Who are you voting for and will they have an impact on Agriculture? [Poll Added]

reilig

I still haven't made up my mind on who to vote for. They are such a pack of cute h@@rs. Most of them are complete liers, one or two just aren't likeable, and most of them will say or do anything just to make sure that one of the other candidates does not get in.

Can't see how any of them will impact on Agriculture. But perhaps some of them might help to develop trade links for Ireland's growing food sector produce??


How will you vote?

Tipp Man

They are all rubbish candidates - it really is hard to know who to vote for

It's amazing the amount of money that some of the candidates have pulled from the taxpayer in the last few years - most for doing very little as well

Tipp Man

Well my vote will be through a process of elimination:

Dana - no chance, a complete tool
Mary whatever - no impact - has been on way too many quangos for my liking, and has nothing of any substance to say on anything
Norris - that pension story is the greatest load of rubbish ever, can't believe he has gotten away with it
McGuinness - would rot in hell before i'd vote for anybody from that party


so that leaves these who will get some kind of number from me but order not yet decided:

Michael D - politically i'd be very different from his socialist views but president doesn't really have any effect or power on implenting those views

Gallagher - the cheque is damaging to him but i personally have no problem with anything he has done

Mitchell - should have been the shoe in coming from the stongest party, hasn't handled the campaign well at all


Forgot to say that i don't think any of them would have any impact whatsoever on agriculture

whelan1

was all high jinx here this morning gallagher was to be on lmfm at 9.30 , he was a no show...radio man was having a fieldday, he did arrive at 10.15 and tbh i thought he spoke very well, radio man had him out of the race completely... i could never ever vote for martin mc guinness

whelan1

Tipp Man wrote: »

Well my vote will be through a process of elimination:


Mitchell - should have been the shoe in coming from the stongest party, hasn't handled the campaign well at all


Forgot to say that i don't think any of them would have any impact whatsoever on agriculture

real pity mairead mc guinness wasnt put forward by fg

reilig

whelan1 wrote: »

real pity mairead mc guinness wasnt put forward by fg

I agree.

Mitchell doesn't appear to have campaigned at all. All he has done is slung mud and started rows - mostly with McGuinness. FG honcho's around us haven't gone door to door to canvass. We have had canvassers for Gallagher, Michael D, McGuinness and Dana.

Gallagher and Michael D have kept their heads down well (until this week) and this stands to their popularity.

irishh_bob

none of them will have any impact on agriculture or the broader economy in any real way

im giving serious thought to voting for martin mc guinness , of all the canditates , he has by far the most remarkable story , i dont vote sinn fein as i dont believe in left wing economic policys but the presidency is a different role entirely , mc guinness has guts and charechter , he grew up in an abnormal society and was a terrorist but became a peace maker , regular folk like us who post on boards would not have been able to bring the gunman to heel , it takes someone like mc guinness who got his hands dirty to achieve something like this , the reality is that most of the worlds leaders are not particulary nice people and the majority of them are completley ruthless , blair , bush , obama , cameron etc , all theese people order peoples deaths , only difference is they didnt pull the trigger , dev and michael collins were also ruthless men and had to be in order for this country to achieve independance , thier is a lot of hypocrosy about the likes of mc guinness and co by people in the south , were fine with him having a big role in the north but see ourselves as too respectable to have him over for dinner down here , time were realised that the world isnt black and white and that sometimes bad things happen in a rotten society like northern ireland

on a more practical level , i think mc guinness would be more likely to veto any attempts by the goverment to sell us out further to europe , FF , FG , thier all the same when it comes to slavishly doing brussells bidding

vote mc guinness

bogman_bass

whelan1 wrote: »

real pity mairead mc guinness wasnt put forward by fg

I disagree. Somebody of her talents would be wasted in the Aras. Yes she would do a good job but she is doing a better job for us in Europe. Would like to see her running for the dail again

As for who I'd vote for. Mickey D is the most "presidential" of the lot but 7 years is a long time for a man of his age. if it was a 4 year term I'd have no hesitation in voting for him but with 7 I'm just not sure

and no president can really have any impact on agriculture or any other industry

Tipp Man

irishh_bob wrote: »

im giving serious thought to voting for martin mc guinness , .......

vote mc guinness

Bob has somebody hijaked your account?? This is a bit of a turnaround from your posts in the politics and economy forums??

polod

Tipp Man wrote: »

McGuinness - would rot in hell before i'd vote for anybody from that party

I don't know but I think it time to move away from that sort of thinking ....thats all in the past and it will not be happening again its over and done with........I will be voting for MMG as he stands for the ordinary people and he is not in it for the money. It would be nice to see some of the presidents hugh wage bill going to some people in this country.

towzer2010

I think because the President is representing this country internationally I'm voting for the one who in my opinion is least likely to be an embarrassment in the next few years and I think of this crop that is MicK D.

