Ask A Broadsheet Reader

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Voting in St Joseph’s Primary School, Navan Road Cabra at the last general Election

Further to the government’s slow meltdown.

‘Statto’ writes:

Could you ask your readers: In the event of a General Election (within the next two months) would they vote radically different from the last time? Would they be more inclined to vote for an independent candidate over established parties? And realistically what would their preferred coalition look like?

Anyone?

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119 thoughts on “Ask A Broadsheet Reader

    1. Fairhill

      Anybody but FF or FG,

      Willie O Deous, like Noirin changing her instructions when she found out there was a tape that shows she was lying.

      Never forget FF Willie would have destroyed the career of a journalist, if the journalist had not produced a tape to prove that Willie had perjured himself.

    2. Cian

      Do you think a government made up of independents would get anything done? Could this be the next cabinet?
      – Seán Canney Galway East
      – Michael Collins Cork South-West
      – Catherine Connolly Galway West
      – Michael Fitzmaurice Roscommon–Galway
      – Noel Grealish Galway West
      – John Halligan Waterford
      – Danny Healy-Rae Kerry
      – Michael Healy-Rae Kerry
      – Michael Harty Clare
      – Michael Lowry Tipperary
      – Finian McGrath Dublin Bay North
      – Mattie McGrath Tipperary
      – Kevin “Boxer” Moran Longford–Westmeath
      – Denis Naughten Roscommon–Galway
      – Maureen O’Sullivan Dublin Central
      – Thomas Pringle Donegal
      – Shane Ross Dublin Rathdown
      – Katherine Zappone Dublin South-West

      And don’t forget the “Independents 4 change”
      – Tommy Broughan Dublin Bay North
      – Joan Collins Dublin South-Central
      – Clare Daly Dublin Fingal
      – Mick Wallace Wexford

      1. realPolithicks

        Do you think that a government made up of the same parties that have run the country for the past 100 years would do anything different if re-elected? It’s time for change, give these people a chance, they can’t possibly be any worse.

          1. scottser

            ahem.
            what is the difference between a flounder and a TD?
            one is a slimy, soulless bottom-feeder, the other is a fish.
            i thank you.

          2. scottser

            ahem.
            what have a single sperm and a TD got in common?
            they both have a one in a million chance of becoming human
            i thank you

          3. realPolithicks

            You have 600,000 people on hospital waiting lists, thousands of families facing homelessness, thousands of people baptizing their kids just to get them into a local school, endemic corruption in the police force, I could go on and on. It’s time for change in Ireland, time for a different approach which puts the welfare of all the people to the forefront, not just an elite cadre which have been catered to for decades.

          4. Lord Snowflakee

            You’re very whiny realPolithicks

            you hate us so much you post in here nearly every day huh?

            bit like Kieran but at least he’s not as negative as you

            scratch what I said earlier

            self-hating emigrant Paddies are the worst

      2. Fairhill

        A combination of incompetency, deceit, and wilful disregard of the small people for the sake of their own survival should not be rewarded with re-election, because your unsure of the alternative.
        I would take a chance with any alternative to this shower of incompetents(FG), or a party which literally crashed the Country they are so bad(FF)

    3. Louislefronde

      Well I voted for Justin Trudeau and Liberals in Canada. You don’t have a Liberal Party…. so that leaves you with the following:
      Fine Gael – an incompetent Conservative party supported by farmers and po-faced members of the legal profession
      Fianna Fáil – (aka the Pyrite Party) a seriously corrupt and slightly more competent Conservative party funded by a golden circle of crooked property developers.
      Sinn Fein – The friends and family network of a ruthless gang of retired terrorists masquerading as a political party.
      Labour. A nepostitic party and the political wing of the Irish public sector unions.
      The Green Party – an incompetent left of centre party made up of political amateurs and school teachers
      The Social Democrats – two middle-aged women and and of millennials.

      I guess, if I could vote – I’d vote for the Healy-Raes

      They’re not as stupid as they look!

      1. bleeschmn

        Agree with some of these, but:
        Sinn Féin as a political entity predates the Provos by a good sixty years. I wouldn’t vote for them, but many of their political aims are as stated. Apart from the ones that change depending on who’s asking and if they might have to enact them.

