Local Elections 2014
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micropoodle
now i'm intrigued! makes the election a little more interesting.
how about firestarter7, another new registrant to post about the elections. which is completely fine in itself but of course suspicious me becomes even more suspicious!
and the fact that they said on two occasions that FF aren't their party just makes me believe the opposite is true
how about firestarter7, another new registrant to post about the elections. which is completely fine in itself but of course suspicious me becomes even more suspicious!
and the fact that they said on two occasions that FF aren't their party just makes me believe the opposite is true
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Bill_Lumbergh
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Let's not start calling out people pleasemicropoodle wrote: how about firestarter7, another new registrant to post about the elections. which is completely fine in itself but of course suspicious me becomes even more suspicious!
and the fact that they said on two occasions that FF aren't their party just makes me believe the opposite is true
If you want us to check out anything, simply hit the report a post icon above a users post and an admin will be sent a message.-
jack white
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All very strange. Especially towards the end of the second page of this thread where the person makes a point and then agrees with himself (or herself) using another account. 
I wonder what impact (if any) the decision of the current council to scupper the idea of a directly elected mayor will have on the election. Is this akin to a virtual declaration of independence from the rest of Dublin?
I heard a couple of the councillors giving their reasons for rejecting the proposal. Tom Kelleher said he had concerns about the definition of the mayor's powers which may or may not be a valid reason. But Ruth Coppinger seemed to be suggesting that a directly elected mayor would be anti-democratic which, at first glance, sounds like she's jumping through some bizarre logical hoops.
I wonder what impact (if any) the decision of the current council to scupper the idea of a directly elected mayor will have on the election. Is this akin to a virtual declaration of independence from the rest of Dublin?
I heard a couple of the councillors giving their reasons for rejecting the proposal. Tom Kelleher said he had concerns about the definition of the mayor's powers which may or may not be a valid reason. But Ruth Coppinger seemed to be suggesting that a directly elected mayor would be anti-democratic which, at first glance, sounds like she's jumping through some bizarre logical hoops.
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Mr. Stupid
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You have to remember this is Ireland. The Lord Mayor proposed could appoint his own people, who would have a degree of power and only be accountable to him.jack white wrote:All very strange. Especially towards the end of the second page of this thread where the person makes a point and then agrees with himself (or herself) using another account.
I wonder what impact (if any) the decision of the current council to scupper the idea of a directly elected mayor will have on the election. Is this akin to a virtual declaration of independence from the rest of Dublin?
I heard a couple of the councillors giving their reasons for rejecting the proposal. Tom Kelleher said he had concerns about the definition of the mayor's powers which may or may not be a valid reason. But Ruth Coppinger seemed to be suggesting that a directly elected mayor would be anti-democratic which, at first glance, sounds like she's jumping through some bizarre logical hoops.
Some people think that is a democratic deficit.
Currently, The Lord Mayor has virtually no power, so even if there is no democratic election, no-one cares.
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jack white
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You have to remember this is Ireland. The Lord Mayor proposed could appoint his own people, who would have a degree of power and only be accountable to him.
Well, naturally. That's what happens with every significant political post in the world. Hardly a democratic deficit.
But I'm more interested in this possible concept of Fingal moving away from the rest of Dublin. We're the only one of the Dublin counties to reject this proposal. Is it possible that at some future stage Dublin will have an elected mayor but Fingal will remain outside the loop?
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firestarter7
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Well Micropoddle, other than taking a selfie and emailing it to you so you can check FF records, let me assure you just once more that I dont support FF as a party and to my knowledge, never have previously.micropoodle wrote:now i'm intrigued! makes the election a little more interesting.
how about firestarter7, another new registrant to post about the elections. which is completely fine in itself but of course suspicious me becomes even more suspicious!
and the fact that they said on two occasions that FF aren't their party just makes me believe the opposite is true
Let me also reiterate that I do support Adrian Henchy as a local election candidate because I think he will do a fantastic job in that role. I don't believe I need to support the party to support the local candidate. I appreciate you have a different view on that which is fine.
You will always get more activity on a forum when Local elections come up. I think that's a good thing and should be encouraged. I have chosen to contribute to the forum in the run up to the election because I am interested in different views people have on the candidates, but I also feel it is important to outline why Adrian should be considered a really good representative for the area. People will agree/disagree/have no comment. Thats perfectly fine.
