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Chief executive of the Electoral Commission Art O’Leary said it is not the role of the new authority to win the referendums PA

Not our job to win referendums for the government, says chief exec of new electoral authority

In the next 20 months, Ireland is to hold every type of vote there is – starting with two referendums in March.

THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE of Ireland’s new electoral authority has emphasised that it is not its job to win referendums for the government, as Ireland plans to hold every type of poll there is in the next 20 months.

Two referendums are to be held in March on whether the Irish constitution should be changed to provide for a wider concept of family, and on whether to delete a reference to the role and duties of women in the home and replace it with a new article on carers.

Local authority and European Parliament elections are to be held in June and a general election could be called in 2024 – although ministers have emphasised that they want the coalition to run its full term to the spring of 2025.

Added to that is the presidential election in 2025, the Seanad elections and several by-elections, as well as a new vote on a directly elected mayor for Limerick city.

The Electoral Commission, which was established in February 2023 after 30 years of governments suggesting the idea, is to provide information on and encourage people to engage in elections and referendums.

While acknowledging the challenges ahead, including on how to tackle disinformation, chief executive of the Electoral Commission Art O’Leary is not worried about resources.

He hopes to encourage people who are fed up with politicians to use their vote.

“We need to be eye-wateringly ambitious,” he told the PA news agency a day after moving into new offices.

“I like to look at them (the series of elections) as a glorious opportunity for learning and to collect data.

“We’re kicking off a longitudinal study of electoral events which is to last, I’m projecting, for the next 25 years.

“We don’t know why people don’t vote and we don’t really know what the turnout rate is.

“We need to understand why people vote the way they do, and we need to understand if they have enough information to be able to cast their vote – we have no information on this.”

Once the Bill on the referendum wording passes both houses of the Oireachtas, the commission will formally launch its campaign to explain in layman’s terms what the government is proposing.

The campaign will involve encouraging people to ensure they are on the electoral register, giving information about the referendum wording and then encouraging people to go out to use their vote on the day.

O’Leary said 16-page booklets will be delivered to two million households across the country, at least a week ahead of the plebiscites on Friday 8 March.

Although the referendums are being proposed by the government, O’Leary emphasised that the commission was established by the Houses of the Oireachtas.

O’Leary said that it is “politically blind” to political parties and its job is to be “independent and impartial”.

art o'leary Art O'Leary PA PA

“Our job isn’t to win this referendum for the government. Our job is simply to explain to the people what the referendum is all about, and people can make up their own mind. This is what democracy is all about,” he said.

The Electoral Commission does not yet have the powers to act in relation to online political advertising, disinformation or misinformation in time for the referendums in March, and possibly not in time for the summer elections.

Though those powers are contained in parts four and five of Bill, they have yet to be commenced, O’Leary said.

But other powers the commission has may allow it to act on something that “is not right”.

Asked what would happen if there is incorrect information on a poster, O’Leary said they would not be able to take down the posters as their powers relate to online information only, but they could release a statement to set the record straight.

“We’ll call it out, I think that’s probably as much as we can do,” he said.

Asked whether they would consider setting up a disinformation register, as Australia’s Electoral Commission has, he said: “We may do, it’s certainly an option.

“It is our job to provide trusted information to people and if we’re calling out disinformation and saying ‘what this person is saying, or what these people are saying is simply not correct’, then we may look at putting that on our website in a single place where people can go.”

He added: “The challenge for us is speed. During the white-hot heat of an election campaign, we don’t have time to sit back and luxuriate about whether something is misinformation or disinformation or not, because hours or even minutes might be important here.

“And this is why we need to build an organisation that is flexible enough and responsive enough to be able to manage those challenges.

“The technical challenge is we’ll still be writing the review of the referendum electoral experience during the local and European Parliament one, so the opportunity to learn from one to another won’t be maximised.

“We can’t look at this in isolation, the next two years are going to be extraordinarily busy, we accept that, but we’re building an organisation that’s going to last 100 years.

“People look back at the elections in 1981 and 1982, we had three general elections in 18 months then and the ceiling didn’t fall in – we’ll manage it.”

He added: “I’m not concerned about resources. We have enough people to do what we need to do for the moment, anyway.”

O’Leary, who has a five-year contract in the role, spent seven years as secretary general to the President of Ireland and 20 years in Leinster House in various civil servant roles.

He designed the model for Citizens’ Assemblies and has run three of the six held to date, and advised on the others.

