What do i get out of joining a political party?

Trebor

I'm back in ireland now after being away for the last 4 years for uni. i'm very interested in politics and would like to learn more about getting involved in a party but i'm curious as to why i should?

what do i get out of being a member of a party and why should i spend my free time getting involved?

obviously i will need to look into which party i would want to join but that seems to be in itself a tricky decision as there is very little difference in the main parties.

Overheal

coke and hookers?

rcecil

Sinn Fein is the only opposition party now that the Green's have become corporate.

www.sinnfein.ie It's no longer about the war in the north. Now it's a real choice for working class, concerned, environmental and human rights interested folks.

Trebor

Overheal wrote: »

coke and hookers?

but i dont like those things

i prefer dr pepper!!

Trebor

rcecil wrote: »

Sinn Fein is the only opposition party now that the Green's have become corporate.

www.sinnfein.ie It's no longer about the war in the north. Now it's a real choice for working class, concerned, environmental and human rights interested folks.

green has become corporate? what do you mean by that?

but i'll have a look at the sinn fein site of course.

sink

rcecil wrote: »

Sinn Fein is the only opposition party now that the Green's have become corporate.

www.sinnfein.ie It's no longer about the war in the north. Now it's a real choice for working class, concerned, environmental and human rights interested folks.

They are also for wholesale income redistribution which would cripple our dynamic economy.

Liam Byrne

To the OP - how about €100,000 when most people haven't had pay rises in years, or even €30,000 4 or 5 times a year, no (or rather, very few and within limited terms of reference) questions asked ???

Belfast

Trebor wrote: »

I'm back in ireland now after being away for the last 4 years for uni. i'm very interested in politics and would like to learn more about getting involved in a party but i'm curious as to why i should?

what do i get out of being a member of a party and why should i spend my free time getting involved?

obviously i will need to look into which party i would want to join but that seems to be in itself a tricky decision as there is very little difference in the main parties.

Ask not what a political party can do for you, but what your joining a political party will do for the country!

DadaKopf

Belfast wrote: »

Ask not what a political party can do for you, but what your joining a political party will do for the country!

Damn. I was gonna say 'It's not "what can you get" but, "what can you give"?'

Interpret that any you like, folks!

stovelid

sink wrote: »

They are also for wholesale income redistribution which would cripple our dynamic economy.

It's a positive step forward from crippling people though?

OP - the PDs would probably pay you to join at the current time.

Trebor

Belfast wrote: »

Ask not what a political party can do for you, but what your joining a political party will do for the country!

that is indeed a very good answer. but i could just go independent! :pac:
but i am not thinking of running for office just yet i'm just more curious as to what being a member of a party actually entails?

CSC

If you are only joining a party to get something from them in return I wouldn't bother.
If you believe in what the party stands for and what they are doing you will have no problem giving up free time to attend meetings, canvess etc.

ninty9er

You get nothing monetary out of being in a political party.

You'll pick up friends of all sorts, meet all sorts of people with all sorts of problems and maybe get some satisfaction in the knowledge that even if the TD/Senator/Cllr you're canvassing with can't do anything for them, they will have at least tried.

It does give easier, though not wholesale access to the corridors of power too. You also get the satisfaction of knowing when X,Y or Z gets a promotion, that you played your part, for example, in helping the Taoiseach gain office.

If I wasn't a FF member, I'd be Labour, but they were too middle class for my liking, FG on the other hand are slowly turning into the former German NSDAP, though I don't think they'll go so far as to start suggesting ethnic cleansing, though I'm sure it's probably crossed Leo and Brian's minds:rolleyes:

SF has a long term future, but in the short to medium term, too many, though not all or maybe not even the majority of their candidates have criminal and paramilitary links. Once this has washed out of the system they can offer real opposition.

The PDs are winding themselves up and Libertas wouldn't be a political party, a) because it couldn't be funded by Declan Ganly as a party and b) because it was confusion more than Libertas that brought Lisbon down, though they will take the credit anyway.

To sell FF, it attempts to be all things to all people. This can't be achieved on any real level, but it's the aim.

dlofnep

I can only tell you what I have done and got from Sinn Féin.

Firstly, you are only asked of what you can do. No more. There are many campaigns to which you can offer your support. For example, for the Lisbon campaign - I delivered leaflets throughout my city and spoke to many people about it. We performed a survey in a local working-class estate in regards to anti-social behaviour. You then have the local and national level elections which are great fun to be involved with.

There are also numerous national level campaigns, to which you can go and support. I find that you meet the most interesting people through politics and there are alot of social outings. Gaeltacht excursions, commemorations, and so forth.

It's not all hard work - you meet amazing people and get to go to places you'd normally not ever go to.

I'm not suggesting you join SF. I think it's best that you look at the policies of each political party and see what's right for you. No matter what party you pick, I'm sure you'll find likeminded people there and get to meet many good people along the way.

Best of luck with it.

ninty9er

dlofnep wrote: »

No matter what party you pick, I'm sure you'll find likeminded people there and get to meet many good people along the way.

This is true, no matter what your views, you will find someone in every political party in the world to agree with them.

irish_bob

ninty9er wrote: »

You get nothing monetary out of being in a political party.

