Is there any chance for Fine Gael?

Filan

Being realistic is there? The entire mass media I've interacted with think F.G's goose is cooked.and that they shouldn't even bother campaigning for the last few days, should they?

It's not over 'til some fat lady singeth.

A silly comment to make.

gandalf

Of course they should its all to play for. The media hype that the election is over and Bertie is a shoe in will probably help FG by getting everyone to get out and vote who want a chance in government.

The White Rose

I don't think they have a snowballs

AidoCQS

Maybe you should stop reading the independant so, maybe try reading the headline on the front of the Irish Examiner today which questioned why Cowen and O'Reilly (Indo's owner) were in meetings before the election was even called???

Don't let the media tell you how to vote

athtrasna

It's all still to play for - but vote for change!!

upmeath

AidoCQS wrote:

Maybe you should stop reading the independant so, maybe try reading the headline on the front of the Irish Examiner today which questioned why Cowen and O'Reilly (Indo's owner) were in meetings before the election was even called???

Don't let the media tell you how to vote

Never was a truer word spoken. People in this country who read the Independent are morons who are fooled into thinking it's an unbiased paper purely because it's published in broadsheet and seems like easier reading than the Times, without the tack of the tabloids.
In less than 10 years it's gone from being pro-FG to being completely pro-FF, it's a form of propaganda as far as I'm concerned, all thanks to a change of ownership.
Of course I'm not saying that the Times is without it's bias, but it's certainly not as one-sided as the Independent.

daveirl

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cm2000

daveirl wrote:

This post has been deleted.

not ff/green? dont think its impossible

The White Rose

Never was a truer word spoken. People in this country who read the Independent are morons who are fooled into thinking it's an unbiased paper purely because it's published in broadsheet and seems like easier reading than the Times, without the tack of the tabloids.
In less than 10 years it's gone from being pro-FG to being completely pro-FF, it's a form of propaganda as far as I'm concerned, all thanks to a change of ownership.
Of course I'm not saying that the Times is without it's bias, but it's certainly not as one-sided as the Independent.

The Times is just more subtle in their biases.

Why am i a moron for reading the Indo? Do you really think that because they are more pro Fianna Fail i am somehow hypnotised and cannot make up my own mind

The attitude on a lot of these threads is that if you dont vote FG/Lab there is something wrong with you

Personally I have given a hell of a lot of thought to where my vote will go and after 4 weeks of the campaign I have decided FF

Next time I might go Fine Gael but please dont insult FF voters by calling them idiots, morons, selfish etc

DMC

At least the media campaign ends tonight, once the papers hit the presses and the broadcast media say "Election? What Election??" Canvassing can continue.

And just to finish on this word. Every vote that goes into the ballot box is a rational vote. Someone goes into a polling station with an idea of who they give their 1, 2 etc to, they mark it on a piece of paper and put it in the box.

People choose parties and who they to get want elected, and in the end, if you don't like the result, its just that enough people on the day didn't agree with you.

irish_bob

while i read and like the sunday indo , its blatant support for fianna fail in this election has been distastefull

let me say something else though , i dont believe the sunday indo is pro fianna fail , to me it has been pro goverment this past 10 yrs due mainly for the fact that the pd,s were in goverment , the sunday indos idealogy is closest to that of the pd,s , its idealogy is libertarian
another reason i think the indo is not pro fianna fail is the sunday indo is fiercely anti republican and surely fianna fail is still somewhat republican
i am not suggesting that the sindos anti republicanism is a reason why thier pro pd , no , but its a reason why they could not be completely pro ff

the sindo is also fiercely pro usa , pro israel and pro brittish especially northern protestants , theese views are not really identical with any irish political party and are a political view all of thier own belonging to the sindo


perhaps the realise the pd,s are out for the count at this election and feel thier is only one goverment party they can fully support

irish_bob

while i read and like the sunday indo , its blatant support for fianna fail in this election has been distastefull

let me say something else though , i dont believe the sunday indo is pro fianna fail , to me it has been pro goverment this past 10 yrs due mainly for the fact that the pd,s were in goverment , the sunday indos idealogy is closest to that of the pd,s , its idealogy is libertarian, while its economic view is compatibale with fianna fail , it is socialy liberal ,the sindo has no love for the catholic church or catholic values like fianna fail so dearly does

another reason i think the indo is not pro fianna fail is the sunday indo is fiercely anti republican and surely fianna fail is still somewhat republican
i am not suggesting that the sindos anti republicanism is a reason why thier pro pd , no , but its a reason why they could not be completely pro ff

the sindo is also fiercely pro usa , pro israel and pro brittish especially northern protestants , theese views are not really identical with any irish political party and are a political view all of thier own belonging to the sindo


perhaps the realise the pd,s are out for the count at this election and feel thier is only one goverment party they can fully support

DeepBlue

Filan wrote:

Being realistic is there? The entire mass media I've interacted with think F.G's goose is cooked.and that they shouldn't even bother campaigning for the last few days, should they?

