North West Candidates

smiles302

Does anyone want to go through the pros and cons of the north west candidates?



*such lovely lovely weather we are having*

Zuiderzee

Well, I wish I could write in a candidate - Luke 'Ming' Flanigan springs to mind.

My biggest problem is that apart from Ganley / Libertas and Sinn Fein they all seem to support the Lisbon treaty, which I am still not too hot on.

I really dont like the fact that we have to do it twice, and that currently no one else has any choice in the matter

There really is a lack of choice

Steviemak

The country voted in a Pro Lisbon govt - thats democracy. If Sinn Fein get into power then they can have a referendum on leaving the EU for good - thats democracy.

Zuiderzee

Stevie, that is not fair comment -

It is obvious that most people in the state are pro EU.

Being anti Lisbon does not make one anti EU.
We elected a pro EU Government, but rejected the Lisbon treaty - thats democracy.

Sinn Fein, who I do not support - do not want to leave the EU.

Libertas - who I do not support - to the best of my knowledge also do not want to leave the EU in the sense that UKIP do.

However, I dont fel that the current version of Lisbon treaty is democratic or in the best interests of Ireland, I also do not trust the Government or FG to interperet it.

I really would like to see genuine concerns fully addressed, a clearer treaty with clearer information available and dont want people scared into accepting it.

Lisbon has nothing to do with the current economic crisis, but it will be used as a lever.

I do remember that when Nice II went through we were assured by FF and others that there was no way whatsoever we would join the PfP without referendum.

That was a manafesto promise in 1997, yet in 1999 we joined without referendum.

I dont like being hoodwinked, being lied to or being told by a political establishment with little credibility left to go back and do it again because our democratic collective decision did not suit them.

I am also unhappy with the lack of choice

citizensimon.blogspot.com

Lockstep

I'm rather fond of O'Keeffe.

She's the woman who exposed the corruption leading to the Beef Tribunal.
Was willing to go to jail to protect her sources.

smiles302

I don't really like Libertas... They seem very No No No and their why never makes much sense.
(hoping I'm making sense)

And that's as far as my knowledge towards this election goes..

Does anyone know how much of a say if any Europe has on issues such as abortion?
John Higgins (hoping I got his name right)
gave a bit of a speach on the right to life etc on www.campaignwatch.ie but didn't answer any other questions lol.

PopeBuckfastXVI

smiles302 wrote: »

Does anyone know how much of a say if any Europe has on issues such as abortion?

Europe has no say on the legality of abortion in Ireland.

Zuiderzee

O Keefe is who I would normally vote for, but as I said, the Lisbon thing is an issue for me.

citizensimon.blogspot.com

WooPeeA

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

Europe has no say on the legality of abortion in Ireland.

Not only in Ireland but anywhere else, and the Lisbon Treaty will only make it stronger.

Steviemak

Zuiderzee wrote: »

I am also unhappy with the lack of choice

You can not possibly have someone to vote for that totally reflects your views unless you vote for yourself.

I am never totally happy with all policies politicians put forward but democracy is about compromise. Lisbon is a compromise made by mature democracies across the EU. And Ireland did very very well out of that compromise.

Our democracy is representative democracy - you need to come to terms with that, seriously.

BlitzKrieg

I don't really like Libertas... They seem very No No No and their why never makes much sense.
(hoping I'm making sense)

Dont worry

You have them spot on.

ionix5891

Besides Libertas and SF who are loonie and have been discussed to death

what about other candidates? who of the current lot has the most experience? and where can we check their voting records?

sorry if this was answered elsewhere

ednwireland

this morning apparantley pat the cope is topping the polls that have been done here
the current polls show pat the cope, jim higgins and harkin getting in

depressing isn't it

mind you the calibre of the rest of the candidates leaves a lot to be desired i've not heard of any of them for 5 years so i'm not voting for any of the existing meps (or pat the cope - he's been on the gravy train long enough)

oscarBravo

I'm torn between voting for the candidates I admire most on a personal/political level, and voting strategically to keep Ganley out.

