Best Politician in Ireland You Cannot Vote For

[MyTown]

I'm dizzy with all the Election threads here (Magicme's anti-Bertie rant winning the most poignant / funniest thread so far).

But how about your nominations for the best politician from OUTSIDE your constituency?

I've always thought a few of the Dublin based Greens (Gogarty & Ryan) were above average and generally talked sense.

Peter Power, the Limerick solicitor who has always been in the shadow of the moustachioued Minister for Guns on the Feel & Fall side is a good performer on TV whatever about "on the ground".

Fine Gael's Dan Neville has heroically promoted UNPOPULAR but worthy causes such as the plight of the mentally ill and the total lack of adequate services for them.

But I think Joan Burton and Mary Harney, ideological opposites but both principled individuals who will both struggle to retain their seats, have shown the greatest moral courage and debated fairly for what they believe in.

On the other side if I was to start a thread about the slimy cynical egomaniacal self promoters who will undoubtedly get elected and RE-eleected tomorrow, I'd be typing for the rest of the day!

Who do you rate?

[Lim till i die]

Peter Power, the Limerick solicitor who has always been in the shadow of the moustachioued Minister for Guns on the Feel & Fall side is a good performer on TV whatever about "on the ground".


Absolutely useless, I've never seen him or one of his canvassers in my life

Respect Tony Gregory because he has gotten great deals for his area down through the years


But I think Joan Burton and Mary Harney, ideological opposites but both principled individuals who will both struggle to retain their seats, have shown the greatest moral courage and debated fairly for what they believe in.

Joan Burton has always struck me as a bit of a bandwagon jumping spoofer tbh. Apparently crap on the ground until around election time aswell

And what exactly is it Harney believes in?? Evil??

[endabob1]

Always liked Michael D in Galway although as I've been out of the country for 13 years I clearly can't vote for any of them

[sligoman]

Mae Sexton, Longford/Westmeath constituency.

[Dodge]

Always liked Michael D in Galway although as I've been out of the country for 13 years I clearly can't vote for any of them

Always liked Michael D.

Also Anne Marie Martin of FG (in Dublin South Central) for purely pervy reasons

[kingdom hoop]

It's gotta be Joe Higgins for me, a Kerryman doing big things in Dublin - a model I've followed for the last number of years:p But seriously, he represents his constituents far more than most as he actually gives a sh!t about things, plus he adeptly contributes to Dáil debates - I was looking for, but couldn't find, minutes spoken in the Dáil, I'd say he'll be well up there for someone who doesn't have a brief. Better than Tom McEllistrim, Kerry North FF TD, at any rate, the trailblazer who proudly represented his people by solely delivering his inaugural address, what a bleeping bleeper.

[kingdom hoop]

Damn it, just saw the Damo thread, he'd definitely get me vote, in return for a few spliffs of course:D

[BohsPartisan]

Clare, Joe, Mick Murphy and Mick Barry.

Also, Joan Collins possibly Seamus Healy.

[Risteard]

Michael D and Joe of the Higgins.
I hate McDowell but have a strange admiration for him in a way.
A lot less hood-whinking than the FF charm, at least he knows that he's on the right. Dublin West has fine TDs.

[kingdom hoop]

Clare, Joe, Mick Murphy and Mick Barry.



If you were really devoted you'd move to one of their constituencies. Not good enough.

[holidaysong]

Senator David Norris - he's great!

[BohsPartisan]

If you were really devoted you'd move to one of their constituencies. Not good enough.

Or I could move to all four and get polling cards for each!

[Lionel Ritchie]

Senator David Norris - he's great!

agreed. Also John Hume, Seamus Mallon, Mark Durkan and David Ervine. I think they deserve a bit of a mention (the latter posthumously sadly) in the week when the shinners and especially dear bertie are flashing their "brought peace to Ireland" credentials.

[Magicme]

When I lived in Clonsilla I was very impressed with Joe Higgins. Went to his meetings on Water Rates and then shared a platform with him at a Refugee Rally after moving back to Monaghan so he would always be my fav.

