Fine Gael and its...10,000 new members?

[sean1]

In 2003 Fine Gael held a public meeting in a hotel in Whitehall in Dublin about the Nice Treaty. I'm in no way a FG supporter, but I went along as I am interested in the EU.

About 100 people were in the audience, although at least 85 of them would have been in their 60's. The members of YFG consisted of about 5, including Lucinda Creighton and some other leading FG member, who was one of the speakers.

As I was going in there was a woman at the door taking everyones name's and addresse's and putting them onto a computer.

I am just wondering, would I be one of the 10,000 new members that have joined Fine Gael between 2002 and 2004?


http://www.finegael.ie/index.cfm/level/ ... ageid/248/
Content_Key/565/type/Page/PaGeName/After_the_Rainbow.html

[meriwether]

In 2003 Fine Gael held a public meeting in a hotel in Whitehall in Dublin about the Nice Treaty. I'm in no way a FG supporter, but I went along as I am interested in the EU.

About 100 people were in the audience, although at least 85 of them would have been in their 60's. The members of YFG consisted of about 5, including Lucinda Creighton and some other leading FG member, who was one of the speakers.

As I was going in there was a woman at the door taking everyones names and addresses and putting them onto a computer.

I am just wondering, would I be one of the 10,000 new members that have joined Fine Gael between 2002 and 2004?

No. Did you fill out a membership form and pay a tenner? No. Then youre not a member.

[ireland2004]

In 2003 Fine Gael held a public meeting in a hotel in Whitehall in Dublin about the Nice Treaty. I'm in no way a FG supporter, but I went along as I am interested in the EU.

About 100 people were in the audience, although at least 85 of them would have been in their 60's. The members of YFG consisted of about 5, including Lucinda Creighton and some other leading FG member, who was one of the speakers.

As I was going in there was a woman at the door taking everyones names and addresses and putting them onto a computer.

I am just wondering, would I be one of the 10,000 new members that have joined Fine Gael between 2002 and 2004?

No. Did you fill out a membership form and pay a tenner? No. Then youre not a member.

I might join up 8)

[meriwether]

In 2003 Fine Gael held a public meeting in a hotel in Whitehall in Dublin about the Nice Treaty. I'm in no way a FG supporter, but I went along as I am interested in the EU.

About 100 people were in the audience, although at least 85 of them would have been in their 60's. The members of YFG consisted of about 5, including Lucinda Creighton and some other leading FG member, who was one of the speakers.

As I was going in there was a woman at the door taking everyones names and addresses and putting them onto a computer.

I am just wondering, would I be one of the 10,000 new members that have joined Fine Gael between 2002 and 2004?

No. Did you fill out a membership form and pay a tenner? No. Then youre not a member.

I might join up 8)

We wouldn't have you :wink:

[ireland2004]

In 2003 Fine Gael held a public meeting in a hotel in Whitehall in Dublin about the Nice Treaty. I'm in no way a FG supporter, but I went along as I am interested in the EU.

About 100 people were in the audience, although at least 85 of them would have been in their 60's. The members of YFG consisted of about 5, including Lucinda Creighton and some other leading FG member, who was one of the speakers.

As I was going in there was a woman at the door taking everyones names and addresses and putting them onto a computer.

I am just wondering, would I be one of the 10,000 new members that have joined Fine Gael between 2002 and 2004?

No. Did you fill out a membership form and pay a tenner? No. Then youre not a member.

I might join up 8)

We wouldn't have you :wink:

Would there be a background check done? Was it done in all 10,000 cases?

[sean1]

No. Did you fill out a membership form and pay a tenner? No. Then youre not a member.

That meeting was in 2003, and between the General Election in 2002 and the Local Elections in 2004- exactly two years- Fine Gael claim to have gotten 10,000 new members.

As I said there were about 5- no more than 6- members of YFG there at that meeting, which was the biggest Fine Gael public meeting in North-East Dublin that year, and maybe even since. The 5 or 6 YFG members included two leading members, one of whom is not even from the same side of the city.

It sounds to me like a big lie. Considering that most students who join political party youth wings in college don't actually stay in the party for more than a day, I think it is time that your figure of 10,000 was edited and taken off your party website- whether or not 10,000 new members did indeed join in the first place.

[meriwether]

In 2003 Fine Gael held a public meeting in a hotel in Whitehall in Dublin about the Nice Treaty. I'm in no way a FG supporter, but I went along as I am interested in the EU.

About 100 people were in the audience, although at least 85 of them would have been in their 60's. The members of YFG consisted of about 5, including Lucinda Creighton and some other leading FG member, who was one of the speakers.

As I was going in there was a woman at the door taking everyones names and addresses and putting them onto a computer.

I am just wondering, would I be one of the 10,000 new members that have joined Fine Gael between 2002 and 2004?

No. Did you fill out a membership form and pay a tenner? No. Then youre not a member.

I might join up 8)

We wouldn't have you :wink:

Would there be a background check done? Was it done in all 10,000 cases?

Yeah, we always have a good look for suspected British agents among our new members.
You shinners should try it some time :wink:

[meriwether]

No. Did you fill out a membership form and pay a tenner? No. Then youre not a member.

That meeting was in 2003, and between the General Election in 2002 and the Local Elections in 2004- exactly two years- Fine Gael claim to have gotten 10,000 new members.

As I said there were about 5- no more than 6- members of YFG there at that meeting, which was the biggest Fine Gael public meeting in North-East Dublin that year, and maybe even since. The 5 or 6 YFG members included two leading members, one of whom is not even from the same side of the city.

It sounds to me like a big lie. Considering that most students who join political party youth wings in college don't actually stay in the party for more than a day, I think it is time that your figure of 10,000 was edited and taken off your party website- whether or not 10,000 new members did indeed join in the first place.

I really have no idea what you are wittering on about now. Whats a big lie? Our membership numbers? How the hell would you know in any case?
As for the comment about the youth members inflating our figures- YFG is not the same organisation as FG. It is completely autonomous. YFG members are not included when totting up FG members.

So, to clarify, if you didn't fill a membership form and pay a membership fee you are not a member. Is that clear?

[sean1]

I really have no idea what you are wittering on about now. Whats a big lie? Our membership numbers?

Eh, yea.

How the hell would you know in any case?

There is NO visible evidence that you even have 100 new members since 2002, never mind 10,000. Actually, the 10,000 figure may have gone up again since 2004. Is it 20,000 or maybe 2 million new members you have have gotten since 2002?

As for the comment about the youth members inflating our figures- YFG is not the same organisation as FG. It is completely autonomous. YFG members are not included when totting up FG members.

The figure is included in the FG website, and I stress the FG website, and not the YFG website.

[ireland2004]

Yeah, we always have a good look for suspected British agents among our new members.
You shinners should try it some time :wink:

Jaysus, you're complaining about us Republicans in the past shooting MI5 agents and now your complaining that we let them in freely... make up your mind