Don’t put FG/Lab/Green In!
Read more about: Fine Gael, Green Party, Labour Party 
Below are some questions which should be considered before you vote tomorrow. Each person who reads this should give themselves an honest answer to these questions. I imagine that supporters of the FG/Labour/Green coalition will not like to read this post, but perhaps they should ask themselves these questions as well.
Do you think tax payer money should be spent on drug testing your child?
Do you think that even though all the experts tell us it is good we should stop fluoridating our water.
Do you want to vote for the party that has spoken out against this nations triple lock neutrality.
Do you want to vote for a party that has used scaremongering over 40 million poles.
Do you want to vote for a party that jumps up crime figures to make people afraid.
Do you want to vote for parties that abandon their role as opposition of questioning the integrity of the government leaving it to the coalition partner to be the one to ask the tough questions.
Do you want to vote for a party that wants to put gender before talent in the running of this country.
Do you want to vote for a party that will maintain the monopoly of control in the electrical market
Do you want Enda Kenny Taoiseach.
If you believe Ireland does not need and should not have such a government in office, then you have to vote someone else.
Sententious twaddle, vote for change!
Remove the arrogant and the incompetent.
This post is reason enough to vote for change!!
but he is deep RF
in its own abstract way
bert=bert
they are all the same
I don’t want Enda Kenny as Taoiseach, but given the alternative…
So many questions, so few question marks …
Whilst I think I can undersand the rest, #4 “Do you want to vote for a party that has used scaremongering over 40 million poles” has me at a complete loss
So many questions, so few question marks …
Whilst I think I can undersand the rest, #4 “Do you want to vote for a party that has used scaremongering over 40 million poles” has me at a complete loss
Whilst I think I can undersand the rest, #4 “Do you want to vote for a party that has used scaremongering over 40 million poles” has me at a complete loss
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/frontpage/2006/0103/2947746014HM1RABBITTE.html
“Do you think that even though all the experts tell us it is good we should stop fluoridating our water”
Tut tut, this is not true.
Some of the other ones are good though. I agree 100% on the triple-lock and scaremongering over 40 million poles…
Heading out to vote early in the AM, should be an interesting few days.
Well, not FG or Labour anyway.
Loaded with Straw man arguments. stupid post.
It might have been convinced if the last point was the only one
Thank God its almost all over, the rubbish that has been written, often on this site, leaves me breathless. But four of us are about to leave the house now to do some damage to this government. Good luck to all opposition candidates.
Hey Mollie good to see you have been reading. It would have been nice for you to point out the rubbish and debate the issues. But ah well. Good on you for voting.
Eyes up to heaven this post was basically to counter this post http://www.irishelection.com/05/get-the-fianna-failpd-administration-out/
“Do you think that even though all the experts tell us it is good we should stop fluoridating our water”
I have a list of about 100 dental organistions that support flurodation. including the world health organisation. My not all just like not all scientists believe in climate change. Just the vast majority
Do you think tax payer money should be spent on drug testing your child?
Actually, it’s not a bad idea – particularly as it’s a voluntary and not a forced test.
Do you think that even though all the experts tell us it is good we should stop fluoridating our water.
It’s unlikely to stop; the scientific data showing the benefit of flouridation is clearcut.
Do you want to vote for the party that has spoken out against this nations triple lock neutrality.
This is pathetic stuff – after the FF/PD government allowed soldiers, and quite possibly extraordinarily rendered individuals through Shannon!
Do you want to vote for a party that has used scaremongering over 40 million poles.
A misquote taken out of context – the alternative will put in place a system that is fair to both immigrants and the people already here.
Do you want to vote for a party that jumps up crime figures to make people afraid.
Utterly pathetic – gun crime has soared in the last couple of years. Dying wasps my eye.
Do you want to vote for parties that abandon their role as opposition of questioning the integrity of the government leaving it to the coalition partner to be the one to ask the tough questions.
This is a lie. I think it is fair to say that both parties and the Greens have done their fair share of hard questioning.
Do you want to vote for a party that wants to put gender before talent in the running of
this country.
I want to see more women in politics. I do not believe that gender will outweigh talent.
Do you want to vote for a party that will maintain the monopoly of control in the electrical market
Frankly yes. The privatisation of our communucations was a complete disaster. I do not want to see the same happen to our electricity provision – or our gas provision either.
Do you want Enda Kenny Taoiseach.