I gave a speech at the Christian Solidarity Party Ard Fheis one year as part of my work with Refugees and they were the even bigger tossers than Bertie & Co so they would be my least fav! In fairness to them tho, they did help my cause a little.

[Macy]

Joe Higgins and Micheal D Higgins are my two favourite Irish politicians, and I'd also have time for Eamonn Gilmore too, after hearing him speak on a few occasions.

[pete]

Also Anne Marie Martin of FG (in Dublin South Central) for purely pervy reasons

I think its her eyes looking down off those posters. Her picture on wikipedia is a little different... That poster got to be worth hundreds of votes on its own. :D

[BohsPartisan]

Also Anne Marie Martin of FG (in Dublin South Central) for purely pervy reasons

Its not as if you get a free b*** j** (http://www.nee-antwerpen.be/index-eng.htm) with every vote!

[holidaysong]

Its not as if you get a free b*** j** (http://www.nee-antwerpen.be/index-eng.htm) with every vote!

Someone was watching The Panel last night.. :D

[Dodge]

Its not as if you get a free b*** j** (http://www.nee-antwerpen.be/index-eng.htm) with every vote!

The lying bitch! Another election promise ruined! :mad:

[pete]

McDowell & Joe Higgins a loss to the Dail.

John Bracken (http://www.johnbracken.ie/) he even has a campaign song. Only got 89 votes. :(

[superfrank]

Tony Gregory and Joe Higgins.

[monutdfc]

Dan Boyle

[rebelarmyexile]

Richard Bruton in Dublin North Central, and Michael McDowell (gonna miss him, Great minister for Justice - we should be greatful to him. he is the reason SF/IRA polled so badly.

[BohsPartisan]

Richard Bruton in Dublin North Central, and Michael McDowell (gonna miss him, Great minister for Justice - we should be greatful to him. he is the reason SF/IRA polled so badly.

You are an outstanding comedian. :D

[RogerMilla]

i would have to say Dr. Jerry Cowley . I am gutted he lost his seat in mayo.

[Bluebeard]

Dr. Noel Browne would be the politician I would most like to vote for but cannot.

It would be naive to ask "Do you remember when Irish politicians had integrity?", but thanks to him you can say "Do you remember there was an Irish politician who had integrity".

[smellyfeet]

Ming The Mersulus in Galway.
:)

[galwayhoop]

Ming The Mersulus in Galway.
:)

AFAIK he has returned to Co. Roscommon, his birthplace, and has been elected onto some sort of county Council or other (open to correction) but he has definately left Galway of that i am sure.

[Red4Eva]

Joe Higgins once slept in my bad :eek: i wasn't alive when he did though. my father used to be in the labour party(before they sold out as he would say) and was good friends with him back then. he'd be the only politician i'd respect cos he's the only one who seems like he's not out for his good and he's quite the satirist as well. even though i know f*ck all bout his constituency i'm shocked he didn't keep his seat.

John Perry's in the good books too cos he always gives us a decent christmas present ;)

If Ming ever gets it's legalised he'll be a shoe-in for taoiseach in my opinion

[jebus]

joe higgins and ted tynan seem to know what they are talking about, unlike most

[Risteard]

Out of curiousity, where did you hear ted tynan speaking?

[jebus]

Out of curiousity, where did you hear ted tynan speaking?

my house, my friend was interviewing him for the SWP paper and he spoke well of local issues, especially his fight to get rid of phone masts near schools and in petrol stations, made a fan out of me anyway

[Risteard]

Good to see that he's talking to that paper.
Maybe Partisan can enlighten me as to the point but having the SP, WP and SWP seems pointless to me.

[Block G Raptor]

Gearoid MacAdam for me defo. heard from A prominent FF TD for Dublin North west that teh Bold Gerry will be running for pres next time around, cant see it myself as he'd have to recognise the 26 county state to be its president ...no?