You'll pick up friends of all sorts, meet all sorts of people with all sorts of problems and maybe get some satisfaction in the knowledge that even if the TD/Senator/Cllr you're canvassing with can't do anything for them, they will have at least tried.

It does give easier, though not wholesale access to the corridors of power too. You also get the satisfaction of knowing when X,Y or Z gets a promotion, that you played your part, for example, in helping the Taoiseach gain office.

If I wasn't a FF member, I'd be Labour, but they were too middle class for my liking, FG on the other hand are slowly turning into the former German NSDAP, though I don't think they'll go so far as to start suggesting ethnic cleansing, though I'm sure it's probably crossed Leo and Brian's minds:rolleyes:

SF has a long term future, but in the short to medium term, too many, though not all or maybe not even the majority of their candidates have criminal and paramilitary links. Once this has washed out of the system they can offer real opposition.

The PDs are winding themselves up and Libertas wouldn't be a political party, a) because it couldn't be funded by Declan Ganly as a party and b) because it was confusion more than Libertas that brought Lisbon down, though they will take the credit anyway.

To sell FF, it attempts to be all things to all people. This can't be achieved on any real level, but it's the aim.

always amuses me how fianna failers try and maintain that fine gael are far to the right of themselves when in reality , you couldnt put a piece of paper bwtween them

btw , im not a fine gaeler

Pride Fighter

irish_bob wrote: »

always amuses me how fianna failers try and maintain that fine gael are far to the right of themselves when in reality , you couldnt put a piece of paper bwtween them

btw , im not a fine gaeler

I think it goes back to Fine Gael modelling themselves on the various fascist parties throughout Europe in the 30's.

ninty9er

irish_bob wrote: »

always amuses me how fianna failers try and maintain that fine gael are far to the right of themselves when in reality , you couldnt put a piece of paper bwtween them

btw , im not a fine gaeler

This has been true for the past 10 years, but there is a fascist element emerging on the FG frontbench.

CSC

ninty9er wrote: »

This has been true for the past 10 years, but there is a fascist element emerging on the FG frontbench.

A fascist element - examples please.

ninty9er

CSC wrote: »

A fascist element - examples please.

Leo sending the foreigners home
Brian segregating the immigrant kids at school.

The_Minister

Facist is the wrong word. And inflamatory.

They've become alot more Catholic/Christian-Democrat under Enda.

dsmythy

ninty9er wrote: »

Leo sending the foreigners home
Brian segregating the immigrant kids at school.

Sending them home if they choose to, and with a healthy sum too. The same plan is being done by the "fascist" socialist Spanish government

Brian used the wrong words when he brought it up but at least the problem got some airing after it. Maybe something might be done to help the problem then.

turgon

ninty9er wrote: »

Brian segregating the immigrant kids at school.

So are you saying you would put the slower learners in with the fast paced ones?

Trebor

I suppose i didn't really make myself clear in what i was looking for. i wasn't wanting to get any monetary reward for being in a party, it was more along the lines of does it help with future political ambitions? plus i am one of these weird people that like to be involved with things and to try and fix things..

CSC

I think you are answering your question. Does joining a political pary help advance political ambitions? Obviously yes it does.

Trebor

well yes. that is obvious! again i'm not making myself clear.

i'm wanting to know how it works... you sign up and join the party.. then what? you get emails when things are happening? and asked to come along? you get told to contact who ever is your local member of the party and help them on what they are working on? or you just get a newsletter once a month saying what they are doing?

CSC

OK I get what you are saying. I haven't been politically active for a while now but when I was it worked quite simple. There was a cumann (branch) meeting once a month and at that the activities of the local branch were discussed. For example, if there was elections in the next couple months, plans for launching the campaign, canvassing, postering etc. were discussed and people volunteered to help out with what was required to do.

ninty9er

turgon wrote: »

So are you saying you would put the slower learners in with the fast paced ones?

Why not it's been the way our schools have been operated for years. There were faster and slower learners than me in my classes from Age 4 to the present time. There's remedial classes to bridge the gap. Excluding people is the wrong way to go about things.

sovtek

ninty9er wrote: »

Leo sending the foreigners home
Brian segregating the immigrant kids at school.

Hell that sounds like Brian Lenihan to me. Thank Allah he's not in charge of us feckin foreignors anymore.

sovtek

dsmythy wrote: »

Sending them home if they choose to, and with a healthy sum too.

How much "choice" do you have if you have been here for years and INIS take years just to process your residency...then you loose your job and can't get another. Then you have to get jobseekers allowance and oops...now you can't get residency or citizenship because you are a "burden" on the state (even though you've paid a hell of a lot more in taxes than you can ever take out). So then your deported if you aren't lucky enough to get a job before your work permit stamp runs out and the idiot at INIS says that your here illegally.
Compared to that...yeah it's a great choice. One wonders how the fascist Spanish government handles that situation.

Pen1987

ninty9er wrote: »

To sell FF, it attempts to be all things to all people. This can't be achieved on any real level, but it's the aim.

So in essence, theyre the ultimate populists who'll promise the world but know it cant be delivered.

*not a political party member*