General Election TV debates

easypazz

shenanagans wrote: »

I'd say it will be another confidence and supply agreement with FG propping up FF this time. Unless Greens and Labour get numbers to form a govt with FF.... hopefully this will happen....it would be more popular I'd imagine.

If FF and FG get something like say 49 and 44 seats then surely FG are entitled to expect a coalition?

It would play into SF's hands though as SF would be the main opposition party and build nicely for 5 years time.

I'd say FF and FG are petrified of Sinn Fein.

shenanagans

easypazz wrote: »

If FF and FG get something like say 49 and 44 seats then surely FG are entitled to expect a coalition?

It would play into SF's hands though as SF would be the main opposition party and build nicely for 5 years time.

I'd say FF and FG are petrified of Sinn Fein.

I could be wrong but arent the numbers similar now....FG 50 and FF 44??

FF and FG aren't afraid of SF at all because Mary Lou is correct......the two main parties will agree to keep SF out.

golfball37

I still think we could have a John A Costello type Taoiseach like John McGuinness come February. Martin now cannot row back on his SF assertions but the FF Ard Comhairle may decide differently, if its the only option availabe.

easypazz

shenanagans wrote: »

I could be wrong but arent the numbers similar now....FG 50 and FF 44??

FF and FG aren't afraid of SF at all because Mary Lou is correct......the two main parties will agree to keep SF out.

Yes and IIRC FF didn't want to join a coalition, FG may not want to enter a supply and confidence this time, so who knows.

shenanagans

golfball37 wrote: »

I still think we could have a John A Costello type Taoiseach like John McGuinness come February. Martin now cannot row back on his SF assertions but the FF Ard Comhairle may decide differently, if its the only option availabe.

FG would rather hold FF up under a confidence and supply rather than see SF come in with FF. And MM would also prefer this.....he has more in common with FG.

JohnnyFlash

golfball37 wrote: »

I still think we could have a John A Costello type Taoiseach like John McGuinness come February. Martin now cannot row back on his SF assertions but the FF Ard Comhairle may decide differently, if its the only option availabe.

‘Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them....well I have others’.

JohnnyFlash

shenanagans wrote: »

FG would rather hold FF up under a confidence and supply rather than see SF come in with FF. And MM would also prefer this.....he has more in common with FG.

Make no mistake, if the numbers stacked up then FG would try and seduce SF to form a coalition. LV and MLM actually like each other despite the politics.

The question here is whether SF want to actually play a bit of county hurling or do they prefer to just be a party of opposition.

Idbatterim

easypazz wrote: »

If FF and FG get something like say 49 and 44 seats then surely FG are entitled to expect a coalition?

It would play into SF's hands though as SF would be the main opposition party and build nicely for 5 years time.

I'd say FF and FG are petrified of Sinn Fein.

they arent. their vote will never top 15% or thereabouts...

FrancieBrady

golfball37 wrote: »

Martin now cannot row back on his SF assertions.

You can't see Martin waving the hands about and doing a 'woe is me, I'm making a great personal sarcrifice for the country' speech?
He fecking did one last night on Confidence and Supply ffs. He's a political opportunist. If SF are his only chance to be Taoiseach (and he is on his last one) he'll find the words and a way.

easypazz

FrancieBrady wrote: »

You can't see Martin waving the hands about and doing a 'woe is me, I'm making a great personal sarcrifice for the country' speech?
He fecking did one last night on Confidence and Supply ffs. He's a political opportunist. If SF are his only chance to be Taoiseach (and he is on his last one) he'll find the words and a way.

Exactly. If a SF / FF coalition happens and it is a success he may even get 2 terms.

Otherwise he walks and never gets seen again.

Naggdefy

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

If the numbers stack up then it will happen. They will huff and they’ll puff, and they’ll pretend to be trying to put together some sort of grand coalition involving everyone except SF and FG. And there will be lots of posturing and hot air. Might go on for a few weeks. Insults will be traded and Hugh O’Connell will explode with excitement.

And then Mehole and Mary will hold ‘private talks’ and a decision to go into coalition will happen for the ‘good of the country’.

Would you stop with your 'mehole', fairly boring at this stage. He's a decent man who has buried 2 children.

easypazz

Idbatterim wrote: »

they arent. their vote will never top 15% or thereabouts...

Rubbish, nobody knows that, there are a lot of constituencies Limerick county, Clare, Galway, Mayo and Sligo for example where they are thin on the ground.

Plenty of opportunity to make gains in these areas.

If we see a FF / FG arrangement again then SF will defacto be the main opposition party.

easypazz

Naggdefy wrote: »

Would you stop with your 'mehole', fairly boring at this stage. He's a decent man who has buried 2 children.

Christ that's a dirty pull from you right there.

JohnnyFlash

Naggdefy wrote: »

Would you stop with your 'mehole', fairly boring at this stage. He's a decent man who has buried 2 children.

I don’t see what his tragic and unimaginable loses have to do with his notoriously prickly and cranky nature, or a nickname long assigned to him.

SafeSurfer

FrancieBrady wrote: »

Martin runs a party that was born exactly the same way. What is your point here, other than wanting to drag a current debate back to the past?

You label MM as power hungry. My point is that current members of Sinn Fein were so power hungry they were willing to kill anyone who got in their way to achieve it. You can go back 100 years and talk about the war of independence and civil war if you want. I am talking about current party members of SF.

That is all.

SafeSurfer

easypazz wrote: »

Rubbish, nobody knows that, there are a lot of constituencies Limerick county, Clare, Galway, Mayo and Sligo for example where they are thin on the ground.

Plenty of opportunity to make gains in these areas.

If we see a FF / FG arrangement again then SF will defacto be the main opposition party.

Opportunities to make gains in areas like Sligo where for the first time in over 20 years they aren’t even running a candidate? I don’t think so.

Naggdefy

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

I don’t see what his tragic and unimaginable loses have to do with his notoriously prickly and cranky nature, or a nickname long assigned to him.

He's not prickly. He never loses his cool. He's no different than Leo, Eamonn Ryan etc.

Now Dessie O'Malley was someone you'd call narky, cranky, prickly. PR school has left very few like that today.

FrancieBrady

SafeSurfer wrote: »

You label MM as power hungry. My point is that current members of Sinn Fein were so power hungry they were willing to kill anyone who got in their way to achieve it. You can go back 100 years and talk about the war of independence and civil war if you want. I am talking about current party members of SF.

That is all.

SO what? You undermine the conflict/war in northern Ireland down to a 'power struggle' all you want.

Even if it was, how does that alter the fact that MM is also power hungry? You don't have to kill anybody to be described as 'power hungry'.

Get over yourself here, you aren't countering the point at all.

RandomViewer

SafeSurfer wrote: »

Yawn.

Yawn all yo like, FG dont even bother trying to hide he owns them.

blanch152

easypazz wrote: »

If FF and FG get something like say 49 and 44 seats then surely FG are entitled to expect a coalition?

It would play into SF's hands though as SF would be the main opposition party and build nicely for 5 years time.

I'd say FF and FG are petrified of Sinn Fein.

I don't think FF and FG are petrified of Sinn Fein per se.

Rather I would see it that FF and FG are rightly afraid of the damage that Sinn Fein would do to our democracy, our society and our economy if they ever wielded serious power in the South. In the North, they are held in check by the balances applied through the unique provisions of the Stormont Assembly.

jammiedodgers

golfball37 wrote: »

I still think we could have a John A Costello type Taoiseach like John McGuinness come February. Martin now cannot row back on his SF assertions but the FF Ard Comhairle may decide differently, if its the only option availabe.

Yeah, imagine a politician going back on their word :eek:

Fr_Dougal

easypazz wrote: »

MM has also ruled out a coalition with FG. According to MM the people want a new government.

His only option, to implement what the people keep telling him on the doorsteps, may be to form a new government with SF.

No he hasn’t, he was very careful with his words. He said that people want change, he never categorically ruled out a FF/FG coalition.

He did, however, rule out a SF/IRA coalition.

“We will not be going into coalition with Sin Féin,” he said.

blanch152

FrancieBrady wrote: »

Martin runs a party that was born exactly the same way. What is your point here, other than wanting to drag a current debate back to the past?

So we can talk about Fianna Fail historically being founded in 1922 in a completely different era, but we can't talk about the involvement of current Sinn Fein representatives in terrorist activity.


Got it.

SafeSurfer

FrancieBrady wrote: »

SO what? You undermine the conflict/war in northern Ireland down to a 'power struggle' all you want.

Even if it was, how does that alter the fact that MM is also power hungry? You don't have to kill anybody to be described as 'power hungry'.

Get over yourself here, you aren't countering the point at all.

You are being ridiculous now Frankie. Describing a person as power hungry even though they ruled out SF as a partner therefore narrowing their path to power.

If the Northern Ireland conflict wasn’t a power struggle what was it and is it?

FrancieBrady

blanch152 wrote: »

So we can talk about Fianna Fail historically being founded in 1922 in a completely different era, but we can't talk about the involvement of current Sinn Fein representatives in terrorist activity.


Got it.

You talk away about it blanch. I ain't stopping you.

blanch152

RandomViewer wrote: »

Word is Dinny is getting final say on FG candidates,

Final say?

All Fine Gael candidates had to go to Dinny's Island to be vetted appropriately beforehand.

StupidLikeAFox

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

I don’t see what his tragic and unimaginable loses have to do with his notoriously prickly and cranky nature, or a nickname long assigned to him.

Talking about people with nicknames is extremely childish. Its literally schoolyard stuff and takes away from any point you are trying to make, or else it looks like you don't actually have a point but want to stick the boot in anyway for no apparent reason.

The following terms should be added to the swear filter:

• Mehole
• Lieo
• Mary Loony McDonald
• Liebour
• Rich Boy Barrett
• FFG

Im sure there is many more.

FrancieBrady

SafeSurfer wrote: »

You are being ridiculous now Frankie. Describing a person as power hungry even though they ruled out SF as a partner therefore narrowing their path to power.

If the Northern Ireland conflict wasn’t a power struggle what was it and is it?

Power hungry doesn't necessarily imply intelligence. He wouldn't be the first to allow the eye on the prize to be blinded and crash in flames.

blanch152

McMurphy wrote: »

16-1 I think on Paddy Power.

Nice wedge of cash there for a betting man.

Edit, 6 - 1, 16-1 on a ff minority govt which I think may be ultimately where we're headed.

I got in with a €20 bet on FF/SF at 12/1.

SafeSurfer

FrancieBrady wrote: »

Power hungry doesn't necessarily imply intelligence. He wouldn't be the first to allow the eye on the prize to be blinded and crash in flames.

Obfuscate much?