Local Elections 2009

Sully

I see the Kilkenny folk have begun their discussion on the 2009 local elections. Probably expect to see campaigning starting early new year from selected candidates. Recent opinion polls have seen a fair bit of damage done to the current government and rightly so. Other party's have improved or remained the same with the biggest change being Fine Gael doing very well in the polls. I am sure this will have a knock on affect when people vote in the local and European elections next year.

Who will/wont you be voting for this year and why? Do you vote for this part usually or has recent times changed your voting preference? Will issues like the boundary, retail developments (or lack thereof) etc. be a decision factor in who you will/wont be voting for?

Ill run the same poll/discussion in the County forum which will include the town council.

KingLoser

Do you vote for this part usually or has recent times changed your voting preference?

Big time. The greens will never again get a vote from me.

Haven't decided which way I'll vote next year, but I'm looking forward to them trying to convince me.

Sully

KingLoser wrote: »

Big time. The greens will never again get a vote from me.

Who did you vote for in Waterford? Wasnt Brendan the only one who is for Greens in Waterford? Doesnt seem to do well at all.

Haven't decided which way I'll vote next year, but I'm looking forward to them trying to convince me.

Any party you will rule out? If so, why?

KingLoser

Aye, there was very little notion of a serial objector the last time I voted Green, and to be honest it was the party I voted for rather than the individual, I had no idea who Brendan McCann was at the time! Yeah... never again, for reasons related to McCann, and also reasons related to the failure of the Irish Greens in national government.

I'll rule out Fíne Gael, because I think they've done very little for us in the time they have represented Waterford City and the blind support given to them down here is eerily similar to that given to FF elsewhere.

I'd like to see more Labour and less Independents personally, but my vote will be decided by the answers to my questions given by the candidates themselves. I'm interested to see how the ambitious Project 2014 is being looked at in the current climate, and how potential Councillers feel is the best way to exploit the historic values of the city, and what steps they think should be taken to improve the dreadful public transport infrastructure.

My oh my, I went serious there. Eh... boobies.

robtri

KingLoser wrote: »

My oh my, I went serious there. Eh... boobies.

way too serious for this hour of the morning........

longshanks

hooray for boobies.

doubt i'll vote fine fail or fine gael. cant see meself ticking mccann's box either. maybe labour or independent, wouldn't go near the sinn fein dirtbirds. i'll probably have more of an idea when the canvassing starts, after i've heard the various lies and promises from all concerned

SUNGOD

wont be voting sinn fein as i had a nasty expierence with a bunch of knuckle dragging sinn fein supporters who stopped me from getting petrol in a garage in ferrybank some time ago something about sinn fein feeling passionate about the shell to sea campaign.
"you dont care about this situation so f*** off and leave real people live their lives" i hinted
and nothing to do with media coverage of course.. anyway the same "activist's" knew f*** all about the campaign
must be hard for real sinn fein political people to have some members of their party still acting hired henchmen

but then again at least they cause me to react .. the rest of them are very beige/bland/wishy washy/samey

Mickdots

Im going to vote independent. One and one only to John Halligan, no second pref. Brilliant politician!! Didn’t vote for him before because of the Workers Party but certainly getting my number 1 next time around!!

If you look at the resent political turmoil in the Dail when the independents kicked up a fuss and shoved their weight around, it goes to show how an independent would be hugely valuable to Waterford in the Next Government. I think he is our man for it!!

Sully

Mickdots wrote: »

If you look at the resent political turmoil in the Dail when the independents kicked up a fuss and shoved their weight around, it goes to show how an independent would be hugely valuable to Waterford in the Next Government. I think he is our man for it!!

That was simply because the government didn't have the numbers to ignore him though.

Mickdots

exactly and whats to say its going to be any way different next time around!!

nkay1985

SUNGOD wrote: »

wont be voting sinn fein as i had a nasty expierence with a bunch of knuckle dragging sinn fein supporters who stopped me from getting petrol in a garage in ferrybank some time ago something about sinn fein feeling passionate about the shell to sea campaign.
"you dont care about this situation so f*** off and leave real people live their lives" i hinted
and nothing to do with media coverage of course.. anyway the same "activist's" knew f*** all about the campaign
must be hard for real sinn fein political people to have some members of their party still acting hired henchmen

but then again at least they cause me to react .. the rest of them are very beige/bland/wishy washy/samey

I'm sorry now but can you tell me how you came to the conclusions highlighted in bold above?