No impact on Agriculture unless they are attending a bord bia trade fair in China or something.

johngalway

Tipp Man wrote: »

They are all rubbish candidates - it really is hard to know who to vote for.

This is my quandary also. I am away on Thursday and have to change plans to come home early and vote. If there were no referenda/referendums :rolleyes: I'd be hard pushed to bother, and I do really value my right to vote. While I say that I am really looking very hard for a candidate who my vote is worthy of, and I'm struggling, seriously.

whelan1 wrote: »

real pity mairead mc guinness wasnt put forward by fg

Yes , that would have made my life a lot easier this week!

Tipp Man wrote: »

McGuinness - would rot in hell before i'd vote for anybody from that party

Forgot to say that i don't think any of them would have any impact whatsoever on agriculture

You'd have company TM, I wouldn't vote for him if he had a gun to my head.

Agree about their impact on ag.

---

At the moment, I have these problems:

Michael D.

I am not a fan of The Labour Party, and I'm not a fan of Michael D. donning his ranty panties discussing the USA. Simply put we need them more than they need us, their companies employ a hell of a lot of people here.

Gay Mitchell.

Bad candidate, no charisma, likely knows the in's and outs of the job like Michael D though. Bad tactics in his campaign. The "Teddy bear" reference he made last week (?) lost him my vote, methinks he's away with the fairies by times.

Sean Gallagher.

The not so stealthy Fianna Fail candidate. I'd vote Sinn Fein before I'd vote for them, see above for my views of voting SF One would think they'd bugger off after ruining the country if they had any morals, but they don't. Go away.

Mary Davis.

Air brushed one trick pony, very defensive. No thanks.

Dana.

Go away, please, just go away.

David Norris.

I am uncomfortable with views he has expressed in the past. I am uncomfortable with the whole letters saga. He has displayed bad judgement after bad judgement. Not a runner.

Wee Morton.

I don't vote for lying scumbag terrorists.

---

As for the refereda/referendums

Yes to reducing Judges pay, pampered shower.

No to giving the pols more power.

pakalasa

I see the role of the president as the guardian of the constitution. So for me it's a simple question of trust. Who do we trust the most?

For me it has to be Michael D. If the only dirt, they can throw at him is his age, then that ain't bad at all.

He's from the Banner County too, which has to help.:D

irishh_bob

Tipp Man wrote: »

Bob has somebody hijaked your account?? This is a bit of a turnaround from your posts in the politics and economy forums??

to reiterate , i dont vote sinn fein as im not a socilist but as an individual , i admire mc guinness , ive often defended nationalist violence in northern ireland on other forums , catholics in northern ireland had little choice but to get dirty

just do it

Remember it is possible to vote against someone by giving them number 7 on the ballot paper. There are a few if them fighting for my no 7;-)

Tipp Man

polod wrote: »

I don't know but I think it time to move away from that sort of thinking ....thats all in the past and it will not be happening again its over and done with........I will be voting for MMG as he stands for the ordinary people and he is not in it for the money. It would be nice to see some of the presidents hugh wage bill going to some people in this country.

Leaving aside the IRA issue they are a socialist party and i am no socialist. I would be very much apposed to a lot of there policies.

JohnBoy

Michael D. He's the most presidential, and while I wouldnt be a labour voter I dont think he's the worst of them.



As for the others:
Gallagher, went from being a small time tv celebrity to a credible "little guy" candidate to yet another FF chancer in a short space of time.

Norris, would have been my number two as I used like the guy, but just too many things when under the spotlight, think he's not nearly as great as he likes to make himself out and in reality is no better than many other politicians.

McGuinness, i'm 50/50 on the whole terrorist thing, it was a different time/place but they did terrible things, but that aside sinn fein are a crowd of raving loony borderline communists imho and being the capitalist pigdog that I am I could never vote for him.

Davis, quango sitting, pointless airbrushed

Dana, ahhh shure god love the poor old dear. I think she was standing on some kind of christian fundamentalist platform without actually having the balls to come out and say it for fear of offending.

Mitchell, Disastrous, I'd be of a FG vein myself but he's a terrible candidate, just lacks any charisma or something despite possibly being the best man for the job. His tactics have been disappointing but are symptomatic of the new FG era, they are so un-used to being in power that they've no good comebacks, I'm expecting one of them to say "and your Ma" in response to some criticism.

