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THE TAOISEACH TODAY said that he is not planning an early general election in Ireland this year, but he did not fully rule out the possibility of one taking place in 2024.
Leo Varadkar, speaking on RTÉ Radio One, said that he wants to see this Government fulfill its full term, which is due to end in early 2025.
With the Government being in a three way coalition between Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Green Party, however, speculation has been rife that there is a good chance we will see an election called early.
So, we want to know, do you think it’s a good idea for Ireland to have its next general election this year?
I’d like one tomorrow
@Ban Everything: we should ban elections
@Ban Everything: how do you know if my bed is lonely
@John Kenny: Good man John
Doesn’t matter who is in charge, jobs for our boys is still jobs for the boys.
What’s really needed is an overhaul of the civil service. Until then, there’s no meaningful change.
@Hayagriva: You’re not wrong.
Unless SF are able to clear out the management levels of the civil service, then it is likely the sheer incompetence – and I’m being nice here – will continue.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere:
If clearing out of any level of the civil service is a prerequisite of meaningful improvement in Irish government we are all ffed, no democratic government anywhere on the planet has ever achieved that.
It is the overwhelming policy of the civil service is that you cannot, cannot, cannot be sacked and SF or anyone else will not changed that.
I’d definitely vote for the rural alliance party, they are honest about illegal immigration.
@paulinlavally@gmail.com: As the levels of illegal immigration is miniscule it would be ridiculous for any party to have that as part of their platform, and the waste of a vote.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: says who?
Well as Leo said, he doesn’t want house prices to fall so FG won’t build houses.
69% agree with SF that overinflated house prices should drop even if it means building more houses. Yesterday’s poll.
@9QRixo8H: The Soviet Misery plan, make workers work for slave wages to build Ballymun Towers without no lifts everywhere. Cheap and misery. Vote for the biggest spoofs.
Isn’t that our current system under FFG? Slave wages and social flats or box-rooms that are at capitalist prices.
@thomas molloy: and look what the riff raff residents did to those towers
Anyone but this shishow
The government t need to be scared. They need to listen to the people on the biggest issue of our time. The mass facilitated invasion of our country.
@Alfred Ryan: emigration is a far worse problem and neither have caused our issues they are only highlighting our issues. So shutting our borders thats whats going to solve it all for Ireland?. We’re trying to achieve change and this is done with facts and the ability to see past our personal single minded opinions.
How much more destruction of our society will people accept before they cop on and vote these parasites out?.
@Jerry Bomber: Didn’t we build 70,000 odd houses a year back in the noughties?
So we are hardly building records numbers now, are we?
@Jerry Bomber: also record homelessness, acute poverty and a poor quality of life for the working poor. A poor health service need I go on!!!!
@Jerry Bomber: ah will ya stop.
All the whinging and moaning in the world won’t change anything. Get out and actually vote for a change! Our records of the last election show roughly 55 to 60 per cent in total voted. In City areas, this went down as low as the mid twenties! Check the register and get sorted, and get to the polling stations. Your vote does make a difference!
@Shelley Keary: most intelligent comment here
@Shelley Keary: do we want riff raff voting though?
@Shelley Keary: Absolutely right!!!!! I hope anyone who doesn’t want sf to get in uses their vote this time to ensure it doesn’t happen. It will be too late to complain after the count is in!!!
We have had Covid and the Russia Ukraine war and yet still not election. It is astounding that we can proceed through such huge life events without being given an opportunity to vote on new politicians. The world we lived in at the last election does no longer exist and people should have been given a chance to vote in 2022/early 2023 on new politicians. FFG being totally selfish and caring more about their own positions rather than what is best for the public.
@Lewis Armstrong: FG are awesome, the patriots party :)
This government has sold out the Irish people and spat on the faces of young people trying to get on the housing ladder.
Sinn Feinn/FF etc will not help. I would urge everybody to vote Independent.
@Ronan Strain: Round here that means the Healy-Raes. Not my favourite politicians.
Yes,,sinn fein all the way
@sleepy joe: why. They offer nothing different. And look at Northern Ireland. Why do they never point out what they have done there (instead of focusing on the DUP). Vote PBP or independents if you want something that is actually different not pretend different
@sleepy joe: we everyone rejects the shinner vermin after the election, hopefully we can get them on a hunger strike, that would be so much fun lol
We need a referendum on our continued participation in the EU. Leaders on the gravy train will not allow this to happen.
Yes
Greens going would be great. Leave them in Local not National Government.
@micheal duff: Ah here!
What did local government do to deserve that?