In relation to candidates promising everything in the run up to an election, the question for me is how much does each candidate actually know about each issue. For example, it is the easiest thing in the world for a candidate to call for the Dart to be extended to Donabate as they dont have to reconcile the lack of funding, resources, competing priorities and lobbying etc all of which feed into any such decision. What would be more useful to know is what insight each candidate has on each issue in terms of what is preventing it from happening and why that candidate thinks they can influence effectively to remove those constraints. For example, candidates promising to fight hard for a Swimming pool for the area should be giving people the facts on why that is unlikely to happen (e.g. the council has stated it has absolutely no plans to develop such a facility as it cannot be financially supported), and then outline exactly how they as candidates are going to secure funding for it. The quality of fact or bullshit in the candidates answer should then help inform us as to the likelihood of them being able to deliver on what would be a great faciliuty for the community. Equally, I thought it was unfair for Gerry Maguire to take credit in his newsletter for defeating the Monster Sewage treatment plant proposal when in fact it was primarily down to the Fairshare group getting well-organised and delivering a targetted campaign to stop it happening. It is worth remembering though that it is still the government's intention to locate the plant in North County Dublin, it's just that it is not likely to be in our backyard now. Still doesnt make it right.
On the surface, everybody seems to be promising the same but scratch beneath and I think you will get a better sense of who is likely to deliver. Will email you that Selfie in a while!
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Mr. Stupid
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Well, I hate to say it but I might actually vote Henchy. Thank f*ck this forum is anonymous.firestarter7 wrote:Well Micropoddle, other than taking a selfie and emailing it to you so you can check FF records, let me assure you just once more that I dont support FF as a party and to my knowledge, never have previously.micropoodle wrote:now i'm intrigued! makes the election a little more interesting.
how about firestarter7, another new registrant to post about the elections. which is completely fine in itself but of course suspicious me becomes even more suspicious!
and the fact that they said on two occasions that FF aren't their party just makes me believe the opposite is true
Let me also reiterate that I do support Adrian Henchy as a local election candidate because I think he will do a fantastic job in that role. I don't believe I need to support the party to support the local candidate. I appreciate you have a different view on that which is fine.
You will always get more activity on a forum when Local elections come up. I think that's a good thing and should be encouraged. I have chosen to contribute to the forum in the run up to the election because I am interested in different views people have on the candidates, but I also feel it is important to outline why Adrian should be considered a really good representative for the area. People will agree/disagree/have no comment. Thats perfectly fine.
In relation to candidates promising everything in the run up to an election, the question for me is how much does each candidate actually know about each issue. For example, it is the easiest thing in the world for a candidate to call for the Dart to be extended to Donabate as they dont have to reconcile the lack of funding, resources, competing priorities and lobbying etc all of which feed into any such decision. What would be more useful to know is what insight each candidate has on each issue in terms of what is preventing it from happening and why that candidate thinks they can influence effectively to remove those constraints. For example, candidates promising to fight hard for a Swimming pool for the area should be giving people the facts on why that is unlikely to happen (e.g. the council has stated it has absolutely no plans to develop such a facility as it cannot be financially supported), and then outline exactly how they as candidates are going to secure funding for it. The quality of fact or bullshit in the candidates answer should then help inform us as to the likelihood of them being able to deliver on what would be a great faciliuty for the community. Equally, I thought it was unfair for Gerry Maguire to take credit in his newsletter for defeating the Monster Sewage treatment plant proposal when in fact it was primarily down to the Fairshare group getting well-organised and delivering a targetted campaign to stop it happening. It is worth remembering though that it is still the government's intention to locate the plant in North County Dublin, it's just that it is not likely to be in our backyard now. Still doesnt make it right.
On the surface, everybody seems to be promising the same but scratch beneath and I think you will get a better sense of who is likely to deliver. Will email you that Selfie in a while!
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micropoodle
I would have voted for Adrian if he wasn't running for FF
but there is no chance I will do that now.
Lets just say a FF candidate gets elected (i wont specify names, just being general). Same could apply for FG, Lab etc.
It is my understanding that he will be tied to the party in whatever votes happen within the council (correct me if I'm wrong here).
If in 2 years time at the general election, this same FF candidate gets elected as a TD. We know for definate here that his/her own opinions/beliefs now become irrelevant as they have to vote whatever way the party whip tells them to vote. This is not democratic to me and whilst I know the system has been in place since the foundation of the state it doesn't make it right.
