FF overall majority: its time to get out of this country

empirix

25 years of Communism is the answer boys, just back from Prague, beautiful city, cheap, decent transport system, fairly decent healthcare system, affordable housing.

Sure who needs to leave the country, we have tv

DeepBlue

It would be nothing short of remarkable if FF get an overall majority and the PD's are wiped out in the one election. Bertie would have to be canonised as the patron saint of FF if that were to happen.
McDowell and Harney would then have plenty of time to reflect ruefully on Charlie's famous comment about him being "the most clever, the most cunning, the most devious of them all" .

Time Magazine

Giblet wrote:

Do you think I'm that much of an idiot? Really?

Do you think I'm an idealistic idiot at the best of times?

It depends on your answer to that tbh.

Smarmore

seamus wrote:

We'll see a big change over the next 10-15 years as the die hards die out.

FF and FG have for the last 80 years relied massively on the "My father died..." and "Our family has always voted..." and "De Valera was a saint...." type voting to secure their majorities. As today's 18-40 age bracket turn 30-60, there'll be a sea change.

My brother's girlfriend voted for an FF candidate because the candidate's a family friend. She specifically disagrees with a number of the candidate's positions on things, but was compelled to vote for them because of the family connection :rolleyes:

Wishful thinking!! I'm 26 and I will always vote Fianna Fail provided they keep progress going strong in this country. A lot of older people vote FF because they're a lot wiser. As the 18-40 age bracket turn 30-60 you will see them change from the likes of the Greens to FF. The reason being is because young people are too idealogical and don't realise what it takes to run a country. It's a dirty job and FF are the best at it. Do you not think it's strange that old people who are most at risk of getting ill are voting FF and you have students waffling on about a crisis in the health sector even though they have probably had no first-hand experience of it!!

Giblet

Ibid wrote:

Do you think I'm an idealistic idiot at the best of times?

It depends on your answer to that tbh.

Here's a hint. I'm also a student. So unless I think I myself are an idiot, wait I'll let you hang on that, because this is fun.

Villain

I think the PD's are taking the blaim for Health and Justice problems so FF have another 5 years to sort out the issues, this is last chance salone for them now if FF can't make real progress on the main issues they will get punished

BMH

It'd be nice to have a change, but FG/FF's policies and promises are near identical at the moment. I'd still have liked FG/Labour for the West connection and to stop FF from getting lazy though =/

radioman

Realistically the people were voting for the lesser of two evils. A FG-Labour led government which showed not much potential in opposition the past few years, or a FF led government who have presided over a blossoming economy yet can't get anything right when it comes to healthcare or transport. It seems at the moment that FF are the clear winners here, while the PDs have fallen foul of both being too close to FF for people to see a difference in voting for them, and also the McDowell effect, arrogant and pompous as he comes across.

It looks to me to be FF-somebody coalition at the moment. Who the somebody will be, PD, Green or Independents remains to be seen.

Time Magazine

Well if you're going to lump yourself in with idiots at the best of times, I best not complain about the semantics of your statement "I can see the benefits of living how I am at present."

Giblet

You really are acting the fool now, why do I get the feeling you literally think I meant "Hurr If I like where I am now, and Fianna Fail is in government, then I must vote Fianna Fail" Hence me saying "Do you think I'm that much of an idiot"

radioman

By the way, with regards to students being disadvantaged and not being able to vote on Thursdays etc... forgive me if I'm being ignorant but can students not register to vote in the area they are living/studying?

A Random Walk

There's a solid 40% block in this country who love the little scraps they get thrown from their masters table and ignore the big issues. Sure Charlie was a crook, but didn't he bring in free travel (as if he paid for it himself). So what if we wasted 50 million on e-voting and a couple of billion on the roads, Martin Cullen got the lamppost outside my house fixed.

Seeing us bulldoze our national monuments to build roads, seeing us force our children to commute 150 miles a day and seeing us leave our old people die on plastic chairs makes me grieve for this country. But not for the people who live in it.

The Muppet

We've never had it so good.

Pal

JonnyXXX wrote:

latest predictions are a FF overall majority. Thats it folks, the irish have a serious problem if they are voting this shower back in. What are we like?!!

Cheerio.

Zebra3

seamus wrote:

My brother's girlfriend voted for an FF candidate because the candidate's a family friend. She specifically disagrees with a number of the candidate's positions on things, but was compelled to vote for them because of the family connection :rolleyes:

But only she knows who she voted for.

If FF get a an overall majority, I'll get physically sick.

