Election 2011 - Donegal news & views

Senna

cosanostra wrote: »

Hearing on Highland this morning Dessie Larkin may still run as an independent would people be fooled by the independent guise i know Brian O Domhnaills brother Seamus fooled a lot of people by using the independent front only to flip back to FF I think given time larkin would flip back too or be that closely associated it wouldn't make a difference!

He would run if he had the financial backing, not sure who's going to give him the 40k+ needed to run. But with Letterkenny not really represented, its likely a group of "business men" might fund a candidate. Thats politics :rolleyes:.

North_West_Art

very good
http://www.highlandradio.com/2011/02/07/ann-sweeney-defends-bcks-election-poster/

but criminal when you think that Norway now has a universal healthcare service on the profits of our oil and gas field

buckfasterer

Did anyone else notice the Highland Radio website running an advert for Brian O Domhnaill at the top of the page? I know that money was probably paid but I still think it would be better for them to remain impartial here.....they look like they are nailing their colours to the mast here!

cosanostra

buckfasterer wrote: »

Did anyone else notice the Highland Radio website running an advert for Brian O Domhnaill at the top of the page? I know that money was probably paid but I still think it would be better for them to remain impartial here.....they look like they are nailing their colours to the mast here!

Brian o Domhnaills girlfriend is a manager in highland might have something to do with it also he is a friend of shaun doherty and trained with him for marathon! But Highland nailed their FF colours to the mast a long time ago!

patricia88

A vote for SF is a waste of a vote. They know themselves that they won't be in government. They are hoping to take 7-8 seats in the Dail in this election. They can promise us the earth and they know that they will never have the power to do anything about it. The SFers running in Donegal have been involved in politics in this county for a long time. The only time I see them is when they are looking for my vote. I'm not that easily fooled SF!

puffdragon

Im always intrigued when people say they are "not that easily fooled" and yet vote for partys like FF, FG, Labour, do they not already feel a wee bit fooled or like me totally betrayed and poor!!

muffler

patricia88 wrote: »

The SFers running in Donegal have been involved in politics in this county for a long time. The only time I see them is when they are looking for my vote.

The Fiannafailers running in Donegal have been involved in politics in this county for a long time. The only time I see them is when they are looking for my vote.

The Finegaelers running in Donegal have been involved in politics in this county for a long time. The only time I see them is when they are looking for my vote.

^ ^ Sound familiar?

patricia88

I'm not leaning towards any particular party here. I'm just fed up with SF being portrayed as marvels. Have a look at their website and read their priorities for the next Dail. By all means they sound fantastic. Very unrealistic though. This isnt going to be an easy mess to clear up. At least the other partys have realistic targets.

K-9

puffdragon wrote: »

Im always intrigued when people say they are "not that easily fooled" and yet vote for partys like FF, FG, Labour, do they not already feel a wee bit fooled or like me totally betrayed and poor!!

Tbh, I think if anybody thinks any one party will not fool us well.............

ednwireland

muffler wrote: »

^ ^ Sound familiar?

yep they are all politicians

BlackEdelweiss

You mustenht have been in Letterkenny yet, Fine Gael candidate, sorry independent candidate, sorry Labour candidate jimmy harte had posters on every lamppost from one end of the town to the other, even God was sick looking at his face so he sent a big storm to blow half of them down. It is ridiculous that one candidate is allowed to put up so many posters, do they really think that is going to make any one vote for them rather than make everybody sick of looking at their silly, photoshopped faces smiling smugly down at us. Jimmy harte even has posters up on poles in Harmony Hill which I think is in very bad taste and I hope it all backfires on him. And I hope you have picked up all the posters that blew down jimmy, that is definately pollution.

ednwireland wrote: »

anyone noticed the almost complete lack of posters, drove from DT to raphoe yesterday and saw a couple of not that i'm complaining nice to see ( the lack of them)
or is it just that most canidates looked at the weather forecast for last week ?

puffdragon

patricia88 wrote: »

I'm not leaning towards any particular party here. I'm just fed up with SF being portrayed as marvels. Have a look at their website and read their priorities for the next Dail. By all means they sound fantastic. Very unrealistic though. This isnt going to be an easy mess to clear up. At least the other partys have realistic targets.

"realistic targets" your having a laugh surely, following the very open debate on The Frontline on RTE last evening I have no problem in recommending you listen carefully to same as It was made abundantly clear that no party's targets are correct at the moment as none of them add up ! To be very honest the clearest and most honest statement of the night came from Michael Noonan of Fine Gael ,who in a rare burst of political honesty said that the only chance of making the books balance is to adopt a stance very close to that of Sinn Feins , although he used different language he and Fianna Fail seem to be now advocating what they call "burden sharing" which is a soft introduction of the same idea as Sinn Fein that the bond holders will have to take some pain or as Sinn Fein would say "burned" .

The fact is we will not make the first Interest payment on the IMF loan because traditional party policy is to persist with the notion that we can somehow afford to mortgage the country to three times its actual value, much the same as the massive house mortages some unfortunate people have been lumbered with . It only remains to go back to the IMF in six months time and say "sorry" we cant afford this, then what? .

