“Inherited”….? I’m pretty sure the people of East Meath get to decide who they want to represent them. I know the Taoiseach can nominate Senators but TD’s…..not so much, no.

Any candidate should be judged on their own merit, not slated from the start just because their father was a TD before.

And if a candidate merits a nomination off their own bat very good. Would she have ran against her father in the next election had things been different? I’d imagine David you might feel otherwise if you were a hard working FG councillor or foot soldier in Meath East who would like to have ran as a canditate yourself but you havn’t got the right last name so the party won’t back you. And yes Dillon I mean inherited. Like the Taoiseach inherited his father’s council seat, and his brother inherited that when Enda got TD. The Taoiseach can decide who’s running for FG in the election.

Genuinely surprised by that article did not think he was arrogant! There was me thinking that some of them can be different!! Don’t know much about the other candidates tbh, I just met Thomas when he was a sitting TD and thought he was a good capable guy! D arrogance is typical of ff though so maybe I was wrong on making that assumption from 1st impressions! D fact that he is a yes man is obviously also a problem but name a party politician that is not a yes man! It’s d reason our political system is such mess!

Can we not all just agree to make Fianna Fáil a prescribed organisation and outlaw it? Please?

Starry Eyed. That is you point and i’ll take it on board.

Maybe my views are clouded by how I have seen him act over the years.

Think we know enough to not vote FF back in. Maybe nowadays, when it comes to irish politics it’s better the devil you don’t know.

Why not outlaw Sinn Fein for their terrorist links to the IRA? You say Fianna Fáil has destroyed the country but the IRA and Sinn Fein have been at it for years with the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the murder of innocent people

Love the fianna fail ‘like’ on your facebook page dave. Nothing like a nice unbiased view, is there?

It’s not a crime to be a member of Fianna Fáil. It is a crime to be a member of other organisations

Dave Fianna Fail has let everyone down big-time, they are the biggest shower of crooks the State has ever seen.. at least the blueshirts are up-front with their right-wing ideology.. Labour meanwhile are lost in the wilderness, have been for some time now.. time for a change surely?

It is fantastical to think thy Sinn Féin will ever be the dominant party in government, or even in government. You can even rule out independents! Labour are going to be badly broken in 2014 and a similar trend will follow in 2016. Fine Gael will still be in government, most likely propped up by independents and occasional support from Fianna Fáil.

David, you may as well give up. These shower of ignorant fools would only cause unnecessary anger. I actually have never seen such an ignorant and biased bunch of idiots anywhere before. They must have nothing better to do than sit around all day looking for an opportunity to complain.

Oh, I suppose we will now hear of how FF “ruined the country” and that’s why they are now unemployed (obviously, if they dedicate so much time to arguing on The Journal.ie) and also why they have such a huge grudge on the Fianna Fáil party. Yawn.

Any relation to Hugh – it would explain a lot….

Who might Hugh be?

it’s you David that is being fantastical, the establishment parties will suffer a blow next time out, have a feeling in my bones..

Dont you read newspapers or listen to the news?! Given you know so much about SF I would have assumed you would at least know who the Hugh I am referring to is. Guess you’re not as well informed as you seem to think you are!!

Eimhin

my first comment was for David Orde, but my response to your post “who might Hugh be?” is more or less the same.

@eimhin- speaking of ignorance…you are just unbelievably stupid if you can’t recognise the unprecedented damage caused by the blatant corruption and incompetence of the last FF Governments. Hang your head in shame. And I don’t know why you & your ilk reserve your focus on SF. It’s FG who are in fixing your mess. As usual. Cretins.

Ann I have no idea if I am related to Sir Hugh Orde. Fail to see how my family tree is relevant to the discussion.

The amount of read thumbs is concerning….

U said it Rob!

Ding Ding!
Round one!

Best of luck to him hope he gets a chance

You mean the guy who thinks the constitution says he doesnt have to pay his mortgage or parking fines? Good luck.

Direct democracy is a form of democracy in which the people have the right to:

Select their own candidates to represent them (ddi website)

@Oisin, Rubbish childish argument. The man is standing up for tens of thousands of people who have forked out via the usc, the house hold charge and all the other new and increased taxes and charges that were taken by Fine Gael and handed to bankers to save their useless arses from the poorhouse. The same bankers then evicted those very people whose money they pocketed paying themselves huge bonuses with the peopled money at the same time. You stand up for that sort of thing do you, what bank do you work for I wonder.