Asked about disillusioned parts of the electorate, he said: “I was at the Citizens’ Assembly on drug use during the summer, and one of the speakers there was a man who worked in an addiction treatment centre treating addicts.

“He said something that profoundly affected my thinking about this whole issue. He said ‘there is no such thing as hard to reach people or hard to reach groups, there are only hard to reach services’.

“So I think that we’ve been looking at this issue from the wrong end of the telescope for a long time – and we might say, ‘How will we get them to come to us?’. That’s not the challenge – we have to be in their communities.

“So we need to be on TikTok. We need to be on social media. We need to be telling the story in a way that appeals to young people and Travellers and immigrants and all of the people who are disillusioned and disengaged.”

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64 Comments
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    Mute Donal Ronan
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    Jan 1st 2024, 11:40 AM

    Another quango. How many more than the 600 Enda Kenny said we had do we have now. They all have a CEO and to justify them, lots of underlings.
    We as taxpayers are paying for this and nothing improves. More jobs for the boys/girls.

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    Mute Paul Fahey
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    Jan 1st 2024, 2:41 PM

    @Donal Ronan: all decent democracies have such a commission or the like, what do you suggest instead?

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    Mute Ciaran O'Mara
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    Jan 1st 2024, 3:23 PM

    @Donal Ronan: What’s your alternative, Donal? Get the UN to run our elections? The Ombudsman?

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    Mute Donal Ronan
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    Jan 1st 2024, 4:27 PM

    @Ciaran O’Mara: Are you saying that all the elections we have had were corrupt? If so, this is not going to solve it. It has been created by the corrupt.
    If so, the fellow heading it, has been inside the tent a long time.

    49
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    Mute P.J. Nolan
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    Jan 1st 2024, 4:49 PM

    @Donal Ronan:
    So, you have no idea what to replace it with.

    15
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    Mute Donal Ronan
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    Jan 1st 2024, 5:03 PM

    @P.J. Nolan: Replace what? We never had one and unless all the past elections were corrupt, it will add nothing. Just more cost.
    He said ‘we don’t really know what the turnout rate is.’. Yes we do, if anyone follows the counts and I do, they show the total poll and turnout etc. for every constituency. This guy is making it up. He also said ‘We need to understand why people vote the way they do’ Why?

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    Mute Kevin Kerr
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    Jan 1st 2024, 5:37 PM

    @Donal Ronan: when he refers to turnout, maybe he wants to include non registered voters in the rate. Agreed on his quote about “needing to understand why people vote the way they do” – strange thing to say – I’d like to see more context. And just because previous elections were fair doesn’t mean that future one will be, so it’s necessarily just a cost adding measure

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    Mute Kevin Kerr
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    Jan 1st 2024, 5:38 PM

    @SYaxJ2Ts: * not necessarily a cost adding measure

    1
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    Mute Makarrata
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    Jan 2nd 2024, 8:44 PM

    @Donal Ronan: great question, the answer is we don’t know as we’ve never had an electoral commission.

    1
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    Mute Mike
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    Jan 1st 2024, 12:13 PM

    Does anyone at the Journal want to be an actual “journalist”? How about interviewing some of our main politicians and asking pertinent questions and not letting them away with the usual non answers? Seriously, have any of you any pride in your work? And then you’re asking for donations???

    456
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    Mute Tom Newell
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    Jan 1st 2024, 7:44 PM

    @Mike: Dont think its breaking news to know most of the supposed unbiased journalists are very much biased and in the back pockets of the political mob

    53
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    Mute Mary Tully
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    Jan 2nd 2024, 12:37 AM

    @Mike: Are you a wannabe journalist Mike or just a sniper from the sidelines? The Journal gives us the 9 at 9, the 5 at 5 and ‘what happened today’ every day with a link to a short accurate report on the story. They are journalists who can take pride in their work as this is exactly why they are the main source of news for many every day. The Journal also does Factchecks; Newsworthy investigations and in depth interviews with politicians from time to time. The recent one with long serving & retiring government TD Fergus O’Dowd included very pertinent questions & answers, Mike. It asks readers who can provide any financial support to the Journal to do so, in order to keep it free to all rather than introducing a pay wall. Btw I have no financial or family or friends links with The Journal!

