General Election 2016: Meath

Dubh Geannain

Mods: I'm not sure as to whether separate threads are required for Meath East and West. But I just wanted to kick things off.

I've just moved into the Meath West from Meath East constituency. One plus is I don't have to look at another Thomas Byrne poster.

Check out
www.smartvote.ie

Green Party then Sinn Féin apparently for me

Are Meath folk looking for a local guy/gal for local issues or a local guy/gal for National issues. A hybrid would be nice.

I see the Social Democrats are currently not running a candidate in Meath West. Personally, I was giving them some consideration.

NufcNavan

Meath West will be English, Toibin and Cassells.

PauloMN

Greens, FF and SF for me! Lol I suspect that website might not be to be taken too seriously, especially seeing as few if any of the candidates have actually answered the questions!

Stroke Politics

I'm going to stick my neck out here and predict the result with be Toibín, Cassells and Butler.

It galls me to say it, but the driving instructor from Tim will get back in ahead of Damien Speaks No English. There are too many of the candidates concentrated in the Navan LEA, and Trim LEA has had a TD since the '70s. The FG vote collapsed to 10% in Navan during the LEA's, you need about 25% for a quota, so that's Toibín on count no.1, and Cassells who is the only maFFia candidate in a traditional FF-IMF heartland.
Damien has not brought one single job announcement to Navan in the 5 years that he has been a member of the government. A disgrace.
Butler and possibly an independent leaves the Trim LEA area to themselves and transfers will be crucial.....

haro124

East: Doherty, McEntee, Byrne
West: English, Cassells, Toibín

pullandbang

I suspect that regardless of who gets in in Meath, we're destined for a Right Wing coalition of FF and FG. Neither of them have any scruples or morals, and despite all their protestations over the years, will happily get into bed together just to hold onto power.

Dubh Geannain

I had Ray Butler call to my door the other night. He called me by my a first name as if he knew me preceded by a big "how are ya". I said, "No he moved out a few months back". Cue awkward silence.

I had to leave him to it as things started kicking off behind me between the two rugrats. I didn't even get to tell him my proper name.

I know FG won't be on the bottom of my polling card, I'm currently deciding from worst to least worst but I came across this rant yesterday I thought worthy of re-posting.

Of all his many faults and errors, I can never forgive Enda Kenny for his toleration of the continuous ignorance, arrogance and incompetence of the trio of Shatter, Reilly and Hogan.

Just because they supported him during Bruton's pathetic attempt to displace Enda, he put his own personal self-interest and desire to reward them ahead of the interests and needs of the country.

In doing so he cost the country hundreds of millions of money unnecessarily spent.

From Shatter's monumental arrogance in his dealings with and support of the Gardai to Reilly's sequential ****ups in Health combined with his dodgy financial dealings and casual corruption over the location of primary health care centres to Hogan's laziness in allow Irish Water to come about in its current incarnation, costing an unnecessary €1 billion or so in setup costs and pointless and unused domestic meters whose installation was given to a company owned by a corrupt individual who gave money to a proven liar who is being lined-up to prop-up a minority Fine Gael/Labour government.

Only Shatter was held anyway responsible and even that was done in a dishonest, underhand and opportunistic way. Reilly inexplicably continues to be a Minister. Every word from that man's mouth is a self-promoting lie. Hogan ascended to Europe to collect another pension to add to his collection not subject to the continual theft from privately-funded pension schemes by Noonan.

It is not that the others would have been any better. It is that they campaigned on the explicit commitment of being better.

Fiona

Great website thanks for that!

Fiskar

Cheers OP, nice to see a thread started that I don't have to start myself!

I'd go with Haro124 on the results, think Tomas Byrne has agreat chance in getting Hannigans seat. labour will be a defunct party after this election and it will be a shot up the arse (pardon the pun) to SIPTU who cannot dis-associate from this lying spoofing party.

Worried about Cassells, really worried, he does not get enough 1st preference votes for my mind and will struggle to get a seat. To my mind he is no Noel Dempsey and has no credentials worth a ****e for any role in Government. He does not even drive and takes taxis everywhere!

Fiskar

Cheers OP, nice to see a thread started that I don't have to start myself!

I'd go with Haro124 on the results, think Tomas Byrne has agreat chance in getting Hannigans seat. labour will be a defunct party after this election and it will be a shot up the arse (pardon the pun) to SIPTU who cannot dis-associate from this lying spoofing party.

Worried about Cassells, really worried, he does not get enough 1st preference votes for my mind and will struggle to get a seat. To my mind he is no Noel Dempsey and has no credentials worth a ****e for any role in Government. He does not even drive and takes taxis everywhere!

