Election 2002

Victor

So who are you planning to vote for.

Mills

Undecided as yet, will definately vote, I've a fair idea which parties I'd lean towards but I need to take a look at the candidates up for selection in the area.

DadaKopf

At the moment, my first preference is Green but I'm not sure how to use my other preferences, if I'll use them at all. I have to think about it more and read a lot before May 17th but I'm quite consciously voting with an intention of changing the party system for the better, while also voting for a party I can trust.

Elmo

Wont be voting as will be doing exams on the day.

Should the student union of Ireland do something about this maybe get a polling boot in each college around the country for each constituance?

beardedchicken

i think that's an excellent idea, elmo! i have been hounding my friends to go out and excercise their votes, and some are not even registered!!!! i know it's difficult for people who attend college in dublin, for example, and are from other parts of the country to get to vote, but there should be more encouragement and opportunity to vote and to register to vote. i remember last year in UCD there was a campaign to get people registered, which was great, but i saw nothing like that this year, it would be a good way to drive the message home.

oh, and by the way- undecided exactly how i'll vote, but i have an idea of what direction i'll be leaning in. it's a bit annoying when the party i like has no worthy candidate in my constituency!

Dustaz

Victor, you should have allowed multiple choices. We do use PR after all

Victor

Originally posted by Dustaz
Victor, you should have allowed multiple choices. We do use PR after all

Multiple choice on this would simply result in the "vote early, vote often" mantra being exercised to the extreme.

amp

Bah, no Atari Jaguar party.

(voted Labour on lack of known slease)

Thomas from Presence

Rather shockingly I'm going for Fianna Fail, partly because I'd rather them in power than to see Noonans sary Darth-Vader-Without-The-Helmet scowl on telly. Seriously though I reckon its important that people don't lose sight of whomever is doing good in the area for the locality which is why Marian Mc Gennis is getting my vote. Anyone else seems to be more concerned with Walkinstown/Crumlin which is bizarrely iin the same constituency of my palace in Kilmainham.

smoke.me.a.kipper

ill prolly be voting for my local 'straight talking independant'

Bottle_of_Smoke

Independant I suppose, Finian McGrath the legend. Bertie I hope gets in again ahead of Noonan, only cos he looks the best to other Europeans.
In reality he's a B0llox

cornell babe

ahamah how the hell can you say that bertie would look better than mickey n.??!!! are you mad? michael noonan may not be perfect but he's a damn sight better than bertie. unlike bertie, michael is in full command of the english language! only last night did i hear mr. ahern say 'tolable' ...? michael has morals and honour and sure maybe he doesn't look that gr8 when he smiles but surely when our irish representatives attend european events where the majority of foreign diplomats are able to speak more than one language it might be nice for the leader of our country to speak his own native tongue PROPERLY!!! it would also be nice to have a leader that deals properly with corrupt and incorrect members of their parliamentary party. also how can you say that voting for the finners is the way to go??!! have you already forgotten dr. mc daid's comments that suicide victims are
'selfish bastards' are these the type of people you want to run our country???

dahamsta

Originally posted by Ahamah
Bertie I hope gets in again ahead of Noonan, only cos he looks the best to other Europeans. In reality he's a B0llox

Flawless logic there. Everyone stand back, Ahamah's about to flush!

adam

cornell babe

thanks!

Deathtobertie

I'm not voting for Albert/Robert/Dilbert/Bertrand (what the hell is his real first name anyway?) Ahern because I'm am fed up looking at his big mallet head every day when I'm driving/walking around. Why does his smug-git face have to be on all the FF posters anyway? Is it because his candidates are such losers that not as many people would vote for FF without his face over their name? Or are the FF voters so dumb that they wouldn't realise it was a FF candidate if bertie's face wasn't attached to it.

PS: Has anyone else seen (a bit hard not to)the gigantic bertie poster hanging from the side of a building near the stephens green shopping centre? It brings George Orwells book 1984 to mind.. Big Bertis is watching..........YOU!!! wahahahah

cornell babe

hey death to bertie!
finally i have found another kindred soul you being of the sane, intelligent type. even i cannot ignore the opinion polls but as i like to think the fight is not over yet, not until the fat lady sings!!!

please vote for change,
thank you.:cool:

Yoda

Originally posted by Elmo
Wont be voting as will be doing exams on the day.

But aren't the polls staying open late enough for you to vote?

What? The government DIDN'T listen to the complaints about how the last referendum was botched, and didn't make plans to allow Friday and Saturday voting so as to make it possible for large sectors of the electorate to actually cast their vote?

