General Election - Who will you vote?

ballooba

I have mentioned here anecdotal evidence of the government supporting foreign businesses at the expense of indigenous firms. I gave the example of ESB negotiating French nuclear firm EDF while leaving Airtricity out in the cold.

Today the indo have an article by Aideen Sheehan which highlights the governments support for foreign producers of biofuels over Irish producers.

He said that some fledgling Irish biofuel producers had been "shafted" by the tax breaks favouring larger producers. The new system also put all the power in the hands of large oil companies who would call the shots on the biofuel market, he said.

Full article here.

partholon

*sigh* and this was such a nice little informative thread too till it got hijacked by the politics mods.

sinn fein and independants by the way, just incase anyone remembers what the name of this thread is:rolleyes:

marco murphy

Well Partholon, I made it clear I think the thread should be about Who you would vote for and why.
It seems people have issue's or otherwise towards Sinn Feins policies. So be it.

partholon

Poblachtach wrote:

Well Partholon, I made it clear I think the thread should be about Who you would vote for and why.
It seems people have issue's or otherwise towards Sinn Feins policies. So be it.

dont sweat it man, once this got moved to politics i knew it'd end up like this. theres a distinctly ugly feeling on this forum which is why i dont post here that much and cetain people have an agenda here which isnt exactly conducive to genuine debate. in fact just replying to you like this will probably provoke a responce so i better say why i'll vote SF and IND.

quite honestly theyre the only ones active in my area and i dont have faith that FG , FF , PD and LAB will do anything for my quality of life if it means tackling the vested interests in this country who pay their wages and fund their parties. its pretty bloody obvious they expect the 80% of us who earn 35k year or less to rot while they look after their mates in the top 20 so im fecked if im buying into that philosophy. were a republic damnit and we should be run like one.

i'll say good bye now as i dont particularly want to come back here. good luck man, be back somestage in the future

ballooba

partholon wrote:

its pretty bloody obvious they expect the 80% of us who earn 35k year or less to rot while they look after their mates in the top 20 so im fecked if im buying into that philosophy.

80% of the population earn less than 35k?

I'm gobsmacked. :eek:

partholon wrote:

i'll say good bye now as i dont particularly want to come back here. good luck man, be back somestage in the future

God forbid someone might ask you to back up your wild statements. Good riddance.

partholon

partholon wrote:

*sigh* and this was such a nice little informative thread too till it got hijacked by the politics mods.

sinn fein and independants by the way, just incase anyone remembers what the name of this thread is:rolleyes:

I remember you were warned already in this thread regarding spammy comments like that.
Banned for a week.

Raskolnikov

I'm going to vote for parties on the Left in order of Socialist Party, Sinn Fein and Greens. My reason is that none of them are ever going to get into the position of being able to change Corporation Tax. However, as a minority party in government, they'll be able to stop privatisation of health, transport, etc. Not to mention, Socialist and Sinn Féin are very good on the ground at local level, not like FF/FG taking credit for other peoples work all the time.

Labour don't even feature of the radar for me as socialist anymore, I think it's a shame as they have some good candidates.

Just as an aside for ibid, as you've stated, our only competitive advantage is Corporation Tax. We won't have that prop forever as there are already countries out their with lower Corporation Tax with growing economies and improving workforces. In the mean time, we have firms like San Disk, whose Irish operation has a revenue of nearly $1 billion, despite having only four employees :rolleyes:

marco murphy

Do people think that Corporation tax will be implemented straight away if/when Sinn Fein get into power?
Sinn Fein are'nt out to destroy the country.
They are there to benefit everyone.

Stephen

What's the deal with the poll? It appears to be broken.

zootroid

Poblachtach wrote:

Do people think that Corporation tax will be implemented straight away if/when Sinn Fein get into power?
Sinn Fein are'nt out to destroy the country.
They are there to benefit everyone.

This is quite possibly the funniest post I have ever read on a forum

Bonzodog

This is my first time Voting in Ireland, as I have only lived here for 3 years. I'm British, as I said in another post.

Personally, for the first time in my life, I am finding myself leaning left of centre, and looking seriously at Labour, The Greens, and, amazingly, Sinn Fein. I never for one minute thought I would support them.

