General Election TV debates

leahyl

Might not even be an election now after that independent candidate passed away in Tipperary

Galwayguy35

ChikiChiki wrote: »

Mary Lou should pull out of the debate tomorrow. They will all try to absolutely ruin her and SF and I would say that is the only motive. Alarm bells are ringing in Montrose and Govt buildings.

**** them. RTÉ only invites her when it suits them.

And if they didn't invite her people would be whinging as well, don't worry about Mary Lou she is a seasoned debater who is well able to fight her corner.

ninebeanrows

Mary Lou had a desperate performance, embarrassing intact

Anyone complaining about interviewing style watch the other interviews.

Dobson went hard on all

Mary Lou was sunk tonight

Galwayguy35

leahyl wrote: »

Might not even be an election now after that independent candidate passed away in Tipperary

They are going to have it in a week or so in that constituency I think, it will drag out the final result but I'd say unless the number are very tight we will have a rough idea who the largest party is this day week.

thequarefellow

Tomorrow night's Prime Time debate should prove interesting. She will do well. It will be 3 against 1. She will be well able to handle herself up against Meehawl and leo. And if the attack comes on too strong it will be perceived as bullying and she will reap extra sympathy vote.

leahyl

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

They are going to have it in a week or so in that constituency I think, it will drag out the final result but I'd say unless the number are very tight we will have a rough idea who the largest party is this day week.

Mattie McGrath said he’s getting legal advice to try to stop the postponement of it and if that doesn’t work he’s going to the courts to seek to delay the whole election.

ninebeanrows

thequarefellow wrote: »

Tomorrow night's Prime Time debate should prove interesting. She will do well. It will be 3 against 1. She will be well able to handle herself up against Meehawl and leo. And if the attack comes on too strong it will be perceived as bullying and she will reap extra sympathy vote.

Did you watch that Interview?

Calhoun

We shall see how it goes , i dont think its a 3 v 1 scenario as FG and FF have to fight each other also.

Just like with the four way in the north west, the person with the more credible and reasoned answers will come out winning.

Playing the poor mouth going into it and also predicting and calling for bullying does it a disservice.

FrancieBrady

leahyl wrote: »

Mattie McGrath said he’s getting legal advice to try to stop the postponement of it and if that doesn’t work he’s going to the courts to seek to delay the whole election.

He has a point.


RIP to the candidate.

Galwayguy35

leahyl wrote: »

Mattie McGrath said he’s getting legal advice to try to stop the postponement of it and if that doesn’t work he’s going to the courts to seek to delay the whole election.

Can't see them canceling the election just a few days out from it.

Muahahaha

Sir Oxman wrote: »

I counted two questions from Dobson about actual SF policies in the election in half an hour and one of those was tied to the north.
The rest...

Felt the same, like there are actual questions to be asked about SF economic policy and what they would do if in power. I would have liked to have heard Dobbo drilling down in to their promise to abolish the USC and property tax. But we didnt get to learn about any of that because Dobbo was more interested in the IRA.

Anyway tonight at 9.30pm sees Claire Bynre host the climate change debate. Not sure if it is all their party leaders or their green reps or who is on it. Eamon Ryan certain to be there looking as smug as ever. He needs to wipe that grin off his face because so far he has had a terrible campaign and this supposed green wave doesnt look like materialising at all.

SafeSurfer

Sleety_Rain wrote: »

Did you watch that Interview?

What interview was that?

wetlandsboy

A car crash interview! Dobbo absolutely flushed her out. It’ll be hard for SF to recover from this.

Calhoun

https://www.rte.ie/player/series/election-2020-bryan-dobson-interviews.../SI0000006729?epguid=IH000390799

Player for each of the interviews, i havent watched the other two so i will to give an idea of it.

For Mary Lou:

Part 1:

Start:

Did not like the start of the Mary Lou one, the whole SF members getting caught up in a criminals murder, if they want to let the police forces deal with it exclusively they should not be going anywhere near the IRA asking questions about involvement ect.

