Irish Elections - Referendum, Presidential, and General (polling or byelections)

[Filuwaúrdjan]

They are such a big fycking embarrassment. Christ. Do they even know that they're a big fycking embarrassment? I have this awful suspicion that...

[ObserverIE]

They are such a big fycking embarrassment. Christ. Do they even know that they're a big fycking embarrassment? I have this awful suspicion that...

Vultures absolutely not circling around the current leadership.

They're unlikely to be a big fycking anything after the next (local, European) elections. And their culture-warrior faction will not thank you for mentioning the name of a deity in that outburst.

[minionofmidas]

The promised Messiah is not a deity.

Unless you're a Christian.

[ObserverIE]

The promised Messiah is not a deity.

Unless you're a Christian.

<Gets into character and mutters about middle-eastern sky fairies>

[Leftbehind]

So the Greens and now Labour have sacrificed themselves for the return of FF/FG politics. How hard is it not to throw your lot in with a party the bulk of your supporters despise (especially after being propelled to the main opposition for the first time)? Might as well just rename themselves to the Saboteurs Party.

Although saying that, comparing the figures to the 2011 g/e it might not be as hopeless as I first thought:

27% FG (-9)
23% FF (+5)
15% SF (+5)
7% Lab (-13)
2% Grn (n/c)
25% Ind/Oth (+10)

[ObserverIE]

From an article in today's Irish Independent, discussing the possible replacement of Gilmore by Joan Burton (not online as far as I can see):

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Eat your heart out, Cleggster.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Is Burton an ex-Sticky as well?

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Is Burton an ex-Sticky as well?

No but is unlikely to fire up much support among those who have abandoned the party. For that they will at least need to stop the whole 'we are serious people making hard choices' spiel a la FF in 2009 and to try and find an industrial relations policy which isn't, you know, aimed primarily at their core voting group. That would be a start.

[ObserverIE]

Is Burton an ex-Sticky as well?

No, she's "old" Labour from the left of the party as was before DL joined.

The Stickies in the parliamentary party are:

Gilmore,
Pat Rabbitte (Minister for Communications/Smartarse Comments/Making Excuses for Fine Gael),
Kathleen Lynch (Junior Health Minister for Sucking Up to Father Stack),
Seán Sherlock (Minister for Technology and Sounding Like a Particularly Sanctimonious Curate),
Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central),
Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, brother-in-law of Kathleen),
Anne Ferris (Wicklow).

The Stickies tended in the 80s and 90s to be relatively friendly to FG (they spent their time in the 80s trying to sabotage Labour and loathed both SF - old blood feuds - and FF - too "green"). The old instincts are still in action.

It's a long way from Kim Il-Sung to being FG shock absorbers.

[ObserverIE]

Is Burton an ex-Sticky as well?

No but is unlikely to fire up much support among those who have abandoned the party. For that they will at least need to stop the whole 'we are serious people making hard choices' spiel a la FF in 2009 and to try and find an industrial relations policy which isn't, you know, aimed primarily at their core voting group. That would be a start.

According to polls, she's the most popular/least unpopular member of the current government, probably because she's the only Labour minister who sounds like she vaguely remembers what she's supposed to be standing for. On the downside, she'll be 67 in 2016 and doesn't apparently get on with a lot of the TDs. (Disclaimer: she's an ex-work colleague.)

For a clean break, they would probably need to get out of government and possibly anoint Róisín Shortall as leader to make it explicit that a clear break was being made.