I remember when this campaign was at its height and you had all other political parties wanting nothing to do with it, not lending those ordinary people any support.

And, yes, there are still some undesirables who will sit in a pub on a Saturday night, sing rebel songs and go on about how they support Sinn Féin but they're not real party members. The modern Sinn Féin party members are normal, everyday people who are entitled to make an informed political decision.

I'll be voting Sinn Féin because I know for a fact how hard-working Joe Kelly and David Cullinane are in Waterford. Even if you don't agree with Sinn Féin policy, it's hard to criticise these two politicians. National elections you vote for the party, local elections you vote for the person.

And, in fairness to him, John Halligan is a decent man too. Works hard for his ward, which is all you can really ask of someone, and is more than I can say for a large number of our local representatives.

Partizan

Mickdots wrote: »

Im going to vote independent. One and one only to John Halligan, no second pref. Brilliant politician!! Didn’t vote for him before because of the Workers Party but certainly getting my number 1 next time around!!

If you look at the resent political turmoil in the Dail when the independents kicked up a fuss and shoved their weight around, it goes to show how an independent would be hugely valuable to Waterford in the Next Government. I think he is our man for it!!

You're in Ward 2 you dope and you voted for him when he was in the WP.

Mod, there is no Workers' Party option here even though they have an outgoing elected representative and have 3 candidates running in the city.

Mickdots

Partizan wrote: »

You're in Ward 2 you dope and you voted for him when he was in the WP.

Mod, there is no Workers' Party option here even though they have an outgoing elected representative and have 3 candidates running in the city.

yawn!!!

you might as well put it up there for him, it will be there last election. leave them go out on a high with there 1 vote on boards.ie :D

nkay1985

Partizan wrote: »

You're in Ward 2 you dope and you voted for him when he was in the WP.

Mod, there is no Workers' Party option here even though they have an outgoing elected representative and have 3 candidates running in the city.

There's three running, is there? Obviously Davy is running again, but who are the others can you tell me?


Looking through the old ward 3, it'll be interesting which one of the following will lose their seat with only 5 seats instead of the old six:
Mary O’Halloran FG, Seamus Ryan Lab, John Halligan formerly WP now Ind., Tom Murphy, FF, David Cullinane SF and Laurence Cha O’Neill Ind

Ryan, Cullinane and Halligan were miles out in front last time so it's hard to see the loser coming from there. Cha and Tom Murphy are there so long that it's difficult to imagine them not getting elected. Which only leaves Mary O'Halloran, who didn't have an easy time getting in last time out. She has, of course, increased her profile hugely with her positions as mayor and deputy mayor which might bring her into serious contention. This ward will certainly be exciting come the day of the count.

And it'll also be interesting to see who picks up the extra seat in the old ward 2. I'd imagine some parties will run an extra candidate, as well as people who have been ousted in recent elections, such as Michael Ivory, running again.

I wonder who will run for FF in ward 1, where Sean Dower lost his seat last time out. I think all incumbents are running again.

Sully

I think there is a new candidate for FG but not 100% sure.

longshanks

nkay1985 wrote: »

I'm sorry now but can you tell me how you came to the conclusions highlighted in bold above?

I remember when this campaign was at its height and you had all other political parties wanting nothing to do with it, not lending those ordinary people any support.

And, yes, there are still some undesirables who will sit in a pub on a Saturday night, sing rebel songs and go on about how they support Sinn Féin but they're not real party members. The modern Sinn Féin party members are normal, everyday people who are entitled to make an informed political decision.

I'll be voting Sinn Féin because I know for a fact how hard-working Joe Kelly and David Cullinane are in Waterford. Even if you don't agree with Sinn Féin policy, it's hard to criticise these two politicians. National elections you vote for the party, local elections you vote for the person.