        Green Party would be unusual in the Dáil if it wasn’t made up of political amateurs and school teachers. I mean, jaysus, what Dáil have you been watching?

        “Two middle aged women”, oh well, they must be shite so.

      1. Joe Bloggs

        ok i jest, i will never vote for them as long as i breathe and i never forget. i do have a quandary though because i dont think id back FG again. i will probably go green or independent in D15

  1. morkee

    The problem will be sadly the same as always. People voting for the current TD who is in the favoured party for the area, that will do “everything” for you.. so the locals won’t mind when they keep the €5k “bonus”

  2. edalicious

    I voted Green and probably would again though if there was a decent SD candidate in the area that might change. My ideal coalition, though probably not realistic, would be a mix of centre left parties. Hard to see how that would be possible without the SDs and Greens massively increasing their vote share since Labour acted the eedjit with FG.

  3. Murtles

    Unless the 18 to 25 demographic come out in the numbers they did for the Gender Equality Referendum, it’ll be the same old same old again. I was a Poll Clerk for years and it 75% of voters were Over 50 and voted along party lines given the results. IMO the government know this and that’s why they’re happy to close down schools on a Friday to use as Polling Stations as they know if it were a weekend election like a lot of other countries do, students would be off/home and it’d be a different scenario then.

  4. Frilly Keane

    lemme tell ya now

    Independents will not be so welcome this time
    The Shinners will have sorted out their sh1t and will make better use of their quotas
    So I expect 8 plus seats more there

    and the effers are looking at 40plus seats
    and the BlueShirts will drop 6

    big winners will be the Effers and the Shinners

    1. bisted

      …the FFers are playing a blinder at the moment…they can even count on Enda as an election asset. I think they will do better than you think Frilly and the Shinners will consolidate and pull back those few seats they lost last time. Either way the arithmetic should give a FF/SF majority…

  5. Andyourpointiswhatexactly?

    Well I stupidly gave Zappone my #1 last time. Sigh. I dunno, really.

    I hope this helps.

    1. Cot

      Why did you give Zappone a vote?? Were you insane? Her political career, the whole of it, has been one opportunistic marathon. Spend 5 mins in her company, it’s an eye opener.

      1. Andyourpointiswhatexactly?

        I thought she seemed like a very competent lady when I listened to her on the radio.
        FAKE NEWS.

  6. bleeschmn

    I’m still registered in Meath, so I’m just going to fart into a crisp bag, seal it up, and take a good whiff when the FF+FG+Lab/SF results come in. Makes as much odds.

  7. Odockatee

    I’d vote Social Democrats again but I’d say it would be pretty much the same result with Fianna Fail and Fine Geal swapping seat numbers from last time. Shinners might gain from Labour a bit and Labour might gain from Fine Gael a bit. Independents will be damaged by Zappone and Ross but will maintain their numbers overall

    Looking at a rainbow coalition. Possibly FF/FG + one other. I hope Social Democrats don’t throw their lot in for the sake of power

    1. rotide

      “I hope the people i vote for don’t get into government just in case they can implement the things I’m voting for”

      Makes sense.

      1. Brother Barnabas

        Wallace, Murphy and Daly have shown that you can a massive impact even outside of government – if you want to.

        1. rotide

          and just think about what extra impact they could have with actual power

          Of course then they could be blamed for absolutely everything that you dont like about your life.

          1. Nigel

            With extra power they’d have had to go along with the major party and do the things the major party wanted. I mean we can hope all we want that more and more people will get disenchanted with FF/FG after years of seeing how they work, but plenty of people still seem to think coalition is the way to go for alternatives/small parties in spite of years of seeing how that works. Good opposition is needed more than ever, and there won’t be a viable alternative until the alternatives establish themselves as viable in opposition.

