Election 2011- Results

**dahamsta** · 27/02/2011, 2:28 AM

Labour lurched to to the right a long time ago, and (assuming FG don't make the stupid mistake of choosing the indo route) they'll be in a far, far stronger coalition position than the greens. I don't think Labour is in any danger in this term as long as they keep Gilmore on a leash, or better yet get rid of him.

**Magicme** · 27/02/2011, 3:54 AM

Originally Posted by Lim till i die

The good people of Cavan Monaghan gave even more votes to Provisional Sin Fein.

No that was the bad people of Cavan/Monaghan but in fairness, Caohin, or what ever the feck Kevin is in Irish, is a legend and was always gonna win. As for that young bint he had with him who could just about spell her own name, Ha! Lowest common denominator vote SF in the border areas coz they are too thick to do otherwise. Mensa members like me vote Labour so I think we qualify as the "good people" dont you?

**horton** · 27/02/2011, 12:17 PM

So, still 30 seats to declare. As it stands:
Fine Gail 61
Labour 33
Fianna Fail 15
Shinners 13
Ind's 11
Greens 0
Others 3

Whoever's been voting for FF, shame on yourselves

**dahamsta** · 27/02/2011, 3:10 PM

LTID, you're sounding very superior for someone criticising superior types. And you're personalising it. Stop please.

**geysir** · 27/02/2011, 6:15 PM

Why do they have so many counts in Wicklow?
Could they not have eliminated the bottom 10 independents all at the one time and done the one count?

**Lim till i die** · 27/02/2011, 7:03 PM

Originally Posted by dahamsta

LTID, you're sounding very superior for someone criticising superior types. And you're personalising it. Stop please.

No problem boss.

Originally Posted by geysir

Why do they have so many counts in Wicklow?
Could they not have eliminated the bottom 10 independents all at the one time and done the one count?

Dick Roche appears to be acting the absolute Dick Roche, he hasn't a prayer of being elected why doesn't he show a bit of dignity?*

*Silly question.

**osarusan** · 27/02/2011, 7:07 PM

Originally Posted by geysir

Why do they have so many counts in Wicklow?
Could they not have eliminated the bottom 10 independents all at the one time and done the one count?

You can only eliminate candidates other than the candidate with the lowest tally if all the votes added together would be less than the candidate above them. It's theoretically possible that every vote from the lowest candidate would transfer to the candidate with the second lowest total, and the added votes would put them above another candidate.

Here's an example of this:

http://www.rte.ie/news/election2011/results/clare.html

Candidates were eliminated one at a time (and their votes redistributed) until the 4th count, when 2 candidates were eliminated together, because even their combined total was lower than that of the candidate above them.

**mypost** · 27/02/2011, 7:25 PM

After the election, they should split that constituency in two or possibly 3. Having 24 candidates standing is madness. I remember another long count in that constituency as far back as 2002.

**Seagull** · 27/02/2011, 10:09 PM

Originally Posted by geysir

Why do they have so many counts in Wicklow?
Could they not have eliminated the bottom 10 independents all at the one time and done the one count?

There was a huge ballot paper in Wicklow with 24 candidates on it. It seems a large number of people voted 1-12 on one half of the page and then 1-12 again on the other half! As for Roche and his recount, shame on him wasting taxpayers money on a futile exercise but I suppose it's hard to change the habits of a lifetime. He, for one, won't be missed. The Shinners had all the Brady posters removed in Bray by Saturday morning, them lads are good at the night-time manoeuvres!

**pauliek** · 27/02/2011, 10:54 PM

Well done to the great Joe Higgins, Clare Daly, Seamus Healy, Joan Collins and Richard Boyd Barrett of the left and big shout out to the two lads Mick Wallace and Ming Flanagan

**horton** · 28/02/2011, 5:40 AM

Even though he's perfectly entitled to it, part of me thinks Roche's demand for a recount is one last dig at the public. As many(if not all?) of the people counting work for the local council, because of him not conceding defeat means the council will be missing alot of staff this morning thus wasting time and money needlessly. Charlie Keddy, one of the independents that ran has the most glorious beard I've ever saw.

I'm jealous!

**mypost** · 28/02/2011, 5:55 AM

Originally Posted by horton

Even though he's perfectly entitled to it, part of me thinks Roche's demand for a recount is one last dig at the public.

I wouldn't go that far. Fidelma Eames ordered a full recount in her constituency. The problem here is the electoral register, which simply hasn't split the constituency, as it has elsewhere. Do the people who draw these boundaries, ever consider that candidates and constituents actually live in Wicklow? It's just too big, and there are too many candidates, which creates this issue, as it has in the past. Another example is Mayo, another entire county in one constituency. Despite it's size, Donegal is split in only two, but the size of Donegal SW dwarfs Donegal NE, by 3 or 4 to 1. One constituency is fine for the size of Louth but not Mayo, Wexford, or Wicklow.

