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About LinkBacksif they last the term, it will be 15 years....
if they last the term, it will be 15 years....
As long as us Irish stay as tolerant and forgiving as we are. I don't think so.
And as long as we don't have a real, credible and strong alternative with genuinely fresh and radical ideas I don't think so.
Yes when people finally realise the opportunities we've missed over the last decade.
Ireland Her Own and All Therein, From the Sod to the Sky - James Fintan Lalor
Yes, I think FF will be outl at the next election. But, only if the Rainbow coalition grouping stays together. I voted FF/PD but I'd quite likely vote FG next time. The Rainbow has a lot going for it next time, in particular:
(1) nearly every election in Ireland (2002 was exception) sees a small swing aginst the
government of the day - next time, the Rainbow only need a tiny swing to have a
majority in the Dail.
(2) Bertie Ahern won't be leading FF next time.
(3) The fact that FG have recovered so well means an FG-led rainbow coalition, in which
FG have three-quarters of the seats, is more attractive to the middle-class and to
socially-conservative rural Ireland than a rainbow coalition in which Labour and the
Greens together have as many seats as FG
(4) at the next election, FG should make it clear that Richard Bruton will be Minister of
Finance - if they'd done that this time, the Rainbow would have won - there is no
way the Irish electorate would vote for the possibility that an ex-Marxist like Pat
Rabbitte was going to be Finance minister.
spot on with all of that I think freedomlover
There is only one real alternative and that is Fine Gael. I have no doubt that if FG start now and work their ass off and groom good candidtates NOW , ready for the next locals they are in with a great chance. For example Cork South West FG have 2 TD's (P Sheehan 74 Jim O'Keeffe 71) who will almost certainly not run again. They need to start getting their replacments ready straight away and let them work the constituency.Originally Posted by markmchugh
FG proved in the last local and europeans that they can outgun FF.
Cowen will never be as popular as Bertie, the North of Ireland is now off the agenda and FF will be unable to exploit it again like they did this time .
PD's are off the stage and are unlikely to be a significant threat going into the future like they were in the past.
General Fine Gael policy on the result: The people have spoken, the people are wrong - change the people.
Why don't you set up a shirted movement to change the will of the people? Oh, wait, we had that already - the blueshirts! Fascist bastards.
You know, when people have to bring up an organisation that's been dead for seventy years, you start to realise how clean the Fine Gael slate is. Whatever's been happening since the 1930s, remember where Fianna Fail were until 1926.
That whole early 20th century commentary is completely pointless for pretty much anyone in any of the three original parties to make.
Every party in this state had its hands on guns and illegal organisations around the same time.
FF spend most of their time in power and most of that in long stretches. From 1932-2007 they have been in for 56 of 75 years and should have at least a couple more. That includes two streaks of 16 years and the current ten years and counting. Against that remember the opposition fell short by about 5-8 seats depending on the last counts and who the independents choose. Against a less popular FF leader, with imperfect vote management by FF and good results from Lab and FG, a gain of 10 seats overall is possible next time. The real challenge is for a non-FF government is to get re-elected which none has ever managed. FF support used to peak at 50% (1938, 1977) but now it seems to peak in the low 40s and could fall as low as 38 without anyone being shocked. This decline has been disguised by their decision to embrace coalition and the fact that the PDs have reduced FG by 5-10 seats on a regular basis.
That's the way - keep on going back to the 1930s to find indiscretions. For the rest of us we don't have to look back that far to see corruption and dishonesty in FF. It's acceptance of dishonesty and corruption by clowns like you that keeps reelecting a lying Taoiseach. Yes the people have spoken - with their pocketsGeneral Fine Gael policy on the result: The people have spoken, the people are wrong - change the people.
Why don't you set up a shirted movement to change the will of the people? Oh, wait, we had that already - the blueshirts! Fascist bastards.
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