Couple with the fact that FF destroyed this country for decades to come, it really is a no brainer as far as I'm concerned to not vote FF, despite what a nice person the candidate is. It's this nice person, local guy business that has us in the mess we are in now.
Absolutely no disrespect to Adrian at all (I know him through the GAA), but if he had been running as an Independent, I would be voting for him. As I'm sure would many people on this peninsula
but there is no chance I will do that now.
Lets just say a FF candidate gets elected (i wont specify names, just being general). Same could apply for FG, Lab etc.
It is my understanding that he will be tied to the party in whatever votes happen within the council (correct me if I'm wrong here).
If in 2 years time at the general election, this same FF candidate gets elected as a TD. We know for definate here that his/her own opinions/beliefs now become irrelevant as they have to vote whatever way the party whip tells them to vote. This is not democratic to me and whilst I know the system has been in place since the foundation of the state it doesn't make it right.
Couple with the fact that FF destroyed this country for decades to come, it really is a no brainer as far as I'm concerned to not vote FF, despite what a nice person the candidate is. It's this nice person, local guy business that has us in the mess we are in now.
Absolutely no disrespect to Adrian at all (I know him through the GAA), but if he had been running as an Independent, I would be voting for him. As I'm sure would many people on this peninsula
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jack white
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I agree with that.
This candidate has chosen to run for Fianna Fail. Therefore voting for him becomes unthinkable.
When people start wondering what candidates will do when they're elected the answer is simple: They'll do whatever their party tells them to do.
And what's the one thing we can say about Fianna Fail without any fear of contradiction? Yep. They're incompetent. And, by running for FF, he's standing up for incompetence.
That's the reason Adrian Henchey is not getting my vote. I'm anti-incompetence and he's pro-incompetence.
This candidate has chosen to run for Fianna Fail. Therefore voting for him becomes unthinkable.
When people start wondering what candidates will do when they're elected the answer is simple: They'll do whatever their party tells them to do.
And what's the one thing we can say about Fianna Fail without any fear of contradiction? Yep. They're incompetent. And, by running for FF, he's standing up for incompetence.
That's the reason Adrian Henchey is not getting my vote. I'm anti-incompetence and he's pro-incompetence.
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Mr. Stupid
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The party whip doesn't apply at local government. It's all local issues and there is no way you could run a national government without a whip system.
The most democratic system would be to have a referendum about everything. But there are two obvious problems with that:
1. It would take ages to do anything (don't forget it can already take 7 - 10 years to get legislation thru)
2. You have people who literally do not have a clue about things getting a say in everything.
So you need a party whip but it should be relaxed so that they don't have to go with it all the time. The only party that had this as a policy were the PDs. Labour, FG, FF tend to use it regularly.
When people vote at national elections, they should be voting for the party and its policies first. So there is nothing wrong with having a whip system to ensure that the people who vote for a party get those policies.
It has got a lot of bad press in the last few years because of austerity but believe me it would be a lot worse without it.
I am thinking of voting Adrian because the only difference between the candidates is how far they live from my house. When them came around to my house I basically told them to f off. Ha Ha.
Labour and FG have a dismal record in Fingal as one other poster pointed out. Green are good but don't have a strong candidate.
The most democratic system would be to have a referendum about everything. But there are two obvious problems with that:
1. It would take ages to do anything (don't forget it can already take 7 - 10 years to get legislation thru)
2. You have people who literally do not have a clue about things getting a say in everything.
So you need a party whip but it should be relaxed so that they don't have to go with it all the time. The only party that had this as a policy were the PDs. Labour, FG, FF tend to use it regularly.
When people vote at national elections, they should be voting for the party and its policies first. So there is nothing wrong with having a whip system to ensure that the people who vote for a party get those policies.
It has got a lot of bad press in the last few years because of austerity but believe me it would be a lot worse without it.
I am thinking of voting Adrian because the only difference between the candidates is how far they live from my house. When them came around to my house I basically told them to f off. Ha Ha.
Labour and FG have a dismal record in Fingal as one other poster pointed out. Green are good but don't have a strong candidate.
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jack white
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I have to say I'm thoroughly sick of all the election posters in the village.
There seems to be a hell of a lot more than usual. Apparently we have the biggest field of candidates in the country which probably accounts for all the ugly mugs (let's face it, none of the candidates are oil paintings) glaring down at us from lamposts.
Why not simply ban political posters altogether? They make no contribution to the debate and only benefit the big parties who can afford glossy posters.