**Macy** · 28/02/2011, 8:19 AM

Wicklow is not too big, and no way should it be split. You'd effectively disenfranchise a lot of the county, as any split would mean much of the rural parts of the county lumped in with the massive population centres of Bray and Greystones. The size of the consituency isn't the problem, it's the number of nutjobs who think they'll get elected - I don't see how the size of the consituency would change that - you'd probably get more of them in a split constituency!

Can't see Roche making it over the line, even if he does get the seats to get ahead of his running mate - that's what makes it a waste of time imo.

We should be going for fewer bigger constituencies not more smaller ones. Donegal should be one 6 seater, not two 3 seaters, as should Kerry. There should be no 3 and 4 seaters at all - they're a gerrymander that give the oft quoted "seat bounce" to the largest party. If we want a less proportional system, FF and FG should be honest about it and put it before the people rather than manipulate the current system.

**mypost** · 28/02/2011, 8:53 AM

24 candidates is way too many, and it's not the first time the count there has gone on after everyone else has packed up and gone home. Something has to be done about it.

In my constituency, there were 10 candidates, I gave votes to 8 of them, and 3 of them got elected. That's more than enough for any voter to choose from.

**pineapple stu** · 28/02/2011, 9:09 AM

Charlie Keddy got my number 2 vote purely because of that beard.

(And also because I knew he wasn't going to get in, so I couldn't really be accused of voting for people based on facial hair, which is a teensy bit irresponsible).

Dick Roche had a fair few posters graffiti-ed on around the area. His team put up a big yellow poster on top of them saying "This poster has been defaced by people who opposed DEMOCRACY", which I thought was rather pompous.

Don't think it really reflects well on the country that the Greens got completely wiped out; they were always the bitch in the coalition and have suffered for it despite bringing in stuff like the two bike schemes, insulation schemes and the likes. Maybe they're a bit too one-dimensional to be taken seriously, but it's handy to have a couple of people in there to keep that side of things ticking over.

Obviously had a pint or several on FF's demise.

Edit - mypost, are you proposing restricting the number of candidates? Isn't that completely against one of the points of democracy - that anyone can run, and that our leaders are selected from the people? As it stands, you have to pay a few quid to stand and I think get a certain number of names to approve you. How else can you restrict numbers? Cap it at 20? Some Monster Raving Looney party would block book the first 20. Cap it at those who will poll 1000 votes? Obviously nonsensical. Say anyone who doesn't get 1000 votes can never stand again? Discriminatory.

"More than enough for anyone to choose from"? Voting isn't like going down the supermarket and finding three brands of spaghetti. Surely it should be seen as a good thing that so many people sought to get actively involved instead of the usual whine to Joe Duffy?

**Macy** · 28/02/2011, 9:23 AM

Originally Posted by mypost

24 candidates is way too many, and it's not the first time the count there has gone on after everyone else has packed up and gone home. Something has to be done about it.

Everyone should have the opportunity to stand - anything that restricts it, or attempts to restrict it is, is anti democratic. I still don't see what that has to do with the size of the constituency anyway.

**mypost** · 28/02/2011, 9:23 AM

What I'm proposing is the first sentence in Post 28.

**pineapple stu** · 28/02/2011, 9:27 AM

And as Macy said, the two issues are completely unrelated.

**Dodge** · 28/02/2011, 9:33 AM

Originally Posted by mypost

24 candidates is way too many, and it's not the first time the count there has gone on after everyone else has packed up and gone home. Something has to be done about it.

So how would splitting the constituency guarentee a smaller list of candidates. Its basically the average number of party candidates and a load of loopers. Which suggest the size of the constituency doesn't matter at all. It had something like 95,000 eligible to vote and about 70,000 did. Thats far form the highest. Louth had about the same and they finished early yesterday.

And again, the important thing isn't that the results are quick, but that they are right

**Rasputin** · 28/02/2011, 9:51 AM

Great to see ULA candidates elected along with the likes of Ming, O'Sullivan and Pringle.
Good to see PSF getting such a high seat count too.
Finally some genuine opposition to the most right wing Labour Party in Europe (except Britain), and the right wing FF and FG.
Cant see the coaltion lasting more than 2 years, between the divisions within FG between the old mainly rural parochial conservative guard headed by Kenny and then the new Neo-Liberal right wing economic followers that are headed by the likes of Varadkar. Couple that with FG's divisions with Labour and the next budgets they have to force through and the inevitable strikes that will follow.
It will be a mircale if it lasts more than 2 years.