What is the point in having a general election when the results are ignored and Manipulated to keep the status quo but not respect the will of the electorate
@Patrick OConnor: Explain….
@Patrick OConnor: Oh, that’s a brilliant comment………
I’ve had nearly 60 years of variations of FF, FG, LAB and a few insignificant such as PDs, Greens thrown in for good measure but all singing from the same hymn sheet. Why not toss in SF now and see how many days it will take them to grab the same hymn sheet.
@Gerry Hannan: bring back the PD’s, more free market and less freebies…
@brian o’leary: It was PD philosophy which led to the economic crash, and the mess we have been in for a couple of decades.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: Still we don’t like giving ourselves access to ‘free’ markets. try to buy a car outside of Ireland.
@Thesaltyurchin: We can import any car we want, pretty much.
But we have to pay VRT on it.
The PDs were in government too.
I don’t recall them wanting to remove VRT.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: the pd philosophy helped ireland tap into the global economy and wipe out unemployed and emigration. Unfortunately we were totally inexperienced with a managing a strong economy and allowed borrowing to get out of control.
@brian o’leary: @brian o’leary: The PD philosophy is what led to our catastrophic problems, and the crash before that.
The PD philosophy was neo-liberalism (Thatcherism/Reaganomics) which removed regulation on business which, in turn. led to all our most serious problems.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: our problems aren’t as serious as they have been in the past, like in the 80′s for example. Luckily Maggie had broken the unions and the UK’s economy had improved, thus providing employment for many irelands economic migrants . I remember a picture in the local paper of a man standing outside the dole office , holding up the fiver they had given him for the week.
Things are running very smoothly so why change the goverment now.
@liam mc meel: the country is the envy of the world all thanks to FG :)
Cue SF bots.. “SF will save the world. Honestly, they will”
@Barry Sorensen: Well FFG certainly didn’t save the world….Bankers and developers yes…
@Donal Desmond: hasn’t unemployment gone from 15% to 4% under FG?
@brian o’leary: And what levels did unemployment reach under FFG(LG)?
That would be 15%, wouldn’t it?
@Ban Everything: that phrase can apply to both sides of the coin.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: I think it’s a bit of a stretch trying to blame the crash of 2007 on Fg, they hadn’t been in power for 10 years and then only a two year stint in the rainbow?
@brian o’leary: and lots of people hold 2/3 of those low paid Hobbs just to exist.
@brian o’leary: Well…
1) I specified FFG, and their willing partners in crime Labour and The Greens.
2) You might recall that FG wanted to double down on FFs policies.
And that was in the election just prior to the crash.
So, yes, FG are as much to blame as FF.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: the 07 election wasn’t prior to the crash, it was after it started so fg’s election policies were irrelevant. They weren’t shouting the right warnings from the opposition benchs in the years before when it mattered either, but saying they were as much to blame as the government parties who pulled the trigger, again is a huge stretch.
Who gets credit for wiping out unemployment and emigration 97 -2002 BTW?
@Barry Sorensen: only decent thing a shinner ever did was starve themselves for our entertainment lol
Definitely….its time for changing but unfortunately no matter who SF go in with….and they will have to go in with someone let’s be realistic about it…not much will change….we need a one government part ….to achieve any type of meaningful changes…. because once they get into bed with each other they have to compromise and its game over and for anyone that thinks SF won’t change your misguided they will do whatever it takes to get into government like any other party
@and the hit’s just keep coming: This is a good thing, compromise is the most important part of politics. The whipsaw of a two party FPTP system is damaging.
@and the hit’s just keep coming: SF are left and FG are right, with FF somewhere in between. SfFf would be left leaning while FfFg is right leaning. There will never be a SfFg.
@brian o’leary: FG are now a center left party, with high tax and spend.
@Mark Smyth: FG are economically a right wing party.
They will always put business interests first.
If that means extra taxes so that business is protected, then so be it.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: economically right wing? We now have the highest ever funds spent on social welfare, the health service and huge personal taxes. This isn’t right wing
@and the hit’s just keep coming: don’t really understand it but can sf not go in on their own why not ?
@Ban Everything: I think you’ll find it was the people of Ireland who brought in divorce, abortion and gay marriage. We had this thing called a referendum after years and years of campaigning.
@and the hit’s just keep coming: You will never have a Single Party Government again in this Country.
Would it help?
Sinn Fein 2024. Israeli Ambassador out.