And, in fairness to him, John Halligan is a decent man too. Works hard for his ward, which is all you can really ask of someone, and is more than I can say for a large number of our local representatives.

he probably came to that conclusion from the fact that anytime sinn fein stage their somewhat predictable, bandwagon jumping protests they call on the celtic jersey scumbag brigade to fill out their numbers. these so called 'normal, everyday people who are entitled to make an informed political decision' aren't really the protest type.
while they may be hard working, joe kelly is an annoying mouthpiece from what i can see. and david cullinane loves waterford so much he decided to move to kilkenny.
i'll agree with you about john halligan though, a genuine man and good representative. i'd imagine him to be a good independent

nkay1985

longshanks wrote: »

he probably came to that conclusion from the fact that anytime sinn fein stage their somewhat predictable, bandwagon jumping protests they call on the celtic jersey scumbag brigade to fill out their numbers. these so called 'normal, everyday people who are entitled to make an informed political decision' aren't really the protest type.
while they may be hard working, joe kelly is an annoying mouthpiece from what i can see. and david cullinane loves waterford so much he decided to move to kilkenny.
i'll agree with you about john halligan though, a genuine man and good representative. i'd imagine him to be a good independent

With regard to the first highlighted point, you're entitled to your opinion but I don't agree. I think he's quite articulate and even-mannered.

With regard to the second, this is a ridiculous, sensationalist statement that has no bearing on the issue at hand. Not everything is within our control. Local politicians are entitled to their personal life, the same as you or I are. So long as this doesn't affect their ability to do their elected duties, it makes no difference to me. And David Cullinane does his work so it's not an issue.

Sully

Not a sinn fein fan at all but who is joe kelly? Never head of him. Heard of David, seems to be decent enough chap from reading bits and pieces but I look at both the party and person when deciding who to vote for and SF people wont be getting my vote anytime soon. Personally find it a bit odd for a councillor of a city/county to not actually live there.

SUNGOD

nkay1985 wrote: »

I'm sorry now but can you tell me how you came to the conclusions highlighted in bold above?

I remember when this campaign was at its height and you had all other political parties wanting nothing to do with it, not lending those ordinary people any support.

And, yes, there are still some undesirables who will sit in a pub on a Saturday night, sing rebel songs and go on about how they support Sinn Féin but they're not real party members. The modern Sinn Féin party members are normal, everyday people who are entitled to make an informed political decision.

I'll be voting Sinn Féin because I know for a fact how hard-working Joe Kelly and David Cullinane are in Waterford. Even if you don't agree with Sinn Féin policy, it's hard to criticise these two politicians. National elections you vote for the party, local elections you vote for the person.

And, in fairness to him, John Halligan is a decent man too. Works hard for his ward, which is all you can really ask of someone, and is more than I can say for a large number of our local representatives.

firstly i did not critise these politicans and if you read my post you would realise that my gripe is with their "rent a crowd" and i will not be voting for a party who imploys such tactics to highlight their supposed intrests.

im not doubting joe kelly or david cullinane are very hard working but maybe they are very hard working for the wrong party ....yeah its so crazy i could be on to something


oh and the reason i came to my conclusions is that the hench men i was refering to would not be the brightest of fellas ( think forrest gumps slow cousin) so i doubt they had a good grasp of of the current political situation

nkay1985

Sully wrote: »

Not a sinn fein fan at all but who is joe kelly? Never head of him. Heard of David, seems to be decent enough chap from reading bits and pieces but I look at both the party and person when deciding who to vote for and SF people wont be getting my vote anytime soon. Personally find it a bit odd for a councillor of a city/county to not actually live there.

Joe Kelly is the Sinn Fein councillor for the old ward 1. He got elected last time out, effectively taking the seat from Seán Dower. He finished third in the four seater.

SUNGOD wrote: »

firstly i did not critise these politicans and if you read my post you would realise that my gripe is with their "rent a crowd" and i will not be voting for a party who imploys such tactics to highlight their supposed intrests.

im not doubting joe kelly or david cullinane are very hard working but maybe they are very hard working for the wrong party ....yeah its so crazy i could be on to something


oh and the reason i came to my conclusions is that the hench men i was refering to would not be the brightest of fellas ( think forrest gumps slow cousin) so i doubt they had a good grasp of of the current political situation

My point is that it's not only the so-called "rent a crowd" that were part of that protest. The two current councillors were involved, as were other party members. If you have a problem with the form of protest, then you'd always have a problem with Sinn Féin, as they've always been a radical party and protest in such a manner, so that's fair enough as you're entitled to this opinion.

jmcc

McCann is toxic for the Greens. I think that Waterford people need something more than what is, in effect, student politics. If the Greens don't provide the people with a better candidates then there will be a drift towards the other parties. SF and Labour may benefit. I'm not sure that FF will recover well from the absolute massacre a few years ago - it depends on the economy.

