Election Confirmed for May 24th (opinions on the choice of thursday here aswell)

irishash

murphaph wrote:

Personally I think our rates of personal taxation are just about right. I'd be opposed to any further tax cuts on primary income.

totally agree with you on the tax issue - sweden is the highest taxed nation in the EU - but damnit they are fine with it, because they have a world class health system, good roads, good public transportation. It is the waste we have is this country that angers me - 100million on a payroll system for health board workers that DOES NOT WORK. 50 million over budget on the boyne cable bridge and NO ONE IS HELD RESPONSABLE.

VAT though, i feel, should be scrapped. NO need for it. certain items are more expensive to buy in ireland because of it - ie : playstation 3 (30 quid more here that anywhere else in europe), HDTV's (up to 200 quid dearer than in other countrys)

Judt

But yes, my two-hour thing was a bit off. If it was late as 8.30, I'd wonder how she was to catch a flight at 9 am.

She's the president. Security see's her coming and just assumes she's not likely to be hijacking the plane. We'll see in the next few hours if that's true or not.

As for the Thursday voting, it is a bit scabby alright, but then that's Irish politics - every party tries every dirty trick in the book. We've kept the mentality going through the generations from our founding political fathers, who were let's not forget bandits and freedom fighters (aka terrorists, depending on whose side you were on at the time) and so the idea of clean electioneering has never really taken root.

You could say we're fundamentally democratic, but so was the USA in 2000. Essentially we pull the same tricks in Ireland.

SeanW

A Thursday vote seems to have been chosen to disenfranchise as many students and commuters (not friends of FF) as possible.

One more reason to get the bums out.

Colonel Sanders

SeanW wrote:

A Thursday vote seems to have been chosen to disenfranchise as many students and commuters (not friends of FF) as possible.

One more reason to get the bums out.

agreed and whats more some of the staunchest FF supporters I know agree 100% also. The people who are being excluded from voting by having polling on a thursday are the people least likely to vote FF.

Marcais

Walking to the ballot box that is.

A sneaky dash to the Aras this morning to get Mary McAleese's autograph before she goes walkies abroad and the election is called for 24th May, no great surprise on the date, and Bertie's panic obviously spurned by worsening polls.

No excuse for anyone who has been moaning about this that and the other not to get out and vote.

Quite appalling that the only chance you have to make a real difference is limited to a 14 hour period on a Thursday :mad:

A no-vote is just the same as a vote for the incumbent in my opinion and that is the way they see it. The silent vote is just that.

SeanW

I wonder if the FF cheerleaders on this board thing that this "strategic" use of a Thursday polling day is acceptable?

Our man in Havana

It don't matter what day they have it. People will get out and vote regardless.

Anyways it's good that the phoney war is over.

mike65

I can see the mods are going to have to be on thier game, reading over this thread.

Thursday has usually been polling day in this country, students may groan but its nothing new. It would be preferable to hold elections on Sunday and Monday but hey its a Thursday.

Mike.

irishash

mike65 wrote:

Thursday has usually been polling day in this country, students may groan but its nothing new. It would be preferable to hold elections on Sunday and Monday but hey its a Thursday.

Mike.

not the point at all - the reason why the polling day was historically on a thursday was because most livestock marts were held on a friday or saturday (remember we used to be a agri heavy country and farmers and the church ruled the land). and also it is cheaper to run the election on this day as most counts will be completed on the friday, thus avoiding to pay weekend rates to the people who are employed to run the election - triple time on sundays !!!

last general election was held on a friday and was welcomed by all. the only person who did not want the election on friday was bertie. this time he is going against the will of the people (for all the reasons listed above by all other posts). there was a poor turnout last election, mostly due to the fact that a huge storm hit the country on that day, but bertie prefers to think that the voters did not like the day it was held on, not voter apathy....

just because something has been done on the same day over and over again does not mean the day should not be changed.

MightyMunster

I'll be asking for the 24th and 25th off tomorrow. Should be on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday by law. It's a disgrace to try and deny people their right to vote by having it on a Thursday. Hopefully it will backfire

ateam

No matter what day the election was on, people will be moaning. The fact is that the majority of students probably wouldn't even bother to vote anyway. GET OVER IT.

happydance

hi, just wondering, do we know what the actual polling hours are? thanks

Villain

I believe polling must continue for a period of not less than 12 hours between 8.30 a.m. and 10.30 p.m. but I'm not certain.

irishash

ateam wrote:

No matter what day the election was on, people will be moaning. The fact is that the majority of students probably wouldn't even bother to vote anyway. GET OVER IT.

that is a stereotype. most students do vote - they have a greater understanding of the political system that most working people dont. bertie knows this, the people that advise him know this. they also now that most young people will vote for change. that is the main reason that the election will be held on a thursday. they are denying the chance to vote for most students except the most dedicated.

as for the times of polling day - should be from 6-7am to around 10-11pm - if they are people queuing after this time the station must stay open til all queues are gone.

ateam

irishash wrote:

that is a stereotype. most students do vote - they have a greater understanding of the political system that most working people dont. bertie knows this, the people that advise him know this. they also now that most young people will vote for change. that is the main reason that the election will be held on a thursday. they are denying the chance to vote for most students except the most dedicated.

as for the times of polling day - should be from 6-7am to around 10-11pm - if they are people queuing after this time the station must stay open til all queues are gone.

Repeat: GET OVER IT. Bertie is Taoiseach and has the right to call the election whenever he wants.

Time Magazine

ateam wrote:

Repeat: GET OVER IT. Bertie is Taoiseach and has the right to call the election whenever he wants.

Such quality of debate I haven't seen since... well the last thread on AH I think.

