fine gael – Page 4 – Slugger O'Toole

Fianna Fail has to become about Big Ireland in order to have a future

David McCann on December 23, 2014, 11:44 am

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A few days ago I wrote about Sinn Fein and the need for parts of the media to drop their obsession with Gerry Adams. Writing about a topic a bit closer to my own heart, Fianna Fail has some real challenges going into 2015. Let’s recap, the party suffered an all merciful hiding at the last election losing 58 seats, falling from 41.6% to 17.4% in the popular vote and seeing many of its prospects for the future losing their …

Poll of Polls 2014: FG/Lab/FF down, SF up and Independents most popular group in Ireland

David McCann on December 10, 2014, 2:38 pm

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Well it’s nearly over, 2014 Ireland had the local and European elections, a Cabinet Reshuffle, resignations and another budget as the current government cross the halfway mark in this term of office. So, how have the parties been performing over the past year? I took a look at the various RedC polls that have been conducted throughout the year. In terms of overall party support here is how each party has been performing since 2013. Fine Gael-25.8% (-2.3%) Labour-8.2% (-2.8%) …

Adams: The Taoiseach should now show the courage of his convictions by resigning, calling a General Election and letting the people decide.

Soapbox on December 3, 2014, 6:30 am

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Following the Irish Water saga there is mounting speculation that Ireland might be heading to the polls in 2015. Writing for Slugger, Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams TD argues that it’s time for the Taoiseach to go the country and let the people decide the future economic direction of the country. The Fine Gael/Labour coalition Government is in deep crisis. As each day passes it is clearer that it will struggle to stay in office for its full term. The …

Ireland’s problem is the ‘dead-ending almost all policies before they even can be implemented’

Mick Fealty on November 5, 2014, 10:02 am

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Given the day that’s in it in Belfast, here’s a timely intervention from an Irish government backbencher on his own party’s failure to implement meaningful political reform: Fine Gael needs to commit immediately to loosening the grip that government holds on Dáil Éireann. This means, as a starting point: A declaration that the whip will only apply in stated instances and that all other votes will be free, including the order of business. Establishment of an independent Oireachtas budgetary office …

Sinn Fein top of the polls: Rumours of their demise greatly exaggerated?

David McCann on November 1, 2014, 8:44 pm

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Latest polls in the South will be giving Sinn Fein reason to raise a glass tonight as they have suffered one of the biggest crises since 2004. Here is the latest Millward/Brown Poll which will appear in tomorrows Sunday Independent Fine Gael -22% Fianna Fáil – 20% Sinn Féin -26% Labour-7pc, Independent-23% I will pose this question to the Sluggerverse what is the secret of their succcess? David McCannDavid McCann holds a PhD in North-South relations from University of Ulster. You …

Latest SBP/REDC poll in the South-Sinn Fein still second

David McCann on October 26, 2014, 12:08 am

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The first opinion poll taken in the South since the BBC Spotlight programme was conducted on Monday-Wednesday of the past week. Here are the results Fine Gael-26% (-2) Sinn Fein-20% (-3%) Fianna Fail-18% (nc) Labour-8% (nc) Inds/Oths-28% (+5) Overall, Sinn Fein will be happy with this poll as in other bad times for the party such as the Northern Bank robbery and the McCartney murder, the party’s support halved in just 9 weeks. This 3% drop is more stable and …

Quite correct Gerry, “Sinn Féin is not the problem” (for Fine Gael)…

Mick Fealty on July 16, 2014, 11:02 am

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Next time you hear someone from Sinn Fein going on about the unreliability of the Independent Group of Newspapers, nod sagely in agreement and put this statement from Party President Gerry Adams at them… That the Taoiseach would determine junior Ministries on how they might impact on Sinn Féin merely highlights the fact that the Government still doesn’t get the message delivered by the voters. And the source for this ‘story’ Gerry? None other than the hated (or at least ‘they …

@CharlieFlanagan appointed the new Foreign Affairs Minister #reshuffle

David McCann on July 11, 2014, 10:18 pm

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Enda Kenny reshuffled his cabinet today in the aftermath of disappointing local and European election results in May. While these events generally go un-noticed in Northern Ireland, the appointments made particularly in the Department of Foreign Affairs will have an impact on our daily lives. So, just who is replacing Eamon Gilmore? Drum roll please……..Charlie Flanagan. Yes, I am sure you’ve never heard of him but Flanagan was previously the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. He was also first …

After the election… Fine Gael…

Mick Fealty on May 28, 2014, 12:57 pm

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So, Fine Gael. Not a great election. Probably slightly less damaging for them since the poor old Labour Party mudguard is catching most of the attention of the press in the immediate aftermath. But they know better from their own sweeping of FF council trenches in 2009 that a lot of the damage they shipped at the weekend is already irreversible. Even in the European elections, the core figures for both party’s actual vote are scary: Fine Gael 369,120 1st preferences …

Derek Mooney-Fianna Fáil and the long road to recovery.