Tipp Man

irishh_bob wrote: »

to reiterate , i dont vote sinn fein as im not a socilist but as an individual , i admire mc guinness , ive often defended nationalist violence in northern ireland on other forums , catholics in northern ireland had little choice but to get dirty

No doubt that catholics in the North had a hard time and needed to stand up for themselves

However the IRA went much further than that - many innocent people lost their lives and not just Prodestants or British - but also Catholics who wouldn't toe the IRA line. They were pretty much indiscriminate in their killings. The huge bombs in England for instance were purely designed to kill and mame anybody unlucky enough to be in their vacinity regardless of their race, colour, religion or whatever - I fail to see how that constitutes defending anybody

Then you have the issues of the criminality which the IRA undertook (and continue to undertake??), the bank robberies, fuel smuggling etc etc

I'm amazed that so many people are willing to turn a blind eye to it - McGuinnes even refused to call Jean McConvilles death (and others) as murder on Monday night

irishh_bob

Tipp Man wrote: »

No doubt that catholics in the North had a hard time and needed to stand up for themselves

However the IRA went much further than that - many innocent people lost their lives and not just Prodestants or British - but also Catholics who wouldn't toe the IRA line. They were pretty much indiscriminate in their killings. The huge bombs in England for instance were purely designed to kill and mame anybody unlucky enough to be in their vacinity regardless of their race, colour, religion or whatever - I fail to see how that constitutes defending anybody

Then you have the issues of the criminality which the IRA undertook (and continue to undertake??), the bank robberies, fuel smuggling etc etc

I'm amazed that so many people are willing to turn a blind eye to it - McGuinnes even refused to call Jean McConvilles death (and others) as murder on Monday night

thier are still a lot of hard men behind the scenes within the republican movement , the likes of mc guinness and adams have to be carefull not to cross the line with theese people , they have pledged thier future to the peace process , no need for them to wear sack cloth and ashes for the rest of thier lives like some suggested back in the day , that would be to spit on the past struggle which left no one covered in glory , IMO , the only difference between the IRA campaign and a CIA hit squad going after bin ladden is PR , i used to see the world in terms of good and evil , black and white , not anymore

agree about the smuggling element within republican circles though , those kind of spivs who live around monaghan and louth use the tri colour as a cloak to hide thier criminality , truth be told i havent that much time for many sinn fein voters but i do believe mc guinness is an extroridnary man which is more that can be said for all the other canditates

Upstream

irishh_bob wrote: »

thier are still a lot of hard men behind the scenes within the republican movement

And that's another reason not to vote for him. A vote for McGuinness empowers these individuals, because if he's elected, they're seen as people with influence, they become people you go to if you want a favour.

A lot was made in the debates of Gallagher arriving at someone's house looking for a cheque. Who would you prefer to see in your yard, him, or friends of McGuinness?

... They haven't gone away you know ...

On a side note, please everyone remember in the presidential election you have a single transferable vote, so vote from 1 to 7 in order of your preference.
It looks like it's between Gallagher and Michael D, with Gallagher's campaign fast derailling.
Between those two I was leaning towards Gallagher, but his attempts to portray himself as someone who wasn't FF at all have reflected poorly on him, as well as his explanation of the money resting in his account.
So neither will get my number 1, but I'll give a higher preference to Michael D, so that's probably where my vote will end up.

From a farming point of view I can't see any standout candidate tho.

sh1tstirrer

I can't believe that people are still going to vote for gallagher.

whelan1

would love to know who the person is that is voting for dana:p

jay gatsby

whelan1 wrote: »

would love to know who the person is that is voting for dana:p

I just can't resist that twinkle in her eye!!!

Just as an aside - you can take it as a stonewall guarantee that Higgins and Mitchell have also collected money on doorsteps for their respective parties. That is how political parties are funded like it or not... FF don't have the monopoly on that. Secondly Every business person/entrepreneur who has ever been operating at any kind of level has made a donation/done something for one of the political parties - that's just life.

My point is I don't mind what Galagher did, it's the (do anything but don't tell the truth) mentality that annoys

reilig

whelan1 wrote: »

would love to know who the person is that is voting for dana:p

Ah I just didn't like to see poor Dana with no vote at all.
She has to get over 12% to recoup her expenses you know! :eek:

Bizzum

I was gonna say that I gave her one, but that might be libellous:)

pakalasa

reilig wrote: »

Ah I just didn't like to see poor Dana with no vote at all.
She has to get over 12% to recoup her expenses you know! :eek:

Somehow, I don't think they are her expenses. I would love to know who is really behind her.....The Catholic Church.....maybe..

jay gatsby

pakalasa wrote: »

Somehow, I don't think they are her expenses. I would love to know who is really behind her.....The Catholic Church.....maybe..