The special criminal court topic:

Would not answer if we should get rid of it and if its not working other than saying we should look at all our laws. No definitive answer on it or a stance which she backed up.

Tax cuts:

Closing tax regime loopholes, banks paying tax, 5% tax increase on higher income earnings, vacant site levy increased to 15%. Disappointed not to see a widening of the taxbase for lower income earners and as much as she said things were costed she didnt seem to know the numbers on the vacant site levy.

ChikiChiki

wetlandsboy wrote: »

A car crash interview! Dobbo absolutely flushed her out. It’ll be hard for SF to recover from this.

Taste of things to come. She needs to withdraw before the RTE/FG/FF machine eats her up tomorrow. Luckily not many people have seen the 6-1 interview to make a dent.

Also there is absolutely no need to cancel the Tipp election ffs.

road_high

Sleety_Rain wrote: »

Mary Lou had a desperate performance, embarrassing intact

Anyone complaining about interviewing style watch the other interviews.

Dobson went hard on all

Mary Lou was sunk tonight

She was brutal. Folded like cheap tinfoil on anything remotely proping. Refused to back the SCC and the facade collapsed from there. Shinnerbots in full meltdown mode on social media so we know for sure she was outed finally!

road_high

ChikiChiki wrote: »

Taste of things to come. She needs to withdraw before the RTE/FG/FF machine eats her up tomorrow.

Also there is absolutely no need to cancel the Tipp election ffs.

Why should she withdraw? She spent the last three weeks playing the victim about not being invited.

ChikiChiki

Because they are setting it up to crucify Sinn Féin since they are doing so well in the polls. If they were invited a week ago I wouldn't have thought as much but seems that were invited after a RTÉ steering crisis meeting.

Also one of the parties involved has a major conflict of interest via Miriam and Jim O'Callaghan.

Not a SF supporter and they won't be getting my number 1 but I can see it for what it is.

Jinglejangle69

I find it hilarious when SF supporters rant about RTÉ bias and conveniently forget RTÉ prime time does shows every week slating FG about counclilors taking bribes or the NCH overspend etc or the "homeless" crisis.

They really have the poor me victim mentality.

Jinglejangle69

ChikiChiki wrote: »

Because they are setting it up to crucify Sinn Féin since they are doing so well in the polls. If they were invited a week ago I wouldn't have thought as much but seems that were invited after a RTÉ steering crisis meeting.

Also one of the parties involved has a major conflict of interest via Miriam and Jim O'Callaghan.

Ah give it over if SF are so confident of their policies and convinced they are right and have nothing to feel guilty about then why are you and their supporters so afraid of hard questions?

road_high

ChikiChiki wrote: »

Because they are setting it up to crucify Sinn Féin since they are doing so well in the polls. If they were invited a week ago I wouldn't have thought as much but seems that were invited after a RTÉ steering crisis meeting.

Also one of the parties involved has a major conflict of interest via Miriam and Jim O'Callaghan.

They’re doing their job and rightly scrutinising SF policy and record. Long live our free democracy and press- evidently SF have a major issue with both abd want everything in their terms solely

ChikiChiki

Jinglejangle69 wrote: »

Ah give it over if SF are so confident of their policies and convinced they are right and have nothing to feel guilty about then why are you and their supporters so afraid of hard questions?

Not a supporter but why were they or other fringe parties not asked in the first place?
Because RTE want to keep it a two party country.

It was nothing but undemocratic. Soc Dems get my number 1.

maccored

road_high wrote: »

She was brutal. Folded like cheap tinfoil on anything remotely proping. Refused to back the SCC and the facade collapsed from there. Shinnerbots in full meltdown mode on social media so we know for sure she was outed finally!

do these shinnerbots fly around in your imagination or something?

ChikiChiki

road_high wrote: »

They’re doing their job and rightly scrutinising SF policy and record. Long live our free democracy and press- evidently SF have a major issue with both abd want everything in their terms solely

You could say the same for FF and FG. All policy is under scrutiny. I don't see this as a level playing field and a panic last minute invitation based on polling data.

bennyl10

All Dobson did was push her on her own manifesto?
She had no answer.

