Election 2007

[Poor Student]

News Letter (Northern Irish paper) leading with the headline "Dublin says no". Focus of the article on SF's poor seat haul and the resultant Unionist rejoicing. Jeffrey Dondalson saying it's Southern recognition of Northern Ireland's status or some nonsense.

[pete]

SF could have 0 seats in Dublin but will probably keep 1.

Its all very well having them in a devolved "government" in NI but in reality they have little control over taxes or economic policy. Its more like a super local authority.

[Dodge]

News Letter (Northern Irish paper) leading with the headline "Dublin says no". Focus of the article on SF's poor seat haul and the resultant Unionist rejoicing. Jeffrey Dondalson saying it's Southern recognition of Northern Ireland's status or some nonsense.

Great headline

[superfrank]

Jim Tallon (Independent)

"Not a lot is known about the policies of James Tallon, a framer (I assume it's a typo for farmer) from Emoclew on the outskirts of Arklow. He lists 'Film Director' as his occupation and when our photographer went to his home to capture his image he displayed some 'animal magic'. Opening the window he whistled to the robins outside who immediately flew in to him!
He has been involved in a number of controversial incidents in the past. When making an appearance in the District Court charged with threatening a builder by throwing stones at his digger, he gave his address as 'Independent Republic of Glasnost' but he said he had been the victim of a military coup.
He is not without resources however having declined an offer of £4.5 million in the past for his 35 acre far."

Later in the paper it gives the addresses of all politicians and his house is actually named 'Glasnost'.

This nutjob got over 130 first preferences!

He didn't even finish last. That went to the Father's Rights campaigner.

[Calcio Jack]

I wrote the post below during last years elecetion campaign to outline why I wouldn't vote for Bertie and the PDs...on the day after he's left office and we're having to listen to him and his supporters try and convince us as to how great a 'leader' he was well below outlines why I for one have no respect for him,sure he did something for the peace process but on balance IMO his litany of failures in terms of economic and social policies plus I suspect some serious forthcoming exposure of his unusual finances down at the Mahon Tribunal, will clarify once and for all that the man is/was a failure.

I note today that he has gone on the record and accused the Mahon Tribunal of "low life stuff" in relation to their treatment of Grainne Caruth.... Class that from a Head of State who has stood idly by as his 'cheerleader' Mary Harney has engaged in the destruction of our health service and the mistreatment or lack of access to same for any members of 'the people' that Bertie claims to have served so well...

See you down in Dublin Castle in May Citizen Bertie and looking forward to seeing your reaction and responses to the documents that the Tribunals legal team delivered to you on tuesday.

I'm 48..... managed to buy my first house for £16k in 1981. Have been in continous gainful employment for last 27 years. So I'm one of the lucky ones because I've benefited from the rise in property prices and have been fortunate enough to have a had a very well paid career for a long number of years... however I will not be voting FF/PD for the following reasons.

(1)they have actively encouraged a two tier society... the likes of me who got into the property market when prices were cheap.... as against anyone under 35 who is now forced to take on huge mortgages for terms up to 40 years to buy shoddy homes miles outside of Dublin which means they have a huge commute. Where there is a couple involved they are restricted as to how many kids they can have because of the fear of being able to aford them...and when they do have kids they don't have the option of one parent staying at home to rear them and thus are forced to leave them in (many cases) crap creches from 6.30am to 6.30pm five days per week.

To avoid the above all they had to do was (1) implement the Kenny report which recommended capping the price of development land at its agri valu plus 25%. (2) Tax any investor on an increasing scale on their 2nd , 3rdetc houses. (3) Ensure that proper transport/schools etc infrastructures were put in place put in place.

(2) There is still a huge amount of "real" poverty in this country...approx 1 in 5 people. Despite that FF/PDs were able to give billions to the middle classes via the SSIA scheme (and yes I do have one) instead of diverting that money to the poor.

(3) The worsening levels of service provided by Angola ie our Health Service. Again lots of money spent but wasted. The MRSA levels increasing says it all as of course do the war zones that are known as our A&E depts.

