Leinsterfans.com Election Poll

[jezzer]

We need that now.

FG and the Greens for me.

Look Out!
Leinsterman will be after you with his anti yoghurt knitting ray gun!

Ordinarily that'd be me too, but there's so little moral conscience in irish politics and so much need for integrity and vision of ANY form, that I'm prepared to over look the mung beans and hemp sandals (as well as the Greens many failures in their debut turn at Govt) for a bit of believability

[mfjoc]

Had a visit from a Shane Ross canvasser last night - very surprised to hear the limited agenda he is setting out - no view whatsoever on income taxes and public spending (bar shake up of various quangos). He wants to be the ethical voice of the dail.

But why vote for someone who will have little or no power? He doesn't strike me as someone who will be looking after his constituency in a Jackie Healy or a Michael Lowry fashion either.

The seanad is the right place for independent people like him. While I find him a pain in the arse a lot of the time I feel that he and the other university senators are the type of people that actually justify the Seanad. I have always voted for Fergal Quinn precicely because he has been an outstanding independent contributor to the national political debate.

[Leinsterman]

Holy sh!t!
Jezzer is a Marxist!

[MarkyDeSad]

Tend to agree with Jezzer's assessment of the Greens. First time in Govt. and not very good at it, but there for the right reasons. I wouldn't mind them being part of a new coalition but then again they'd have to win some seats to do that!

[johng]

Holy sh!t!
Jezzer is a Marxist!

If you met an actual Marxist, the world would probably explode.

[fourthirtythree]

I find the main arguments against FG and Labour fairly.... dodgy: people don't like Enda or Joan's voice. You know Brian Lenihan has GREAT hair, and sounds glib on the telly.

He still gave the country away and when he had several opportunities to rectify his mistake he chose to be stubborn and look after his political reputation.

As for voting for Greens now: I think their only achievements could have been in planning and building regulations. Unfortunately that would have benefited the country amazingly if they'd been in place 10 years ago. When they took over there was no investment coming in, it had limited impact as nothing was being built, and the last thing the sector needed was any kind of barriers to investment. They stood by while FF did the most morally bankrupt act (as well as financially clueless act) that an Irish government has ever done.

They deserve their inevitable dissolution. The few of them that didn't whore themselves out can form a rump party with conscience maybe. But I don't see them as exhibiting any moral conscience or integrity. I think they lost their vision. Look at how the PDs managed to run FF for a comparison.

[Leinsterman]

I find the main arguments against FG and Labour fairly.... dodgy: people don't like Enda or Joan's voice. You know Brian Lenihan has GREAT hair, and sounds glib on the telly.

He still gave the country away and when he had several opportunities to rectify his mistake he chose to be stubborn and look after his political reputation.

As for voting for Greens now: I think their only achievements could have been in planning and building regulations. Unfortunately that would have benefited the country amazingly if they'd been in place 10 years ago. When they took over there was no investment coming in, it had limited impact as nothing was being built, and the last thing the sector needed was any kind of barriers to investment. They stood by while FF did the most morally bankrupt act (as well as financially clueless act) that an Irish government has ever done.

They deserve their inevitable dissolution. The few of them that didn't whore themselves out can form a rump party with conscience maybe. But I don't see them as exhibiting any moral conscience or integrity. I think they lost their vision. Look at how the PDs managed to run FF for a comparison.

Yes but what about the REALLY important issues such as stag hunting?

[Mackman15]

As for voting for Greens now: I think their only achievements could have been in planning and building regulations. Unfortunately that would have benefited the country amazingly if they'd been in place 10 years ago. When they took over there was no investment coming in, it had limited impact as nothing was being built, and the last thing the sector needed was any kind of barriers to investment. They stood by while FF did the most morally bankrupt act (as well as financially clueless act) that an Irish government has ever done.

I'm afraid i must contest the notion that the Greens have done anything spectacular with regard to planning and building regulations. Particularly in the field of the B.regs. In the couple of years that Gormley was there it appears to me that yet again all that was done was a cogging of our neighbour ekker. I'm going to suggest that perhaps 4 of the TGD's were updated (or as i would suggest, the Crown was removed) and the Building Control Act which was initiated 10 years prior was actually brought into force. After that, tinkering with the FSC application process perhaps.

As regards planning, exemptions for wind turbines, CHP's et al, and house-keeping with the P&D Act. - Meh, nothing to exciting there.

Oh yeah, we do have a new SDZ out in South Dublin signed off by Cuffe but i'm guessing that will sit there until some (tax) incentive scheme is thought up.

[Hippo]

I'm with 433 here as there is absolutely no justification for voting FF, none. I defy anyone to come up with a reason to support them. So....it's going to be Lab and FG in some kind of order for me.

[Mackman15]

I'm with 433 here as there is absolutely no justification for voting FF, none. I defy anyone to come up with a reason to support them. So....it's going to be Lab and FG in some kind of order for me.

We have one of the 'Lovely girls' out in our constituency; she's the only FF candidate this time round and is a first timer. The out going granddad of FF polled with 7,000 1st pref and his unsuccessful running mate got 6,800 (and didn't get returned by way of transfers) in 2007.

Given that there were 13,800 FF votes out there i shall be intrigued to see if the faithful disappear in such numbers so that she could not get anywhere close. 40-50% of that vote would have to abandon her which by the sounds of it is eminently possible. The other way of course to look at it is that in the majority of cases a loss for her will be a gain for someone else.

