Rónán Mullen tops poll and re-elected to Senate

Grab All Association

What do you expect from people who went to

https://youtu.be/__l7iHBS6lE

elperello

Democracy works.
The guy with the most votes won.
Who'd have thunk it?

alan partridge aha

Huntergonzo wrote: »

I doubt the 8th would have mattered in fairness, abortion wasn't a choice in Ireland before the 8th was introduced or was it?

My mother had it out of necessity, she was dying, but apparently the 'pro-lifers' couldn't give 1 fcuk about that.

But it would have been only the 8th was introduced. UK had abortion legalised in 67.

BarryD2

Salary Negotiator wrote: »

It’s a postal vote, send them the registration form and when there’s an election they’ll send you the ballot paper.

The candidates also get your address and some will send you their literature.

Ah, so it's only a subset of NUI graduates - those that register to have a vote. I wonder does anyone know:

a) how many are on the NUI register?
b) how many NUI graduates in say last 50 years?

I presume also like any voting register there maybe duplicates and deceased on it.

Be interesting to learn how truly representative the NUI electorate is of the entire NUI graduate body.

Huntergonzo

Water John wrote: »

I have no problem with the conservative element of Irish society having democratic representation. In fact it's good. It's just that Mullen is not a very nice person. Seems to belong to a hard clique, similar to those few who the bishop was complaining about the other day, who are trying to pressurise priests to say mass, at this time.

I met him out canvassing once, he wasn't particularly pleasant.

I told him I'd vote for him (I tell all politicians this so they'll let me get on with my day), but he actually followed me down the street telling me all about his 'pro-life' opinions and me carrying 2 heavy shopping bags to my car, very pushy pompus sort I found.

I told him again I'd vote for him but he continued on following me, so I basically told him to go'way ta fcuk!

alan partridge aha

Huntergonzo wrote: »

I met him out canvassing once, he wasn't particularly pleasant.

I told him I'd vote for him (I tell all politicians this so they'll let me get on with my day), but he actually followed me down the street telling me all about his 'pro-life' opinions and me carrying 2 heavy shopping bags to my car, very pushy pompus sort I found.

I told him again I'd vote for him but he continued on following me, so I basically told him to go'way ta fcuk!

I'd agree with you there, he doesn't come across very charismatic or overly pleasant.

alan partridge aha

alan partridge aha wrote: »

I'd agree with you there, he doesn't come across very charismatic or overly pleasant.

He has the charisma of a brick to the face, and the empathy of an angry wasp.

Salary Negotiator

BarryD2 wrote: »

Ah, so it's only a subset of NUIG graduates - those that register to have a vote. I wonder does anyone know:

a) how many are on the NUIG register?
b) how many NUIG graduates in say last 50 years?

I presume also like any voting register there maybe duplicates and deceased on it.

Be interesting to learn how truly representative the NUIG electorate is of the entire NUIG graduate body.

It’s not just NUIG (which is Galway) it’s all the NUI colleges.

I graduated from NUI Galway in 2004 and this is the first time I’ve actually voted in a Seanad election.

I’ve 2 brothers who are also NUI graduates and I don’t think either of them voted this time (at least).

Huntergonzo

alan partridge aha wrote: »

But it would have been only the 8th was introduced. UK had abortion legalised in 67.

Forget the UK, we're talking about Ireland here.

Again I consider myself lucky that my mother was able to access a necessary abortion, which she almost certainly would not have been if the 8th was in place.

Would you have preferred if she wasn't able to access this abortion?

Huntergonzo

alan partridge aha wrote: »

I'd agree with you there, he doesn't come across very charismatic or overly pleasant.

Ha no but I suppose he's not alone there when it comes to politicians, plenty of unpleasant characters in politics on all sides, but plenty of decent ones as well to be fair.

BarryD2

Salary Negotiator wrote: »

It’s not just NUIG (which is Galway) it’s all the NUI colleges.