The whole country is in negative equity! the only part of the country making money are the brass-plate companies registered in Dublin taking advantage of our corporate tax rate, and The Shell gas field off our west coast, Reality will bite soon but it wont bite for the wealthy , it will bite for the poor who normally survive on the margins of a soft black economy with wee part time jobs , (and no harm in that) because the middle class were well enough off to suffer that, but now that the middle class have to take massive paycuts then spending in the local economy will fall and poor people will keep getting poorer. sad but true!!

On a more serious note the real effect of persisting with Fianna Fail pay up politics is that in ten years time families who can no longer afford to send their children to third level colleges now, will find themselves in five or ten years time, abandoned by the system, the very system most FF FG Lab policies support. Build the economy, teach the students, or rob the whole system for the benefit of the Bond-Holders, you will soon have to decide, I hope you have the vision and foresight to make the right call on this one!!

cosanostra

patricia88 wrote: »

A vote for SF is a waste of a vote. They know themselves that they won't be in government. They are hoping to take 7-8 seats in the Dail in this election. They can promise us the earth and they know that they will never have the power to do anything about it. The SFers running in Donegal have been involved in politics in this county for a long time. The only time I see them is when they are looking for my vote. I'm not that easily fooled SF!

How can you say it would be a wasted vote we vote people to be our tds that includes opposition and we need a strong opposition that will hold our goverment to account!

muffler

Comments, thoughts, opinions etc should relate to the Donegal constituencies and candidates only. Any comments posted about national politics will be moved to the politics forum or deleted depending on content.

Guys/gals ^ that is what I posted twice on this forum. Now if you want to discuss/debate national issues then feel free to do so in the General Election 2011 Forum

Can we now stick to local politics/politicians and local issues please.

retalivity

How reflective of the actual vote do people think the boards poll is for donegal?

http://www.boards.ie/vote/results.php?c_id=10

SO far, fianna FAIL wouldnt get a seat on FP's, although i'm thinking this poll will be very skewed as the grey FF would not be very computer savvy, never mind frequenting boards.

fontanalis

North_West_Art wrote: »

very good
http://www.highlandradio.com/2011/02/07/ann-sweeney-defends-bcks-election-poster/

but criminal when you think that Norway now has a universal healthcare service on the profits of our oil and gas field

Is there a link to what gas has been found and extracted off the Irish Coast? As far as I know Norway has enough of their own resources to prop their economy.
Sorry mods if this is off topic but the whole "resources being stolen from the poor Irish" keeps popping up.

ednwireland

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

You mustenht have been in Letterkenny yet, .

correct i havent

retalivity wrote: »

How reflective of the actual vote do people think the boards poll is?

http://www.boards.ie/vote/results.php?c_id=10

SO far, fianna FAIL wouldnt get a seat on FP's, although i'm thinking this poll will be very skewed as the grey FF would not be very computer savvy, never mind frequenting boards.

was wonderingthat myself, would love to see it happen the (but i doubt it will)

muffler

Next off topic post is going to get the user concerned a ban until after polling day. No more warnings.

ednwireland

another candidate in sw donegal (looks like the independant vote will be scattered as usual)
theyd have more chance having one independendant candidate and getting behind them

http://www.highlandradio.com/2011/02/08/ardara-town-traders-chairman-to-contest-in-donegal-south-west/

The Chairman of the Ardara Town Traders, Stephen Mc Cahill(Cathal) has confirmed that he will run as an Independent in Donegal South West.

The decision was made at a meeting in Ardara last night.

The 51-year-old has been involved in community life in Ardara and the surrounding area for many years.

He says he’s running because Donegal needs change during these difficult times:

cosanostra

ednwireland wrote: »

another candidate in sw donegal (looks like the independant vote will be scattered as usual)
theyd have more chance having one independendant candidate and getting behind them

http://www.highlandradio.com/2011/02/08/ardara-town-traders-chairman-to-contest-in-donegal-south-west/

Mary caughlan will love this news more of her core votes getting nabbed!

irish1967

ednwireland wrote: »

another candidate in sw donegal (looks like the independant vote will be scattered as usual)
theyd have more chance having one independendant candidate and getting behind them

http://www.highlandradio.com/2011/02/08/ardara-town-traders-chairman-to-contest-in-donegal-south-west/

Ah FFS ! do these independa not realise that they are diluting the vote. I sometimes think FF secretly push indo candidates. In the local elections it was the same. Why oh why do candidates run who realistically don't stand a chance stand for election.

Senna

Dessie Shiels now running Independent. He would be as honest a fella as you would get, but now sure how he'll fair.

Letterkenny based solicitor Dessie Shiels to contest in Donegal North East

Letterkenny based solicitor Dessie Sheils has also confirmed that he is to run in Donegal North East.

The 34-year-old will launch his campaign in the Raddison Hotel in Letterkenny at 8 o clock tomorrow night.

