Killian Forde confirms to Politics.ie that he has resigned from Sinn Fein

[Pat Mc Larnon]

Pat, I think it was Pat Docherty who was asked a few months ago what the AIW was and he did not know. How many people do you know who do not know what their salary is? Is it the northern AIW you get or the Republic's AIW which is considerably bigger? Is it paid before or after tax and what would the average 'expenses' paid to those workers be? A lot of questions which have never been answered..

As for 'selflessly devoting ones life to ones party', that would be debatable when we realise that , Gerry, for instance has done very well with his holiday home and property portfolio and that applies to many of the party apparatchik, so selfless? I doubt it.

I take it that is for factual?

[SevenStars]

Those Armani suits that Adams wears and the 2nd homes in Donegal pay for themselves do they ??

Ireland's greatest novelist....The labourer is worthy of his hire.

[jdaly]

Quote:
Originally Posted by jdaly
Pat, I think it was Pat Docherty who was asked a few months ago what the AIW was and he did not know. How many people do you know who do not know what their salary is? Is it the northern AIW you get or the Republic's AIW which is considerably bigger? Is it paid before or after tax and what would the average 'expenses' paid to those workers be? A lot of questions which have never been answered..

As for 'selflessly devoting ones life to ones party', that would be debatable when we realise that , Gerry, for instance has done very well with his holiday home and property portfolio and that applies to many of the party apparatchik, so selfless? I doubt it.

Dear oh dear, always falls back to SF Bashing, does'nt matter the topic, always the bash. alan1122
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This is the problem of trying to debate with shinners; they raise an issue, such as the average industrial wage they claim their full time members live on and when someone calls that into question they cry childishly 'Dear oh dear, always falls back to SF Bashing, doesn't matter the topic, always the bash', alan1122, listen carefully now, that was the topic as you yourself and factual had brought up the issue of the AIW. Stop whinging and debate the points. which AIW, northern or southern is paid? Do those in the north get the southern rate because if they do they are far better paid than any average worker in the north. If not is that not partitionist? Maybe you don't know and if not you could say so. What is the average expenses paid to them? How can so many of them afford holiday homes and fancy ones at that?

[LMN3]

This is fantastic news - I always felt Killian belonged in the broad Labour family, and I'm thrilled to hear he'll be joining Labour. Hopefully this will also encourage many of the other progressive SF members to look at making a political change.

Makes two Labour seats in Dublin North East a very real possibility also.

We do not know if plans are pending for Northside four or five seaters in time for next general election.

In the current three-seater Dublin North East constituency including Portmarnock, a Broughan / Forde Labour ticket would more likely result in Labour taking one seat and the other Labour candidate neither elected nor eliminated. The amalgated whole is always a bit less that the sum of the separate parts. But, yes, they are in broad terms close to being lucky and taking two seats.

However this would be utterly transformed if the Labour ticket were: Broughan / Coyle / Forde. The inclusion of Portmarnock's Cllr Peter Coyle would make Labour an unstoppable juggernaut and two seats for them as close to an absolute certainty as conceivably possible. Likely surplus votes ON TOP of two quotas!!

With Fianna Fáil extremely unlucky not to get two seats in Dublin North East last time they could afford to lose up to perhaps forty percent [perhaps even a bit more] of their first preference vote and still retain one seat.

[jdaly]

I take it that is for factual?

Sorry Pat, it was indeed for factual.

[KingKane]

There is a difference between being careerist and selflessly devoting ones life to ones party. Sinn Féin reps have to live on the AIW unlike the reps of any other major party.

Err...that's not true. My understanding (correct me if I'm wrong) is that publicly at least SF reps are required to only take the AIW from their public rep income. And only from their public rep income, did Gerry give his income from his books to the party? They could be big farmers or auctioneers or barmen or whatever and whatever income they make from that other business is theirs and theirs alone.

[inherit the deficit]

Quote:
This is the problem of trying to debate with shinners; they raise an issue, such as the average industrial wage they claim their full time members live on and when someone calls that into question they cry childishly 'Dear oh dear, always falls back to SF Bashing, doesn't matter the topic, always the bash', alan1122, listen carefully now, that was the topic as you yourself and pat had brought up the issue of the AIW. Stop whinging and debate the points. which AIW, northern or southern is paid? Do those in the north get the southern rate because if they do they are far better paid than any average worker in the north. If not is that not partitionist? Maybe you don't know and if not you could say so. What is the average expenses paid to them? How can so many of them afford holiday homes and fancy ones at that?

Shoppers from the South head to Newry. Holiday makers from the North buy 2nd homes.Its an All Ireland Economy!!!!

[Johnny]

Err...that's not true. My understanding (correct me if I'm wrong) is that publicly at least SF reps are required to only take the AIW from their public rep income. And only from their public rep income, did Gerry give his income from his books to the party? They could be big farmers or auctioneers or barmen or whatever and whatever income they make from that other business is theirs and theirs alone.

THis is the case. As I posted above "They may draw down the AIW, but actually living on it is an entirely different affair...... eg Adams, Morgan etc." Factual is being utterly disingenuous on this issue.

[KingKane]

Labour believes that endorsing a budget that effectively penalises tens of thousands of the less well off as progressive?

Yeah cos 4 quid or whatever every 3 weeks is downright penal.

[KingKane]

We do not know if plans are pending for Northside four or five seaters in time for next general election.

In the current three-seater Dublin North East constituency including Portmarnock, a Broughan / Forde Labour ticket would more likely result in Labour taking one seat and the other Labour candidate neither elected nor eliminated. The amalgated whole is always a bit less that the sum of the separate parts. But, yes, they are in broad terms close to being lucky and taking two seats.

However this would be utterly transformed if the Labour ticket were: Broughan / Coyle / Forde. The inclusion of Portmarnock's Cllr Peter Coyle would make Labour an unstoppable juggernaut and two seats for them as close to an absolute certainty as conceivably possible. Likely surplus votes ON TOP of two quotas!!

With Fianna Fáil extremely unlucky not to get two seats in Dublin North East last time they could afford to lose up to perhaps forty percent [perhaps even a bit more] of their first preference vote and still retain one seat.

Fact is that is a possibility, but with Woods likely to be out of the picture next time (that portrait in the attic can't last much longer can it?) and were FF to split badly over the successor then they could lose their seat. Brabazon is the most likely but others will argue strongly for 2 candidates. FG need a strong 2nd candidate as even with the benefit of incumbency and the addition of the core FG from his running mate last time, deputy Flanagan would end up in the Martin Brady position of having no one to transfer to him. Who that 2nd candidate might be is anyone's guess, could Joan Maher step into the breach? I presume Alan Farrell's bailiwick is too much outside DNE to be a runner, but I'm not that familiar with the Fingal boundaries so he could be a prospect. Gerry Breen and Tony Sutton might be up for it again. Feck it if I'm about and at a very loose end I might even find a hat to throw in myself . I presume that Larry O'Toole will now be compelled to run again. I still maintain that SF should have run Killian in DNC last time.