Will wonders never cease.

hurler-on-ditch

Cornell Babe,

I guess you are right - this election will not be over until the Fat Lady Sings ( or at least gives Bertie the couple of extra seats he'll need)

cornell babe

well try to get to the polls anyway! unless youre miles away!
i have felt totally disenfranchised! im in third level in dublin and my vote is in cork and i couldn't vote in the abortion and im travelling down for this vote.
its just another prime example of this government's obvious apathy to the us the youth of ireland the floating voters who they know are volatile to their campaign!!!
get bertie back for the abortion referendum and more!!!!
please vote for change,
thank you.

sceptre

Originally posted by cornell babe
well try to get to the polls anyway! unless youre miles away!
i have felt totally disenfranchised! im in third level in dublin and my vote is in cork and i couldn't vote in the abortion and im travelling down for this vote.

Bloody hell - how many times do I have to type this.

1. You are in college in Dublin and therefore spend most of the year in Dublin. Historically most elections have been mid-week. Why the hell didn't you transfer your vote to Dublin - where you effectively live?

2. You're a student. You're legally entitled to be registered in two constituencies - your "home" address and your "term" address. Why didn't you do this?

The government have not disenfranchised you. The opposition have not disenfranchised you. Sockey the sock monster has not disenfranchised you. If you feel disenfranchised, it's your own fault in this case.

GoneShootin

Elmo, dont the booths stay open till 9PM ? Ill be doin exams too on the day but Ill go home to my local booth to vote !

Victor

Originally posted by cornell babe
its just another prime example of this government's obvious apathy to the us

"Cornell babe", are you in Cornell University? And can you tone down the rhetoric. Attack the policies, not the people.

Victor

Originally posted by Gone Shootin
Elmo, dont the booths stay open till 9PM ? Ill be doin exams too on the day but Ill go home to my local booth to vote !

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49475

"Polling stations will open for three hours longer this year than in any previous election. It is hoped the 7.30am to 10.30pm opening time will boost voter turnout"

cornell babe

excuse me you cannot be registered in two places. yes i am a third level student but just because i am living in one area of dublin this year doesn't mean i will be living in the same next year.

i have lived in cork for 18 and a half years
and i have lived in dublin for for less than eight months so which area do you think i would be more informed about.

i registered my whole college both for their vote and their postal votes if it was necessary. i have given a lot of time to informing and that is part of my point that the government or the agencies responsible have not done anything to help students get registered or even give them information.

i dont know how old you are but i think it is evident to most students that the only people who have ever given them information about voting are the youth wings or branches of political parties in third level.

and this is what i mean from disenfranchisement.
as equal to my right to vote is my right to be informed about the vote.

leave aside affiliations etc. and answer this question everybody off the tops of your heads:
who was the minister for youth for the last five years?

hes a reasonably well known politician and i think its a shame hes been so inactive.#

cornell babe

im not attacking people im only discussing facts and i was answering another post which was mainly about one individual.

no i dont go to cornell university obviously as im talking about voting in this election.

and yes the polls are staying open until 1030 but im sure thats not a great help when youre finished college at 600 on a friday and living in malin head or valentia

Stephen

Um.. You could just go home earlier? Most colleges are finished up by now anyway. In my case, the college is still open until the end of the exams, but there are no lectures on.

cornell babe

um ...maybe i am only this is only my first week of three weeks of exams. it is completely ridiculous to talk about colleges in general. there are loads of colleges all different sizes all with different rules and timetables.

you have to admit information for voting is not straightforward

take for example my brother in third level education in england who was automatically put on the register for the elections over there!
why cant there be a similar situation here?
its not astrophysics???

Victor

Originally posted by cornell babe
excuse me you cannot be registered in two places. yes i am a third level student but just because i am living in one area of dublin this year doesn't mean i will be living in the same next year.

Isn't your rant a little late? Yes things could be better for people who won't be able to get to their 'home' polling station, but you have to admit student are allowed vote at their 'home' or 'term' address, whichever suits, which is more than what other classes of people can do.

Victor

This poll will be locked in the next 24 hours.

Wheeler

Im voting Sinn Fein no. 1 and ill give no. 2 to fianna fail....I would like to see Sinn Fein get a little yet sugnificant piece of power....Im in south Tipp and the canditate is just 24,so he can do things for young ppl

Biffa Bacon

Originally posted by Wheeler
Im voting Sinn Fein no. 1...

You do realise you will be committing treason by doing so?