Regards...jmcc

Ri na hEireann

I'd expect FG will retain their majority in the city.

In the old ward one Hilary will top the poll again and I reckon the same councillors will be returned depending on how the new streets in the ward vote. There could be the possiblity of a surprise FF return in this ward depending on what way they run their candidates. Davy Walshes seat may be in trouble here. It's hard to call though.

Ward 2 now Waterford east will be quiet interesting given the extra seat. It will mean a new councillor obviously but it's hard to see where this candidate will come from. FG should be keeping their seats but are still looking for another candidate to run here. Roche and Daniels will be grand as will Walsh. The only seat under threat may be a FG one but with the extra seat in the ward it's doubtful. Jim D'arcy has higlighted his concern that the lost city centre streets may handicap him but only time will tell really. FF could gain here as could SF....McCann , I think had damaged himself too much with his serial objecting and the fact he's a green which isn't gonna blow well in June.

Ward 3 wil be interesting and it will be equally interesting to see what happens to Halligans WP vote and how much of it stays with him.

Partizan

Overall I see not much change. What will happen is that FF could very well end up with no councillors on the City Council.

Taking a look at Ward 1 and its as you are. The only way Davy Walsh would look like losing a seat would be in the case of a FF revival in the guise of Dower. (Walsh will pick up transfer votes from right across the board which will see him home. He got 500 1st preference last time out and in the last General Election the WP increased their vote in Ward 1). That aint going to happen given the downturn and the anger out there towards the goverment. The protest vote will be mopped up by FG, Labour, SF and the WP. No change.

Ward 2 ditto, no change.

Ward 3. Someone will lose the seat. Its a toss up between Tom Murphy (FF) and Cha O'Neill (Ind). The big 3, Halligan, Ryan and Cullinane will be safe, however Halligan will not get the 1,200 1st preference like last time and his vote could very well be nearly cut in half. The WP have a good candidate in Willie Moore a local community activist in the Ballybeg/Larchville/Lisduggan area. He will get a big personal vote as well as the WP one. Overall FF or Ind (-1) WP (+1)

Ri na hEireann

bump.

Just wondering. Has anyone been canvassed by a candidate yet?

Bards

Ri na hEireann wrote: »

bump.

Just wondering. Has anyone been canvassed by a candidate yet?

Only by flyer through Letterbox (Cllr Darcy)

Ri na hEireann

Bards wrote: »

Only by flyer through Letterbox (Cllr Darcy)

Same...well a flyer from D'arcy and Jack Walsh.

Bards

Ri na hEireann wrote: »

Same...well a flyer from D'arcy and Jack Walsh.

I hope you kept Darcy's one.. he has 100% guaranteed the WIT University re-designation by Enda if FG are elected to Govt. Just something we can shove back in his face if he fails to deliver this important economic driver for the S.E

Sully

Bards wrote: »

I hope you kept Darcy's one.. he has 100% guaranteed the WIT University re-designation by Enda if FG are elected to Govt. Just something we can shove back in his face if he fails to deliver this important economic driver for the S.E

Will that swing your vote? As in, will you vote for him due to his party policy?

Ri na hEireann

Bards wrote: »

I hope you kept Darcy's one.. he has 100% guaranteed the WIT University re-designation by Enda if FG are elected to Govt. Just something we can shove back in his face if he fails to deliver this important economic driver for the S.E

It's not him guaranteeing it. It's Fine Gael...You can shove it back in the party's face if they don't deliver it. Jim had sod all to do with getting FG to make it policy. It was down to Sen.Paudie Coffey and Sen.Maurice Cummins. As far as I know Deasy may have played a limited role also.

Bards

Sully wrote: »

Will that swing your vote? As in, will you vote for him due to his party policy?

FF will have had 15 years to deliver University. If they don;t have it done by 2012, I would vote the Loony Left Party if I knew they would right the wrong that has failed this region for so long...

So to answer your question, Will I chnage my vote from FF to FG if I can be sure they living up to their promise. then the answer is a resounding yes

Sully

Bards wrote: »

FF will have had 15 years to deliver University. If they don;t have it done by 2012, I would vote the Loony Left Party if I knew they would right the wrong that has failed this region for so long...

So to answer your question, Will I chnage my vote from FF to FG if I can be sure they living up to their promise. then the answer is a resounding yes

So your originally a FF voter then? With no issues voting for them this time around?! (Excluding University)