And Lucinda's party is called...

I'll probably vote for them. I vote only on economic policies as social policy is mainly set by the media and the Supreme Court.
I want to live in a secular liberal democracy and that's pretty much what we have.
I also want to live in a country where the state provides high quality and efficient services to it's people. That we don't do so I'll vote for whatever party is most likely to do that. Therefore I won't vote for any left-wing party as they encourage mediocrity and waste which hurts the vulnerable and poor.

I'm left with FG (economically centre to centre-left) or this new crowd (economically centre to centre-left as well). We don't have any economically right-wing party in Ireland so there's no option there.

I think I'll give the new guys a chance.
 
I voted FG between 2004 and 2011, but never again. If the Renua candidate in my constituency has any go about them at all I'll vote for them.
 
michaelm said:
I voted FG between 2004 and 2011, but never again.
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Why?
I think this government (both parties) has done a very good job. It's a pity they changed their excellent Water Charge structure from a pay as you use model to the current flat tax but other than that they've been quite good.
 
We as a nation badly need a radically new thinking party, but these bunch definitely aren't it....all we are getting here is FG by another name or more middle of the road politics ......I wont be voting for them.
 
Purple said:
Why?
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Amongst other things they were too meek in dealing with the EU on banking debt . . not another cent in unsecured debt was to be paid . . Irish Water is a shambles . . FG allowed Gilmore to close the Vatican Embassy (I think the only country ever to do so) which is a national embarrassment (even for anti-Catholic's) and to pretend it was to save money is just pathetic . . they have run the criminal justice system into the ground . . Kenny did a U-turn on his promise not to legislate for the X case and instead pushed through nonsense legislation that views abortion, against all medical evidence, as a treatment for suicidal thoughts . . Health is a disaster (ok it's always a disaster, but they made it worse) . . so never, ever again.

The one bright note for me in this Government is that Labour swapped most of their principles/promises for some magic beans and look headed for oblivion like the Greens before them.
 
I was against them re-opening the Vatican Embassy. As far as I'm concerned we should break off diplomatic relations with the Vatican and expel all of it's diplomats and officials until we receive an admission of culpability and an apology for the way in which they incited sedition by Irish citizens by instructing them to give primacy to the laws of a foreign state over Irish law when it came to the rape and abuse of children. They should then agree to extradite Ratzinger to stand trial as a willing accomplice to child rape. I agree that it was pathetic to close it on the grounds of saving money. They should have done it because the Vatican is a hostile state.
They were never going to do anything other than what they were told by the troika so that was just electioneering.
I agree Health is a disaster but I'm not sure if they made it worse. They certainly didn't improve it.
I also agree on the abortion issue but personally I don't think it should be in the constitution in the first place (and I'm generally anti-abortion).
I also agree on Irish water. the original proposal was a good one, even if the allowances were too low. The new system has changed a charge into a tax. They should never have given in the populist pseudo-anarchists who protested against it.
 
I suspect that you may have a more extreme view of the Vatican than most but in any event surely diplomacy involves having contacts even with regimes you do not like, otherwise we would be cutting off relations with half the world . . I wouldn't accept 'electioneering' as an excuse for broken promises . . much to my chagrin the bonfire of the quangos and political reform proved to be other empty promises.
 
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michaelm said:
much to my chagrin the bonfire of the quangos and political reform proved to be other empty promises.
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The Labour/FG manifestos about debt write downs and quangos were not delivered.

Ruairi Quinns pledging on registeration fees was also a stunt.
 
If Fine Gael had initiated New Politics , we would not have the polls we see.
Sadly they took their Q from old Fianna Fail.

In some ways they have done well nuff , to manage through the carnage of 2008.
But now we need leadership.
The threads have shown some of the issues.
On Water, to call the 100 a (conservation) grant is akin to saying burn more coal to stop global warming.It is offensive to insult our intelligence that way.

The Quango Trains run on, have we since FG was elected ever heard about their culling?
There is NO way Government Ministers should be paidk200+.
Indeed there is no way anyone should be paid k200+ without having them hard taxed.

Not sure Health is a disaster, you could argue they have done well, considering everything that happened.

It wasn,t pseudo-anarchists who marched in Water protests. Generally it was people who sensed the malaise and lack of leadership in our Government.
 
I think the proposal to give every child born in 2016 a €100 centenary coin smacks of auction politics. Ok pro life and all that but can our maternity hospitals cope with the inevitable surge in "childbirth tourism"?
 
Gerry Canning said:
If Fine Gael had initiated New Politics , we would not have the polls we see.
Sadly they took their Q from old Fianna Fail.

In some ways they have done well nuff , to manage through the carnage of 2008.
But now we need leadership.
The threads have shown some of the issues.
On Water, to call the 100 a (conservation) grant is akin to saying burn more coal to stop global warming.It is offensive to insult our intelligence that way.

The Quango Trains run on, have we since FG was elected ever heard about their culling?
There is NO way Government Ministers should be paidk200+.
Indeed there is no way anyone should be paid k200+ without having them hard taxed.

Not sure Health is a disaster, you could argue they have done well, considering everything that happened.

It wasn,t pseudo-anarchists who marched in Water protests. Generally it was people who sensed the malaise and lack of leadership in our Government.
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I agree with most of that but who earns €200k+ in this country who isn't hard taxed?
It wasn't pseudo-anarchists who marched in the water protests, though I'm sure there were a few, but a few of the leaders are in that bracket.
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
I think the proposal to give every child born in 2016 a €100 centenary coin smacks of auction politics.
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You've just reminded me that all children born in 2000 were supposed to receive something like 6 books, and a lifetime library membership. There might have been more but I can't remember. Absolutely diddly ever came through, certainly not for my youngest.
As for the Millennium candle, I'm sure that'll arrive any day now!
 
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