SF have a troubled past, and have party members currently, in 2020, calling mothers of murdered people and saying the deceased was a criminal and that’s why he was killed! So yes of course it’s relevant.
This is a party that want to lead Ireland. If a member of Ff/Fg did the same thing do people honestly think it would never be mentioned? It would be main headline news, everywhere.

Some in Sf will be fearing tomorrow night after that, because she had zero answers when actually pushed.

Just fluff and bluster, as SF have always been

easypazz

leahyl wrote: »

Mattie McGrath said he’s getting legal advice to try to stop the postponement of it and if that doesn’t work he’s going to the courts to seek to delay the whole election.

People on the islands vote in advance and their ballots are held securely and opened on the day.

In theory if FF and FG get the same number of seats then the Tipp vote would be crucial.

Perhaps all the other votes should be held securely until the Tipp ballot is held.

Common sense should prevail here and the polling office staff could put a sticker across each ballot paper as they are being handed out.

smurgen

road_high wrote: »

They’re doing their job and rightly scrutinising SF policy and record. Long live our free democracy and press- evidently SF have a major issue with both abd want everything in their terms solely

Free press?are you having a laugh?or state broadcaster had to have a shadowy steering committee meeting in light of public backlash.not only that but the main executive deciding this is related to the party in power.trump would blush.

Calhoun

Part 2 (had to put a child to bed):

Tax cuts continued:

Big gotcha on the levy is that allot of the land is held by local councils. So are we raising income by charging our own councils? Will scrap the local property tax which will be very popular, probably see it being replaced with a system like rates which are up the north which goes to local property rather than central pot. Pension age being reduced to 65 is an interesting one, as it seems to contradict conventional thinking around aging populations. Made a great point about plugging the hole by solving the demographic issue caused by lack of service which has people questioning when to start families.

Record in the North:

Calling our performance in the North and how in the UK the health service in the North is the worst. She basically pushed back saying it was the Tories fault, i think this was a bit of a fudge as particularly in the past two years the lack of government has definitely impacted.

Border Poll:

Pushing for future governments to start planning for the eventuality which i think is fair but there is a 12B subvention needs to be plugged, no real answer for where it will be plugged. She also made a very good point on the EU being used like they were with the German reunification.

Who runs Sinn Fein?:

Used example of cash for ash and SF minister for finance asking for permission from an individual (Ted Howell) article on the issue. Very weak answer from Mary Lou who tried to deflect, wouldnt really answer it and turned it into a look at FF/FG. Apparently it doesn't matter though as housing, health ect are what should be discussed which i think is a cop out.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/row-over-mystery-sf-power-broker-o-muilleoir-went-cap-in-hand-to-37452179.html

Bullying:

Very strong response from Mary Lou on this one, was open on what has been done and what has not been done.

Seamus Mallon Honor:

Shows a level of vindictiveness from SF members and this is where the mask does slip that they would by against an honor for someone who was a proponent against political violence. Kinda similar to how they tried to blacken the name of Brian Stack in recent years.

Overall it was a hard interview but i can see why DOB asked the questions he did as he was trying to give a wider glimpse of who SF are outside of the current issues in the country that are dominating the election. While they have no prior experience in the South they do in the North and that should be reviewed as well as the baggage they are carrying related to political violence.

James Brown

Jinglejangle69 wrote: »

I find it hilarious when SF supporters rant about RTÉ bias and conveniently forget RTÉ prime time does shows every week slating FG about counclilors taking bribes or the NCH overspend etc or the "homeless" crisis.

They really have the poor me victim mentality.

So the criticism of the sitting government isn't warranted?

Jinglejangle69

Matt Barrett wrote: »

So the criticism of the sitting government isn't warranted?

Of course it is.

But why do Sinn Féin supporters think RTÉ won't ever criticise FG when the evidence is there to see they do every week.

Poor victim mentality as if everyone is out to get them.