He’s better than the bumbling, lying, misleading, and perhaps even corrupt one we’ve had for the last decade.
Do you want to vote for the party that has spoken out against this nations triple lock neutrality
Yeah ~ do you really believe that the PRC should have a veteo over this country’s military affairs?
Care to offer a defence for Macedonia?
And what is wrong with a question mark?
Simon.
Absolute tripe. Especially from someone trying to advance support for the PDs. Fortunately your constituency will never elect a PD so your vote will be transfered on to the “alliance” or to ML.
Having voted at 7.35am for what I hope will be an alternative to the utter coruption that has made Irish politics look like a joke for the past 5 years, I was going to answer your questions……..
But Tom Cosgrave has done that so well for so many of us………
This kind of talk is the real scaremongering……..don’t vote us out or else you’ll all become part of a redundant socialist scheme and the economy will come to its knees..!!
As Kenny said its the people that make the economy, Government policy only facilitates that. Frankly I’m sick looking at pictures of FF reps dining with half the country’s construction mafia..and ministers making screwups that in England they’d have to apologise and resign for but here are treated by waiting for the media storm to die down
If you’re content to vote for a leader who makes Silvio Berlusconi look legit…..then fire ahead, convince yourself that every thing he does is in the public interest….but please don’t ask me to promote such ignorance
I’d like to take my chances with a toothbrush, toothpaste and a good diet thanks very much. You take all the flouride you want Simon, just don’t put it in my water. It’ll be interesting to see if there’s queues for fillings in September after Galway’s cold turkey on flouride.
And if you’re going to conflate scientific consensus, dentistry and global warming, well, it’s easy enough to get a filling or a cap if wrong on flouride, but it’s a fucksight more difficult to fix the earth if wrong on man-made global warming.
Actually, it’s not a bad idea – particularly as it’s a voluntary and not a forced test.
Really not a bad idea. Care to back that up. I backed it up I did here. http://www.irishelection.com/05/new-door-step-challange-enda-kenny-piss-in-a-cup/
anyone want to take issue with it. please do but with more then just “not a bad idea” If the PD’s came out with this you would be saying it it the greatest affront to childs privacy since what ever. But now with the election you are blinded. I could easily come up with 10 reasons not to vote FF/PD (dyslexia treatment for FF, Immigration checking at airports comment for PD’s for instance) could you come up with 10 for the rainbow or is everything sunny.
the scientific data showing the benefit of flouridation is clearcut.
Tell that to John Gormley he doesn’t believe. http://www.irishelection.com/02/why-have-science-when-you-can-have-john-gormely/
This is pathetic stuff – after the FF/PD government allowed soldiers, and quite possibly extraordinarily rendered individuals through Shannon!
You are a socialist and dodge questions. Are you Bertie?
A misquote taken out of context
Really was he giving us a geography lesson?
Utterly pathetic – gun crime has soared in the last couple of years. Dying wasps my eye.
In 1995, there were 102,484 indictable offences. In 2005 (the last year for which we have complete statistics), there were 101,659.
Hardly soaring crime rate. Remember this in time of soaring population
This is a lie. I think it is fair to say that both parties and the Greens have done their fair share of hard questioning.
A lie really. After Pat said we will not do it because last time we dropped in the polls. When at the leaders debate Enda kenny said nothing about it. The leader of this country got a suitcase of money and Enda said nothing. Questioning my arse.
I want to see more women in politics. I do not believe that gender will outweigh talent.
fudge
Frankly yes. The privatisation of our communucations was a complete disaster. I do not want to see the same happen to our electricity provision – or our gas provision either.
Who said anything about privtisation? I am talking about seperating the ESB and Eirgrid a policy that the Greens support quiet strongly yet Labour are against.
He’s better than the bumbling, lying, misleading, and perhaps even corrupt one we’ve had for the last decade.
A corrupt one that was not challanged by Enda Kenny in the debate. Better bumbling then cardboard
Fortunately your constituency will never elect a PD so your vote will be transfered on to the “alliance” or to ML.
You already know the answer to that lanty
Ha! To think I was reprimanded for accusing The Dossing Times of being partisan, pro-government and anti-FG.
Smacks of The Indo’s vote FF front cover in 1997.
Niall do you want to debate any of the points I raised or just throw random insults around. If so politics.ie is a better bet. If you want to make a point on any of them?