Soapbox on May 19, 2014, 12:30 pm

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Continuing on our series of articles of elections in the South, former Fianna Fail advisor Derek Mooney writes about the current campaign, Fianna Fail’s recovery and what it has to do next. While there are worse jobs in the world: the worst job in politics is certainly leader of the opposition. If he didn’t already know this, it is certain that Fianna Fáil’s leader Micheal Martin will know this in just over a week. The 2014 European and Local Election …

Women candidates and Political Parties in the 2014 Republic of Ireland local elections by Claire McGing

Soapbox on April 23, 2014, 8:11 am

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Claire McGing currently lectures political geography at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. She has published research nationally and internationally on gender in Irish politics, north and south. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Local elections are due to be held in the Republic of Ireland on Friday, May 23rd. Compared to the last contest in 2009 the electoral landscape is rather different: 774 town and borough council positions have been abolished and the number of county/city councillors has risen …

Frank Flannery: Latest victim of his party’s crusade against health charity’s salaries

Mick Fealty on March 12, 2014, 11:36 am

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For the man who famously laid out his party’s ambition to replace Fianna Fail in Irish politics, his end came suddenly and rather ignominiously. Outside politics Frank Flannery build up the charity Rehab over forty years and into a viable business. So the push for conformity with government funding rules first aimed at medical charities like the Central Remedial Clinic (critics suggest to divert attention from the financial difficulties facing Health Minister James Reilly) concludes with Fine Gael dropping their …

Fine Gael to consider contesting elections in the North #fgaf14

David McCann on March 1, 2014, 1:03 pm

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Interesting development from the Fine Gael Ard Fheis this weekend as the party’s delegates have passed a motion to set up a working group to consider the possibility of contesting elections in the North. The motion that was passed only states contesting elections at Local, European and Assembly elections but it will be interesting to see if this group has legs and goes somewhere. To be honest, I wasn’t even aware that this issue was on the radar for the …

Polls-How have Irish political parties done throughout 2013 ?

David McCann on December 22, 2013, 7:27 pm

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It has been an eventful year in Irish politics as the country emerged from the bailout programme, held a referendum on the abolition of the Seanad and introduction of legislation on abortion rights. So, how have the parties been performing over the past year? I took a look at the various RedC polls that have been conducted throughout the year. In terms of overall party support here is how each party has been performing since 2012. FG-28.1% (-3.6%) FF-23.4% (+5.8%) SF-16.1% …

North-South relations and the game the Irish government wont play anymore.

David McCann on November 18, 2013, 11:24 pm

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The past week has not been a good one for North-South relations as the EU funding was pulled for the Narrow Water Bridge. Mick noted the general disengagement of the Irish government in an earlier post but as I sat at the NI21 Conference, I listened to the Junior Finance Minister, Brian Hayes TD, give his verdict on North-South relations which to me highlights our current problem in this area as he said; There has been too much navel gazing …

#Seanref and Northern nationalism’s missed opportunity.

David McCann on October 4, 2013, 10:23 am

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Today voters in the Irish Republic will head to the polls to decide whether to abolish their second chamber, the Seanad. This issue has dominated political debate in Dublin. The Fine Gael/Labour coalition, in alliance with Sinn Fein, has come out for abolishing Ireland’s second chamber. While the main opposition party, Fianna Fáil have come out against abolition. However, as this debate has been going on south of the border, people in Northern Ireland, particularly nationalists seem to have a …

Wither the SDLP-Have they a future?

David McCann on September 8, 2013, 5:32 pm

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Conall McDevitt’s resignation from the assembly this week has provoked some debate about the future direction of the SDLP. With this in mind, I thought I would take this issue head on and ask the crucial question do the SDLP even have a future? When you take a look at the figures of every assembly election since 1998, you can sum up the SDLP’s fortunes in one word; decline. In 1998, the party took more first preference votes than any …

Abortion legislation: Enda Kenny has much to learn about party management when in government…

Mick Fealty on July 8, 2013, 4:59 pm

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One of the tricks of remaining in government under the STV PR system (only used in Ireland and Malta national parliaments) is not a applying the party whip too hard across the board… ‘Gene pool Fianna Fail’ is a term that once rolled off the RTE tongue to describe those who’d lost the party whip but who rowed generally in the same direction… One of the shocking effects of seeing what happened in Fianna Fail when unburdened by the party whip was …

#Reilly legislation on abortion: It’s truly idiotic

John Ó Néill on April 25, 2013, 11:00 am

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You didn't expect this.

And the abortion debate rumbles on …. Yesterday Health Minister James Reilly denied that it was ever being proposed that the opinion of six doctors would be stipulated in legislation covering abortion where there was a risk of suicide. This morning, Fionnan Sheahan published details of the draft legislation: • “One obstetrician and two psychiatrists have jointly certified that, in their reasonable opinion, there is a real and substantial risk of loss of the pregnant woman’s life from self-destruction and …

Millward Brown Poll: Scary buns for Fine Gael?

Mick Fealty on February 16, 2013, 9:32 pm

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No polls for a while then three or four come along at once. News broke tonight of the Sunday Independent’s Millward Brown poll.. MB have done a few polls on politics for the Sindo, but the last comparative poll that I have figures for was last May… These figures are proportions of voters after eliminating the undecided, which stands at a high figure 27% ; Fianna Fáil 27% (17), Fine Gael 25% (36) Sinn Féin 20% (20) Labour 13% (12) …