Good news and bad news
I had forgotten there was a by-election yesterday.
The good news – Labour have been hammered and are in sixth place apparently.
The bad news – It looks like Fine Gael are in.
The good news – It looks like 62% of people didn’t even bother their arses voting. There is a message there somewhere?
The bad news – 38% of the electorate were naïve enough to vote.
The good news – Independents did well, with one party – Direct Democracy [never heard of ‘em] running well up the field.
The bad news – Nepotism is alive and well.
The good news – there isn’t even a mention of the Green Party candidate, even though there was one.
I really don’t know why they bother with these elections at all. Mandates mean nothing, as Labour have taught us, and even if the candidate does intend to carry out their mandate they will be ignored or overruled by the gubmint and Brussels. Here we have a front runner who is the daughter of Shane McEntee whose death caused the by-election. Does being someone’s daughter really qualify them?
Frankly that by-election is about as relevant as a bar-room brawl.
Elections are simply a cast change.
GD
Has Ireland not got a UKIP type of party then? It appears that taking it at face value, its the only hope the UK has..
But then, they are politicians, so the face value may not be all it seems
I think this Direct Democracy crowd are trying to go down the route of UKIP, whether the are or do remains to be seen, I don't trust any politician but Nigel Farrage is always worth a listen.
I had a quick browse through their site. There is no mention of Europe ands the EU apart from questioning the legality of the bailout so they are a long way from being IIP [or IRLIP?]
Certainly we could do with a few politicians like Farage. If nothing else, he isn't cowed by that shower in Europe.
Frankly that by-election is about as relevant as a bar-room brawl.
Oh but it had relevance Labour got fucked & fucked hard & they fucking deserved every last bit & more of the fucking they got & here's to more & more of it until the go the way of the PD's & Fucking Greens. I distrust & dislike Fine Gael (Even though I'm an ex party member & have voted for them in every election since '89, but never again, I only voted for them the last time as a vote against Fianna Fail & Labour), I hate Sinn Fein & Fianna Fail, but I really really really fucking hate Labour. That Gilmore cunt is the Great Satan, didn't even turn up at the count centre tdy, probably busy sucking Merkels cock, that's the Frankfurt way afterall,
Labour took a right hammering which is the very least they deserve. I see Rabbitte consoles himself with the thought that the collapse reflected "voters' unhappiness with the economic situation". If so, the others should have equally suffered. The poor deluded fuck still can't accept that his party stabbed the electorate in the back.
I have never in my life given Fianna Fáil a vote. I have at times [rare times] given the nod to Fine Gael and more often to Labour, as we had a good candidate here in Wicklow. All three parties can now whistle for my vote in the future. I'd rather vote for Pullit's cat.
"probably busy sucking Merkels cock" Brilliant! Love it.
Better results and decisions would come out of a Bar Room Brawl than with the gobshites we have.
I'd prefare a good auld punch up instead of elections with all The Politicians involved. Last man standing for Taoiseach. It would also make better TV viewing. Pat Kenny and Blondie Locks could MC the proceedings and maybe they might get a box or two just for added laughs.
The resultant Gubmint could then take their physical debating to Europe and we could watch the sparks fly on a daily basis.
I'd pay my TV license for that with pleasure.
Business as usual – austerity for the plebs, and the Taoiseach having photo-ops with Merkel and others, then putting upbeat spins on what they tell him about the Irish economy. The baddest news I get from this by-election is that FF has climbed out of the hole of excretal shame it had dug for itself. Let's face it: the bulk of Irish voters vote for the FG-FF consensus on the Irish economy. This consensus has little to do with economic imagination, daring enterprise, financial protection of the socially vulnerable, or projecting Ireland abroad as a confident self-assertive nation. I'll continue, whenever I'm at home, to protest at the paltry parliamentary politics by voting for independents. Not that I think that many of the elected independents are bubbling over with principles, idealism, realism and a sense of public service to the nation.
The problem is that as there are no viable alternatives to the Three Stooges, one of them is bound to win. As far as the electorate is concerned, it's a lose-lose situation.
"Does being someone’s daughter really qualify them?"
Of course not – but you are forgetting it is Irish politics. Same old. Same old. Parish pump politics.
Hence my reference to Nepotism. Defined as "favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit" which just about describes it?
It's the same over here, you couldn't fit a bus-ticket between 'em, and as for policy? They're all waiting for Berlin am Brussels to tell 'em what it is. And yet they all bollock endlessly on about how to 're-connect with the electorate'. As if they gave a toss.
Nah. If they want Joe Soap to take an interest again, they'll need to introduce an element of theatre. How about all the candidates get to fight to the death in a swimming pool filled with chilled dog-shite? I'd watch that.
I may not bother to vote. But I'd watch it…
How about a sort of Vatican Conclave type of job? Lock them all in a room with enough food for just one person. The trick is that you give each of them a gun as they go in! 😈
Now that would take us back to the golden age radio comedy. We could sit outside with a pint and a tab a wait for the gunfire to subside, while guessing who the screams belonged to.
Creative… 🙂
Although I still think the dog shite should feature somewhere…
In the meal for one?