By the way did you sign the petition on weekend voting (1357 signatures) which I set up which the opposition supported. Which a few weeks after it was running and we were plugging it. FG came out with a weekend voting bill. Which FF has got a good bit of slack over. But of course you didn’t because I am a partizan hack yadda yadda yadda and had some deeper PD motive
Simon, with apologies if this is off-topic, what do you think of Cowen’s rendez-vous with Tony O’Reilly?
JG
What did you think of Enda Kenny’s rendez-vous with Jody Corcoran and Angus fanning re
the case loads of cash going to Manchester story ?
Simon, with apologies if this is off-topic, what do you think of Cowen’s rendez-vous with Tony O’Reilly?
Possibly dodgy but a non-story really. Much of Bertie gate came from his stable.
Simon, I normally scroll straight past your barely literate contributions but today I read you with glee. I could hardly imagine a more persuasive example of the kind of supporter the present government attracts.
Simon,
It’s too late to start debating these points now. It’s in the hands of the Fates.
Don’t know what your rant about the weekend voting petition has to do with anything.
Here’s to FF and the PDs being booted out.
ROLL ON THE RETURN OF THE PRESENT GOVERNMENT AND WITH A INCREASED MAJORITY
Dream on Dermot.
I’ll raise a glass to this shower getting fired! I’ll raise two glasses if the Socialist Party end up with the same number of seats as the PDs.
Just voted myself. Number one: Greens, number two: Labour.
The Greens..Oh Dear.
It’s too late to start debating these points now. It’s in the hands of the Fates.
firstly the polls are open for about another ten hours.
and two. When did debating the future of the country ever have limits? If you are not going to debate my points then really what is your purpose in posting here?
My point on weekend voting was you called me partisan yet the thing that possibly got the most mention and political traction on this site against the government was started by me.
Dream on Dermot.
Word.
Roll on hung Dail and 4 more weeks of irishelection.com speculation
As for the Greens I quiet like the greens if it was not for fluoridation I wouldn’t have a whole lot against them and like I have pointed out loads for them. probably would get my no 1 or 2. alas I live in england
As for the Greens I quiet like the greens if it was not for fluoridation I wouldn’t have a whole lot against them
Last I heard they want a review of the process before making any definite decisions on getting rid off or keeping it. They wont act without a review, it’d be suicide.
All the people here bashing Simon should realy have a bit of cop on. It’s obviously just a response to a biased former post. And Simon currently has the largest number of contributions to this blog, most of which have been good, even if some are biased, they are thought-provoking.
Everybody chillax!
Roll on hung Dail and 4 more weeks of irishelection.com speculation
Amen to that
All the people here bashing Simon should realy have a bit of cop on. It’s obviously just a response to a biased former post
Thank you Ian some one pays attention.
It’s obviously just a response to a biased former post. And Simon currently has the largest number of contributions to this blog, most of which have been good, even if some are biased, they are thought-provoking.
Ahh cheers
Simon,
Lighten up.
The PDs are going to get hammered, so there will definitely be at least one positive outcome of the day. Enjoy it!
Can’t wait for the election to be over so we can all get back to normal, safe in the knowledge that the people have spoken and chosen, in their wisdom, the most agile minds to lead our country boldly forward.
the most agile minds to lead our country boldly forward.
I hope you mean of all those minds on offer rather than all of the minds in the country? and even then, I may have to disagree with that assertion.
Dermot you are joking, right? Could you outline those seats which are likely to lead to an increased Fianna Fail share? And if you are assuming that some seats will go (Donegal NE, Cork NW) you might want to account for that.
I also echo Ian’s sentiments. I don’t agree with Simon most of the time but he is pretty literate. I notice a lack of response to the arguments there Shane, not making any suggestion viz the literate comment.
I think the point about gender before talent is a little bit hard to swallow. I understand your aversion to quotas as a response to the merits of particular people. However there is a valid argument that work practices militate against those females with talent from getting involved. Quotas shoehorn that issue into question and act as a form of reforming practices to open space up for more female participation which will give us those of merit.
Long term quotas are not an option, but as a step on a process of reform I have nothing against them.
I do have an issue with the nebulous concept of Neutrality since this government will be hoping to sign up to EU battle groups. Neither side can cope with out under-defined idea of neutrality and hte awful triple lock system which is its product.
