“The message I’ve received loud and clear: people want a new government, they want a change of government and that involves Fine Gael out of government.”
Fianna Fál leader Michael Martin, January 23, 2020
Meanwhile…
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has said he expects the party leaders will sign off on a deal tomorrow, after government formation talks concluded for tonight | More: https://t.co/eJiJBCCWyZ pic.twitter.com/BMDKGwG3vE
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) June 14, 2020
Last night
Earlier: Derek Mooney: Better Never Than Late
McGrath expects Micheál Martin to lead next government (RTÉ)
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Are politicians exempt from social distancing?
The journalists here are on top of each other.
Caption suggests it’s from January i.e. back in the Good Old Days.
its journalists the world over. i’ve seen lots of this. ironically, when they were getting pics of Dominic Cummings reporting on him breaking lockdown rules, they were on top of each other and way too close to him and his wife too. Journos are complete animals, they all want a close position to MM here, so instead of just working out a system, they throw caution to the wind, and for the sake of gettin their nose in front they do this. animals.
At least if he doesn’t make Taoiseach, he’ll always get a part in The Simsons
Meh.
Who ever got enough votes and can provide stable Govt.
Not concerned about “vote for change” whining.
Out of interest, what are you concerned with? Will the installation of this Frankenstein administration alleviate those current concerns? I also ask, why is a vote for change considered whining by your standards? Does it not fall into the ‘concerns’category also?
More public housing being built, tackling greenhouse gas emission, getting as many as possible back to work safely.
I think having the Greens in and the two civil warriors together is enough change and enough of a mix to act as an impetus to achieve some of the things reportedly in the programme for government.
A vote for change certainly isn’t whining.
But parties who got a portion of the votes saying (essentially) “if you don’t include us, its not change” is whining.
I love how you gloss over the facts with your use of “a portion of voters”. I’d say 535,595 first preference votes is a significant ‘portion’ to be ignored. SF got the highest First Preference Vote % of any political party in General Election and those voters who are the majority of all the votes cast are essentially being excluded through every means possible to ensure the FF FG circus continues.
And there will be consequences not yet fully understood for them. You can’t ignite the voice of half a million voters and expect them to go quietly into the night.
COVID-19 changed everything for everyone bar the wealthy. The usual quiet Irish voter will not be so quiet this time I think.
ah you’d miss Ron all the same :)
25% of the votes cast is a plurality, rather than a majority, Ron. And governments are formed excluding 25% of voters a ‘majority’ of the time – I would go so far to say ‘100% of the time’.
count up all the first preference votes cast in the General Election, and then portion them like a pie and assign the pie based on the number of first preference votes cast by the electorate. Which party has the biggest piece of the pie?
a) We use proportional representation
b) Any party who wanted to had 125 days to try to form a government with their mandate and powers of persuasion, any government. If they wouldn’t or couldn’t that’s a reflection on them, not anyone else.
count up all the first preference votes cast in the General Election, and then portion them like a pie and assign the pie based on the number of first preference votes cast by the electorate. Look at the FF, FG and Green slices- together they have more than half.
Democracy.
Oh Cian, your such a mediocre Captain Obvious. We are all very aware of the PR system. It still doesn’t negate the fact that SF got the highest first preference % vote of any political party and to suggest that the majority, more than half a million shoukd just walk away quietly shows how naively mediocre you are.
Also, on a side note. you need to be intellectual in order for your attempts at your particular type of sarcasm to work. it’s not working because your the opposite of intellectual Cian.
How’s things going otherwise?
Thanks News. That’s absolutely fine, fair and reasonable. I simply had an issue with ‘vote for change’ being plainly categorised as whining.
Time for you and time for me ,
And time yet for a hundred indecision s ,
And for a hundred visions and revisions ,
Before the taking of a toast and tea.
from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock