Intelligent Electorate.

[uriah]

The opinion polls tell us that FG enjoys + 35% support.

Yet the FG candidate for the presidency got just 6.4% of first preferences.
People didn't think he was a suitable candidate and rejected him.
People also rejected the FG candidate in the DW by-election. She wasn't a great candidate.

Two referendums. The people supported one overwhelmingly, and rejected the other.
So people put some thought into their decisions.

I think this is very positive

[Peoples Front of Judea]

I think people are starting to think more clearly about who they vote for and what they vote for now, that's no bad thing.

[riker1969]

The opinion polls tell us that FG enjoys + 35% support.

Yet the FG candidate for the presidency got just 6.4% of first preferences.
People didn't think he was a suitable candidate and rejected him.
People also rejected the FG candidate in the DW by-election. She wasn't a great candidate.

Two referendums. The people supported one overwhelmingly, and rejected the other.
So people put some thought into their decisions.

I think this is very positive

It might be positive that Higgins got in but 28% of the electorate are total sadomasochists who voted for a man closely linked to FF -a party that drove us into the loving arms of the IMF. It means a good quarter plus of the electorate haven't a clue or are part of a suicide cult. This is the stuff of abject despair. He was up the arse of the FF hierarchy . But his main selling point to these morons was was on TV and created a few jobs in the building trade of all things!

[BlackLion]

The opinion polls tell us that FG enjoys + 35% support.

Yet the FG candidate for the presidency got just 6.4% of first preferences.
People didn't think he was a suitable candidate and rejected him.
People also rejected the FG candidate in the DW by-election. She wasn't a great candidate.

Two referendums. The people supported one overwhelmingly, and rejected the other.
So people put some thought into their decisions.

I think this is very positive

Theres is your problem. it's all your opinion. wait till later then other people have their say.

[uriah]

Theres is your problem. it's all your opinion. wait till later then other people have their say.

It is a fact that voters put some thought into how they voted in the elections and referendums.
My opinion is that this is positive.

I know we will have the usual suspects who can see nothing but negativity in everything.

Have you ever seen a calm, reasoned, logical, respectful (but robust) debate on any important issue on this forum?
That is because we have little experience of such debate on any topic, in any forum (including our parliament) in this country.
We need to change that.

[He3]

imo the OP has hit the spot.

People really thought hard about their votes this time.

The late changes on the inquiry vote and on the Presidency reflect genuine openness to new information.

That is a good thing.

[vision]

It might be positive that Higgins got in but 28% of the electorate are total sadomasochists who voted for a man closely linked to FF -a party that drove us into the loving arms of the IMF. It means a good quarter plus of the electorate haven't a clue or are part of a suicide cult. This is the stuff of abject despair. He was up the arse of the FF hierarchy . But his main selling point to these morons was was on TV and created a few jobs in the building trade of all things!

And a large chunk of those seem to be in Laois Offaly!

[Munnkeyman]

imo the OP has hit the spot.

People really thought hard about their votes this time.

The late changes on the inquiry vote and on the Presidency reflect genuine openness to new information.

That is a good thing.

I've now started to think that the passing of the second Lisbon Referendum was a force for good.



The penny dropped.

[oggy]

I for one am astonished at the astuteness of the electorate in the referendum. I wanted badly for both to fail but am happy the more relevant one has been defeated

[Eire1976]

It is not so much the party but the concept and the media driven thought process that is protrayed to the public that forms public opinion which reflects in votes on the ground.

The media protrayed FG as being anti everything FF stood for and so they benifited from this.

This will slowly dawn on the polulace that the opposite is of course true and that the fact is that FG are only the paler shadow of FF.

At the bottom of it all is money and who delivers the most to the pocket. FG were worth a go as they hadn't been in power for some time and when they fail to deliver it will be the turn of another.