We could have another cheap joke about being behind her and the catholic Church... Anyone?

leg wax

michael d would be the cheaper opition as he wont be around long after to collect the pension.:p

Tipp Man

Upstream wrote: »

And that's another reason not to vote for him. A vote for McGuinness empowers these individuals, because if he's elected, they're seen as people with influence, they become people you go to if you want a favour.

A lot was made in the debates of Gallagher arriving at someone's house looking for a cheque. Who would you prefer to see in your yard, him, or friends of McGuinness?

... They haven't gone away you know ...

This is it in a nutshell with regards SF and McGuinness

pakalasa

It's going to be Michael D. Higgins folks.
He's now at 1/4 (4 to 1 on), with Sean gallagher at 5/2 @ Paddy Power;
http://www.paddypower.com/bet/politics/other-politics/next-irish-president?ev_oc_grp_ids=33552

rancher

Tipp Man wrote: »

This is it in a nutshell with regards SF and McGuinness

When gallagher was on dragons den, he was always a perfect gentleman, he always gave great encouragement to the enterpreneurs, never ridiculed them or ran them down as other dragons did and its based on his behavior then that i will give my vote, not on the stories of mc guinness

reilig

leg wax wrote: »

michael d would be the cheaper opition as he wont be around long after to collect the pension.:p

State funerals are lavish and expensive events

(As per the humour forum)

LostCovey

reilig wrote: »

Mitchell doesn't appear to have campaigned at all. All he has done is slung mud and started rows

OK you've rumbled me.

I am Gay Mitchell.

LostCovey

whelan1

rancher wrote: »

When gallagher was on dragons den, he was always a perfect gentleman, he always gave great encouragement to the enterpreneurs, never ridiculed them or ran them down as other dragons did and its based on his behavior then that i will give my vote, not on the stories of mc guinness

have to agree, also he is a bit easier on the eye than some of the others

LostCovey

whelan1 wrote: »

he is a bit easier on the eye than some of the others

Really?

Does he not look like a thumb with a face?????

LC

sh1tstirrer

whelan1 wrote: »

have to agree, also he is a bit easier on the eye than some of the others

What? With that big mulicky lump of a head on him :eek: He reminds me of a bald Frankenstein.

caseman

Micheal d could be used as a scare crow in a field of corn, thats what he reminds me of.

whelan1

well compared to michael d he's not too bad or gay mitchell or david norris:) not to mention martin mc guinness, he hasnt got too much competition in the beauty stakes there tbh

polod

caseman wrote: »

Micheal d could be used as a scare crow in a field of corn, thats what he reminds me of.

Michael D reminds me of dustin the turkey

blue5000

leg wax wrote: »

michael d would be the cheaper opition as he wont be around long after to collect the pension.:p

Thanks Legs, made me laugh:D

Only trouble is he is only going to stand for 1 term, so if he gets it we will have to vote again in a few yrs. I admire Mcguinness, he has come a long long way in the last 20 yrs or so, but I think when it comes to the crunch I'll vote for Micheal D.

More importantly on the referendums I'll be voting no, if the abbeylara goes ahead we are one big step closer to a police state. On the judge's salary I'm voting no because I believe a judge needs to be paid well enough so that they aren't tempted by the cute h00rs in our society. Just my opinion folks, not trying to start a big debate.

Bizzum

LostCovey wrote: »

OK you've rumbled me.

I am Gay Mitchell.

LostCovey

You have been exceedingly quiet this past while on here. Tough campaign trail?

blue5000

LostCovey wrote: »

OK you've rumbled me.

I am Gay Mitchell.

LostCovey

Ya right and I'm davis and I'm really pissed that none of yous are votin for me:o:o:o

Bizzum

blue5000 wrote: »

Ya right and I'm davis and I'm really pissed that none of yous are votin for me:o:o:o

If you were Mary Davis, your name would be Red5000:D

sea12

I think there was a lot of damage done to Gallagher after the frontline debate. He just came across as FF in disguise. Same old stories as before, brown envelopes and "on mature recollection".
Was thinking strong of him my vote but not now.

I think it will be Michael D by process of elimination.

Birdnuts

Upstream wrote: »

And that's another reason not to vote for him. A vote for McGuinness empowers these individuals, because if he's elected, they're seen as people with influence, they become people you go to if you want a favour.

