General Election 2024 - Offaly Constituency

[Anonymous1]

Carol Nolan is the only one in the Dail who is actually doing the job she was elected and paid by us to do.....representing the people of Offaly and the people of Ireland first and foremost.
The political parties up there exist only to destroy the country socially, culturally and economically.....I see no evidence to suggest otherwise. To think that people will go into a polling booth tomorrow week and re-elect the same government or some minor variation of them is kind of mind boggling to me anyway with everything that's going on in the country right now.

She certainly doesn’t represent the majority of us in this county given we voted 58% in favour of repealing the 8th amendment.

And most certainly doesn’t represent the majority of people in Ireland who voted 66% in favour.

It’s all well and good howling at the moon from the opposition benches.

We’ve enough hurlers on the ditch up there, protecting their own seats by never having to take a difficult decision.

This country has been utterly transformed for the better over the last 30 years.

We were the poorest country in Europe up until the 90s, we’re now one of the wealthiest in the world.

Have we got our challenges? Yes, but point out the countries that don’t?

The reality is Ireland is one of the best countries in the world to live in across a whole host of metrics from quality of life to safety to life expectancy.

I’d love to know who you think could do a better job governing?

By the sounds of it you’d like to see the likes of Healy Rae’s and Mattie McGrath ruling the roost?

God help us all if that ever came to pass.

Thankfully it seems the people of Ireland have looked around the world at the basket cases of the US and the UK and decided you know what? The centre has served us well so why rock the boat?

Well Looks like the boat sank Healy Rae’s in government FF in disguise all along apple never falls too far from the tree

They’re members of government alright but FF/FG played a blinder in the negotiations and have managed to carve up all 15 cabinet seats between themselves meaning neither the Regional Independent’s nor the Healy Rae’s have a vote at cabinet so can’t veto anything they disagree with.

[SearingDrive]

She certainly doesn’t represent the majority of us in this county given we voted 58% in favour of repealing the 8th amendment.

And most certainly doesn’t represent the majority of people in Ireland who voted 66% in favour.

It’s all well and good howling at the moon from the opposition benches.

We’ve enough hurlers on the ditch up there, protecting their own seats by never having to take a difficult decision.

This country has been utterly transformed for the better over the last 30 years.

We were the poorest country in Europe up until the 90s, we’re now one of the wealthiest in the world.

Have we got our challenges? Yes, but point out the countries that don’t?

The reality is Ireland is one of the best countries in the world to live in across a whole host of metrics from quality of life to safety to life expectancy.

I’d love to know who you think could do a better job governing?

By the sounds of it you’d like to see the likes of Healy Rae’s and Mattie McGrath ruling the roost?

God help us all if that ever came to pass.

Thankfully it seems the people of Ireland have looked around the world at the basket cases of the US and the UK and decided you know what? The centre has served us well so why rock the boat?

Well Looks like the boat sank Healy Rae’s in government FF in disguise all along apple never falls too far from the tree

They’re members of government alright but FF/FG played a blinder in the negotiations and have managed to carve up all 15 cabinet seats between themselves meaning neither the Regional Independent’s nor the Healy Rae’s have a vote at cabinet so can’t veto anything they disagree with.

Now they want to be part of the opposition, despite agreeing to support the Govt. just Wednesday. It is unbelievable stuff, big test for Verona Murphy next week, as Ceann Comhairle. She was appointed as part of the deal supporting the outgoing administration in forming a new government.

[Anonymous1]

Well Looks like the boat sank Healy Rae’s in government FF in disguise all along apple never falls too far from the tree

They’re members of government alright but FF/FG played a blinder in the negotiations and have managed to carve up all 15 cabinet seats between themselves meaning neither the Regional Independent’s nor the Healy Rae’s have a vote at cabinet so can’t veto anything they disagree with.

Now they want to be part of the opposition, despite agreeing to support the Govt. just Wednesday. It is unbelievable stuff, big test for Verona Murphy next week, as Ceann Comhairle. She was appointed as part of the deal supporting the outgoing administration in forming a new government.

Technically, the 4 members of the Regional Independent Group (D Healy-Rae, Lowry, Toole and Heneghan)aren’t members of government but rather supporting it so they are entitled to sit on the opposition benches.