Martin what is childish about what I have said. Ben Gilroy claims that the constitution says that if he decides to stop paying his mortgage it is unconstitutional for the bank to take his home. This is utter nonsense and people in desperate situations are being sold this nonsense. People at threat of losing their homes is serious business. What is need is a real independent debt resolution process not some guy selling magic beans.

Oisin can you show when that was said I would like to see that..

Sorry but no. A waffler who claims the constitution says he doesnt have to pay his mortgage. He also said he took a 600e a week mortgage, doesnt sound too sensible.

You are talking about a man who travels around the country totally off his own back, helping people who are being turfed out of their homes! The banks screwed up, and get bailed out by the people. People who took out big mortgages, over did it and are getting evicted.
At least Ben Gilroy is helping people in this situation, while Bertie, Cowan and their cronies enjoy massive undeserved pensions and the current government continue to sell us out!!

@Oisin The man had a successful and profitable business when he took that morgage out are you saying people should only borrow when they can’t afford to unlike Ben at the time who could or are you saying people should not buy a house until they’ve saved the entire price of the property. Guess we would’nt need banks if thats the way you would like the world. Not the brightest are ye!

No I’m saying he took out a ridiculously high interest mortgage which would require him to have cost him 2400 a month and this would lead me to not think his judgement the best. He may be very dedicated and travel round the country but he is selling people nonsense and magic beans. People are more likely to lose their home listening to his guff about whats supposedly in the constitution.

Direct democracy is a form of democracy in which the people have the right to:

Select their own candidates to represent them

He comes across as a lovely man in these letters. I’m a good 25 miles from his area and I’m very happy with that.

http://www.thejournal.ie/fianna-fail-senator-says-signs-saying-he-is-still-td-“not-misleading”-210568-Aug2011/

So you are judging them completely based on their website?? Maybe you should go to one of their meetings and ask some questions

Seamus McDonagh, the Workers’ Party candidate, is the chairperson of the North Meath Campaign Against Household Water & Septic Tanks Charges. However, rather than standing on that single issue he will be campaigning on a broad platform against austerity and the bank bailout, and in favour of political decision making in the interests of the people rather than the interests of the golden circle, corporations, and the financial markets.

22 thumbs down???????? This site must be full of the numb sculls who have FF back at top of the poles! Can anybody who disliked this comment explain why? Do you have any other ideas or do you like living in this “quagmire of lies, deception and deceit”??

I’m confused by the thumbs down? Fianna fail up in the polls but given a 2%0margin, that puts them even with Fine Gael. That just shows indifference / ignorance / confusion! Look up DDI with an open mind. Then look at the state of the country! For €1800 a week plus expenses we deserve and need better management!

DDI were formed 3 months ago and you are expecting them to propose to us how to fix this whole country?? The current Muppets have been in charge for 2 years and where are we??? Switzerland have Direct Democracy and they seem to be doing pretty good! Google best cities to live in and you’ll see that Zurich, Geneva, Bern are always in the top 10.
“Looks like a load of wishey washy nonsense to me” ………..why because its something new an different?

Spamming : “This is a list of individuals and organizations noteworthy for engaging in bulk electronic spamming”

So the people on here who support what DDI stand for are spammers. And SF supporters leaving comments here aren’t?? Please expalin

I just found it strange that people were writing word for word the same thing, one after another. I’ll do more research into DDI as I do with the other parties, before I make my mind up. But so far it looks like SF have won me over. I never thought I’d ever say that.

You need to wake up before you make childish comments, I am an individual with my own opinion, why don’t you educate yourself and research what DDI is about,

So it’s a childish comment to have an opinion you don’t agree with? I looked at the website, which has no clear direction on what the party stands for. I welcome any new party, but the fact is they’re just saying the same thing every other party says (from what I see on their website).