Will the faithful FFer's stay at home, still vote FF or dare to change their preference.
Strange times indeed.

[Donny B.]

Was out for a walk today around my area and I don't think I came across one Fianna Fail poster. Seriously, not one! And I've got two FF Gimps in my constituency in Conor Lenihan and Charlie O'Connor.

Plenty of Fine Gael and Labour posters up, well the ones the wind haven't blow away. Have FF given up the ghost already or are they just struggling to get volunteers out to out them up?

[Leinsterman]

<snigger>

Enda Kenny has confirmed he will not take part in any TV3 election debate hosted by broadcaster Vincent Browne.

Speculation that the Fine Gael leader would not appear alongside Eamon Gilmore and Micheál Martin in a three-way leaders' debate has come to fruition after Kenny finally made his stance clear this afternoon.

"Vincent Browne on his television programme advised that I, as leader of my party, should take a bottle of whiskey, a gun and go into a dark room,” he said.

"I have been in hundreds of homes around this country where the tragedy of suicide inflicted pain and stress on many families and I will not participate on any programme that Vincent Browne has anything to do with."

TV3 yesterday indicated it was preparing to host the first debate of the 2011 election campaign next Tuesday evening, which will be hosted by its main current affairs broadcaster Vincent Browne.

It is now envisaged that the debate has been left in its entirety to Micheál Martin and Eamon Gilmore to thrash out.

[sid]

Was out for a walk today around my area and I don't think I came across one Fianna Fail poster. Seriously, not one! And I've got two FF Gimps in my constituency in Conor Lenihan and Charlie O'Connor.

Plenty of Fine Gael and Labour posters up, well the ones the wind haven't blow away. Have FF given up the ghost already or are they just struggling to get volunteers out to out them up?

I've seen loads of them around the place. "Real Plan, Better Future" - either they're going for irony or they're essentially saying "look, that plan we kept banging on about last time wasn't actually a real one, it was one of those fake, pretend plans. We've sorted that out now though, so we reckon things should start getting better by themselves for no apparent reason. Why not vote for us?"

[Donny B.]

Was out for a walk today around my area and I don't think I came across one Fianna Fail poster. Seriously, not one! And I've got two FF Gimps in my constituency in Conor Lenihan and Charlie O'Connor.

Plenty of Fine Gael and Labour posters up, well the ones the wind haven't blow away. Have FF given up the ghost already or are they just struggling to get volunteers out to out them up?

I've seen loads of them around the place. "Real Plan, Better Future" - either they're going for irony or they're essentially saying "look, that plan we kept banging on about last time wasn't actually a real one, it was one of those fake, pretend plans. We've sorted that out now though, so we reckon things should start getting better by themselves for no apparent reason. Why not vote for us?"

[Leinsterman]

Didn't take Labour long to come out with some populist nonsense. No sooner do they get official backing from Siptu then Gilmore is saying he'll look to negotiate with the private sector for a three year pay freeze.
Is he that stupid or are they only interested in looking after their union buddies? What utter nonsense.

[Leinster Exile]

Didn't take Labour long to come out with some populist nonsense. No sooner do they get official backing from Siptu then Gilmore is saying he'll look to negotiate with the private sector for a three year pay freeze.
Is he that stupid or are they only interested in looking after their union buddies? What utter nonsense.

How do you negotiate with the private sector? I also didn't realise that runaway salary rises were a problem in Southern Ireland (i jest, i jest). Seriously though , did I miss someting in the papers

[Danthefan]

Didn't take Labour long to come out with some populist nonsense. No sooner do they get official backing from Siptu then Gilmore is saying he'll look to negotiate with the private sector for a three year pay freeze.
Is he that stupid or are they only interested in looking after their union buddies? What utter nonsense.

Why the f%~k would I (or anyone) vote for that?

[Leinsterman]

How do you negotiate with the private sector? I also didn't realise that runaway salary rises were a problem in Southern Ireland (i jest, i jest). Seriously though , did I miss someting in the papers

HERE YOU GO

It was in the Independent yesterday.

Why the f%~k would I (or anyone) vote for that?

You wouldn't. However, the cynic in me would suggest that statements like this will attempt to rally the whole public sector in behind Labour. that's a very large block of votes.
Throw in a very large % of disgruntled people who are unemployed and you have a very large % of the electorate rooting for Labour.

I knew it wouldn't be too long before they showed their true colours.

[Leinster Exile]

How do you negotiate with the private sector? I also didn't realise that runaway salary rises were a problem in Southern Ireland (i jest, i jest). Seriously though , did I miss someting in the papers

HERE YOU GO

It was in the Independent yesterday.

Thanks for the link LM but what I meant is , have I missed all the newspaper stories of the runaway wage increases in the private sector?

[Leinsterman]

Thanks for the link LM but what I meant is , have I missed all the newspaper stories of the runaway wage increases in the private sector?

Ah sorry.
Yes you must have missed them along with myself.
Private sector has been positively creaming it for the last few years.

Anyway, this is in danger of descending into a public sector v private sector bitchfest.
Needless to say, statements like that from Gilmore are ridiculous.

In other news, from RTÉ's election twitter feed:

Asked about a possible vacant seat at the planned TV3 debate, Mr Kenny said 'it would stand as a symbol to those forced to emigrate

Equally pathetic.
They seem determined to give FF as many chances as possible, don't they?


And finally, Dan Boyle has declared that the Greens could be the link between FG and Labour in government.
The sooner he's turfed out of the Seanad, the better.