General Election 2024

[joey B]

That debate this evening just leaves you feeling bemused,such an underwhelming,uninspiring collection of people that we have to vote for …….

[CraftyToePoke]

O'Gorman keeps interrupting, they all do it a bit but he won't let anyone speak. He's the small stone in your shoe of debating.

[nigel-harps1954]

It's been one car crash after another.

Simon Harris probably comes out of it the worst of the lot though. He's been a disaster.

[CraftyToePoke]

Mary Lou with her opportunity of a lifetime line in her closing pitch there was like those late night TV sales shows selling mattresses and such that come on while you were asleep.

[sbgawa]

Id say the number of people that sat through it was minimal,
I thought McDonald was particularly poor and just her usual hectoring self
Martin and Toibin probably the pick of the bunch .........very low bar....the soc dems guy was an embarressment.

[tetsujin1979]

Richie Boyd Barrett is my local TD. He can get fcuked.

[sbgawa]

The mentality of the people who elect foghorn losers like barret , Murphy etc is beyond me. No wish to govern just protest.

[John83]

I guess they have a structural purpose in society. Some people feel heard if they have someone whinging in the Dáil for them. And presumably they give the media a prompt / excuse to probe weaker government positions or potential scandals. I'd rather elect someone with some constructive ideas, but they don't really do any harm.

[passinginterest]

Yeah, I think you've hit the nail on the head John. By electing some of those dissenting voices it's making those on the margins feel at least somewhat represented. I think it helps in a big way to stop the growth of the extreme fringes here. A certain amount of these voices will find their way into local and national Government where they can be seen, they can raise their protests, they can examine the Government from different perspectives. They give some balance overall and I think it somewhat appeases the extreme elements and keep the Governing parties from drifting too far in any one direction from the centre.

[joey B]

He couldn’t care less what that woman was saying could he,awful look from him……

[seanfhear]

He couldn’t care less what that woman was saying could he,awful look from him……

Harris could play ~ A Doctor Evil character in a Mike Myers film !

[CraftyToePoke]

He couldn’t care less what that woman was saying could he,awful look from him……

RTÉ homepage second news item this evening. Speculating on its impact on Friday & pointing out that its twice in a week he's snapped when things weren't suiting him & had to backtrack both. The other was on the TV debate. They're suggesting he's showing a bit of a thin skin for the game he's in & a bit of an attitude which voters may not appreciate.

https://www.rte.ie/news/election-24/...rris-election/

[seanfhear]

RTÉ homepage second news item this evening. Speculating on its impact on Friday & pointing out that its twice in a week he's snapped when things weren't suiting him & had to backtrack both. The other was on the TV debate. They're suggesting he's showing a bit of a thin skin for the game he's in & a bit of an attitude which voters may not appreciate.

https://www.rte.ie/news/election-24/...rris-election/

Hitting some reality ~ Not what most Irish politicians are used to !

[joey B]

Very bad poll for Fine Gael 5 days out from the election,the Harris encounter seems to have made an impact…..

[D24Saint]

Very bad poll for Fine Gael 5 days out from the election,the Harris encounter seems to have made an impact…..

It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. It’s been one of the flattest elections in my lifetime.

[sbgawa]

Yes unbelievaly flat,
i supppose people can see there is no way FF and FG wont be coming back and with the Economy chugging along people are happy enough with that

[nigel-harps1954]

Ah it's almost a certainty we'll see the same government again in a few weeks. Just interesting to note how much ground they potentially lose, and whether the Greens make up enough seats to get back into government along with FF and FG.

[seanfhear]

I wonder ~ ~ How would Donald Trump's policies poll in the Irish election ? !

[CraftyToePoke]

You'd have to ask the people of Cork & Waterford specifically about all the sheep dogs eaten by illegals down there. Not a Chep or a Rover left I hear.

The reported 10 billion loss should he manage to repatriate even three US multinationals from our economy would be more clearcut I'd imagine.

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Two trends stand out. First, turnout has been steadily declining. In the 1960s and 1970s, nearly 80% of registered voters participated in elections. By 2020, this figure had dropped to its lowest point since 1927, with turnout recorded at 62.9%.

Belgium and Luxembourg have the highest turnout rates. These countries also have compulsory voting, even though non-voting is not legally enforced. Turnout also exceeds 80% in Sweden and Denmark.

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Eastern and southern European countries have the lowest levels of voter turnout. Ireland's turnout of 62.9% in the 2020 General Election is below the European average of 67%.

Research shows that turnout tends to be higher in smaller countries and those that use a form of proportional representation as their electoral system. Ireland meets both conditions, yet turnout levels are comparatively low.

Full Story :: https://www.rte.ie/news/election-24/...poll-of-polls/

Any theories ?

We are comfortable and EU is really the driver these days anyway, so it doesn't matter much which puppets we put in Leinster House perception ?

There have been shifts in the political landscape, SF emerged, recently surged and then waned, Independents are the latest craze, but never enough to really unsettle the Old Firm pair who will probably as already said, call it a draw and go again after GE2024. Almost 40% wont express an opinion though in what was a very politicised electorate until fairly recently.

[D24Saint]

The monk doing well early doors. Watch this space.