    7
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    Mute Gerry Kelly
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    Jan 1st 2024, 12:05 PM

    Just to clarify folks – the main tasks of government are ;
    - to set up lots of quangos with no meaningful powers
    - to do zero planning around the fact that our population has been increasing for 30 years. This not enough school places hospital beds or houses
    - to ignore the 80 percent of population who think we’ve taken in enough refugees & asylum seekers
    - to give the civil servants a regular pay rise with zero in return
    It’s all about priorities

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    Mute Paul Fahey
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    Jan 1st 2024, 2:42 PM

    @Gerry Kelly: what do you suggest instead of an electoral commission? You do realise, elections must be above scrutiny.

    21
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    Mute Brian Hackett
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    Jan 2nd 2024, 10:57 AM

    @Paul Fahey: how about working for the people instead of against them and ignoring them completely, how that for a suggestion… Bot..

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    Mute Paul Fahey
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    Jan 2nd 2024, 11:29 AM

    @Brian Hackett: so, there is no suggestion just nonsensical platitudes. Anything constructive to suggest?

    1
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    Mute Ken Mc Carthy
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    Jan 1st 2024, 11:41 AM

    So another new quango ( the ” electoral authority”) announced on same day as Helen mc enteee announces her latest quango ( ” cuan”) ……. you couldn’t make it up

    355
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    Mute Kilkenny Proud
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    Jan 1st 2024, 12:39 PM

    @Ken Mc Carthy: You are making it up – the commission was launched months ago and was responsible for the constituency boundary report published in August.

    41
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    Mute Ken Mc Carthy
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    Jan 1st 2024, 12:47 PM

    @Kilkenny Proud: hey there Boris blank…..is this your new ‘handle’ for 2024?? Best wishes in the ‘trolling’ game in 24′

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    Mute Kevin Kerr
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    Jan 1st 2024, 12:53 PM

    @Ken Mc Carthy: funny, when people point out the inaccuracy of your post, you reply by calling him a troll

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    Mute Kilkenny Proud
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    Jan 1st 2024, 12:57 PM

    @SYaxJ2Ts: Posting facts usually provokes insults here.

    20
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    Mute Mr Inbetween
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    Jan 1st 2024, 1:54 PM

    @SYaxJ2Ts: In fairness though Kevin he does stand out like a troll, the person operating his and scores of other trolls on the Journal has little imagination, you can tell them a mile away because they all have the same personality their writing style is exactly the same.
    What do you think?

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    Mute Pato
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    Jan 1st 2024, 11:57 AM

    Quango. Jobs for the favoured few.

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    Mute Thomas Reddy
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    Jan 1st 2024, 12:27 PM

    This upcoming referendum must be a 100% no on both counts. If anyone has an hour to spare go and read the fine detail, it’s an absolute giveaway for refugees and leaves Irish people screwed for housing.

    324
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    Mute Kilkenny Proud
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    Jan 1st 2024, 12:52 PM

    @Thomas Reddy: You should do some research into how right wingers use referendums to pitch fear and lies in an effort to bring American style culture wars here. This has the side benefit of allowing our local extremists to con their gullible fellow travellers in the US out of lots of cash.

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    Mute Mike
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    Jan 1st 2024, 1:05 PM

    @Kilkenny Proud: What is your actual point? You’re ranting against every comment, yet saying nothing. Say clearly what you think should happen politically in this country. I am genuinely curious. Instead of telling everyone how little they know, tell us now what it is that you know….

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    Mute Kilkenny Proud
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    Jan 1st 2024, 1:12 PM

    @Mike: What is your actual point? You are ranting about my comments, yet saying nothing. Say clearly what you think should happen politically in this country. I am genuinely not curious. Instead of telling me to solve the country’s problems maybe you could share your opinions on the actual issues instead of focusing on me.

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    Mute Mike
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    Jan 1st 2024, 1:21 PM

    @Kilkenny Proud: I asked you a clear question. You are deflecting and showing your lack of direction and intellect. Answer the original question or else fk off.

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    Mute Mike
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    Jan 1st 2024, 1:36 PM

    @Mike: Sorry, that was a bit rude. Happy New Year, dude. Whoever you are. Internet gets a bit weird, I wish you well in your own real life, genuinely.

    21
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    Mute Kilkenny Proud
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    Jan 1st 2024, 1:39 PM

    @Mike: Cheers Mike – same to you.

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    Mute Mike
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    Jan 1st 2024, 1:44 PM

    @Kilkenny Proud: Thanks, man!

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    Mute Thomas Reddy
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    Jan 1st 2024, 3:52 PM

    @Kilkenny Proud: I don’t live in the US and couldn’t give a toss about it or the so called can’t be seen right wing. If this referendum passes with a yea vote it’ll bring years of hardship and many many more racist attacks from both sides into Ireland. It’s what you call a Wolve in sheep’s clothing.