P. Breathnach

oscarBravo wrote: »

I'm torn between voting for the candidates I admire most on a personal/political level, and voting strategically to keep Ganley out.

I would find it difficult to identify a strategic voting strategy for such a purpose. I would like to think it is not necessary.

Has any poll shown Ganley on more than 9%? Do people think that some who intend to vote for Libertas lie to pollsters about their intentions, and that the true level of support for Libertas might be higher than the polls show? [Might Caroline Simons get an astonishing 2%?]

Scofflaw

ionix5891 wrote: »

Besides Libertas and SF who are loonie and have been discussed to death

what about other candidates? who of the current lot has the most experience? and where can we check their voting records?

sorry if this was answered elsewhere

These guys - votewatch.eu - have records. My only caveat is that they changed Mary-Lou's attendance record the moment Sinn Fein objected to the accurate one.

cordially,
Scofflaw

Lockstep

I'm voting strategically to keep Ganley out.


O'Keeffe is getting my No1 but her vote will transfer so after that, it's strategy all the way.

Will probabaly go;
O'Keeffe (will transfer)
Mac Loughlainn (will probabaly transfer)
Harkin (given she'll be fighting with Ganley for the seat)
Higgings/the Cope (they'll likely get in anyway

And then all the way to the bottomg with Ganley getting my last choice.

Some of you may rememebr me in the Europolitics forum from my sceptisism to the Lisbon Treaty, despite this, Ganley epitomises everything I'm worred about for Europe.
Keeping him out is my priority.

Steviemak

kickoutthejams wrote: »

Ganley epitomises everything I'm worred about for Europe.

Exactly he wants a more federal and military Europe with the council of minisiter's and commission's say reduced which by default means Irelands say shrinks significantly.

Not what I want and I'm very Pro Lisbon for this reason as it locks in our overly weighted voting rights.

toiletduck

kickoutthejams wrote: »

And then all the way to the bottomg with Ganley getting my last choice.

Mind me asking why do you do this i.e. give preferences all the way down even to those whom you don't want in for any reason? I know people who do it but have never gotten a proper answer out of them for it!

ixtlan

toiletduck wrote: »

Mind me asking why do you do this i.e. give preferences all the way down even to those whom you don't want in for any reason? I know people who do it but have never gotten a proper answer out of them for it!

Well there is a reason to do it down to the second last name if you have any marginal preference at all for one candidate over another.

However for the very last name you should not put it on paper, since they could conceiveably get a vote from that (though realistically it would be very much against the odds).

Sorry, I'm wrong, I think... If your vote goes all the way to the last preference, then all other candidates must be out of contention so it doesn't make a difference?

Ix.

PopeBuckfastXVI

ixtlan wrote: »

If your vote goes all the way to the last preference, then all other candidates must be out of contention so it doesn't make a difference?

Ix.

That's correct.

oscarBravo

P. Breathnach wrote: »

Has any poll shown Ganley on more than 9%?

Leaving inside the "internal polls", it worries me slightly that the bookies are shortening their odds on Ganley dramatically. Also, the Mayo News has just predicted Ganley for the third seat, although I don't think it's unfair to describe the paper as editorially anti-Lisbon.

Lockstep

toiletduck wrote: »

Mind me asking why do you do this i.e. give preferences all the way down even to those whom you don't want in for any reason? I know people who do it but have never gotten a proper answer out of them for it!

No worries man; I really really don't want Ganley getting in.

Giving every candidate a preference minimises the chance of him getting a seat.
I really don't want to take the chance of him getting a transfer.

View

toiletduck wrote: »

Mind me asking why do you do this i.e. give preferences all the way down even to those whom you don't want in for any reason? I know people who do it but have never gotten a proper answer out of them for it!

Well I always do it. Partly it is to keep my vote "in play" for as long as possible. In the unlikely event that the counters are looking at my 6th or 7th preferences, I do want them to matter. Partly it is also because I enjoy "voting against" some candidates by giving them the lowest preferences that I can.