      2. Odockatee

        No rotide what I mean is that once they sign up to gain power as a huge minority all they can get out of it is a ministerial pension. All morals, principles and ideals are compromised as the whip system can only work that way. If you’re failing to grasp the point see the Irish Green party for the most recent example

  8. MrGavoB

    Don’t know who I’d vote for to be honest but I couldn’t bring myself to vote FG/FF. Not anymore.
    It’s scandal after scandal after corruption after nepotism after backhander etc etc etc since the dawn of the state. I can’t stomach it anymore. This country really needs a fresh start away from the civil war, parish pump BS of these two dinosaurs.
    I cannot understand people who blindly follow political parties regardless of past performance or policy. It’s like a religious fervor but more dangerous in my opinion because the blind faith in a party has real world implications.
    I can never, ever get my head around the party over country mindset. It’s like a cult but with less space monsters.

  9. JIMMYJAMES

    ‘Statto’ writes:

    Could you run a voxpop survey for us on your site. No, nothing in it for your readers / posters, but we know they are so giddy & opinionated they won’t be able to resist.

  10. scottser

    clare daly gets my number one. if they run a PBP in my area they might get a preference, as might a shinner. last few elections i haven’t bothered with 2nd or 3rd preferences.
    i hate pt-stv, it’s a fukn stupid system. if you’re not good enough to poll enough first preferences then you should sod off and do something else. the likes of mm o’connor and alan kelly wouldn’t get a look in under a proper electoral system.

      1. scottser

        well, i never thought i’d share any common ground with nosferatu, but hey, every day’s a school day..

  11. rotide

    Labour, greens, then the rest of the preferences to the SD/FG/Ind candidates that impress me.

    FF can continue to whistle dixie

  12. Clampers Outside!

    Soc Dems got me first…. No, I won’t go back there.

    Thereafter it was Indies nearly all the way, a Labour, plus 1 FGr way down the pecking order… if I recall correctly. No SF and No FF from me – never have, never will.

    What would I change?

    I’ll continue my no SF and no FF…. Soc Dems would change to an indie most likely… might throw Labour a bone, depending.
    There will be a fair few who won’t be running in next election, in the district of Dub Sth Centralhood…. if I recall correctly.
    I could whore me vote out, like Mary Margret Catherine Dineen*, to whomever knocks on me door.

    ( * also spelt Denine by the yanks )

  13. Rob_G

    1. FG

    2. Labour

    I would then vote for all of the independents/FF in whichever order was most likely to keep out the Sinn Féin candidate.

      1. Rob_G

        No.

        With all due respect, would not go out and play in traffic and leave the grown-ups to their discussion?

        1. scottser

          didn’t think so. you are a typical selfish, blinkered fg voter condescending to the rest of us who have to shovel up your shi’ite with the tiny shovels you hand us.
          rob g you are what’s wrong with this country. hang it up lad, you’re finished.

      2. Lord Snowflakee

        What an outrageous thing to say ;)

        I wouldn’t vote for FG in a million years but if there was a viable “new FF” candidate I might give them a scratch. Last time I voted for Stephen Donnelly LOL

        I would have a lot of difficulty voting for SF too with its current leadership. There was a good SF candidate in Wicklow but the problem was he was SF. It was difficult as he was very active in the community and working on the council, I had a lot of time for him as a public representative. But, I have a lot of difficulties with Mary Lou McDonald and Gerry Adams at the helm of anything. I don’t trust them at all.

  14. newsjustin

    FG as before.

    Not that I think they’re doing an amazing job -the Garda mess is an example of incompetence – it’s that I really don’t trust other candidates and parties not to be worse.

    1. 15p

      you’re like an abuse victim who can’t leave their abuser. FF and FG have been the only ones in power, and both have carried out awful atrocities upon our country .. instead of passing power between those two abusers over and over, im willing to take a shot on someone else. why would you not take the chance? when you know for sure that FG will continue their reign of incompetency and negligence

      1. newsjustin

        Atrocities?

        Life in Ireland really isn’t that bad though. You sound like a Trump surrogate – telling everyone how awful the country is and that they owe it to themselves to try something new.

          1. Lord Snowflakee

            newsjustin is right

            the self-hating paddies are the worst

            moaning and whining the whole day long

            the internet just brings them out into the open

            NEVER doing ANYTHING about it

          2. mildred st. meadowlark

            I disagree. Both FG and FF have a history of allowing church interference in the state. I’m sure we are all well aware of the consequences of that.