(4) The great sell out by FF to various 3rd parties eg
(i) NTR, surely someone with even a gnats brain would of put in a clause which would of triggered a reduction in NTRs take in the event of x number of vehicles passing through...instead we are left with the taxpayer havig to cough up a fortune to buy them out. Interesting that Ray Bourke and George Redmond were the ones who agreed the NTR contract

(5) The sell of of off shore licences forthe Mayo coast to Statoil and BP for a pittaance with no come back in the event of a major viable gas/oil field been discovered.... contracts in this case negoiated by Bertie A and P Flynn.

(6) Failure in other areas, water pollution, nursing homes for the elderly, sell out to the Catholic hierarchy by capping their liability at only €150m and the States now having to pay out in excess of €850m and rising. Benching marking for public servants which was done without any transparancy at a huge cost to the taxpayer with no visable sign of any increase in produtivity etc.

(7) Bertie's gubu personal finance transactions...

(8) Our huge and growing larger obesity (excuse the pun) problem... adults I accept are responsible forthemselves but IMO more needs to be done by the state to ensure that children are given the chance of excercising properly...surely it is a no brainer to introduce some element of compulsory PE into the school curriculum ??

and that's just an off the top of the head list !!

Maybe no one cares enough and I sometimes wonder is it that fact that FF/PDs have tapped into and they reckon there are more seats to be gained by promising "goodies" like SSIAs etc rather than trying to focus on the social issues... so sure as a nation we are materially better off than when I was a kid , regretfully IMO as a nation we now seem to be without much of a conscience when it comes to social matters...I 'm not saying we were a great society 30/40/50 years ago and indeed the the magnitude of the evils of those times has become clear to us and I'm very happy to see the influence of the Church diminished greatly... I just think its a pity that now we have all this wealth we don't seem to be capable of sharing it in an equitable manner.

[Saint Tom]

agree 100% Calcio. I lost all faith in Irish voters last time round. And the reaction I get from Pro-FF eejits is that "sure anyone would have done the same given the chance". What outrages me is the fact that this whole sorry episode has not brought him down in disgrace, it was triumphalant. I hope he sees the inside of a jail cell before his time runs out unlike his mentor Charles " sure didnt I give the aul ones a bus pass" Haughey

[GavinZac]

agree 100% Calcio. I lost all faith in Irish voters last time round. And the reaction I get from Pro-FF eejits is that "sure anyone would have done the same given the chance". What outrages me is the fact that this whole sorry episode has not brought him down in disgrace, it was triumphalant. I hope he sees the inside of a jail cell before his time runs out unlike his mentor Charles " sure didnt I give the aul ones a bus pass" Haughey

So you hope they find out that he did something wrong, indeed, criminal?

Strange thing to hope.

[Lionel Ritchie]

So you hope they find out that he did something wrong, indeed, criminal?

Strange thing to hope.

He might hope they can make it stick.

I fully expect they will.

Bent as a hairpin.

[bennocelt]

Sorry to bump this up, but I was very curious to see how Foot.ie voted in the last election, and dont you just know it FF was the most popular party!!!!!!! Where have all the FFs gone....................

[dahamsta]

About time we had a new poll I guess. I'll stick one up later.

[OneRedArmy]

Revisionism at its best!!!

[BonnieShels]

I read through the first few pages if this thread and I don't no whether to laugh or cry or vomit.
Some of the explanations for FF are astounding and I find it stunning that normally intelligent people bought the claptrap. Eamon O Cuiv's performance on Vincent Browne on Tuesday was a prime example of the madness.
I was saying at the time to mates about their handling of our economy how corrupt and short-termist they were.
And I was right.
I could see the economy tanking in 2006 and made various attempts to take up one of those great (they're not great. New ideas are bad and intelligence is useless if someone else is there longer) public service jobs. Eventually got one and thankfully do due to the fact my old job longer exists!

But what scares me is that cult attitude of FF and their supporters and how they have no culpability for the state of the place. Then you look at the polls and excluding the bizarre baseless rise for Labour and the flattening of FG which are a lot to do with the quiet summer in which Kenny was subject to a failed putsch and Gilmore was talking his usual empty soundbite filled drivel.
Anyway, there are people out there that still want FF in power? My blood boils consistently when I think about it.
An election can't come soon enough.