Fiskar

Now for the debate: A thought struck me, Navan already has 2 TD's but I struggle to see what either of them has done for the town of Navan.

Even worse, what if we have 3 Navan TDs after this election? Who is teh best of them, perhaps P Tobin?

My displeasure is rooted in the town and environs itself, if one takes ALdi, Lidl and the Palace out of Navan and perhaps the retail park at the Athboy road then Navan has not changed one damn bit in the 25 years I am here.

There are no jobs in Navan, no part time jobs and I dispair at what my kids will do for work when they leave school and don't get me started on schools.

I oftem wonder if Dempseys white elephant road was instead the rail link to Dublin from Navan just how much the town would have prospered. There are simply no jobs coming to Navan and evidence is the Council taking the Quinn building that was walkin ready (except for the council) and sold for song to the council.
My plans are made to leave the town once the kids are in college. It was a good decision at the time but I regret it now. My son could not even get a place in secondary in Navan.

Fiskar

pullandbang wrote: »

I suspect that regardless of who gets in in Meath, we're destined for a Right Wing coalition of FF and FG. Neither of them have any scruples or morals, and despite all their protestations over the years, will happily get into bed together just to hold onto power.

I call it FG and three independent parties, FG +ReNua+remants of Labour and the SD's. It will last 2 years and then we will be back to the polls.

Arrow in the Knee

Ray Butler FG does not deserve to be re-elected as he has been totally invisible and silent since being elected as a TD.

P.Toibin SF and Cassells FF for me.

Fiskar

Arrow in the Knee wrote: »

Ray Butler FG does not deserve to be re-elected as he has been totally invisible and silent since being elected as a TD.

P.Toibin SF and Cassells FF for me.

But what the hell has a Navan TD done for Navan? There is more than Navan in the county as well, Would it not be a first to have all 3 TDs from the one town, somehow I don't see that happening. Someone has to lose. Would say it is harder to lose a seat than win one so for me Cassells may not win (hope he is reading this!) and Butler should lose his seat.

Arrow in the Knee

Fiskar wrote: »

But what the hell has a Navan TD done for Navan

TBH I don't give a damn about Navan.

Stroke Politics

The hardest job an Irish politician has is getting re-elected. Once a TD is re-elected once, the probability is that they will retain that seat for some time to come.

I have to agree that the Navan TDs (both of them) have done very little to improve Navan's or Meath's chances of getting any FDI employers into the area. Do a little google test - "Job announcements for Meath or "Job announcement for Navan". The results are very instructive of the efforts that our elected representatives.

If an FDI company director comes into the county town for Meath, the first thing they see is a closed bridge that is too dangerous to cross. If they want to stay in the town, there are two dated hotels with no modern conference or leisure facilities. If they arrive by public transport, there is no structure for them to disembark. If they hire a car at Dublin airport, they are stung for a toll - two tolls if they want to travel 15k further on to Kells. If they travel around the square, there is an air of menace about the place, especially at the weekends where they will see young fellas with nothing to do shadow them for change or cigarettes. If they hurt themselves or fall ill, they will be transported to a third-rate hospital 30k away where they will not get a bed for several days. It's not a pretty sight. Why would you bother to invest here if you're not going to be brought here?

I would have expected more from P. Tobin. He is, so we are told, a management consultant. You can be sure if he got his act together, Damien Speaks No English would be on the phone to IDA Ireland to get more site visits and employment for the constituency. He might even drive them up to Navan himself (assuming he can drive). If it were not for the hospital and all the noise he makes about it, The Emperor of Woodlands would have no clothes at all.....

Navan does matter, and we should give a damn about it. I'd sooner commute to Navan on an upgraded R161 that commute into Dublin every day. And that's another thing - there is no plan to link the towns of Meath properly. The road between tTrim and Navsan is a regional road, not a national route. The East Meath corridor of Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington has poor connectivity. Try travelling from Ashbourne to Navan? Another bad road.

This county has been ASLEEP for a long time, the lethargy goes back to Bruton's time. Time for Sheeple to wake up. Ask the people who come looking for your vote what they have done for the last 5 years, what they propose to do for the next Dáil, and how they hope to achieve it. Ask Damien why the investigation into the planning irregularities at Meath Co Co and severl other co co's was pulled by FG and Phil Hogan.:mad:

Fiskar

Stroke Politics wrote: »

I would have expected more from P. Tobin. He is, so we are told, a management consultant. You can be sure if he got his act together, Damien Speaks No English would be on the phone to IDA Ireland to get more site visits and employment for the constituency. He might even drive them up to Navan himself (assuming he can drive). If it were not for the hospital and all the noise he makes about it, The Emperor of Woodlands would have no clothes at all.....