            I would call that pretty horrific. And I’d go so far as to say that the state, and the governments that have been in power over the years have an unpleasant record of putting the needs of women and children in this country rather low down on their list of priorities, of failing their duty to protect those in care of the state.

            Those are some big failings.

        1. 15p

          @ newsjustin: life must be grand for you so. and it doesnt seem to bother you that we are shouldering 42% of all european debt. or that we ahve the worst hospital trolley crisis in states history, worst housing crisis, worst homelessness figures ever, highest rents, .. the list goes on, but im not here to pull your head out of the sand. i think you’re too far gone to be made aware of what’s going on around you. you have a real irish “sure i’ll be grand dont mind me”

          @rob_g (please change your fuppin name) once again simplifying your argument down to a stupid level. for you ‘higher emplyment’ = all is well .. you’re also too far gone, won’t be trying to show you the way either. if that’s the basis of your knowledge, if that’s all you think it takes to show the gov are doin a good job.. like are you just completely ignoring everything they’ve done, just because employment is up? something by the way, that is not because of the governement.

          1. 15p

            ps. loadsa jobs .. does not mean everything is well. a lot of those wages are being scalped for the european debt. but sure you’re happy enough to do that yea? just because the boys didnt bother negotiating, sure they might of been tired that day, or didnt want to annoy their EU mates.. we now pay most of the debt.. it avergaes out at 120 euro per person in europe, and 9000 euro for each person in ireland .. but JOBS!

          2. 15p

            people like you are what’s wrong with ireland .. we’ll always have the same corrupt, incompetent, selfish politicians in charge because of you .. reply what you want coz im not comin back to see replies, because it’ll be pointless, neither of you have a fuppin clue. and you’ll never know or accept that youre just helping to keep our country down.

          3. Lord Snowflakee

            So you’d rather

            a_ country reneged on debt
            b we can’t borrow money
            c can’t pay the bills for social welfare etc
            d everyone out digging praties

            That worked so well last time we tried it

          4. Rob_G

            @15p

            homelessness, hospital trolleys, the level of debt- agreed; these things are bad. But imagine how much worse they would be if we still had double-digit unemployment?

            Without having people working, you can’t begin to fix any of these things.

  15. mildred st. meadowlark

    I can’t bring myself to vote FG or FF. I cannot trust them, we’ve seen time and again that, while they are the established parties, they are not very good, and there is little to no difference between the two.

    Clare Daly has got my vote and multiple occasions and I’d be more than happy to vote for her again.

    If there was a SD candidate I’d vote for them, but we’re awash with the usual bunch of opportunists instead in my constituency.

    I think SF needs to get their shjt in order and they could be a viable alternative to FG/FF, but Gerry has to go. If I’m being honest, they are, at the moment, the best alternative to the large established parties.

        1. mildred st. meadowlark

          Dublin North East/Fingal covers a fair bit of turf though, if we’re to use my own area as an example.

  16. Daisy Chainsaw

    Social Democrats, Left leaning candidates, but not Labour because I can’t vote for a party that endorses food banks and not Sinn Fein because they’re still riddled with the types who cheered Jerry McCabe’s murderer which makes their support of Maurice McCabe pure hypocrisy and pointscoring.

    In short, FF/FG/Liebour can drown in their own diahorrea for all I care.

    1. Yep

      “Incidents and accidents… hints and allegations.”

      Or it’s the opening to the greatest Irish rap album of all time.

  17. martco

    whatever Independents show up. I won’t refuse to vote.

    ok here’s the problem, the party I want to vote for – Catherine + Roisin – hadn’t anyone running in my constituency last time out and prob won’t this time out (eventually) either. My support for SD is based my perception that their approach is more vocational than based around personality or any personal career progression plan. I can’t vote for Clare Daly either, constituency.

