Irish elections

[The Bishop]

Dec 4, 2024 11:27:06 GMT Merseymike said:

.... however I do like Fray Bentos steak and kidney puds or pies. I know it's disgusting but I love it!

Me too, though I preferred the puds when you had to boil it for ages in a pan the old fashioned way

[Pete Whitehead]

Fray Bentos pies always turn out to be a unifying factor on this forum (although I've no use for kidney myself, the straight steak or steak & ale ones are excellent)

[irish observer]

Dec 3, 2024 20:14:01 GMT dizz said:

Dec 3, 2024 19:20:20 GMT edgbaston said:

What do you mean?

I assume you are asking about this:

"The people I represent generally eat their dinner in the middle of the day." Danny Healy-Rae using a famous phrase of his late father's Jackie Healy-Rae after his election as a a TD in 1997 to the late Brian Farrell to summarise who voted for him.

I hoped to find it on YouTube but couldn't

The origins of that quote are actually from the late Brian Lenihan Snr who once said that "Fianna Fáil voters typically have their dinner during the day." It was not meant to be patronising but more fact given the different origins of the party's voter base and as someone who himself had grown up in Roscommon, been educated at school in Dundalk and later represented Dublin having lost his seat. Famously Jack Lynch apologised to him on RTE on the first televised election count after he lost his seat in that election after which he relocated to Dublin West for 1977 bar a brief spell in Brussels in the EU Parliament.

James Downey late of the Irish Independent wrote a biography of him Lenihan, his life & Loyalties.

[irish observer]

The last-time that the Dáil increased in such a number of seats was I think in 1948 which actually helped curtail the potential extent of FF election losses in that election. Regardless with the increase to 174 parties were expected to make gains the question was how many.

FF are extremely happy. Not only supplanting FG as the largest party but beating the exit-poll and winning the FPV and the largest number of seats with a small decline in the party vote. In addition several seat gains were made in the Dublin area and in the Commuter belt. Carlow-Kilkenny, Kerry, Donegal (especially with MICRA), Kildare North, Meath West and also Louth, Clare and the Cork constituencies are obvious success stories. In Dublin the capture of Dublin South-Central where Catherine Ardagh topped the poll and was elected first was a great fillip as the party was seatless there for 10 years. They have also taken back the old section of Leinster House which is historically held by the largest party, typically the FF section.

Extra candidates could have secured additional gains in each of Mayo and Tipperary South and they should analyse strongly Kildare South, Dublin Fingal-West, Dublin Central and Limerick City in the latter case where better vote management would have likely given an additional seat.

FG got the strategy right in several areas with a 1 candidate strategy and wrong in others. Simply its not one-size fits all and they were hindered by Harris' campaign as it was hurt from the word go. However in Dublin and in Wicklow, effectively now a Dublin suburb, it worked. Their strategy for the Seanad will be very critical and doubtless strong words will be heard at many meetings. I said before being in Government for 4 terms makes you fatigued and a party needs a break occasionally just to renew itself.

SF will be happy with the result. They will be delighted to have surpassed FG as the second party and media will attempt to say in certain quarters that they should have done better. This is a weak argument. They lost Dublin Bay-South and though putting a decent run at it were not in the frame in either Dún Laoghaire or Dublin Rathdown. These areas remain FG bastions where FF play second fiddle. SF hope to re-establish themselves at LG level to be competitive here. Witness Offaly where they almost won a seat from nothing now a serious target and Laois where they now have serious issues. Kildare South is a real success story and in Kildare they did not exist as recently as 2007 as an organisation.

Clearly we are now into 3 Party politics into Ireland for the forseeable with some more competitive in some constituencies than others but with the Labour-SD conundrum as well.

Labour only ever existed in Connacht-Ulster in Galway West. Now SF have a TD here as well as seats across the area. Why? That is the problem for Labour and SD. They are fighting for the same voters who in theory SF hope to cannibalise like they are cannibalising the hard-left witness the loss of some other left-wing seats in Dublin who SF won't be sorry to lose.

Labour are now worried over going into Government lest SD steal their clothes and grow in opposition and the fratricide goes back to Labour's time in the FG-Labour Government when several Cllrs quit over various left-wing issues etc. Hence the world of the Independent was strengthened further as well as various disaffected FF and FG or even SF emigres who got elected on various stances over the years and retained seats.

FF will likely form Government with FG after some deal-making with a phalanx of Independents. FG are hoping to hold out for a Rotating Taoiseach hoping FF will accept the Ceann Comhairle post again. Don't think FF will go for that FF will insist on the Finance Portfolio plus ECOFIN ie Pascal would remember he's no longer Minister for Finance and it doesn't really matter who is Ceann Comhairle in theory because the person is a neutral arbitor who will support the Government of the day in a tie.

[irish observer]

Hope you all enjoyed my constituency tour. If any of you visit any of the constituencies or wish to meet in person for a drink I pledge to sing a version of a constituency song as well for the privilege!

[Delighted Of Tunbridge Wells]

Dec 4, 2024 9:21:50 GMT No Offence Alan said:

Dec 4, 2024 9:06:37 GMT J.G.Harston said:

Canned roast chicken and vegetables?

Ashens is the YouTube channel for that

The LDs should get Ed Davey to do an Ashens toy unboxing video for the next GE campaign! 

