Originally Posted by Keith-M

Exactly. They have chosen to box themselves into this hole, so they will reap what they've sewn.

Very stupid of them really... but then I reckon they were so threatened by the SF'ers that the PS was their safe haven...

I doubt they'll be happy when they see what that strategy has done for them...

I'd welcome the Labour party in to Fianna Fáil. However not yet. I'd have issues with the manner in which they have supported FG in opposing investigations in to FG councilors. This raises ethical questions.

But at some stage in the future I think it would benefit both.


Had they done it 10 years a go we would have had over all majorities and would be in a much better place now.

Originally Posted by Barnsleyfc

People need to remember that the last election was a very volatile one as the next one is also likely to be.
Thus large swings like this were always to be expected (that said it is extremely high)It would stand to reason that the gained voters who had never voted Labour number 1 before would be flaky in any case.
The idea that die-hard support was going to spring up in Galway East for example which had never even come close to electing a LP TD before is foolish.

There were anti property tax protests outside Lorraine Higgins office in Loughrea I was told ,also Kieran Cannons .

[QUOTE=odlum;5954169]I'd welcome the Labour party in to Fianna Fáil. However not yet. I'd have issues with the manner in which they have supported FG in opposing investigations in to FG councilors. This raises ethical questions.

But at some stage in the future I think it would benefit both.

Had they done it 10 years a go we would have had over all majorities and would be in a much better place now.[/QUOTE

]

Had Labour got in 10 years ago we would have even more minorities all over the place and be much worse off.

Good riddance to these champagne liberals posing as some kind of workers party.

Soaring cost of childcare 'stops parents seeking work' | Money | The Observer

what has ************************ed labour is croke park, they are allowing the people inside to remain at the trough, while those on the outside are expected to work for less and worse conditions, while paying the same subs, union leaders earning more than prime ministers in most countrys, bar ireland, then the guys on the top unless they are vented shortly looks as if they will explode.

Originally Posted by Con Gallagher

The Irish voter, labour's highest vote in 2007 was amongst the 18-25 category at 14% (falls to 7-9% among the 25 to 54 year olds).

And that is where they have probably lost most of the vote due mainly to large reductions in social welfare benefit for those under 25, high unemployment rates and increases in university fees. Labour in government have not been good for Irish youth.

Youth unemployment has trebled since 2008 with 1 in 3 young men under 25 being out of work. The scale of the problem is masked by a big increase in numbers re-entering or staying in education and the numbers emigrating. The numbers of young people under 25 emigrating increased from 15,600 in 2004 to 30,000 in 2009. Sectors such as construction, retail and services where young people were heavily employed shed thousands of jobs. Between Q1 2008 and Q3 2009 youth employment in construction and manufacturing slumped by 63.6% and 47.4%.

Youth Unemployment | National Youth Council of Ireland

Originally Posted by Con Gallagher

Mind you, it commands the support of 26% of the non-religious, perhaps a secular agenda on education would benefit them even if atheists are a small portion of the population)

I would have thought support would be much higher than 26% of non-religious. Considering something like 85% of the electorate put Catholic as their religion in the census, maybe a secular agenda is not so high on the public voting priorities.

Con,
Labour will do almost nothing of the points you listed to save themselves! They are an integral party of the intensely corrupt 2.5 party political system we have with a vested interest in seeing large amounts of people run out of this great little country and with a very strong interest in maintaining the highly disgusting classist system that exists here also! They are as corrupt and as culpable at this stage for our present situation as the other 2! It will also fall to them along with fellow Quisling collaborators to destroy the social welfare system, massively increase taxes on even low wage workers and destroy the minimum wage! They will allow this to happen for 2 reasons 1 to get a few pounds of our bank debt under Bailout Zwei effectively and 2 to follow the obligations under the Austerity Teaty!

Originally Posted by Con Gallagher

The most recent red c poll shows labour on 13% - which is rather meaningless on its own as demonstrating a crisis in the party.

Underneath that, is the rather startling statistic that only 14% of it supporters state they are loyal to the party (ie definitely vote for them in the next election). 52% of labour voters are becoming disillusioned, while 34% are losing faith with the party. That is a very flaky/unhappy support base (many might vote labour again but it is far from certain). ...

And yet, 100% of them are stating their intention to vote Labour again, presumably because there isn't a credible alternative to the government parties; FF bankrupted the country, SF can't defend their economic policies, the ULA's Trotskyism is unlikely to ever appeal to more than a niche and more Healy-Rae types wouldn't be a solution to any national problem.
All of those Labour voters who are expressing dissatisfaction with their choice of party are an open goal for the opposition and they still can't score.

legislating for the X case may or may not bring labour more support.

Ivana Bacik attending pro-abortion rallys will not bring Labour support.


http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mehd..._b_1964683.htm