    Labour are dead to me, I couldn’t care less what horsesh-t Howlin ever comes up with their foundation is gone they’re nothing more than FF/FG lite. Also fupp you Joan. I actually hope they get fully wiped out so some new movement can eventually come into play

    FF/FG? are you kidding?? they’ve been our overseers now forever and look at what they have achieved. I disagree strongly that business is more important than people, trickle down economics, family dynasties, civil war fakery and just plain f’ing greed. Sure business has to be given a chance to succeed but there should be social balance. Personalities like Coveney, Varadker, Lowry for example just horrify me. I would cross the street to avoid them. Schemers. There’s the odd exception in their parties but not enough to alter that view and even if there was a stellar TD in there shure the whip would sort him/her out quick smart..

    SF? Mary Lou is a good talker as is Pearse Doherty and they have new blood coming in like O’Broin. SOme good policies, ideas. Adams is about as competent as Kenny. I actually don’t care about Norn Iron one way or the other outside that I don’t think it will ever resolve in my lifetime or is it affordable for my children. Yes Adams did bad things, I don’t believe there’s any doubt but honestly I don’t care about history particularly….the American GI’s did all sorts of nasty sh-t during the Normandy invasion but we don’t bang on about it today and in fact are more than happy to watch feelgood Band of Brothers (again). I’m sick and tired of likes of FF weaponising SF’s past, that’s lazy. Trouble is I once attended a SF pre-election meeting at a well known Dublin hotel before the last election just to see for myself. Was grand for 30 mins, very flash, powerpoint slides etc. Ideas. But as the evening wore on it took on a much darker tone and I left early…I was asked at the door why I was leaving, not in a nice way. Felt distinctly threatened. I think there’s fakery there and they’re not as post war as they let on. Point is I don’t trust them but not because Pat Kenny tells me not to on the radio or Enda Kenny pulls ridiculous stunts like Mairia Cahill (remember her, anyone?)

    I actually don’t think our system works atall though….loads of reasons but not suitable for the modern era.

    personally I think being a TD should be vocational. I think it should be for the country and not your constituency, that’s what county councils are for. I want to be able to vote for Clare Daly or yes Stephen DonnelIy but can’t because of geography, wtf? Experts in their fields. Working for a better Ireland. Not for some local issue or redacted’s personal interests.

    We are about to take a big torpedo in Brexit. I can’t imagine anything Kenny, Martin or any of them will make one iota of difference to the weather following Brexit. We don’t have any cards to play. Ireland has never had an indigenous industry capable of standing alone and making the country big money outside farming/foodtech and tourism. The IT tech money isn’t ours. But yet wait to see what a mantra that becomes come next GE time, you can trust us to keep the economy going, fight for Ireland in Brexit. We can do the deals. Dublin is gonna get the fintech its the only English speaking country if it all relocates….my hoop. Even if you’re gonna look at it that way Amsterdam makes Dublin look mickey mouse. Reality is though we should be working to build an Ireland that’s got some cards to play and we’re not. FDI and tax fiddles, is that it??

    time for a pint

    1. Lord Snowflakee

      brilliant example of what I was talking about

      everything and anything is wrong, wrong, wrong

      no one Irish will ever do anything right, anything at ALL!! WAIL AT THIS BIT!

      DO THE SIGN OF THE CROSS! Say 10 Holy Marys!

      How lonely and how sad we are a grá mo chroí

      But we were poor ochón

      POOR I’M TELLIN YE!

      All of children died

      and my pony had syphilis

      But you know what, we were still happy!

      We went to the pub, that’s why

      There were several other bores there too

      So we felt alright again

      Then got up next day and whinged it all bad again

      And every day

      The story of my life

      yours, Paddy Peasant Mentality

      1. martco

        you might well be right in whatever it is you’re talking about there but as I’ve no idea what that is exactly I can’t say one way or the other, thanks

        1. Enter Sandman

          I think only a close relative, neighbour or maybe even second cousin once removed would understand it

          Poor Lord Snowflakee

  18. Turgenev

    And can we have the vote on a Saturday or Sunday, please, so students and others who haven’t transferred their vote from Bantry or Letterkenny or Kinnegad can go home to vote (and see the mammy), and so we don’t have to pay teachers for a day of not teaching.
    Students have some of the lowest voting numbers, and it’s crazy paying people not to work. It seems like basic sense.

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