Simply because he has the right to call the election whenever he wants doesn't make it just that he calls it mid-week during NUI and Trinity exams. If you have a problem with that, get over it and agree with us.

irishash

ateam wrote:

Repeat: GET OVER IT. Bertie is Taoiseach and has the right to call the election whenever he wants.

way past OVER IT - The point however needs to be made that bertie, the man who is the elected leader of this country, the man who is there to serve the people and to serve the best interests of this country, is not doing his job correctly. he has not done his job correctly for quite a while.

the thursday date is completely wrong - but the country will still vote, make it one of the highest turnouts ever and the country will see a change. will the change be good ?? who knows !!! but the people running the country now are doing a very bad job of it and I, for one, think it is time to give somebody else a chance to do it.

ateam

The notion that students vote for change is also a stereotype. I'm merely saying that talk about the day in which the election falls is unproductive. He's called it for a Thursday, there's no point dwelling on it. Students that can't vote this time, make it your business to vote in 5 years time.

ateam behave! This is a discussion board.

On a general note...

I'm going to have little or no tolerance for muppetry on the general election board by the way.
Bannings and deletions of posts will ensue for muppetry.

Consider that a serious warning people as this board is very busy and is at least by me anyway going to get some fierce simple modding in the next weeks-bannings and deletions are a 2 click exercise- so don't let me have to use them.

irishash

ateam wrote:

The notion that students vote for change is also a stereotype. I'm merely saying that talk about the day in which the election falls is unproductive. He's called it for a Thursday, there's no point dwelling on it. Students that can't vote this time, make it your business to vote in 5 years time.

not saying they always vote for change - i am saying that they do vote and are generally more up to speed with current politics than most ordinary people. they will vote this time and next. the one thing you have not said is whether or not you think thursday is a good polling day ?

Villain

Tristrame wrote:

On a general note...

I'm going to have little or no tolerance for muppetry on the general election board by the way.
Bannings and deletions of posts will ensue for muppetry.

Consider that a serious warning people as this board is very busy and is at least by me anyway going to get some fierce simple modding in the next weeks-bannings and deletions are a 2 click exercise- so don't let me have to use them.

Sounds fair its going to get very busy here, perhaps an update to the sticky is required to warn all posters. Is there any plan for the counting and results updates, i.e. a thread for each province or each party etc? Also are any threads with polls going to be allowed in the run up?

No boards.ie polls

Threads on outside opinion polls can get their own threads as normal.

I reckon the results can have a thread of their own or a few threads as the need arises subject to how the mods see the ship here running.

Clutter especially at that stage would be a bad thing.

Now back on topic.

ateam

irishash wrote:

not saying they always vote for change - i am saying that they do vote and are generally more up to speed with current politics than most ordinary people. they will vote this time and next. the one thing you have not said is whether or not you think thursday is a good polling day ?

I think "ordinary people" will find that insulting and totally baseless.

cast_iron

ateam wrote:

I think "ordinary people" will find that insulting and totally baseless.

Perhaps, but that doesn't change the fact. It would only be insulting to those who don't know why students are thought yo be more savvy voters.

irishash

ateam wrote:

I think "ordinary people" will find that insulting and totally baseless.

it was not meant to be insulting - you are twisting my words - should i have said working people ?? maybe professionals ?? any thing i would have said to make the difference between students and other people you would have jumped on and attcked me for it like you did there. that is why i used the term "generally".

if you disagree with the statement that "students generally know more about current politics" just say so. dont drag down the debate to a low level.

ateam

irishash wrote:

it was not meant to be insulting - you are twisting my words - should i have said working people ?? maybe professionals ?? any thing i would have said to make the difference between students and other people you would have jumped on and attcked me for it like you did there. that is why i used the term "generally".

if you disagree with the statement that "students generally know more about current politics" just say so. dont drag down the debate to a low level.

I think you brought it down to a low level by insulting a section of the population you know nothing about. Every voter over 18 stands on an equal footing in the election. I was a student until last year btw and not all students llived away from home and I suspect many students haven't even registered. Anyway this is a dead issue.

mikedragon32

Moved to General Election forum

Raskolnikov

An awful lot of boo-hooing over nothing.

A lot of the people above who are claiming to be disenfranchised (students, the sick/infirmed, workers living away from home/etc) are simply ignorant of their voting entitlements. Click here and you'll see that there is provision for you to use postal voting.

irishash

ateam wrote:

I think you brought it down to a low level by insulting a section of the population you know nothing about. Every voter over 18 stands on an equal footing in the election. I was a student until last year btw and not all students llived away from home and I suspect many students haven't even registered. Anyway this is a dead issue.

i have not insulted anyone. i have stated a fact - a statistical fact. another fact is that most students in college study and live away from home.

I am giving an answer to everything you say to me. you have not done the same. if you were a student in college, you were not in the debate team. at least back up what you are saying with some kind of recognised fact, not rumour or stereotype.

irishash

Raskolnikov wrote:

An awful lot of boo-hooing over nothing.

A lot of the people above who are claiming to be disenfranchised (students, the sick/infirmed, workers living away from home/etc) are simply ignorant of their voting entitlements. Click here and you'll see that there is provision for you to use postal voting.

You will normally be required to vote in person at an official voting centre but you may be eligible for a postal vote if you are a member of the Defence Forces, a member of the Garda Síochána or an Irish diplomat posted abroad or his/her spouse. You may also be eligible for a postal vote if you cannot go to a polling station because:

1. of a physical illness or disability
2. you are studying full time at an educational institution away from your home address where you are registered
3. you are unable to vote at your polling station because of your occupation
4. you are unable to vote at your polling station because you are in prison as a result of an order of a court.

Applications for inclusion on the Postal Voters List must be received by 25 November at the latest.

the last line says it all - you have to know if anyone of the above applies to you 6 months before the election.

they are the rights to the postal vote.