I think the last MRBI poll had FF/PDs at 43% and FG/Lab/Greens at 43%.
Doesn't that mean that FF and FG have an equal chance of being in the next Government?

[Jackass]

lol

Tony O'Reilly >>> Mobile phone service providers >>> loses contract to Eircell despite claiming a far superior service provider >>> Costs him potentially billions >>>Wages war with FG Bruton Government >>>> Media mogul >>> Largest national newspaper (Independent) >>> FF in power ever since.

Well, that's one way of looking at it...

I don't know how this election is going to go, i think, in order of probability:

1. FF/Labour
2. FG/Labour/Green
3. FF/PD
4. FF/Green
5. FF/ SF
.
.
.
.
100. FG/FF

If it's a dead heat, FF have a mucher stronger hand, if there around the 39

40%+ mark they only need one of Labour or SF.

mostly likely result in this situation is rabbite being under so much pressure he's forced to step down and Labour go in with them.

My preference is FG/Labour/Green. I think it's absolutly possible, make no mistake, whoever wins this election will be in by the skin of their teeth, too close to call, but would like too see a new government, which means minus FF.

I believe FG/Labour/Green will be less waistful, will provide better services, particularly transport, health and security which couldn't be much worse, I don't want to see privatisation (which despite all the talk from FF is the direction they're heading with health..if you throw away billions over 10 years and it's worse than when you got it, you HAVE to get someone in who knows what they're doing).

We'll see anyway. As long as SF don't get in we have avoided the worst case scenario.

stepbar

The White Rose wrote:

I don't think they have a snowballs

Would you care to elaborate on that?

segadreamcast

Personally I think the most likely coalition at this stage is FF/Green, which is a pretty decent concept in my mind.

Nevertheless, I do think FG absolutely 100% still have a fighting chance, and I'm a bit bewildered/bothered by the media today; the polls still say that FG will significantly gain in terms of seats - and they were taken on the back of a very strong week for Bertie Ahern. Ultimately, it's up to FG to point out FF's many areas of failure IN ADDITION TO HEALTH****

****Everybody knows they failed on this one. Now let's have some reminders of the Port Tunnel fiasco, the e-voting mess, the chronically underfunded education system, why our National Resources were sold way way undervalued, why they're about to spend a stupid amount of money buying a prison site, why the Luas wasn't connected in the first place.

The present Government lacks vision, but the present opposition lacks the ability to capitalise on it.

joecoote

I'd like to think the race is still on. I'm do not like FG. I don't mind Labour or the Green Party. I could live with this coalition in government. I think we need a change. The present government is just too detached from the electorate. They are not courting the electorate for power. They expect it. (I need to be wooed once and while:) ).

Yet, the turn of events since Sunday makes the FG/Lab/GP coalition unlikely. However, because of media events, I am going to vote for the coalition. (Perverse?)

Btw Bertie's presidential slant to the campaign has worked. Far too many people are comparing him and Kenny rather then comparing policies. His latest stunt claiming that he would step aside for the good of the country and the party will probably secure the election for him. What a Statesman!
For five years I've largely ignored him. Now I loathe him.

tywy

Shoot me down if I'm wrong here, but wasn't the FF/Labour coalition only announced by the indo?

Pat Rabbite has been saying for weeks there's no way there's going to be an FF/Labour coalition.

After what happened in the early 90s I find it hard to believe that Labour will go back into coalition with FF.

Listening to the radio this evening, it seems that Labour might lose some of the pro change votes because of this announcment however true or untrue.

Correct me if I'm wrong on any of this, this is the first general election I've been eligible to vote for so I don't know a huge about but am trying to inform myself before Thursday. w00t!

311

Fine gael will probably spend the next five years finger pointing ,if they were to get into government.
I really don't get the whole enda kenny thing ,it's laughable.

Down with that sort of thing.

DeepBlue

tywy wrote:

Shoot me down if I'm wrong here, but wasn't the FF/Labour coalition only announced by the indo?

Is this the story by the Indo that you mean? - http://www.independent.ie/national-news/rabbitte-hints-hell-back-ff-to-thwart-sf-680721.html

The banner headline seems to read more into the story than is contained in the body of the story though.

The Indo wrote:

He refused to rule out doing business with Fianna Fail if it was the only way to stop Sinn Fein from having influence on a minority Fianna Fail government.

"I don't think that is a good idea that we should have a Fianna Fail government reliant on support for Sinn Fein from outside. I don't want to see that either," he said.

"But I would say to the Irish people that they have a decision to make on Thursday and if they want to avoid that situation the way to avoid it is to elect more Labour Party TDs."

Rabbitte's quote about not wanting to see a FF government reliant on SF would as easily have been said by any of the party leaders. In other words they would all reply the same way if asked the question (besides Gerry Adams of course ).

Tbh I think it's a bit of a selective interpretation put on his comments by the Indo.

HAZEMAN

I reckon it will be ff/green coalition

Arthur Daley

You are sleepwalking into a Fianna Fail/Sinn fein coaliton and good luck to you. You will need it. That's what the PD's/FG/floating voters/labour draw from the last week.