04.30.07
Election time – hurrah!
You know for all the dithering, I remembered this morning that the ST announced three weeks ago that the election would be held on May 24th……
Anyways, poster war has started already. Noel Dempsey got his up first RIGHT outside my father’s office (though that’s in the village, I found the one at the top of our cul-de-sac more annoying) but the mutterings about this appalling provocation are nothing to the rows between FG candidates. Apparently the constituency director gave orders we are only to get Higgins posters. There are a few English ones up already-not sure who the rebels are 
. No sign of Geraghty ones yet. I’ll put them up myself if required. Though I might have difficulty getting one. Someone got told, not sure if its either the constituency director or Geraghty’s unofficial campaign manger, to stick his posters up his arse. I’ll have to identify which is the arse in question.
Oh and THEN Bertie gets to address the Houses of Parliament but the Mahon Tribunal cancels their hearings. Honestly, Stalin couldn’t run things better.
ang said,
April 30, 2007 at 12:26 pm
Turned on the radio 8.10 yesterday to hear C. Bird positively drooling with excitement at the whole thing. What happened? Bizarre text messages to journos starting at 5 am. Will be keeping a close eye on Meath and we expect you to keep us up to date on the state of the election (not the general el but the FG one!!). Every drop of gossip!
Fiona said,
April 30, 2007 at 12:55 pm
It might be the most exciting election in decades! In spite of my earlier pessimism and lack of enthusiasm about it, I even find myself getting excited about Irish politics in a way that I would never have imagined possible.I especially like the updates on intenal tiffs in FG that you provide us with, and will be giving Eugene Regan my No. 3, which is monumental for someone who would up to a few years ago probably have chosen death over a FG vote of any description. Enda Kenny is winning me over with his conviction politics….
As for the Mahon Tribunal – the decision, in fairness, appears to have been a pretty pragmatic and practical one?: why do a few days of a module when you’d have to break for weeks then afterwards. It’s certainly a stroke of fortune for Bertie, but the newspapers have the story, the opposition is staying nice and calm, and the legendary Bertie-sleaze-factor is having minimal effect so far. Fingers crossed for a positive change (although I’ll miss Mary Harney in health and Conor Lenihsan [for all his idiocy] doing such a superb job as junior minister in FA
When are you going to start giving us your tips for ministerial posts in a FG, Labour, Greens coalition?
Declan said,
April 30, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Why do we still do election posters? Dublin city is covered with them, most polls have 4 posters on them with many at shoulder height. In Ranelagh/Rathmines Chris Andrews of FF and in Donnybrook Pat Rabbittes Labour posters are prime examples. They will have been defaced and ripped down by Wednesday.
Posters are just a contest between candidates election teams in a race to be first to the best spot on a poll. They only annoy the electorate. Has anyone said “I’ll vote for the person with the nicest poster”? If a candidate has to rely on a piece of cardboard to get name recognition then they don’t deserve to get elected.
Daniel K. said,
April 30, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Declan, it is simply because if you have no posters, then people will vote for the people they have seen and heard off. Posters don’t win you votes, but not having them does lose you them. It’s a pity but
Thing is I like all the posters as I mentioned here.
http://dansullivan.blogspot.com/2007/04/in-praise-of-posters.html
Paul said,
April 30, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Declan, it’s called advertising.
Gordon Davies said,
April 30, 2007 at 6:41 pm
How appropriate that this election campaign should start of by new revelations about Batholemew Ahern’s troubled relationship with the truth and his finances (after all he is an accountant by trade). FF sleaze is at the origin of so many of the major themes of this election: – the endemic corruption of our planning stystem leading inevitably to overcrowded roads, inadequate provision of schools, social, sporting and cultutral facilities, lack of childcare, anti-social behaviour in sink estates, and also the dependance of local authorities on development levies (following the abolition of rates in order to buy an election) and of course the closure of 3,244 acute beds by Rory OHanlon in order to finance the widespread tax evasion by the Haugheyite Ascendancy.
Now, the next step… to oblivion
Bye,bye “Bertie”
Gordon
Sarah said,
April 30, 2007 at 6:52 pm
I wouldn’t DARE make tips about ministers. This election is so far from being won. Suzanne Kelly on Marian on Sunday pointed out that FG currently have 31 seats and really need to get 55 to be in government. That is a mountain to climb. Though in fairness, lots of those seats were lost by tiny margins. You’d have to think some could be got back without too much trouble.
Anyway, Bring it On! Here are my bullet points so far
1. Mary Hanafin against ABA -what’s her problem
2.FG will restore extra tax credits to single income families repairing damage of individualisation.
3.FG propose simple reforms of stamp duty instead of whole scale abolition
4.The Greens – what’s your bloody story? If you put FF back into power I’ll vomit.
5. Whoever takes a match to electronic voting machines is the hero.
6. Its too late to abolish the index linked benchmarked linked cushy number pensions to our bloated civil service, but if anyone has any ideas how to limit it and save the country from penury in 30 years time I’m willing to listen
7. Let’s have some MANAGEMENT of the finances.How much bloody money has been wasted in the past ten years…
oh and finally
what’s with the “the economy is getting rocky we should keep FF in power”line?
how about “the economy is getting rocky i can’t believe they fucked it up so let’s get FF out” line?
Declan said,
April 30, 2007 at 7:27 pm
It wouldn’t be the first type of advertising that got restricted or even banned. It’s just a nuisance.
Dan Sullivan said,
April 30, 2007 at 8:22 pm
Declan, I believe that you’re just someone who resents the fact that a good number of not very attractive people get to have their faces all over the place. If I’m prepared to look at my own face every morning I can live with those of various pols for 3/4 weeks. But that’s just me with my face.
Declan said,
April 30, 2007 at 10:03 pm
lol, maybe we should start an poster picture beauty contest.
omaniblog said,
April 30, 2007 at 11:17 pm
I’m glad my company went into the election photography for posters business. I can report a significant upturn in turnover.
As the market leader with greatest slice of the pie, I’d like to clarify that my company was not responsible for the bleached-out, air-brushed FG posters in Cork.
Dan Sullivan said,
April 30, 2007 at 11:59 pm
Just so long as they don’t turn green like the ‘04 locals!
tom said,
May 1, 2007 at 10:05 am
“maybe we should start an poster picture beauty contest.”
I’m voting for Ann-Marie Martin. I’m voting for her all night long.