I was raised as one of "Thatchers Children" - We are a True English family, NO Irish blood at all, and the surname is of Norman Origin. Our family has had titled people in it, and we once had a family manor and Lands - All lost in the Sixities by my Great-Uncle who Drank and Gambled it all away, and couldn't afford to keep the house. Up until the last UK election we always voted Conservative as a family, but my father changed that by switching to the Liberal Democrats.

My problem with Labour is Pat Rabitte. I just don't think he would make a good Taoiseach, and is kinda shifty - says one thing and does another - I would be worried that the Irish Government would be embroiled in yet another corruption scandal before long.

The Greens - Well, I am worried about extreme policy making that would be economically damaging to the country, forcing large foreign investment to leave by placing heavy Tax burdens on them etc.

Sinn Fein - Well, I cannot see Gerry Adams ever being Taoiseach - it would cause massive upheaval with the UK government, which would not be best happy, and could possibly be led into breaking Peace Agreements, or re-enforcing the NI border, sending us 20 years into the past. For Sinn Fein to succeed, they have got to have a change of Leadership at some point in the near future, and that includes Martin McGuinness. I actually strongly believe that one day, when the time is right, that NI should be a self- governing province of Ireland, not of the UK. I think it's foolish to believe that the Six Counties will be totally re-united with Ireland within the next 10 years. It requires baby steps first.
Sinn Fein in the Republic have some good ideas otherwise - they are worthy of consideration.

I just feel that I cannot trust Bertie and gang, and Fine Gael are very inconsistent - I cannot believe that their policies are any better than Fianna Fails. As for the PD's - well, its rapidly becoming a case of "Who??"

oscarBravo

Bonzodog wrote:

Sinn Fein in the Republic have some good ideas otherwise - they are worthy of consideration.

Such as?

Time Magazine

Poblachtach wrote:

Do people think that Corporation tax will be implemented straight away if/when Sinn Fein get into power?
Sinn Fein are'nt out to destroy the country.
They are there to benefit everyone.

It doesn't matter if they bring it in on day 1 or day 365. They'd still bring it in.

Also, what they think is to the benefit of everyone and what I think is to the benefit of everyone are different things.

Stephen wrote:

What's the deal with the poll? It appears to be broken.

No polls on Politics. The problem is that people vote early and vote often. I don't agree with it but hey, what are ya gonna do.

RandolphEsq

This is the first time I can vote so Im looking forward to using it.

I recently joined the Green Party, but nearly as soon as I had joined, I left. They seem good in that they will help keep the country 'green' but their policies are too OTT environmental hippie-like.

As for Sinn Fein, never in a million years would I vote for such a criminal, bigoted party.Regarding the Labour Party, I can't support someone as left wing as Pat Rabbitte. I don't know much about Independants so I probably won't vote for them.

Whilst I'm not a fan of FF,FG or the PDs, I will end up voting for one of them. Probably the PDs since they are a realistic party and have somehwat appealing economic policies, the only problem is their lack of emphasis on other policies, eg abortion, relationship with the church etc.

marco murphy

bigoted party

What is bigoted about Sinn Fein?

Múinteoir

Bonzodog wrote:

The Greens - Well, I am worried about extreme policy making that would be economically damaging to the country, forcing large foreign investment to leave by placing heavy Tax burdens on them etc.

The Greens have committed to not raising Corporate or PAYE tax.

Green Party Finance spokesperson Dan Boyle TD added: "During his radio interview the Tánaiste stated on three occasions that the Green Party favours an increase in the rate of Corporation Tax. It seems that the Tánaiste is now resorting to misinformation to restore his and his party's sagging reputation. Minister McDowell should be aware that the Green Party at the its National Convention last year approved the 'Taxing Smarter' policy document, which I wrote, and which clearly states that at the forthcoming General Election the party will be campaigning on a platform of NOT changing the rate of Corporation Tax or the rates of PAYE taxation."

Villain

BrightEyes wrote:

As for Sinn Fein, never in a million years would I vote for such a criminal, bigoted party.

Care to back that claim up?

brianthebard

BrightEyes wrote:

As for Sinn Fein, never in a million years would I vote for such a criminal, bigoted party.Regarding the Labour Party, I can't support someone as left wing as Pat Rabbitte. I don't know much about Independants so I probably won't vote for them.

The funny thing is for me labour isn't left wing enough, they are barely left-centre, but there are no socialist party representatives in Sligo afaik.