@Ham Hat: only decent thing a shinner ever did was hunger strike lol
In capitalist societies, governments are elected by the people to take care of the interests of the rich, who make all the big decisions affecting our daily lives. It has always been that way and it will continue to persist until humanity conceives of other, fairer ways of organising human affairs. Sinn Féin may give more cognisance to social and economic problems among the less well-off, but even they will be constrained in what the plutocracy (or kleptocracy, do rogha rud), will accept. The notion that governments of any particular political hue are the friends of the people is delusional and always has been. To harbour such belief is naive in extremis and not borne out in reality.
@Antaine (aolbfs): Some Bullshit there says I .
@Antaine (aolbfs): is rich people are the most important
Good to see fine gael bailed out there Capo Michael lowry before there fu¢k£d out of office!! #crimepays #moriartutribunal
Yes, but expect more nothing, people seem to think it ‘the government’ but the reality is that it’s just the way Irish people are.
@Thesaltyurchin: I disagree.
There was a time when we had people of vision, and people of competence, in government. Both permanent and elected government.
Not long after we broke with Britain we established the ESB. This organisation brought electricity to all the people, dragging us into the 20th century and creating the foundation for further progress. They designed, built and operated their own power stations, and constructed the transmission and distributions networks.
Likewise we eliminated TB when it was rife throughout the land. We did this by building isolation hospitals – such as Peamount and the then James Connolly – which allowed us to isolate infected individuals while treating them.
We did all this, and more, when we proverbially ‘didn’t have a pot to p in’.
We need those with vision and competence every bit as much now.
But it is clear that such are not present in current government parties and civil service.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: Tha no you very much for that . Our problem for past number of years is, — the type of ” people” we elect for years are only interested in looking after themselves and their circle of friends. We don’t have Reps. anymore that are interested in developing projects and helping local communities to get things for local areas . Try to encourage Independents who are involved in local areas to contest elections .
Yes, if only to see some of the graduates of facebook university and ‘citizen journalists’ lose their deposit money, not that they actually put any of their own towards their campaigns.
We’ve had 100 years of FFG. We need a change in government if we want things to change. FFG have always said Sinn Feins numbers don’t add up. Only one way to find out.
Yes as soon as possible. We need rid of the Greens , Ryan is trying to destroy Rural Ireland . Hopefully we elect an Unprecedented number of Independents . How can right minded people vote for FG , FF or SF ?. Vote Aontu. Or Independent .we are being destroyed by this Government , – we cannot continue to Allow All these Immigrants in here . Enough is enough . When will Varadka, Martin and McEntee see the light ? , we are at our limit for months now . Now we see Decent people and Local Public Reps.houses getting searched , What message is this Government sensing out ? Ordinary local people are getting frustrated .
What’s the point. We vote in the same boots everytime.
You asked this before and you got the same answer YES
I think whoever forms the next government, they’ll still subscribe, like all Irish governments have, to the concept of governance as described by H.L. Mencken – “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard…”
Soon as possible definitely time for a change . There are people who like government that’s because there not worried on daily basis if going to be homeless or if can put food on table. Long waiting lists for hospital s . Ireland is in bad way . For people who think not remember ‘Privilege is invisible to those who have it.
I’d like a new government, especially one that the people voted for, not this idiotic miss match cling on to power no matter what just idiots that want to look after themselves not us.. if Sinn Féin get in they better do what they say..
@Triton: You haven’t a clue, have ya .
My twist? Elections make no difference. 80% of policies are EU. Doesn’t matter who’s in. SF might try fix health or housing but nothing will change. I think our way of life is done & for good. Its the new norm & the same in the western world. Feels like its crumbling. Most live and work now for very little or nothing. Again its the new norm. FFG are abysmal failures, they have failed the people. But they follow the EU. But don’t know how life in the country can be improved for most either. It’s just policy now, this new way. Give shinners a chance. If they’re useless, dump em in 5! Governments in democracies need to be afraid of the people. Here I think the opposite is slowly happening. 4 year elections might be a better idea in this day and age. Vote this year!
Life feeling very unsafe these days in Ireland alone, for a plethora of reasons. Some might also suggest an agreed two party government such as we have, and possibly aimed for and already agreed upon going forward is unconstitutional in that It monopolises choice. Perhaps FF/FG should become one party officially. But we all know they will not do that as this would limit them cornering the market. Once in awhile parties share power, but to plan and agree upon such especially when same agendas are shared sounds dark and foreboding.
Sinn Fein time give them a chance though is is a huge mess that need s to be cleaned up. 100 years enough. The country is horrible working will never own home and now have family member emigrating as no future here do same if didn’t have kids in school and if had job chances elsewhere.
Yesterday…….
Shame on Varadkar
Will it make any difference???
No
Yes as long as it’s only Independents.that get elected.
have your say