This county has been ASLEEP for a long time, the lethargy goes back to Bruton's time. Time for Sheeple to wake up. Ask the people who come looking for your vote what they have done for the last 5 years, what they propose to do for the next Dáil, and how they hope to achieve it. Ask Damien why the investigation into the planning irregularities at Meath Co Co and severl other co co's was pulled by FG and Phil Hogan.:mad:

Have to agree with you especially on the above points and certainly will take English to task on the planning when he or his cohorts call to the door.
Navan has been asleep too long, we need someone with vision not cheap rhetoric. I have to say I was especially happy with Patrick Covenys remarks yesterday that the "recovery" has left people behind. It too will raise its head at the door.
So close to Dublin but yet Navan is so remote.

haro124

I think Toibin will top the poll but can't see him being in Sinn Féín when abortion becomes an issue again in the next Dáil

bladespin

At least he's visible, I'll admit to liking the guy but not his party, pity.

davycc

in meath east myself ill be voting darren o'rourke SF number 1, not too sure of my other preferences yet.

Fiskar

No door callers yet, will see moany Joany at Coolmine train station no doubt early Monday morning! She is a regular there just to piss people off before they start a days work

Fiskar

Got Leo yesterday, gave him a piece of my mind, I did not have time to stop and allow a conversation develop but he was taken aback. Moany Joany seems to be in hiding.

It does seem the independents will have control after the election. I simply do not trust FG to remove USC, they will use another stealth tax to take back whatever they give away.

All Governments run in cycles

Year 1 - Increase taxes

Year 2- Bring in more taxes to fund hospital shortfalls

Year 3 - Improve the business environment for business and high net worth individuals

Year 4 - the jobs initiative

Year 5 - the giveaway budget to ensure re-election

Really worried what this FG Government will do if they get back in.

Fiskar

Well to-date have only had FF canvassers to the door, missed the Special Criminals the other night but echoing a trend other posters have made on the forum that FG & Labour are pushing the flyers in the letter boxes and doing a runner.
This week will tell what activity will be like.

Fiskar

Well to-date have only had FF canvassers to the door, missed the Special Criminals the other night but echoing a trend other posters have made on the forum that FG & Labour are pushing the flyers in the letter boxes and doing a runner.
This week will tell what activity will be like.

Still getting the text from Irish Water about some bill or other that I won't pay

bladespin

DDI and SF have been round, no sign of the others yet but I'm not holding my breath for FG or Labour, haven't set eyes on English since he poured pints, I struggle to understand how anyone can vote for someone they have never seen/met (even briefly) in real life.

For me it's a but like reviewing a movie you haven't seen based on other's opinions and the trailer.

KERSPLAT!

Haven't been home much but so far just SF to the door and I missed them. Absolutely lost as to who to vote for and, for the first time ever, might not even bother.

haro124

Just FF so far canvassing, not that it changed my mind about them!

Dubh Geannain

Meath West Constituency covered on Newstalk by Ivan And Chris this morning. Apparently it's the most predictable constituency in the country (along with Laois) which is a little depressing. Anyway he called it English, Tobin and Cassells in that order.

He touched on Meath East, saying that Byrne will finally get himself a seat. I would never have voted for him myself when I was in Meath East due to the typical tie-in between FF and Auctioneers/Developers.

haro124

Dubh Geannain wrote: »

Meath West Constituency covered on Newstalk by Ivan And Chris this morning. Apparently it's the most predictable constituency in the country (along with Laois) which is a little depressing. Anyway he called it English, Tobin and Cassells in that order.

He touched on Meath East, saying that Byrne will finally get himself a seat. I would never have voted for him myself when I was in Meath East due to the typical tie-in between FF and Auctioneers/Developers.

I was thinking Toibin, Cassells, English in that order (with FG getting 3rd and 4th place)

dixiefly

Probably Tobin, English and Cassells, not sure of the order but does it matter. English is lucky in a way that Butler has been almost invisible. Ironically Butler was first out with the posters but who votes based on posters anyway?

Stroke Politics

We have a late entrant! Here's the link to The Christian and Jobs Action Party, good luck to Oldcastle resident John Malone, Meath West election candidate.

http://christianandjobsactionparty.com/about/

Whether you agree with him or not, at least he's offering something different.....