Poblachtach

Poblachtach wrote:

What is bigoted about Sinn Fein?

I think some people might have a difficulty when they refuse to condemn brutal crime, say like the McCartney murder, wait to see how strong public opinion is, and only then when public disgust is clear let it be known that their fellow travellers could sort the problem out without any need to trouble the police and the courts.

RandolphEsq

irish1 wrote:

Care to back that claim up?

A couple weeks ago when Gerry Adams was asked would he have stood up for the British National Anthem at Croke Park he never answered the question, he kept deflecting the interviewer and avoiding an answer. There is a woman running for SF,I cant remember her name but their was a picture of her in the paper the other day in a caravan, who was part of the IRA and killed some people.They are too immature to be in power.
Also, a tiny issue that is almost irrelevant is that they want to rename the Merrion Road to Bobby Sands Road. That just makes me laugh

RandolphEsq

brianthebard wrote:

The funny thing is for me labour isn't left wing enough, they are barely left-centre, but there are no socialist party representatives in Sligo afaik.

Im realising I must be more right-wing than I thought but Im trying to look at both sides

brianthebard

BrightEyes wrote:

Im realising I must be more right-wing than I thought but Im trying to look at both sides

That wasn't a slur on your views btw, but I definitely don't think of Labour as a really left wing party any more. Its to be expected that the bigger parties should have moved towards the centre over time.

Villain

BrightEyes wrote:

A couple weeks ago when Gerry Adams was asked would he have stood up for the British National Anthem at Croke Park he never answered the question, he kept deflecting the interviewer and avoiding an answer. There is a woman running for SF,I cant remember her name but their was a picture of her in the paper the other day in a caravan, who was part of the IRA and killed some people.They are too immature to be in power.
Also, a tiny issue that is almost irrelevant is that they want to rename the Merrion Road to Bobby Sands Road. That just makes me laugh

And that makes Sinn Fein a "criminal, bigoted party"???

Sorry don't see it, I'm not saying that there aren't people assocaited with the party who are criminal's or bigots but branding the party a "criminal, bigoted party" is not correct imo.

It was interesting listening to the Green Party leader on the Last Word Monday when he was asked if he would talk to Sinn Fein after the next election he said he wouldn't rule it out he said "We can't expect people to talk to them up North and not talk to them ourseleves down here"

Sinn Fein are a party who some people will never stop hating because of their association with the IRA however things have changed and a lot of that change is down to Sinn Fein and republicans who wanted to stop the armed fight and use politics to get equal rights for Nationalists and try and secure a United Ireland (Something FF want too remember).

Irish history shows other parties in the past have come from simalar backgrounds, Michael Collins were a murderer however he is seen as a hero by many today and I am quitely confident that when the history books are written in another 90 years people will see Gerry Adam's and Martin McGuinness as two men who helped take the gun out of Irish Politics and bring about real change to the North where war became Peace.

I know many will laugh at that but no matter how much you dislike Adams and co the alternative to them getting the IRA to disarm is not thinkable. Now I also want to add that I am not a member of Sinn Fein I actually didn't even vote for them in the last General election I don't support many of their policies but I find that the majority of posters here slate Sinn Fein and brand their supporters as ignornant, under educated or criminal. Thats simply not true, I worked and lived in Waterford for a year and I remember an election being held at the time and every window in the city had a poster looking for Cancer care for the area something Sinn Fein supported strongly. I also remember asking a local who they would be voting for and they said Sinn Fein and I was surprised and the local simply replied "well the I asked 4 councillors to sort problems with rubbish in my estate and the footpaths and they all said they would do something but the only one who did anything was Sinn Fein" and that was a simalar story around the city. So while I don't support Sinn Fein in any great manner I do respect Gerry Adams and what he has done for the North, I was in Belfast last week and I thought back to how it was 10 years ago and the difference is huge, respect where it is due.

Rant Over:D

Liam Byrne

There are bigots and criminals everywhere. Charlie and Bertie stood by countless politicans taking backhanders (themselves included!) and refusal to condemn is standard practice for politicians....it makes them look stupid and two-faced when they're caught out themselves.