    48
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    Mute Paddy Geoghegan
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    Jan 1st 2024, 12:59 PM

    When can we have a referendum to change are justice system and tougher prison sentences. That the Government can sack Judges. That we have a say on the laws on immigrants that their checked out and if criminal records deported or receive one deported with immediate effect.

    178
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    Mute The next small thing
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    Jan 1st 2024, 1:38 PM

    @Paddy Geoghegan: No, we need to keep the seperation between government and judges (not that the current system for appointing judges is great). We are still waiting for the reform of the legal system that was part of the Trioka bailout agreement,although the government don’t seem to want to touch this issue as it’s already cost a few Justice ministers.Their attitude seems to be to bury the issue and just bring in laws around “in vogue” issues.

    49
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    Mute BL Music
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    Jan 1st 2024, 12:59 PM

    We should have politician police who have the powers to lock up politicians who are serving those other than the people of Ireland

    138
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    Mute Patrick Presley
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    Jan 1st 2024, 3:43 PM

    If this current government proposes a Yes vote, then the correct answer is definitely No.

    105
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    Mute Jimmy Kiely
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    Jan 1st 2024, 2:21 PM

    Building an organisation for the next 100 years, careful you done make a mess of the country like the main ruling political party’s have done for the last 100 years.

    Billions of euros in debt, a broken health service, not enough houses for the population and 13,000 of our citizens without a place to call home, some living on the streets of town and city’s in 2024.

    It’s a sad reflection on the main ruling political party’s of the last 100 years.

    107
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    Mute Gerry Kelly
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    Jan 1st 2024, 1:59 PM

    I wish Limerick well with its directly elected mayor.
    I hope Dublin gets same soon – the city is screaming for someone to run it who actually cares.
    Local democracy is something our country could seriously do with a lot more of – not least if we are to create a new United Ireland in the very possibly near future

    46
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    Mute The next small thing
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    Jan 1st 2024, 2:19 PM

    @Gerry Kelly: Agreed, however it will only work if there is more local revenue raising streams, if not, it’s just another person going begging to central government for funds.

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    Mute Mike Finnegan
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    Jan 1st 2024, 2:26 PM

    @Gerry Kelly: shouldn’t be long now, Bertie’s got the oul’ anorak in the drycleaners…..

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    Mute P.J. Nolan
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    Jan 1st 2024, 3:09 PM

    @Mike Finnegan:
    Unfortunately, whoever it is it will probably be just another party man or woman.

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    Mute Donal Ronan
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    Jan 1st 2024, 4:34 PM

    @Gerry Kelly: I would be careful what we wish for in Limerick.
    You do know Brian Leddin is looking for a new job?.

    5
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    Mute Tom Newell
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    Jan 1st 2024, 7:42 PM

    Another qaungo for the taxpayers to fund….wonderful

    30
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    Mute Godfrey Ryan
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    Jan 1st 2024, 12:47 PM

    A Mayor for Limerick City???

    20
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    Mute Kilkenny Proud
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    Jan 1st 2024, 12:55 PM

    @Godfrey Ryan: The people of Limerick voted for it back in 2019.

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    Mute thomas molloy
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    Jan 1st 2024, 11:30 AM

    Nobody said they were other than the usual electoral provokers for change opposition supporters.

    14
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    Mute Ould Stock
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    Jan 2nd 2024, 12:17 AM

    The sooner this government is out the better for us all. Let’s just hope the Shinners don’t get a majority or go into coalition with FFG!

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    Mute Dave Hammond
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    Jan 2nd 2024, 6:22 PM

    It’s a little disappointing that a brand new commission , it’s 2024 , and in the first article I’m reading about it they are talking about printing millions of colour booklets of explanation – surely to his a new commission could look at best practice globally , ascertain what segments of the community such as older and less digitally connected people who may need to get costly printed booklets – a fraction of the overall country – and perhaps love the country along into the digital age in a more appropriate cost effective way at the very least to avoid the perception this is just another quango wasting millions on printing ffs

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    Mute Carla O
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    Jan 12th 2024, 2:26 AM

    They’d want to hold an election fast and a vote of no confidence – not one of them is getting re elected unless this stops – it will be a house of independents joined in will for the people

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    Mute Makarrata
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    Jan 2nd 2024, 8:49 PM

    Interesting that every poster advocating a No vote is male !

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