GE2020 Kildare South

silver2020

excellent preview aodh_rua and hard to go against anything you say.

I think Heydon will be safe enough. I'm unsure about Doyle, though like her personally.

Have met FOL a few times - very likeable and a safe seat.

I'll say FOL, Heydon and a dogfight between Doyle, Berry & Wall.

The Saturday vote may change a lot around the county (and country) as will weather conditions which early forecast are saying will be very wet and very windy. That may prevent those without transport from getting out.

WishUWereHere

I would agree with Silver 2020, excellent surrmation Aodh_Rua.

Calhoun

What's the approved housing issue ?

Also brilliant overview.

WishUWereHere

Must confess am really miffed that none of the prospective td's knocked. I live in Roseberry Hill, and wanted to give them some questions on the infrastructure pending the building of the houses in the field opposite Sarsfields. There is work ongoing there, albeit in the early stages, but I still think it is disgraceful they are allowed build these houses ( remember another 85 approx. houses were built right opposite the entrance to RH recently ), yet nobody has said anything about infrastructure, school places, doctor availability etc.

Awful pity that the likes of Paddy Kennedy aren't running!

aodh_rua

Calhoun wrote: »

What's the approved housing issue ?

Also brilliant overview.

Some of the social housing in the county has been delivered through Approved Housing Bodies. These were initially established in the 90's, and operate as not for profit companies that leveraged public funds to construct houses for people who were on the housing lists.

The first high profile incident in Kildare South was the theft of over €200,000 from one by Sean O Fearghail's assistant, then Cllr Mark Dalton - he's currently serving a prison term after being convicted. Sean was also a director with Dalton of the AHB in question.

There are a couple of additional areas of controversy that have been highlighted by FMH.

* Many of the companies are operating with too few directors under their own terms, and many of the local ones share the same directors
* Some of the directors are there for over 20 years in contravention of guidelines
* Sean is on the board of several, while in the rest of the country only one other TD sits on a board and that's Dr Harty in Clare who sits on one - Fiona Mc feels that giving TDs and councillors direct power over housing people is a serious conflict of interest
* In several cases, tenants were not informed of their right to nominate their own directors and weren't invited to meetings

But the big one is that the tenants say they were originally informed when they moved into the houses and off the Council list, that after a fixed period they would be allowed to buy their homes. That period is around now, and they are being told they can't buy them, and have no right to pass them on to family should they pass away. The tenants are up in arms. One at the Monasterevin hustings said she had been specifically told by SOF that they could buy the houses out. Suzanne defended Sean, but this seems to be a recurring issue across the AHBs locally and affects several hundred people. I'd expect this to be a major source of anger at the Newbridge hustings on Monday night.

There's a good article from the Sunday Indo last September going through much of this.

WishUWereHere

aodh_rua wrote: »

Some of the social housing in the county has been delivered through Approved Housing Bodies. These were initially established in the 90's, and operate as not for profit companies that leveraged public funds to construct houses for people who were on the housing lists.

The first high profile incident in Kildare South was the theft of over €200,000 from one by Sean O Fearghail's assistant, then Cllr Mark Dalton - he's currently serving a prison term after being convicted.

There are a couple of additional areas of controversy that have been highlighted by FMH.

* Many of the companies are operating with too few directors under their own terms, and many of the local ones share the same directors
* Some of the directors are there for over 20 years in contravention of guidelines
* Sean is on the board of several, while in the rest of the country only one other TD sits on a board and that's Dr Harty in Clare who sits on one - Fiona Mc feels that giving TDs and councillors direct power over housing people is a serious conflict of interest
* In several cases, tenants were not informed of their right to nominate their own directors and weren't invited to meetings

But the big one is that the tenants say they were originally informed when they moved into the houses and off the Council list, that after a fixed period they would be allowed to buy their homes. That period is around now, and they are being told they can't buy them, and have no right to pass them on to family should they pass away. The tenants are up in arms. One at the Monasterevin hustings said she had been specifically told by SOF that they could buy the houses out. Suzanne defended Sean, but this seems to be a recurring issue across the AHBs locally and affects several hundred people. I'd expect this to be a major source of anger at the Newbridge hustings on Monday night.