5 members of a technical group are required for opposition speaking rights and they’re more than entitled to join up with Carol Nolan if they so wish.

Sinn Féin can jump up and down about not wanting this to happen but the rules are fairly clear.

[Anonymous1]

Just to recap;

- After the election, Carol Nolan joined the Regional Independent Group.

- The Regional Independent Group entered government formation talks.

- Nolan decided she didn’t want to be in government but remained a member of the RIG.

- The RIG agreed a deal to enter government.

- Some RIG members wanted to speak from the opposition benches despite supporting the government but didn’t have the requisite number of TD’s to do so. However, thanks to Nolan and Mattie McGrath they did have the numbers.

- Controversy engulfs this arrangement, the Ceann Comhairle backs down and as it stands today Nolan has no speaking rights in the Dáil.

Is this what people voted for?

[Bord na Mona man]

For some people, that's exactly what they are voting for, an opposition politician who stays out of government.
A small party considering entering a coalition government knows that at the next election, they'll lose some votes from people angry that they went into government.

[Anonymous1]

For some people, that's exactly what they are voting for, an opposition politician who stays out of government.
A small party considering entering a coalition government knows that at the next election, they'll lose some votes from people angry that they went into government.

I’m not sure anybody goes out to vote for a candidate with the express purpose they sit in opposition. They want to see their candidate in government at some stage.

Anyway, Nolan voted in favour of the new cabinet so she’s not entirely anti-government either.

As we sit here a week before the Dáil kicks off its new term, she also remains without speaking rights which is hardly what anybody voted for.

[Bord na Mona man]

Anyone for votes for Paul Murphy, or Richard Boyd Barrett does so to elect a TD to grandstand from the opposition benches.
The Monk voters the same. Put him in to annoy the government of the day.

[Anonymous1]

Anyone for votes for Paul Murphy, or Richard Boyd Barrett does so to elect a TD to grandstand from the opposition benches.
The Monk voters the same. Put him in to annoy the government of the day.

Most people voting for Murphy or Boyd Barrett do so on the basis of their groundwork in their constituencies and the few that don’t are voting for a Trotskyist revolution.

[SearingDrive]

Anyone for votes for Paul Murphy, or Richard Boyd Barrett does so to elect a TD to grandstand from the opposition benches.
The Monk voters the same. Put him in to annoy the government of the day.

Most people voting for Murphy or Boyd Barrett do so on the basis of their groundwork in their constituencies and the few that don’t are voting for a Trotskyist revolution.

Boyd Barrett is a noisy politician, who is against everything. Paul Murphy and himself both come from privileged backgrounds. After the last election, Ruth Coppinger was elected for the PBP.

[Lone Shark]

It's a personal thing, but for me I'm very okay with Richard Boyd-Barrett, Paul Murphy, or on the other extreme, a Michael Healy Rae or a Boxer Moran. I wouldn't contemplate giving any of them a single-digit preference myself, but they are very open and honest about what they are, and their actions inside and outside of the Dáil are exactly what you might expect. In that regard, they are democracy at work. People vote for them, they have their mandate, they act accordingly.

This is my personal issue with Carol Nolan, and others like her. It is utterly impossible to ascertain what she stands FOR. No shortage of stuff that she's against, that's for sure, but even after she was voted in, she could have been a supporter of the government, she could have been against it, nobody knew. Voting for her was like writing your Santy letter and asking for a surprise.

[ah lethimoutwithit]

It's a personal thing, but for me I'm very okay with Richard Boyd-Barrett, Paul Murphy, or on the other extreme, a Michael Healy Rae or a Boxer Moran. I wouldn't contemplate giving any of them a single-digit preference myself, but they are very open and honest about what they are, and they're actions inside and outside of the Dáil are exactly what you might expect. In that regard, they are democracy at work. People vote for them, they have their mandate, they act accordingly.

This is my personal issue with Carol Nolan, and others like her. It is utterly impossible to ascertain what she stands FOR. No shortage of stuff that she's against, that's for sure, but even after she was voted in, she could have been a supporter of the government, she could have been against it, nobody knew. Voting for her was like writing your Santy letter and asking for a surprise.

100%, she chickened out of the opportunity to join Govt as shes a Shinner at heart still, whatever that stands for?
Quick, start the car!!!