[doktorb🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️]

Dec 4, 2024 18:43:09 GMT irish observer said:

Hope you all enjoyed my constituency tour. If any of you visit any of the constituencies or wish to meet in person for a drink I pledge to sing a version of a constituency song as well for the privilege!

They were really good profiles and I thank you for them

I've never visited Dublin so that's on the list! 

[Crimson King]

Dec 4, 2024 18:43:09 GMT irish observer said:

Hope you all enjoyed my constituency tour. If any of you visit any of the constituencies or wish to meet in person for a drink I pledge to sing a version of a constituency song as well for the privilege!

late bid for the techical contributer of the year crown 🙂

[dizz]

Dec 3, 2024 23:24:06 GMT timrollpickering said:

Dec 3, 2024 21:03:11 GMT dizz said:

If your point is that 34.7% will never ever be enough in this constituency - which it isn't - then I disagree with that of course as never ever would be an absurd argument. That leaves us debating how unlikely it will be that SF and combined FF and FG will always be guaranteed 3 quotas which of course will not be the case & I reckon we leave it at that!

Where are Healy-Rae Generation 3 each based? Could one of the councillors bring a distinct support base over and above what Generation 2 already have?

See the Kerry County Council 2024 elections for your answers:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Kerry_County_Council_election

So, Killarney, Kenmare and Castleisland, with Liam 'Speedy' Nolan also being a HR nomination in Listowel so they cover 4 of the 6 areas. Creepy in my view.

It's worth adding that Edgbaston's Kerry results map shows just how strong a candidate Michael Cahill was fully outpolling either HR in his home part of the county - something the FG man failed to do at all.

[irish observer]

Regarding Cahill I think he had been a Councillor for c.28-30 years or so in Kerry and the ticket was very well balanced with Foley in Tralee the largest town and sitting FF Minister, him as a Councillor in basically the Mid-Kerry area and Linda Kelliher the wife of Niall Kelleher the Killarney FF Cllr and former Mayor of Kerry. It was a well-balanced ticket and ensured that every area was covered by the party. Geographically Kerry used be 2 3-Seaters and also encompasses a Gaeltacht area that had issues over Dingle/Daingean signage issues some years ago and even had a TG4 programme featuring a Irish election programme some years ago set in Kerry.

[uthacalthing]

I enjoyed that, but sadly what I shall take away from it is this.

Dinner is the meal taken at a table, always with cutlery, probably with others and probably of more than one course with courses taken in the correct order

Lunch or tea are taken when dinner is not, and are possibly taken at a breakfast bar, the computer chair, on the lap, very often alone, permitting any order, possibly without a full set of cutlery

[Defenestrated Fipplebox]

Dec 4, 2024 14:40:43 GMT Pete Whitehead said:

Fray Bentos pies always turn out to be a unifying factor on this forum (although I've no use for kidney myself, the straight steak or steak & ale ones are excellent)

Unifying anything on this forum?

Nah.

It's pie in a tin, it never cooks properly, to my taste anyway, gave up on their unedifyingness years ago.

[swanarcadian]

[uthacalthing]

He is not "stepping away", he has been booted out by the electorate

[timrollpickering]

He didn't recontest his seat.

[CatholicLeft]

Dec 7, 2024 8:55:50 GMT timrollpickering said:

He didn't recontest his seat.

Yet, given the system, he remains the Minister for Transport and the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications until a new government is formed. Last time, the election took place on 8th February and a new government wasn't formed until 27th June, which caused a lot of controversy as TDs who had lost their seats continued in office all that time.
I suspect (hope for) a quicker resolution this time.

[Arthur Figgis]

Dec 4, 2024 18:43:09 GMT irish observer said:

Hope you all enjoyed my constituency tour. If any of you visit any of the constituencies or wish to meet in person for a drink I pledge to sing a version of a constituency song as well for the privilege!

I considered taking you up on that offer but the weather made today unpredictable. As it turned out I did make it to the Cooley peninsula, after visiting my grandparents’ grave in Kilkeel as well as the café with the best bacon in the known (to me) world. When I was in Greenore I realised I needed the toilet, so decided to go for a wee drink in a pub rather than a garage. Searched for any nearby pubs that had local beers, and discovered the Carlingford brewery taproom just a few miles away. Was driving so just had a half, but it was very nice.

[maxque]

Dec 7, 2024 8:55:50 GMT timrollpickering said:

He didn't recontest his seat.

And left leadership of his party in June.

[uthacalthing]

Yes, but other than that, I was correct.

[irish observer]

Dec 7, 2024 19:13:49 GMT Arthur Figgis said:

Dec 4, 2024 18:43:09 GMT irish observer said:

Hope you all enjoyed my constituency tour. If any of you visit any of the constituencies or wish to meet in person for a drink I pledge to sing a version of a constituency song as well for the privilege!

I considered taking you up on that offer but the weather made today unpredictable. As it turned out I did make it to the Cooley peninsula, after visiting my grandparents’ grave in Kilkeel as well as the café with the best bacon in the known (to me) world. When I was in Greenore I realised I needed the toilet, so decided to go for a wee drink in a pub rather than a garage. Searched for any nearby pubs that had local beers, and discovered the Carlingford brewery taproom just a few miles away. Was driving so just had a half, but it was very nice.

There's always next time.