Where and what time is this meeting AR? It seems if they won't come to me, then I'll go to them. This whole housing issue in our area and the problems it brings with it really irks me.

I also heard yesterday that approval was granted for houses to be built in the field opposite Maxol garage.

Somebody please explain just how the town will cope with all this extra traffic?

Calhoun

What a mess and designed so FF have a hand on the tiller so to speak.

WishUWereHere

Calhoun wrote: »

What a mess and designed so FF have a hand on the tiller so to speak.

You surprised Calhoun? Nothing surprises me when it comes to politics in Ireland. Ff totally broke the country, fg have screwed the tax payer and are in the process of building the most expensive hospital in the WORLD while at the same time spending 3 billion to supply broadband country wide.

aodh_rua

The Newbridge hustings are on tomorrow (Monday Feb 3) at 7:30 in the Town Hall.

StupidLikeAFox

Here are the results from 2016 if anybody is interested: https://www.irishtimes.com/election-2016/kildare-south

Mark wall was less than 2k votes out last time, and that was with a good chunk of his home support missing from the constituency. This time out they are back in, but there are also c.10k coming from Portarlington, which (I think) is traditionally FF. With SOF out of the equation, it will be interesting to see if those votes transfer over to Suzanne Doyle.

As an aside, its shocking to think that Patricia Ryan went on holiday a week before the election (if its true)

Im gonna say FOL, Heydon and Wall in that order

NewbridgeIR

With two separate sets of candidates with similar names, it's important to get it right or people will get confused

Martin HEYDON (Fine Gael)
Linda HAYDEN (Social Democrats)

Fiona O'LOUGHLIN (Fianna Fail)
Fiona McLOUGHLIN HEALY (Independent)

aodh_rua

StupidLikeAFox wrote: »

Here are the results from 2016 if anybody is interested: https://www.irishtimes.com/election-2016/kildare-south

Mark wall was less than 2k votes out last time, and that was with a good chunk of his home support missing from the constituency. This time out they are back in, but there are also c.10k coming from Portarlington, which (I think) is traditionally FF. With SOF out of the equation, it will be interesting to see if those votes transfer over to Suzanne Doyle.

As an aside, its shocking to think that Patricia Ryan went on holiday a week before the election (if its true)

Im gonna say FOL, Heydon and Wall in that order

A lot has changed since 2016, not least the fact that the quota will be over 30% higher due to the increased population, and SOF being returned to the extra seat automatically. Mark is incredibly strong in Athy, but the population needed to get elected is elsewhere, and Labour aren't going to give him a lift north of Kilberry.

Calhoun

WishUWereHere wrote: »

You surprised Calhoun? Nothing surprises me when it comes to politics in Ireland. Ff totally broke the country, fg have screwed the tax payer and are in the process of building the most expensive hospital in the WORLD while at the same time spending 3 billion to supply broadband country wide.

In 2020 yes i am a little surprised we still have crap like this going on, just like i was surprised we still head the KWETB controversy and it being used like a personal fiefdom.

Then again i believe most of the councilors caught in the sting by RTE were reelected.

aodh_rua

Calhoun wrote: »

In 2020 yes i am a little surprised we still have crap like this going on, just like i was surprised we still head the KWETB controversy and it being used like a personal fiefdom.

Then again i believe most of the councilors caught in the sting by RTE were reelected.

None of the KWETB stuff would have come to light without Fiona Mc, and none of the new Council's 39 other councillors seconded her nomination to go back onto the board after last year's local elections, including the three going for election to the Dáil this time.

Ken.

I was all set to vote for the soc dem one but then I read about her activities. Organising a protest of a man found innocent. She is an sjw who only seems to be in it for herself. Now its a toss up between her and the other Heydon fückwit as to who gets last and second last on my ballot.

Orion

Nosnon wrote: »

I was all set to vote for the soc dem one but then I read about her activities. Organising a protest of a man found innocent.

What are you talking about?

For starters nobody is ever "found innocent". Learn the law before you try to 'splain it.
Secondly a "not guilty" verdict does not mean innocent. Again learn the law before you start defending the indefensible.
Thirdly That girl was raped. End of.

Finally - that "soc dem one" is a actual rape victim. So maybe you should get your head out of your arse and accept that maybe she knows what she's talking about.

Calhoun

Now I remember who she is, not that I was going to vote for Social Democrats anyway but good to know.

Breakerz

Orion wrote: »

What are you talking about?

For starters nobody is ever "found innocent". Learn the law before you try to 'splain it.
Secondly a "not guilty" verdict does not mean innocent. Again learn the law before you start defending the indefensible.
Thirdly That girl was raped. End of.

Finally - that "soc dem one" is a actual rape victim. So maybe you should get your head out of your arse and accept that maybe she knows what she's talking about.

If you're not guilty you're entitled to be assumed innocent until a point at which you're found guilty. Let's not go down this road anyway.

Just looking at the SF candidate in the area. Very little information online about her local policies. Seems like very little effort has been put in, same with Fianna Fail, although not to the same extent.

Tacitus Kilgore

Nosnon wrote: »

I was all set to vote for the soc dem one but then I read about her activities. Organising a protest of a man found innocent. She is an sjw who only seems to be in it for herself. Now its a toss up between her and the other Heydon fückwit as to who gets last and second last on my ballot.

Calhoun wrote: »

Now I remember who she is, not that I was going to vote for Social Democrats anyway but good to know.

Good to share an electorate with nice folk like you.




She's definitely getting my vote now.

yaboya1

Orion wrote: »

Thirdly That girl was raped. End of.

Finally - that "soc dem one" is a actual rape victim. So maybe you should get your head out of your arse and accept that maybe she knows what she's talking about.

So they were found not guilty by a court, but you say she was raped. End of.
Why bother with court cases in future? People should just ask you for your verdict.

Finally, someone was raped so she must know what happened somebody she never met?

What a complete load of rubbish your entire post is!

Tacitus Kilgore

yaboya1 wrote: »

So they were found not guilty by a court, but you say she was raped. End of.
Why bother with court cases in future? People should just ask you for your verdict.

Finally, someone was raped so she must know what happened somebody she never met?

What a complete load of rubbish your entire post is!

She took an opportunity to take a stand for her cause while it was in the limelight, can't blame her.

To discount everything she ever stood/stands for over one item, says more about the voter than the politician tbh.



Especially rich when posters conclude voting for SF after, they've a history too ya know :pac:

yaboya1

Tacitus Kilgore wrote: »

She took an opportunity to take a stand for her cause while it was in the limelight, can't blame her.

To discount everything she ever stood/stands for over one item, says more about the voter than the politician tbh.



Especially rich when posters conclude voting for SF after, they've a history too ya know :pac:

That's fair enough, but it's not what the post I quoted from says.

Calhoun

Tacitus Kilgore wrote: »

Good to share an electorate with nice folk like you.




She's definitely getting my vote now.

Come off with that ****e, like the saying bad cases don't make good law it also doesn't make good TD's.

The question voters will have to ask themselves is what will she get done that will make our lives better, especially as she considers half the population to be toxic and rapists.

Vote for who you want, and I will do the same.

Tacitus Kilgore

Calhoun wrote: »

Come off with that ****e, like the saying bad cases don't make good law it also doesn't make good TD's.

The question voters will have to ask themselves is what will she get done that will make our lives better, especially as she considers half the population to be toxic and rapists.

Vote for who you want, and I will do the same.

Where'd you see that?

FWIW, I didn't agree with the protest she played a part in, but I can't argue with her reasoning to do it on a human level.


I think personally that the soc dems are coming from a good place with their intentions, I see the local councillor Chris Pender out with groups of young people almost every weekend in different cafes in the town or out and about trying to help with initiatives and whatever else they get up to, compare that with the FF/FG folk talking about how they got footpaths open and hedges clipped that have been in the workings for donkeys years anyway - so for that, they'll get my (probably wasted) vote in what will most likely be nothing but a switcheroo FG/FF - FF/FG election anyway.

