Who Will You Vote For and Why?!

Samba

The Heading is quite self-explanatory,


I am just curious as to the reasons why you have chosen someone over another candidate?

Victor

Colm McEochaidh (FG, Dublin SE), because he was the guy who put up the reward that led to the creation of the McCracken Tribunal (that revealed the 'donations' that Charlie Haughey got).

Side note: is McEochaidh an Irish version of Haughey?

Gael

Not quite Victor, but close...

It certainly is related to "Haughey" in that the irish versions of both these names are based on the Christian name "Eochadh"

First there is "Mac Eochaidh" meaning son of Eochadh, "Eochaidh" with an added "i" is the genitive case.
I don't know the anglicised version off the top of my head.Anyone else know it?

But Haughey would have derived from
"Ó hEochaidh", with the more vague meaning of "descendant of Eochadh". The h that is inserted between the Ó and the first vowel of "Eochaidh", gives the anglicised version, Haughey it's H at the beginning. Two vowels can't be pronouced together like that in irish and so a H is inserted to facilitate flow of speech. Other example's being,
Ó hIceadha-Hickey,
Ó hUigínn-Higgins,
Ó hEochagáin,(not sure of anglicised version)
Ó hÉallaithe-Healy.

Many of the names had the O dropped from them during the english colonial period and so you can estimate fairly accurately that any native irish names that start with a h probably had this "Ó h+vowel" combination in the irish language version.

Another interesting fact as regards irish and politics is that Fianna Fáil does not mean Soldiers of Destiny. It means soldiers of IRELAND. "Fáil"(genitive, "Fál" in the nominative) is an old poetic name for Ireland, which you will regularly come across in Irish Bardic Poetry. Not that I'd expect the average goon in Fianna Fáil to undestand this(especially Bertie), especially when their Minister for the Gaeltacht can't even speak irish. The irish for destiny actually being "cinniúnt".

Which leads me to say that I'll be voting Green, one of many good reasons for this being that their leader actually has fluent irish. Go Trevor Go!:)

Winning Hand

Up until this week I was going to put Micheal Martin no.1 and Simon Soveney no.2. But this week I got a personally addressed letter from coveny saying it was my first time voting and was actively seeking it, it was a touch I appreciated and as a result my nos 1 and 2 are reversed.

Anyone else had their opinions changed by the actions of a candidate?

sceptre

Originally posted by Winning Hand
Anyone else had their opinions changed by the actions of a candidate?

Sort of, but in an opposite way to you. Mailed all sitting TDs in Limerick East and Cork East about the Comms Bill. Got responses from three: Michael Noonan (Limerick East, FG) - personal email reply within two hours. Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Lab) - postit note attached to a two-page copy of the debate (despite my already watching it on video:D) after two weeks. Paul Bradford (Cork East, FG) - rather encouraging letter after a week.

Any candidate who replies is worthy of consideration. Any candidate who didn't reply can go jump for it.

Voting in Limerick - no preference for FF or PDs on the basis of the above (my opinions at the moment wouldn't have resulted in them getting much anyway but they didn't do themselves any favours)

No-one's called to where I live asking for my vote. No-one at all.


Forgot to add: interesting info, Gael. Keep it coming.

hurler-on-ditch

Been called to twice in past year by one FF candidate and once by another - always like to see faces outside of election time. Interestingly bar FF not a single caller from the other parties here in Dublin North.

Probably was leaning FF this time, so the personal calls merely reinforce choice rather than alter it.

dahamsta

Up until this week I was going to put Micheal Martin no.1 and Simon Soveney no.2. But this week I got a personally addressed letter from coveny saying it was my first time voting and was actively seeking it, it was a touch I appreciated and as a result my nos 1 and 2 are reversed.

Go on ya good thing!

Anyone else had their opinions changed by the actions of a candidate?

Yip, my ballot card has been changing all week, as I have people coming to the door and emailing me. Originally, it was going to be an FG one-two (Coveney, Clune), followed by everyone else in no particular order, excluding FF. Then Clune called to my door, and she was pretty offhand (she explained why later), so although she didn't drop down the card, she was looking pretty dodgy.

I then talked to Brendan Ryan (Lab) by email, who took the no. 2 spot, and Clune followed up by email, so she solidified 3. I was impressed by Kathy Sinnott (Ind) too, but I've been talking to Dan Boyle (Green) today and yesterday, and I reckon he'll get 4 now, so that puts Sinnott in 5. And I'm even going to give FF one preference, as I was marginally impressed by John Dennehy's response. But he'll be featuring pretty low down.

Of course it'll all probably change by tomorrow...

adam

JTMan

That first time voting thing was sent out by FG to all first time voters AFAIK. Not really all that personal a touch.

I am staying well clear of FG because of their made policies. Like aids tests for refugees, giving Eircom investors back their money and car pooling (it wont work). I won't vote Greens because they are against the Nice Treaty. I won't ever in my life vote SF. I think the independents are too focused on local rather than national issues. I think the free GP care by labour is unworkable and unaffordable.

So that leaves me with the PD's and FF

Then again the PD candidate in my area didn't know what broadband was (O'Malley).

The promise by FF for 5MB connection for all within 3 years (Irish Times) really encourages me to vote FF. Even though the history of the party is really off-putting.

Is there anyone out there really worth voting for?! (Im in Dunlaoighre Constituency)

Victor

Originally posted by Winning Hand
Up until this week I was going to put Micheal Martin no.1 and Simon Soveney no.2. But this week I got a personally addressed letter from coveny saying it was my first time voting and was actively seeking it, it was a touch I appreciated and as a result my nos 1 and 2 are reversed.

This was not 'personalised' insofar as it is likely that a computer wrote it. Michael McDowell found it important to point out I lived in an apartment.

Victor

Originally posted by Fungus
The promise by FF for 5MB connection for all within 3 years (Irish Times) really encourages me to vote FF. Even though the history of the party is really off-putting.

Do you honestly believe this?

deco

every major party has promised broadband but its all a crock of shít...not a single one really care about providing it...

Anyway I'm voting Michael D. Higgins....Dana can go fúck herself.....

Occidental

Ah, the joys of having Mary O'Rourke on your ballot paper. Probably Cassidy, as he might actually do something if he gets elected and I couldn't support anything that might leave Noonan in charge of the country. Still baffled as to why Fine Gael are running two candidates in Westmeath, could end up costing Paul McGrath his seat.

Cork

I will be voting for Michael Moynihan. I think we need to give Bertie a renewed mandate.

The alternative will be a FG/Labour/ Green/Sinn Fein/Social workers/ ragbag government

But I think Bertie did a good job in the north. Was it Brution who refered to the peace process as "*********"?

Victor

Originally posted by Cork
The alternative will be a FG/Labour/ Green/Sinn Fein/Social workers/ ragbag government

You just don't know how to have a civil conversation, do you?

Ask yourself, would it be a "ratbag" government if it gets a majority? Would that make FF "less than ratbags"?

And wasn't the last FF government something like Fianna Fáil + Progressive Democrats + South Kerry Independent Alliance + Independent Fianna Fáil + Donegal Progressive Party + 1 independant

hurler-on-ditch

He said RAGbag - not an insult but a commonly used term in English to describe a somewhat haphazard collection of items: neatly describes what that type of coalition would be and one of many reasons why the electorate will not buy it.

sceptre

Originally posted by Cork
I will be voting for Michael Moynihan.

Better Michael than Donal I suppose.

potlatch

Constituency: Dublin South-East

Gormley and Quinn.

polarbelly

i voted green- david healy, labour- tommy broughan, independent- dr. mark harrold.... this is in dublin NE

i was upset by the fact that i didnt get a single person calling to my door cos i wouls have liked to ask them a few q's... their answers could have majorly changed my vote

i will say another thing... despite the fact that i didnt vote for her a friend of mine told me that the pd candidate in our area sent him one of the wee postcards explaining what she wanted to do should she be elected and explaing why she didnt put up any of those awful posters... and i really appreciated her doing that

none of the other candidates sent me anything with their personal hopes, i only got stuff about what their party would do.

cartman

well if i cud vote not legal age yet:(i wud vote for bertie again coz i cudnt stick lookin at noonan for the next 5years years!!!

suppafly

Cork north central:
Maureen(?) Lynch
Bernard Allen

dahamsta

(Kathleen Lynch)

Pity there wasn't an option to vote for a funt up the arse for Noel O'Flynn in Cork North-Central, eh?

adam

jd

Wexford
Voted Dr Liam Tuomey (independent)-standing primarily on health issues-(funnily enough the day before I had to pay a consultant 100 euros to examine an xray(another 45 euro) and tell me when he was scheduling an operation for me-which took 5 mins!!!)
I then voted Labour /Fine Gael-basically as I don't want to see FF getting 3/5 in Wexford.
I voted tactically as of all the feasible options I'd prefer a FF/LAB coalition.
I hear there could have been a strong SF/IND protest vote in Wexford Town, but the (last ever tallies) will show if this is true!

sceptre

Originally posted by polarbelly
i was upset by the fact that i didnt get a single person calling to my door cos i wouls have liked to ask them a few q's... their answers could have majorly changed my vote

Lots of people in city areas seem to be in the same boat. Not picking on any party (genuinely), I'm surprised that even FF (with 100,000 canvassers across the country) didn't come knocking for any votes in the Limerick city centre.

i will say another thing... despite the fact that i didnt vote for her a friend of mine told me that the pd candidate in our area sent him one of the wee postcards explaining what she wanted to do should she be elected and explaing why she didnt put up any of those awful posters... and i really appreciated her doing that

You could be cynical and say that posters cost money and the postage cost is picked up by the exchequer...
... but I'd actually appreciate that kind of thing. Wouldn't make a difference to my main vote but brownie points and better preferences would result.

jd

Originally posted by jd
I hear there could have been a strong SF/IND protest vote in Wexford Town, but the (last ever tallies) will show if this is true!

Looks like a tossup between FF and Twomey (IND) for the last seat...