A lot was made in the debates of Gallagher arriving at someone's house looking for a cheque. Who would you prefer to see in your yard, him, or friends of McGuinness?

... They haven't gone away you know ...

.

That may have made sense in the 80's but its 2011 with the GFA and McGuinness hanging out with Paisley et al , I thinks its time to move on
and leave the partitionist mindset behind.

sue_1512

rancher wrote: »

When gallagher was on dragons den, he was always a perfect gentleman, he always gave great encouragement to the enterpreneurs, never ridiculed them or ran them down as other dragons did and its based on his behavior then that i will give my vote, not on the stories of mc guinness

what a bunch of misfits we have to choose from! if sean gets in and ur car runs on diesel,youll be grand!, he will get rid of the green and red dye! DERV FOREVER but make sure he doesnt invite u to a party!dana, if theres any child in trouble, no need to worry, it will be ignored! David, we will all become theologians and will be reading James Joyces Ulysses! as foor Michael D? I guess we will be spending more times in nursing homes!

LostCovey

Bizzum wrote: »

You have been exceedingly quiet this past while on here. Tough campaign trail?

I haven't been campaigning.

Just fundraising!

LC

Bizzum

LostCovey wrote: »

I haven't been campaigning.

Just fundraising!

LC

Just be careful not to leave the proceeds "resting" in the wrong account Sean;)

LostCovey

Bizzum wrote: »

Just be careful not to leave the proceeds "resting" in the wrong account Sean;)

No they have been properly lodged in the Beach House account.

As I always say, entrepreneur, community, positive energy, community, no negative campaigner, community, 'yout' worker, I had a herd number, you know.

Please give me your number one, or €5k.

I'll get you a photo for dat.

Sorry Bizzum, you're a nice guy, but I'm out.

LC

JohnBoy

sh1tstirrer wrote: »

What? With that big mulicky lump of a head on him :eek: He reminds me of a bald Frankenstein.

and his ears.

seriously, his ears are about 6 inches from top to bottom.

reason enough not to vote for him

5live

johngalway wrote: »

This is my quandary also. I am away on Thursday and have to change plans to come home early and vote. If there were no referenda/referendums :rolleyes: I'd be hard pushed to bother, and I do really value my right to vote. While I say that I am really looking very hard for a candidate who my vote is worthy of, and I'm struggling, seriously.



Yes , that would have made my life a lot easier this week!



You'd have company TM, I wouldn't vote for him if he had a gun to my head.

Agree about their impact on ag.

---

At the moment, I have these problems:

Michael D.

I am not a fan of The Labour Party, and I'm not a fan of Michael D. donning his ranty panties discussing the USA. Simply put we need them more than they need us, their companies employ a hell of a lot of people here.

Gay Mitchell.

Bad candidate, no charisma, likely knows the in's and outs of the job like Michael D though. Bad tactics in his campaign. The "Teddy bear" reference he made last week (?) lost him my vote, methinks he's away with the fairies by times.

Sean Gallagher.

The not so stealthy Fianna Fail candidate. I'd vote Sinn Fein before I'd vote for them, see above for my views of voting SF One would think they'd bugger off after ruining the country if they had any morals, but they don't. Go away.

Mary Davis.

Air brushed one trick pony, very defensive. No thanks.

Dana.

Go away, please, just go away.

David Norris.

I am uncomfortable with views he has expressed in the past. I am uncomfortable with the whole letters saga. He has displayed bad judgement after bad judgement. Not a runner.

Wee Morton.

I don't vote for lying scumbag terrorists.

---

As for the refereda/referendums

Yes to reducing Judges pay, pampered shower.

No to giving the pols more power.

I would totally agree with john on this. With just one addition.....

The President of ireland is our representative, a reflection of our will, if you like. His/her prime (only?) responsibility is the protection of the constitution and their total loyalty must be put into that job. Martin McGuinness is still a member of Sinn Fein and by association the IRA. His and SFs prime loyalty is to the IRA and not to the Free State as they still refer to us as round here anyway. They swear into a life membership of that organisation and it is not an oath they will accept anyone renouncing. Of all the candidates, including religous freaks and grumpy dubs and people with debatable opinions on age of concent, i find McGuinness the least suitable for this (or any) office in this country.

My vote is for Michael D all the way. Lets face it, he is harmless and actually knows the job is not about championing one particular cause but all causes in OUR country.

I realise also there is a strange attitude in the country, with MMG championed as a leader in the north but not acceptable as a dinner guest here