Niall this is the third time you have commentated on this post and not once have you addressed what i actually said. Do you have any views on any of the above questions. Or are you just a computer bot saying “insert random rant here”
Hi cian nice to get some actual feed back.
On the issue of quota’s I have to wonder is that the type of way someone would like to get a job. I mean I do have dyslexia and would hate to think that is the reason I got a job. I would much prefer to know I got the job dues to my abilities not due to some disabilities quota. But also the question is it is the running of the country we are talking about here. Don’t we want the best of the best. Should a statistical quota really be the way we pick people?
On Neutrality funnily enough that is the one question in the list I would have to answer yes to. But I doubt the majority of Irish people would. So it is a question to ask themsleves
Amen Ian. I don’t normally comment here, but the criticisim Simon has taken in this comment thread is just incredible. Few have actually addressed the points in his posts.
“Simon, I normally scroll straight past your barely literate contributions but today I read you with glee. I could hardly imagine a more persuasive example of the kind of supporter the present government attracts.”
Shane,
So this government attracts supporters with genuine concerns about the present opposition, who get shouted at and roundly insulted when they air them? A little tip if you actually mature beyond cheap shots and flaming and actually engage in debate, never start by admitting you haven’t done your homework. If you had bothered to actually read some of Simons previous posts you might have noticed that before Simon makes any claims, he actually reads up on what he’s talking about.
The Rest,
At the risk of being labelled a partisan hack myself, Why is it that posters are only accused of being partisan on this site when they are critical of the opposition parties or actually point out some of the successes of the current government?
All the people here bashing Simon should realy have a bit of cop on
Hear hear.
Congrats to Simon, Cian and all those who contributed to this site. Best to just ignore the sad trolls.
“All the people here bashing Simon should realy have a bit of cop on”
Hear hear.
Congrats to Simon, Cian and all those who contributed to this site. Best to just ignore the sad trolls.
Why is it that posters are only accused of being partisan on this site when they are critical of the opposition parties or actually point out some of the successes of the current government?
Because thats the truth of it, Eamonn
Simon, I dont think we have the best of the best at present. We get the best of those who go forward accompanied by a civil service. There is only tentative crossover of expertise which is facilitated by systems in other countries. Quota’s are a blunt tool, I dont disagree. The issue is though that being female is of a different category to being dyslexic.
The argument for quotas is that it opens up the fact that female participants are potentially as capable as men and require opportunity. I understand your point about the merits of selection based on those criteria, but for women who find current practices a barrier to public office I think the feeling would be that it is the only way to get a foot on the ladder.
Quotas need to have an end point in mind though. They need to be used to reform practice not as an add-on that gets rid of the issue.
I think that both alternatives have issues on neturality, so we seem to agree. woo hoo!
As for current practices I have no problem with most of that really. But that is different to quota’s. For instance a Dail creche or friendly hours is of course a good idea. (even though only really of help to east coast TD’s Donegal TD’s are traveling long hours anyway. Long sessions probably mean that they spend fewer days away from family).
To find the same number of capable men to women you would have to have on average equal numbers. (If you believe gender is equal if you believe one gender is better then another. Well… )So if you do not have equal numbers then if you have say a 50/50 quota then the gender with the lower number gets more reps with lower abilities if you get me. (i.e if you are picking 10 from 20 and 10 from 15. the first time you are getting the top 50% the other time the top 66% so there is 8% better in the first group past over due to quota.) If non-quota then you just get the best.
I understand your point though on breaking the glass ceiling etc. But I just dislike positive discrimination
I would like to take this opportunity to remind people I am not Niall. Well I am, just not the other guy.
Simon, your statements about fluoridation, on this thread and others, are extraordinarily ignorant. I have dealt with all your points on the Cedar Lounge blog thread here:
http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/2007/03/16/this-loony-issue-that-dare-not-speak-its-name-fluoridation-and-the-irish-greens/
If you find it too much of an effort to learn about fluoridation (the info is all here: http://www.fluoridealert.org), do remind yourself of the basic truths:
* Tooth decay is caused by sugar, and nothing else.
* Fluoride is a deadly poison; it is not a nutrient of any sort.
* Nobody needs fluoride, ever.
Simon, I have one question for you: Why do you want to force unmeasured amounts of that toxic chemical down the throats of every Irish man, woman and child, whether they want it or not, whether they’re toothless or not, whether they have a healthy diet or not…?