I graduated from NUI Galway in 2004 and this is the first time I’ve actually voted in a Seanad election.

I’ve 2 brothers who are also NUI graduates and I don’t think either of them voted this time (at least).

Sorry my typo which I realised on rereading. But still it'd be interesting see figures of how many are on this NUI voting register and how relative that is to the NUI graduate population as a whole.

Somewhere above, I think 34% turnout of this NUI electorate was mentioned. But is that electorate a small self selecting set of a further set of graduates. Who in turn are a small subset of the Irish population as a whole.

If that's the case, I suppose easy to see how some individuals who wouldn't have a hope in a more representative electorate can manipulate it to top polls like this.

alan partridge aha

Huntergonzo wrote: »

Forget the UK, we're talking about Ireland here.

Again I consider myself lucky that my mother was able to access a necessary abortion, which she almost certainly would not have been if the 8th was in place.

Would you have preferred if she wasn't able to access this abortion?

It was on the horizon if the 8th was not put in place.

Water John

I don't mind people having different personalities, some people can be abrupt but that wouldn't put me off. He's just umpleasant and I wouldn't vote for someone like him, no matter what their political views.

Huntergonzo

alan partridge aha wrote: »

It was on the horizon if the 8th was not put in place.

Hmmmm, doesn't actually answer my question, but I doubt it will be answered so I digress.

Salary Negotiator

BarryD2 wrote: »

Sorry my typo which I realised on rereading. But still it'd be interesting see figures of how many are on this NUI voting register and how relative that is to the NUI graduate population as a whole.

Somewhere above, I think 34% turnout of this NUI electorate was mentioned. But is that electorate a small self selecting set of a further set of graduates. Who in turn are a small subset of the Irish population as a whole.

If that's the case, I suppose easy to see how some individuals who wouldn't have a hope in a more representative electorate can manipulate it to top polls like this.

Yeah, it’s just those graduates that have registered to vote which could be a very small subset of all graduates.

And Mullen was the stand out candidate for anyone who is conservative. A lot of the other candidates actually had very similar backgrounds, viewpoints and policies (from what I received in the post) so they would have cannibalised each other’s votes leaving Mullen to top the poll.

Huntergonzo

Water John wrote: »

I don't mind people having different personalities, some people can be abrupt but that wouldn't put me off. He's just umpleasant and I wouldn't vote for someone like him, no matter what their political views.

Same as that, for example I voted to repeal the 8th but I wouldn't have a lot of time for some of the politicians or campaigners on the repeal side.

Some of them would drive you to drink!

Iodine1

Salary Negotiator wrote: »

Yeah, it’s just those graduates that have registered to vote which could be a very small subset of all graduates.

if I remember correctly all NUI graduates are invited to register on qualifying. Vote is only by post so it's easy to vote.

Also the NUI only have a few seats, can't remember exactly how many. Other seats are filled by a number of other interest groups such as county councillors, trade unions and others. They're not necessarily graduates. And government has 11 seats, so fair to say it is representative but just selected in a different way.

Water John

NUI and Trinity have 3 seats each. There were 19 candidates in the NUI ballot paper. I suspect that the voting % of graduates is really low, and Mullen and his backers spotted it as an elected seat that could be worked on. I suspect they organised, within their groupings, for all graduate members to register.
AFAIK, the last time it was revealed in the subsequent disclosures that Mullen had a massive amount of funding.

Eric Cartman

Water John wrote: »

NUI and Trinity have 3 seats each. There were 19 candidates in the NUI ballot paper. I suspect that the voting % of graduates is really low, and Mullen and his backers spotted it as an elected seat that could be worked on. I suspect they organised, within their groupings, for all graduate members to register.
AFAIK, the last time it was revealed in the subsequent disclosures that Mullen had a massive amount of funding.

3 times...
or could it be that his work as a senator that doesn't cross his catholic beliefs is quite good and aside from a tiny handful of issues that he has little impact on that he is capable to do his job.