People voting for corruption, waste, and supporters of war crimes. :mad:

The Bollox

brim4brim wrote:

Yeah it has nothing to do with Bertie calling the election on a Thurs, preventing many people from voting (especially students) so the only people turning out in numbers are the people who have got rich from the "celtic tiger" or property bubble if you will who are happy to have Bertie licking developers holes.

most colleges are finished up by now, there maybe one or two left doing exams but that still leaves the rest of us "idealistic" voters open to vote

Giblet

The Bollox wrote:

most colleges are finished up by now, there maybe one or two left doing exams but that still leaves the rest of us "idealistic" voters open to vote

"idealistic idiots" I believe it was

Ok, I won't troll, sorry

Dyr

man If that shower get an overall majority im going to spend the next month down in A&E punching the lungs out of anny ould c***t on a trolley who admits to voting for luvely bertie

The mans a genius though he might have returned a FF majority purely on the "ahh poor bertie, leave him alone, he's alright" ticket.

Giblet

Why do people in opposition to FF like to do the "Ah here's the reason it must be x & y people living in their little houses etc etc" thing as the only POSSIBLE reason FF would get a vote.

Heinrich

The Muppet wrote:

We've never had it so good.

Is that what those happy people are saying, stuck on the National Traffic Jam aka the M50?

The happy patients on trolleys who are so glad they are not actually on plactic chairs?

The smiling victims of MRSA who have to pay for the treatment for the illness they contracted in the filthy hospitals which are only cleaned up for impending Harney visits?

Happy, contented parents with children in overcrowded schools.

Yes indeed, thank God, we never had it so good. You keep the money, I prefer my health.

Giblet

And Enda "Magic Bullet" Kenny will ride up on his silver horse and solve those issues with haste. Don't make me laugh.

Villain

Well we don't know Giblet because they haven't he hasn't had 10 years to try and fix the issues. I hope to god you never have to experience MRSA and the state of our hospitals like I have to see the failings of this government.

nesf

seamus wrote:

We'll see a big change over the next 10-15 years as the die hards die out.

FF and FG have for the last 80 years relied massively on the "My father died..." and "Our family has always voted..." and "De Valera was a saint...." type voting to secure their majorities. As today's 18-40 age bracket turn 30-60, there'll be a sea change.

My brother's girlfriend voted for an FF candidate because the candidate's a family friend. She specifically disagrees with a number of the candidate's positions on things, but was compelled to vote for them because of the family connection :rolleyes:

I think you’re forgetting how people’s priorities and outlooks change as they grow older. The family voting is something that I think people put too much emphasis on. A lot of people vote the way their parents do simply because they share a background with them and their political outlook was shaped by their youth. Your family will (for most people) have a large influence on you, not just in politics. The biggest overall change I think will come from the “shift to the middle class” that’s been talked about a lot. Parties will change and shift both to a more urban and more middle class base (I think).

The present election is tending towards the maxim of a tight election will push out the smaller parties in favour of the bigger ones. We’ve not had the promised upswing in either the Greens or Sinn Fein and the PDs look to be suffering badly. We could see a FF majority this time around but I think a lot more parties have gotten a foothold (if a small one) in the electorate and we could see, over the next 10 to 15 years, further fragmentation of the vote if they can build on this but I don’t think it’ll be down to the die hards dying out.

Jimoslimos

radioman wrote:

By the way, with regards to students being disadvantaged and not being able to vote on Thursdays etc... forgive me if I'm being ignorant but can students not register to vote in the area they are living/studying?

They could, but then I'm sure you'd also love having to remember to re-register every time an election is called at a weekend, mid-term, summer holiday etc.,

Smarmore

Heinrich wrote:

Yes indeed, thank God, we never had it so good. You keep the money, I prefer my health.

And I suppose FF being in government is going to adversely affect your health now is it? Sure I suppose it will be Berties fault if you get a cold or a little chesty cough now. Maybe you can ring Enda and he'll come over and give you a couple of Lemsips!!

KevIRL

Looking like 79-80 seats for FF.

Altho they could get another couple

Marshy

KevIRL wrote:

Looking like 79-80 seats for FF.

Altho they could get another couple

What's the magic number?

I'm hoping for a FF-Green coalition.

Villain

83 seats are needed I reckon FF will get 77 and PD's will get 2 or maybe 3 so Sinn Fein or the Greens will be needed.

nesf

irish1 wrote:

83 seats are needed I reckon FF will get 77 and PD's will get 2 or maybe 3 so Sinn Fein or the Greens will be needed.

Or Independents if it's that low. Though they've been badly squeezed in this election.

KevIRL

Marshy wrote:

What's the magic number?

I'm hoping for a FF-Green coalition.

83.

Remember a Ceann Comhairle has to be appointed as well, which you would assume would come from the opposition. So a 79 or 80 FF with 2 or 3 PD's could be enough, esp with the support of a few independents who wont want an early election.