the working class people who have been hit the hardest - that is the difference. Labour should have pulled the plug on the Governmen when it became evident their policies and promises weren’t coming through but they had their ministerial positions and salaries and that was the real agenda behind it.
Christ, I’m actually close to agreeing with you for once.
The Shinners have run a smart local campaign by running a lot of young candidates with little baggage. The reality though, is that many of them will be hamstrung and worn down by the very nature of the gombeen councils they’ll end up sitting on. Under revised local government law, the City/County manager runs the show and, if they don’t get an agreed budget, watch how they’ll hit the services in the very areas that Sinn Fein are strong.
On a national level, Labour in the middle of another one of their zero-hero-zero cycles. FF and FG are basically the same and a government consisting of a wide range of independents would be a clusterfuck. That leaves the Shinners. They’ve relied heavily on the Dept. of Finance and the ESRI for a lot of their costings which has two effects: on the positive side they’ve embraced realpolitik and are prepared to stand on their figures but, conversely, with the country in thrall to the EU thanks to the odious Kenny & company, it’s hard to see how they’ll deliver on what these bastards have left us to pay for.
My former RA colleague Martina Anderson romped home for Sinn Féin up north. What a lady.
Liadh Ní Riada has been elected down south too.
Matt Carthy will be confirmed tomorrow morning too to make a clean sweep after Lynn Boylan’s Dublin success.
[QUOTE=“Bandage, post: 950323, member: 9”]My former RA colleague Martina Anderson romped home for Sinn Féin up north. What a lady.
Liadh Ní Riada has been elected down south too.
Matt Carthy will be confirmed tomorrow morning too to make a clean sweep after Lynn Boylan’s Dublin success.[/QUOTE]
Martina Anderson is a babe and a true daughter of Eire.
Mairéad Farrell’s niece is decent too and she was elected to the council in Galway City East. Sinn Féin has a load of female candidates actually and many of them are Fenian Princesses.
Richard O’Dowd on primetime… jesus, how do they unearth these gems?
How does Ronán Mullen attract such a reasonably large vote?
Haven’t a notion. Can’t abide him. Brother in law, who all these years seemed to have sound enough judgement, even for a Tipp, told me at the weekend that he voted Mullen first and Ming number 2.
Colleague of my wife, who’s a bit of a Holy Mary, texted her to recommend voting for Mullen
[QUOTE=“corner back, post: 950366, member: 1572”]Haven’t a notion. Can’t abide him. Brother in law, who all these years seemed to have sound enough judgement, even for a Tipp, told me at the weekend that he voted Mullen first and Ming number 2.
Colleague of my wife, who’s a bit of a Holy Mary, texted her to recommend voting for Mullen[/QUOTE]
That’s the type of transfers that drive the pundits wild-. I was following several people on twitter last night utterly perplexed at Paul Murphy’s transfers going to Brian Hayes-
On another note - I have just seen that Liam Cahill is calling one if the Ireland South seats for Hartely on the basis that O’Sullivan and Prendergasts surpluses will go to him due to the Deise factor.
What do you think @Fagan ODowd ?
Other people are saying Diarmuid O’ Flynn (not O’Leary ) is still in with a shout as they feel he will pick up a lot of O’Sullivan’s transfers - I am unsure of this
[QUOTE=“Elvis Brandenberg Kremmen, post: 950311, member: 1624”]Christ, I’m actually close to agreeing with you for once.
The Shinners have run a smart local campaign by running a lot of young candidates with little baggage. The reality though, is that many of them will be hamstrung and worn down by the very nature of the gombeen councils they’ll end up sitting on. Under revised local government law, the City/County manager runs the show and, if they don’t get an agreed budget, watch how they’ll hit the services in the very areas that Sinn Fein are strong.
On a national level, Labour in the middle of another one of their zero-hero-zero cycles. FF and FG are basically the same and a government consisting of a wide range of independents would be a clusterfuck. That leaves the Shinners. They’ve relied heavily on the Dept. of Finance and the ESRI for a lot of their costings which has two effects: on the positive side they’ve embraced realpolitik and are prepared to stand on their figures but, conversely, with the country in thrall to the EU thanks to the odious Kenny & company, it’s hard to see how they’ll deliver on what these bastards have left us to pay for.[/QUOTE]
The experience of sharing power in the 6 counties - both councils and at Stormont - will help but I think they’ll force a FF-FG coalition next time.
That was a cracking rendition of Mo Ghile Mear by Ni Riada’s supporters last night. Didn’t know who her father was until then.
That would be the game changer.
Plenty of media attention on the success of the right and far-right in European elections but it’s worth noting that the countries where austerity has been imposed have all gone to the left.
Ireland: 3 SF and probably 3 lefitsh independents out of 10 seats. Plus a huge swing to the left in local elections.
Spain: United Left and Podemos made big gains.
Greece: Syriza (anti-austerity) became the largest party.
Portugal: Opposition Socialist Party became the largest party.