There seems to be a hell of a lot more than usual. Apparently we have the biggest field of candidates in the country which probably accounts for all the ugly mugs (let's face it, none of the candidates are oil paintings) glaring down at us from lamposts.
Why not simply ban political posters altogether? They make no contribution to the debate and only benefit the big parties who can afford glossy posters.
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dr doohicky
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Those posters are bloody awful.jack white wrote:I have to say I'm thoroughly sick of all the election posters in the village.
There seems to be a hell of a lot more than usual. Apparently we have the biggest field of candidates in the country which probably accounts for all the ugly mugs (let's face it, none of the candidates are oil paintings) glaring down at us from lamposts.
Why not simply ban political posters altogether? They make no contribution to the debate and only benefit the big parties who can afford glossy posters.
I had a good laugh with the kids the other day driving through Donabate trying to spot all the posters with the moustache sticker on them.
Someone put a poster up outside my house. The wind blew it and now, instead of facing down the road, it's facing into our house. Some politician is literally leering into my daughter's bedroom.
We ending up drawing a big clown's face on an A4 page and sticking it over his mug.
Ironically, even though he's been staring into our house for a couple of weeks and we've been out looking at him, then covering his face with a drawing of a clowns face, I still couldn't tell you his name or party. Those posters just don't work.
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jack white
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Bit of a surprise today.
All of the local election candidates who have knocked on the door so far have been banging on about the same old stuff. Getting the astroturf pitch fixed blah blah blah, sorting out the footpath on the Turvey Road blah blah blah, builders getting planning permission for new estates blah blah blah. It doesn't matter whether you're a Social Democrat, a Raving Fascist or a dedicated Marxist-Leninist, if you're running in the local elections your issues are exactly the same as everybody else's.
But I have a problem that supersedes all that stuff. I won't go into details but I've mentioned it to everybody who has knocked on the door looking for a vote. They've all nodded sympathetically and moved on. But one of those candidates was Gerry McGuire and today he showed up with his party leader who told me that the first step in sorting out this problem is about to be taken. It was a surreal moment to open the front door and be greeted by the Tanaiste himself. Even more surreal was receiving good news from him. Admittedly this step is only the first of a very, very large number of steps that need to be taken and there's still a long way to go before this problem finally gets sorted but at least it's a start. I could have kissed Eamonn Gilmore when he told me the details but that might have got me into the tabloids.
Anyway, I'm slightly happier than I have been lately.
All of the local election candidates who have knocked on the door so far have been banging on about the same old stuff. Getting the astroturf pitch fixed blah blah blah, sorting out the footpath on the Turvey Road blah blah blah, builders getting planning permission for new estates blah blah blah. It doesn't matter whether you're a Social Democrat, a Raving Fascist or a dedicated Marxist-Leninist, if you're running in the local elections your issues are exactly the same as everybody else's.
But I have a problem that supersedes all that stuff. I won't go into details but I've mentioned it to everybody who has knocked on the door looking for a vote. They've all nodded sympathetically and moved on. But one of those candidates was Gerry McGuire and today he showed up with his party leader who told me that the first step in sorting out this problem is about to be taken. It was a surreal moment to open the front door and be greeted by the Tanaiste himself. Even more surreal was receiving good news from him. Admittedly this step is only the first of a very, very large number of steps that need to be taken and there's still a long way to go before this problem finally gets sorted but at least it's a start. I could have kissed Eamonn Gilmore when he told me the details but that might have got me into the tabloids.
Anyway, I'm slightly happier than I have been lately.
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Bill_Lumbergh
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The suspense is killing me!jack white wrote:I could have kissed Eamonn Gilmore when he told me the details but that might have got me into the tabloids.
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diggerbarnes
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It's not the gay marriage thing is it?
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Mr. Stupid
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I had a good chat with a Labour dude as well. I think some of their policies are good but the issue I have is they prioritise the public sector over the private, who are on more money, work less hours and have better pensions. As elected politicians they should be representing both.
The census data shows that people in Fingal have some of the longest commutes of any workers in Ireland, particularly by public transport. So far, none of the parties has been at the railway station first thing in the morning when I'm heading out - and I'm not impressed. As someone who gets up early in the morning to put in a decent day's work and usually isn't home much before 8pm, I tend to respect people with a similar ethic.