Water John

Mullen doesn't do anything outside his core belief issues.

mikeym

We had the golden chance to scrap the Seanad and we didnt.

Congratulations to those who got elected and I hope ye have a great time on the Gravy Train while we suffer on during these hard times.

Rodney Bathgate

Water John wrote: »

Mullen doesn't do anything outside his core belief issues.

Same for Bacik, but I suppose her core belief issues tie in with yours so that isn’t a problem for you.

Dr. Bre

Good luck whoever you are

Geuze

BarryD2 wrote: »

One presumes the graduates of the National University of Ireland are reasonably well educated and informed of such matters, so how on earth could they elect him top of the poll, indeed how could they elect him fullstop.

The only possible explanations I can think of are a) graduates of the National University of Ireland are far more conservative than the rest of society and/ or more likely b) only the religious conservative graduates bother voting.

Anyone else have an idea?

Yes we are reasonably well educated, thank you.

Several of my friends, who work in 3rd-level education, voted for him.

They have no connection whatsoever to religion/Maynooth, etc.

You might call them "conservative", I don't think such labels are that helpful.

I am delighted that he is elected, although I don't know much about his actual policies.

The reason I am delighted is because I don't like the many, many vocal people on Twitter and elsewhere who targeted him.

These people are SJW / into identity politics / victimhood / happy-clappy politics.

When the silent majority speaks, they are aghast.

I see them today, at a loss to how he topped the poll.

I am the opposite - I can't believe anybody would vote for Coppinger and her ilk.

Nigel Fairservice

Iodine1 wrote: »

if I remember correctly all NUI graduates are invited to register on qualifying. Vote is only by post so it's easy to vote.

Also the NUI only have a few seats, can't remember exactly how many. Other seats are filled by a number of other interest groups such as county councillors, trade unions and others. They're not necessarily graduates. And government has 11 seats, so fair to say it is representative but just selected in a different way.

They hand out the voting registration forms at graduation. I'd say most people don't bother with it, at least not at graduation time.

Geuze

Water John wrote: »

NUI and Trinity have 3 seats each. There were 19 candidates in the NUI ballot paper. .

Previously there were 30 chasing the 3 seats, in 2016?

This time 19 for 3 seats.

But practically all of the 19 were:

SJW / sociology lecturers / community activists / etc.

Nobody like Padraig O Ceidigh / Norris / Feargal Quinn / etc.

Even though there were 19 candidates, i struggled to choose even three prefs.

Geuze

uptherebels wrote: »

No, he is being "attacked" for being a far right conservative, that wants to impose his views on others. Plenty of Catholics are pro choice for example.

Is he far right?

I suspect he is against tax cuts / lower taxes/

Now, I don't know for sure, but I suspect he is for more social spending?

Geuze

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

I am a graduate of NUI ...i find it hard to know when the voting is ..how to go about it ..they don't make it easy plus i was actually social distancing this year so i wouldn't have anyway.

And yes a lot of NUI graduates ..would be a bit more conservative.

Why don't you register?

http://www.nui.ie/elections/seanad-register.asp

Water John

Rodney Bathgate wrote: »

Same for Bacik, but I suppose her core belief issues tie in with yours so that isn’t a problem for you.

Ah Bacik is a neighbour. She hails from mid Cork. And no she wouldn't get a no 1 from me.

Geuze

BarryD2 wrote: »

Sorry my typo which I realised on rereading. But still it'd be interesting see figures of how many are on this NUI voting register and how relative that is to the NUI graduate population as a whole.

Somewhere above, I think 34% turnout of this NUI electorate was mentioned. But is that electorate a small self selecting set of a further set of graduates. Who in turn are a small subset of the Irish population as a whole.

If that's the case, I suppose easy to see how some individuals who wouldn't have a hope in a more representative electorate can manipulate it to top polls like this.

http://www.nui.ie/elections/seanadelection2020/Results/Count1ResultsSE2020.pdf

Electorate = 112,216
Valid poll = 38,000 approx