Calhoun

Tacitus Kilgore wrote: »

Where'd you see that?

FWIW, I didn't agree with the protest she played a part in, but I can't argue with her reasoning to do it on a human level.


I think personally that the soc dems are coming from a good place with their intentions, I see the local councillor Chris Pender out with groups of young people almost every weekend in different cafes in the town or out and about trying to help with initiatives and whatever else they get up to, compare that with the FF/FG folk talking about how they got footpaths open and hedges clipped that have been in the workings for donkeys years anyway - so for that, they'll get my (probably wasted) vote in what will most likely be nothing but a switcheroo FG/FF - FF/FG election anyway.

In current affairs forum with many examples in the media over the past year.

I don't disagree with her on a human level and why she is doing it but how that translates into her politics and message needs to be understood clearly. Maybe the Irishtimes miswrote what she said and she isn't as hard on her points as it reads but hard to tell.

I at one stage had allot of time for the Soc Dems as the stance their leaders took on DOB was brave and really help drive the crap going on with site serve ect. However the behaviour running up to the local elections, the Garry Gannon show that it became really put me off them. This is the rub and why I am wary of them, they selected a really bad candidate on the basis of skin colour and then when questioned about the lies in the candidates background they called anyone who asked a racist and came close to splitting the party.

So I am very wary of any candidates that have the potential to brand the electorate, x, y , or z any time they ask questions about policies they are proposing. Its a form of invalidating your nay-sayers and basically saying their votes and opinions don't matter because they are horrible people, its very American and polarizes rather than meeting in the middle.

Tacitus Kilgore

Calhoun wrote: »

In current affairs forum with many examples in the media over the past year.

I don't disagree with her on a human level and why she is doing it but how that translates into her politics and message needs to be understood clearly. Maybe the Irishtimes miswrote what she said and she isn't as hard on her points as it reads but hard to tell.

I at one stage had allot of time for the Soc Dems as the stance their leaders took on DOB was brave and really help drive the crap going on with site serve ect. However the behaviour running up to the local elections, the Garry Gannon show that it became really put me off them. This is the rub and why I am wary of them, they selected a really bad candidate on the basis of skin colour and then when questioned about the lies in the candidates background they called anyone who asked a racist and came close to splitting the party.

So I am very wary of any candidates that have the potential to brand the electorate, x, y , or z any time they ask questions about policies they are proposing. Its a form of invalidating your nay-sayers and basically saying their votes and opinions don't matter because they are horrible people, its very American and polarizes rather than meeting in the middle.

Great post, and some really good points, I have some more reading and thinking to do.

Thank you for offering a differing perspective and for reminding me of certain things I had forgotten about.

ebbsy

Some amount of garbage coming through my door.


It is amazing the volume of it, straight in the bin it goes.

Damien360

aodh_rua wrote: »

The Newbridge hustings are on tomorrow (Monday Feb 3) at 7:30 in the Town Hall.

I’ll take your word on this but I haven’t seen this published anywhere. Are they keeping this quiet or is it just for party political activists ? I found info for monasterevin one last Friday online in a Laois publication but nothing for Newbridge one.

Calhoun

Tacitus Kilgore wrote: »

Great post, and some really good points, I have some more reading and thinking to do.

Thank you for offering a differing perspective and for reminding me of certain things I had forgotten about.

Please do, I also have more research to do also as I would not like to write good people off either.

My problem is I'm new to this area as I'm one of the few moved to the Kildare south so I don't know any of them.

As a father with three daughters and one of them on the spectrum we need more tolerance and diversity in our politics. Which is why I am very wary of people who engage in politics we see being used in America.

The PR system has it's flaws in that or politics are slow moving but where it excels is making sure we have full representation which is keeping us from getting to extremes. Sure the past 100 years it hasn't always worked the best but it's starting to.

babycrocket1

Damien360 wrote: »

I’ll take your word on this but I haven’t seen this published anywhere. Are they keeping this quiet or is it just for party political activists ? I found info for monasterevin one last Friday online in a Laois publication but nothing for Newbridge one.

There's a live steam on Newbridge Tidy Towns Facebook page at the moment.