The problem SF have is that the things that they refuse to condemn are things that any human being should condemn. We may dislike Bertie & Co for taking cash and saying nothing, but we'd probably do it ourselves given the chance; politicians have more power and should be more responsible as a result, but the baseline is a variable. Murder, however, is a different story, and any normal human being would condemn it - Adams & Co refuse to do this, and while that means they keep the respect of some of their followers, it also means that they lose the opportunity to gain some credibility and respect of neutrals.

As for Adams being bigoted about the English anthem and refusing to answer the question.....the day of the match showed how out-of-touch that stance was with the vast majority of the people.

But he is a politician - and it's possible that he just refused to answer a question that would, while adding to his respect for some people, would alienate the neanderthals. So his own personal view probably won't ever be clarified.

And that's the problem with politics in this country - it's all soundbites and jump-on-bandwagon stuff; no clarification as to where people really stand (think once again of Bertie's stance on Jerry McCabe's murderers - unequivocal agreement with public opinion very nearly got dumped when it suited him) until there's a benefit to selling us out.

In fact, the only thing that I've seen Bertie & Co stand firm on is something I disagree totally with him on - the abuse of Shannon by the U.S.

Anything else is as variable as the position of the tide.

And that's why I think this poll is flawed, since it lists parties instead of people who you might actually respect and vote for. Show me a politician who will represent enough of my key views and I'll vote for them, no matter what party they're from.

Having said that, the FF & PD philosophy of farming out and privatising all social services and responsibilities is becoming VERY off-putting.

I'd love to see a poll/thread on "key issues for the election".

oscarBravo

Feel free to start a thread, but there ain't gonna be a poll.

brianthebard

I love that SF supporters are the only ones who have to argue with people about their preferences. No one has attacked another poster for saying they will or won't vote for a particular party, except when it comes to SF.

miju

thats because people wont think progressively in this country brianthebard

INOSTRIKER

Deleted User wrote:

Im voting Fine Gael as I think Fianna Fail have really stagnated over the last couple of years and a fresh approach is needed!:)

I don't think Enda Kenny has a hope in hell! Fine Gael and Labour wont have enough seats to form the next Government. Vote for the Greens and god only knows how much petrol and road Tax will climb Enda Kenny in particular has no voter appeal. I work as a nurse and so far members of his own party are divided on whether nurses should get the 35 hour week, Two years ago he promised that violence in Accident and Emergency Departments would no longer be tolerated - his party if in power would impose severe penalties. Since then he has jumped into bed with Labour and he has changed his spots. A thug like Joe Costelloe (Labours Justice Spokesman until he was fired )who condones Republican Scum rioting on the streets of Dublin last year during the Love Ulster march. Imagine linking up with him! This is only one issue of many.They were in power briefly in 1994 and made no impact they did absolutely nothing when they were in Office. Fine Gael are a party gone for their tea. I will be voting for my local independent T.D

The_Minister

BrightEyes wrote:

eg abortion

Only Labour is pro-abortion. The PDs have a policy that its a personal choice, and they will never tell a TD or Sentor how to vote on the matter. AFAIK all the others just don't mention it.

ballooba

INOSTRIKER wrote:

Vote for the Greens and god only knows how much petrol and road Tax will climb

That is ridiculous scaremongering, the Greens are not going to do anything like this without offering a viable alternative. Your sentiment comes from the same school that claimed last week that the Greens would cancel 100 road projects if they got into government. The Greens will do no such thing. At worst they will opt for High Quality Dual Carriageways in place of Motorways. Public transport in this country has suffered from years of neglect and this cannot be turned around over night. The Greens will focus on public transport and rightly so. Having people driving around alone in huge cars, not to mention SUVs, is ridiculous.

They are likely to want the M3 to get the boot, but that won't happen unless it's feasible. There will be three parties in a rainbow government of which Greens will have considerable influence but will be the least powerful of the three.

People should be happy to leave their cars at home or at least close to home. That is if they have a decent alternative. The Greens would like to see a decent rail line to Navan rather than a Motorway. I know myself that this road is badly needed and has been for a number of years. This is however down to neglect from the FF/PD government. The people of Navan and Meath have been campaigning for years to get a rail line. It's ridiculous that they are promised one over and over again with no delivery.

INOSTRIKER wrote:

Enda Kenny in particular has no voter appeal.

You have failed to convince me why the man who has completely revitalised the Fine Gael party has no appeal. You mention an obscure Labour candidate but nothing really that damning about Kenny himself.