In that sense, not identifying with the average working person in Donabate is a major black mark against all of the candidates. They come across as lazy and out of touch with today's Donabate and I'm seriously going to take account of that on Friday. Ultimately, I suspect I'll vote for Bob Dowling on the back of his undeniable work for the local area but I don't think I'll be going far down the ballot paper given that these people obviously don't understand how I live or appear to want to. There is still just about time if they're reading this.
In that sense, not identifying with the average working person in Donabate is a major black mark against all of the candidates. They come across as lazy and out of touch with today's Donabate and I'm seriously going to take account of that on Friday. Ultimately, I suspect I'll vote for Bob Dowling on the back of his undeniable work for the local area but I don't think I'll be going far down the ballot paper given that these people obviously don't understand how I live or appear to want to. There is still just about time if they're reading this.
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jack white
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Local candidate Adrian Henchy is apologising for quoting a civil servant in his election literature and getting the man into trouble with his boss.
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/po ... 81377.html
Big mistake. It must be hard enough to be a FF candidate these days given the venom with which the public are (rightly) treating the party but to be apologising for something just days before the election makes things even harder for yourself. The old political adage which roughly goes 'if you're apologising, you're losing' is very apt.
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/po ... 81377.html
Big mistake. It must be hard enough to be a FF candidate these days given the venom with which the public are (rightly) treating the party but to be apologising for something just days before the election makes things even harder for yourself. The old political adage which roughly goes 'if you're apologising, you're losing' is very apt.
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Mr. Stupid
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Are you saying the old Donabate had no work ethicestuarine wrote:As someone who gets up early in the morning to put in a decent day's work and usually isn't home much before 8pm, I tend to respect people with a similar ethic.
...
They come across as lazy and out of touch with today's Donabate and I'm seriously going to take account of that on Friday.
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Mr. Stupid
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Ah jaysus, if anything that should increase his support. Henchman is seriously committed to that pitch and the club by all accounts.jack white wrote:Local candidate Adrian Henchy is apologising for quoting a civil servant in his election literature and getting the man into trouble with his boss.
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/po ... 81377.html
Big mistake. It must be hard enough to be a FF candidate these days given the venom with which the public are (rightly) treating the party but to be apologising for something just days before the election makes things even harder for yourself. The old political adage which roughly goes 'if you're apologising, you're losing' is very apt.
I would defo give him number 1 if he wasn't FF. Donabate has so many young kids (3 primary schools) we need better sporting facilities.
3 topics of which none of the candidates could update me on when at my door.
1: Rising Crime / break-ins recently.
2: Rising Drug Problem / KIDS STILL drinking in public..... Saturday morning at 11.00 am in the Fairways.
3: Methadone Dispensing from Cathal's Clinic..... to non local addicts...... my family struggling to get an appointment at the best of time.
4: Cuts to the Garda / the reduced visible presence in the area.
They could all tell me they were trying to address the all weather pitch, the pavements on Turvey road etc etc..... nice to have but doesn't keep my family safe.
One or two of them got really stroppy with me when challenged....... And still expect to get the No 1 vote
1: Rising Crime / break-ins recently.
2: Rising Drug Problem / KIDS STILL drinking in public..... Saturday morning at 11.00 am in the Fairways.
3: Methadone Dispensing from Cathal's Clinic..... to non local addicts...... my family struggling to get an appointment at the best of time.
4: Cuts to the Garda / the reduced visible presence in the area.
They could all tell me they were trying to address the all weather pitch, the pavements on Turvey road etc etc..... nice to have but doesn't keep my family safe.
One or two of them got really stroppy with me when challenged....... And still expect to get the No 1 vote
Well done that man.
Just read in Fingal Indo. Councillor Gerry McGuire requested The Council to write to the NRA to name the roundabout at top of Hearse Rd " The Donabate Roundabout ".
Glad to see he is using his time in the Council to good use. No Garda in the Village, plenty of antisocial behaviour and a few burglaries in the last few weeks but I can sleep soundly knowing the Donabate roundabout will be named " The Donabate Roundabout" .
Well done
Just read in Fingal Indo. Councillor Gerry McGuire requested The Council to write to the NRA to name the roundabout at top of Hearse Rd " The Donabate Roundabout ".
Glad to see he is using his time in the Council to good use. No Garda in the Village, plenty of antisocial behaviour and a few burglaries in the last few weeks but I can sleep soundly knowing the Donabate roundabout will be named " The Donabate Roundabout" .
Well done