At this stage, I tend to vote something like follows:
i) Candidates/Parties whose policies I agree with most get high preferences,
ii) Candidates/Parties whose policies I fundamentally disagree with are guarenteed low/last preferences,
iii) The middle preferences tend to get filled on the basis of "Which of these would do the least damage if they got in?"

Hope that helps...

toiletduck

Well I see kickoutthejams reasoning (keeping Ganley out), but I don't get the 'keep the vote in play'.

Anyways, I'm still undecided (in the NorthWest).

smeg_for_brains

Zuiderzee wrote: »

Stevie, that is not fair comment -


I do remember that when Nice II went through we were assured by FF and others that there was no way whatsoever we would join the PfP without referendum.

That was a manafesto promise in 1997, yet in 1999 we joined without referendum.

citizensimon.blogspot.com

well done for remembering that one.
I remember them also saying at the time that it would not compromise our neutrality.
Then later in the Dail, some FF guy , maybe Bertie, I can't remember, was asked a defence-related question and replied "we are obliged to do in under PFP".

I remember thinking.. "hang on a sec...."

smeg_for_brains

There is also a voting register kept here

http://greens-efa-service.org/votetracker/en/social-protection-and-inclusion.html

keep in mind that these seem to be issues or amendments put forward by the
Greens, European free alliance, so is limited. It does give you an idea of how candidates vote.

In the NW, marian Harkin seems to vote with the centre/right nearly all the time, so that knocks her off my personal list.

I never vote FF anyway.

FG are in with Berlusconi's party and I really cant stand that guy so that's them out.

I was happy with Ireland losing a commissioner with Lisbon. I find the EU a good counterbalance to nearly constant FF leadership in this country and the less influence they have over there the better. Labour also want to keep the Irish Commissioner , and alse create some new ones. A waste of money, so I wont vote for them either.

I cant even get the Libertas Website to load on the computer.

If cathy Sinnott was in NW I would maybe have voted for her, but it looks like I wont be voting .

My main issues for the near future would be:

Expansion : not for the next 10 years until the last batch get embedded and are able to contribute to the next lot.

Commmissioners - reduce to save money

Irish language - do not have as an official language where documents have to be translated into Irish. We would then have other minority languages looking for the same status due the peoples' parochial pride. A total waste of money.

Cant say I can find anyone to agree with me on the above.

PopeBuckfastXVI

Zuiderzee wrote: »

I do remember that when Nice II went through we were assured by FF and others that there was no way whatsoever we would join the PfP without referendum.

That was a manafesto promise in 1997, yet in 1999 we joined without referendum.

Yes and Nice II was run and ratified on 19th October 2002

Do you see a problem with your timeline here?

smeg_for_brains

smeg_for_brains wrote: »

There is also a voting register kept here



If cathy Sinnott was in NW I would maybe have voted for her, but it looks like I wont be voting .
.

After looking at the Cathy Sinnott post,... looks like more research would have been required there before my vote was cast in that direction:)

spank_inferno

oscarBravo wrote: »

Leaving inside the "internal polls", it worries me slightly that the bookies are shortening their odds on Ganley dramatically. Also, the Mayo News has just predicted Ganley for the third seat, although I don't think it's unfair to describe the paper as editorially anti-Lisbon.

I heard that on the "Last word" on Today FM yesterday evening. (or was it newstalk)
It was quite interesting that they were calling the 3rd seat for Ganley.
They mentioned a large swell of workers on the ground for him.

Perhaps its too late to make a difference?

PopeBuckfastXVI

Ok... so at this point Ganley is 5/4 to get a seat with Paddy Power.

Fair enough.

Let's have a look at some of their other odds...
Harkin to get a seat: 1/7
Gallagher to get a seat: 1/9
Higgins to get a seat: 1/12

After that I wouldn't read a huge amount into Ganley's 5/4 to be honest, more fuss about nothing from the party with no policies.