[Soper]

Gearóid Mac Ádhaimh;)

[Block G Raptor]

I've a signed copy of his book "Hope and History" its signed Gearoid MacAdam

[Soper]

Wikipedia lied to me:(

[Erstwhile Bóz]

Ádhamh is ‘Adam-from-the-Bible’ Adam. The Adam in surnames and placenames is usually Adam, like Baile Adaim/Adamstown (even though the stone sign the developers put up says Baile Mhic Ádhaimh :mad: ).

Whether people should actually bother gaelicizing planter surnames is another story. ;)

[rebelarmyexile]

im serious. great admiration for McDowell. one cant really but admire Richrad Bruton good decent, honest hardworked, even the shinners in dublin north central like him.

[Erstwhile Bóz]

Yeah I know people who would be very anti-Fine Gael who always vote for Bruton. Very good politician and devoted to the constituency.

Kind of like Ian Paisley.

[BohsPartisan]

Maybe Partisan can enlighten me as to the point but having the SP, WP and SWP seems pointless to me.

More differences between those three parties than between FF, FG and PD's.
The Workers Party come from the Irish Republican stable and developed a penchant for Stalinism in the late 60's. They used to have trips to Moscow and North Korea and all that. Ourselves and the SWP come from the same tradition - i.e. Trotskyism but there are many ideological differences and organisational differences between us.

[Risteard]

Are they really important enough to divide the left like it is now though?
ps aren't WP Trotskyist aswell.
Shouldn't matter where you come form but where you're going.
A single party of the left would grow to the current size of the Labour party within a decade methinks.

[BohsPartisan]

Are they really important enough to divide the left like it is now though?
ps aren't WP Trotskyist aswell.
Shouldn't matter where you come form but where you're going.
A single party of the left would grow to the current size of the Labour party within a decade methinks.


No, WP are deffo of the Stalinist tradition. They were Official Sinn Fein, then SF The Workers Party, Then the Workers Party then you had the splits - IRSP/INLA splitting again to be IPLO, feuding, few murders. Back on the main track the WP won some support in the early 80's and had some Dail seats but never really grew any bigger (probably because of the associations with russia and their terrorist past and the existance of a Labour Party that hadn't quite gone all the way to the right), support fell as they seemed to be going nowhere - furhter split, Democratic Left is formed later merges with Labour.
WP don't seem to do a lot, the guy down in Waterford seems to have a high profile because of good work he's done but other than that they just seem to be some old geezers who only come out for elections. By all accounts they'd be gone by the wayside if it wasn't for some dodgy money they recieved from russia just before the wall came down.

As for your other point, the left works together on certain campaigns and issues and if there was a grass roots push for a new workers party, which we believe will come soon enough, then ourselves and the SWP and whatever other small groups around would no doubt be part of it but I don't think a simple merger is the way forward.

[Macy]

As for your other point, the left works together on certain campaigns and issues and if there was a grass roots push for a new workers party, which we believe will come soon enough, then ourselves and the SWP and whatever other small groups around would no doubt be part of it but I don't think a simple merger is the way forward.
Does it need a merger into an actual party though? Even though it's basically the SWP under a different name, the People Before Profit Alliance did well with Boyd Barrett, no reason that the left couldn't merge under the same or similar banner for future elections whilst keeping their own individual identities where obstacles exist.

[BohsPartisan]

Does it need a merger into an actual party though? Even though it's basically the SWP under a different name, the People Before Profit Alliance did well with Boyd Barrett, no reason that the left couldn't merge under the same or similar banner for future elections whilst keeping their own individual identities where obstacles exist.


Problem with the PBPA and any front organisation involving the SWP though is they are reluctant to give up control and often pack meetings with phoney "delegates" of non existing branches. They did this with the IAWM. This doesn't rule out working with them but they can make it so difficult sometimes. (I'm sure Dr. Nightdub will have a different perspective on this). As I said, I believe a move towards a new workers party will happen sooner rather than later and I think submerging ourselves in something like the PBPA would be a bad move for ourselves. AFAIK the SWP have more or less ceased doing anything under its own name, its all PBPA and IAWM stuff.