I have no huge mortgage (actually no mortgage at all) and am not in serious debt so I am not looking at this from a totally personal point of view. This country needs serious change and I think the model of Direct Democracy can change things for the better.
Switzerland has Direct Democracy and that country is run very well, look it up. They have 3 cities in the top 10 best cities to live in. Direct Democracy was actually written in to our constitution in I think the 20′s but over the years it conveniently disappeared giving more power to the government and less to the people.
I’d urge you to go along to one of their meetings and hear what they have to say and ask some questions. I too thought that SF were worth a vote and should be given a chance but over the last couple of years have become far less convinced. Particularly the in last referendum. They opposed it (which I agreed with) but when asked how would Ireland secure financing etc… they and no real answer. That seems to be common with SF oppose everything the government does but have no alternative solutions. If I am wrong on this I would like to hear their real solutions to the problem we find ourself in.

After sending of a few emails to DDI and looking at the system in Switzerland I do like the idea of it. But I’d need to go to a meeting to hear what they’ve got to say.

Nice to see some people are open minded enough to at least look into it in more depth. There is no perfect system anywhere in the world but there must be something better than what we have right now! I think Direct Democracy is it. Ireland has a wealth of natural resources like gas and oil and the potential for wind energy. And yet we pay through the nose in taxes have up to 19% unemployment in parts of the country and a government who got into power by telling bare faced lies!! If DD was in place we would be able to hold them to account for their lies and corruption therefore it wouldn’t happen so much. Now that’s the kind of country I’d like to live in.

Direct democracy is a form of democracy in which the people have the right to:

Select their own candidates to represent them

From DDI Website

Ok we got it the first time …….

That he was only 2 years in the Dáil is not in doubt.

How long was he a foot soldier for the likes of Ahern and FF. He still voted for enough things in those 2 years that should haunt him for the rest of his life.

Starry Eyed.

“While I am not a ff supporter” you say.

Well I am, and I’m not voting for Thomas in the by-election.

(2 can play this game of crapola)

Thomas Byrne has supported fianna fail for over 15 years!

Joe, do you ever have anything good to say at all? Every single one of your comments that I have read tonight have been negative. You’ve made your point, on more than one occasion, that you have a huge problem with Ahern, Cowen, Lenihan, Byrne… And the list goes on. Will you ever just give over, if you are so dissatisfied with the previous government and the current FF parliamentary party members, get out and do something about it! Maybe run for election? I may only be 16, but I’ve come to learn (through my family’s involvement in politics), that the people who do nothing are always the first to complain… We all know, and I accept that Fianna Fáil made humongous errors while in government, but FG/Lab aren’t doing a whole lot more.

And we are going to lower the voting age!!!!! – God help us, Eimhin you were only a glint in you daddys eyes, when Bertie became taoiseach. Your knowledge of politics at this stage of your young life is all based on who your parents vote for and who they would never vote for.

Nice regurgitation of parental retorts to people who rightfully attack FF. a bit of advice; do your own research on FF it will benefit you in your life to acknowledge that they did some good but the majority of the parties dealings were bad. It’s up to yourself if you want to go through life supporting a party that has eroded the fabric of society.

Me too Joe!! Meath East FF are ready for this By Election!

I beg your pardon Ann, I support who I want. Fianna Fáil is who I choose to support and who I will give my #1, #2 and #3 to in 2014 and 2016. I won’t be wasting my vote, unlike most of you. I may be in the minority on this site, but 27% in the opinion polls, the most popular party in the country… That will do me just fine.
Now, I’m finished wasting my time arguing with numbskulls on this site. I’m satisfied to know that while I’m only 16 and have my whole life to go yet, most of you are well in to your 40s, 50s and 60s and have nothing better to be doing than to argue with a little 16 year old… Who believe me, knows a lot more than you think.
Now, good riddance.

Lol lol lol – Eimhin, your immaturity is sweet. Dont fret about it though – you’ll be a grown up soon. Until then you should focus solely on getting a good education and doing your homework.

Why because he did what he was told promoted for being a party man. He would vote with the party to shoot you. Come to think of it so would I you can’t be very bright if you think FF is anything but evil

Thomas Byrne is 35, he’ll be 36 when/if he wins,I don’t think he can any longer be called young.

Darren is younger than Thomas. Better politics too. A genuine new approach not like FF has been Byrne.