And he says that there is a perception that the “so-called” big parties will dominate Election 2011, but he believes they have let the country down for too long, and Independents are the way forward:

http://www.highlandradio.com/2011/02/08/letterkenny-based-solicitor-dessie-shiels-to-contest-in-donegal-north-east/

Dr. Fell

ednwireland wrote: »

another candidate in sw donegal (looks like the independant vote will be scattered as usual)
theyd have more chance having one independendant candidate and getting behind them

http://www.highlandradio.com/2011/02/08/ardara-town-traders-chairman-to-contest-in-donegal-south-west/

Ah Ha, but this is the thing. There is a logical Ind. candidate in DL SW, Mr Thomas Pringle. Now you may consider this cynical but I and others believe that McCahill's (who is a known FF'er) frivolous move is a ploy to soak up votes that otherwise would have gone to Tom.P. in Glenties/Ardara, thus going some way to lessen the great threat that THE FAIL feel from the Killybegs (Na Cealla Beagga (NCB)) councillor.

lineker

I don't accept that FF want Indos to run as it will take away from the much need first preference votes they get, from soundings I hear Mary Coughlan is very weak and has lost almost all of her support, the traditional FF voters are favouring O'Domhnaill.

And yes Pearse Doherty is beginning to sound like a spoofer, has anyone else noticed that SF sound good with populist shouting but they don't like it when people get into detail with their plans,no wonder as their economic policy is only a ploy to gain votes

cosanostra

lineker wrote: »

I don't accept that FF want Indos to run as it will take away from the much need first preference votes they get, from soundings I hear Mary Coughlan is very weak and has lost almost all of her support, the traditional FF voters are favouring O'Domhnaill.

And yes Pearse Doherty is beginning to sound like a spoofer, has anyone else noticed that SF sound good with populist shouting but they don't like it when people get into detail with their plans,no wonder as their economic policy is only a ploy to gain votes

I agree with your first point i think FF need all the votes you can get but i think BOD will only do well in his own area i dont think he will have much support from Dungloe and further south which is mary caughlan/pat the cope area and they would rather have a FF candidate from that area!

I don't have any idea were your getting that pearse doherty is a spoofer is it not FG and labour that are spoofers they promise change yet when it came down to it they supported the finance bill that really does not make sense!
If you listen to any of Pearse Doherty's press conferences you will see he clearly stated his position http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PNhFquGowU

Regardless of this we also need to look at who will represent us in the dail will Dinny mcGinley? the likely hood is he will be cheann comhairle and is track record isnt much! Mary caughlan? where would i start! BOD?Now that is a spoofer during the byelection he told us the imf would not be coming and a vote for him would add strength to the goverment! FMB?would he last a week in the labour party or even in the dail! Any of the independents? Another Tom gildae!

patricia88

lineker wrote: »

And yes Pearse Doherty is beginning to sound like a spoofer, has anyone else noticed that SF sound good with populist shouting but they don't like it when people get into detail with their plans,no wonder as their economic policy is only a ploy to gain votes

I also think that Pauric McLaughlin is sounding like a spoofer too. He was on RTE1 yesterday and was unable to answer any in depth question about his party's policy just waffled around the issue. He was similar on Vincent Brown last night also.

blue shimmering

ednwireland wrote: »

as someone said on the politics forum, that did the same diploma in waterford they called themselves civil engineers
(i have an ordinary degree in chemistry and would call myself a chemist if i worked in it)
if thats the worst dirt they can dig up on him they are scraping th barrell
non story imho

I agree, this is not fair - they must be very worried about him as a threat to go to all this trouble to find the dirt to throw.....wonder is there any that he could throw back at them? :eek:

blue shimmering

retalivity wrote: »

How reflective of the actual vote do people think the boards poll is for donegal?

http://www.boards.ie/vote/results.php?c_id=10

SO far, fianna FAIL wouldnt get a seat on FP's, although i'm thinking this poll will be very skewed as the grey FF would not be very computer savvy, never mind frequenting boards.

It was fairly accurate in the by-election and as more of us register our votes, trends should emerge....it wouldn't surprise me if Doherty, Mc Ginley, Pringle get seats, everyone I have talked to is really annoyed with FF and either are not going out to vote or are voting for the opposition!

Firblog

Dr. Fell wrote: »

Ah Ha, but this is the thing. There is a logical Ind. candidate in DL SW, Mr Thomas Pringle. Now you may consider this cynical but I and others believe that McCahill's (who is a known FF'er) frivolous move is a ploy to soak up votes that otherwise would have gone to Tom.P. in Glenties/Ardara, thus going some way to lessen the great threat that THE FAIL feel from the Killybegs (Na Cealla Beagga (NCB)) councillor.

I'd have to agree with you Dr, why Mc Cahill could be seen on Youtube shaking O' Domhnaills hand and helping him canvass in Ardara during the bye election...

cosanostra

BOD and MC are each others biggest opponent in this so it will be interesting to see who drops out 1st to give the other the needed no2s in the mean time pringle could sneak past them by transfers from pearse mcbrearty and the 2 ind i reckon a lot of dinnys no2s will go to BOD