Which party do you support / will vote for?

rsynnott

Vangelis wrote:

If I was Irish I'd vote for Sinn Féin. :cool:

Just as well you're not, then.

Muiriosa

Deleted User wrote:

Speaking of spending, one is reminded that in 1986 as the last elected Fine Gael government was coming to the end of their tenure, Ireland had the highest level of debt per head of population in the world and 31,000 people a year were leaving.

Sure that's true enough but let's face facts here. The 80's were disastrous anyway. Anyone in government at the time would have run up that sort of debt. Anyone. Alot of people seem to be concerned about FG's ability to handle the financial side of things so let me remind you. As Fine Gael left government in 1997, for the first time the previous year the state went into the black - for the first time in our history. Fine Gael brought this country into the black - out of debt. There was surplus for the first time ever. Wasn't it convenient for Ahern and co to inherit this success and oh yes what happened next - the celtic tiger. Enough said.

Now FF/PD's are constantly wasting money. Every week it's something new. They cannot handle the responsibility of our economic success. Even to the most ardent FF supporter how can they not feel sick at this disgusting waste in an Ireland that needs investment in schools and hospitals??

I just don't know.

rugbug86

i'll be voting for labour - i complain about FF too much to vote for them

biko

Irsp

edit: why do "Which party do you support..." threads NEVER have polls??

Rockee

I support Bloc Party.

Sir Oxman

Never voted for FF, FG, SF, PD

Once voted for Labour (fooled like alot of people in 92)
Once voted Workers Party (directly for the candidate)
Twice voted Green (never again, useless twats)
Any otherv time voted Independent based on who/what they represented.

Next time? Probably local independent again.

Sir Oxman

Vangelis wrote:

If I was Irish I'd vote for Sinn Féin. :cool:

Well thank Jaysus you're not.

The_Minister

Muiriosa wrote:

Sure that's true enough but let's face facts here. The 80's were disastrous anyway. Anyone in government at the time would have run up that sort of debt. Anyone. Alot of people seem to be concerned about FG's ability to handle the financial side of things so let me remind you. As Fine Gael left government in 1997, for the first time the previous year the state went into the black - for the first time in our history. Fine Gael brought this country into the black - out of debt. There was surplus for the first time ever. Wasn't it convenient for Ahern and co to inherit this success and oh yes what happened next - the celtic tiger. Enough said. .

Many economists would actually blame the government of the 80s for collapsing the economy (although to be fair they didn't know any better).
I was our low tax that caused the Celtic Tiger.

The Corinthian

Deleted User wrote:

Speaking of spending, one is reminded that in 1986 as the last elected Fine Gael government was coming to the end of their tenure, Ireland had the highest level of debt per head of population in the world and 31,000 people a year were leaving.

Actually Ireland’s debt is directly attributable to Jack Lynch’s and Martin O'Donoghue's giveaway budget of 1977. Fine Gale simply inherited it.

Haughey then famously told the nation that we should “tighten our belts” (ironic coming from someone who was living well beyond his means himself at the time). So in fairness it was also Fianna Fail that, with the cooperation of the other parties, eliminated it too.

However it was the Lynch Fianna Fail government that was the chief contributor to the debt, rather Fine Gale.

Firespinner wrote:

Many economists would actually blame the government of the 80s for collapsing the economy (although to be fair they didn't know any better).

Very few credible economists would actually blame the government of the 80s for collapsing the economy, most would agree that the debt, largely aggravated by the ’78 budget, combined with decades of (multi-party) economic mismanagement pretty much did it.

The negative nature of the Irish economy prior to the Celtic Tiger cannot be underestimated. We essentially had the distopia of a quasi-Socialist system. Many PAYE workers were making only marginally more than people on the Dole, when you took tax and benefits into account. If you were a businessman you were taxed to the hilt, leaving you with no more than your average employee, which kind of killed the incentive of entrepreneurship - unless you fiddled your taxes (which everyone did).

Certainly one felt that there were fewer poor, but only because everyone was, relatively speaking, poor. That’s why we left in droves, not simply to find jobs, but to find the opportunity to make more than we could here.

I was our low tax that caused the Celtic Tiger.

It was also additional tax brakes and grants to multinationals, as well as a well-educated English-speaking workforce and our membership of the EU that helped. The low tax rate alone would be a gross oversimplification.

The_Minister

The Corinthian wrote:

Very few credible economists would actually blame the government of the 80s for collapsing the economy, most would agree that the debt, largely aggravated by the ’78 budget, combined with decades of (multi-party) economic mismanagement pretty much did it..

Giving what we know now about economics, many economics can point to policy flaws that contributed to and increased our economic problems. (although, as you say, fine gael was not the only guilty party)(pun-intended)

The Corinthian wrote:

It was also additional tax brakes and grants to multinationals, as well as a well-educated English-speaking workforce and our membership of the EU that helped. The low tax rate alone would be a gross oversimplification.

Agreed. I should have elaborated.

Vangelis

rsynnott wrote:

Just as well you're not, then.

I will be one day. Irish.