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GREEN PARTY LEADER Roderic O’Gorman has indicated that income tax changes are a priority for the Greens in this year’s budget rather than inheritance tax cuts.
Reform of the inheritance tax system is on the table in this year’s budget, with Taoiseach Simon Harris telling The Journal that reforms to the tax “deserve to be considered” in the run up to October’s budget.
The Taoiseach added that there were “unfairnesses” and “anomalies” that need to be addressed.
Under the current rules, children are able to inherit €335,000 from their parents before they have to pay tax at 33%.
Increasing the tax threshold before children have to pay inheritance tax to €400,000 will cost €52 million to the Exchequer.
Progressive budget
When asked if inheritance tax cuts would be a priority for the Green Party in this year’s budget, O’Gorman said the priority of his party “is to ensure this is a progressive budget and to make sure that we continue our investment in public services”.
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He outlined that in the programme for government there is commitment to changing the indexation of the tax bands, so as to ensure low pay workers “aren’t thrown into the tax net” and those on the standard rate of tax aren’t brought into the higher tax band as their wages rise.
“That’s our priority on the taxation side of this budget,” he said.
O’Gorman said that of the €1.4 billion set aside for taxation measures, most will be used to tackle income tax changes.
“Obviously, any other taxation measures can be examined in the round in terms of what’s left, but the core priority for government in each budget is to make sure work pays, and that nobody is penalised by the taxation system because their own wages have risen,” said O’Gorman.
When put to him that his response didn’t indicate that inheritance tax reforms were high on his agenda, the Green Party leader said:
“I think what’s high in taxation terms is making sure that work pays for people.”
The Department of Finance’s Tax Strategy Group recommended last week that changes to the inheritance tax framework “may now be appropriate”, stating that legislation could also be introduced to make it mandatory to file a tax return on all inheritances and gifts, no matter how small.
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@Hayagriva: The Greens ran the show. FF and FG were terrified of Eamon Ryan and the Greens effectively ran the government and made all decisions. FF and FG had no say in it whatsoever. We should have sympathy for FF and FG being bullied the way they were.
@brendan hackett: So, you’re not in favour of Universal Basic Income, free childcare, free public transport, 20 minute urban centres, etc? Fair enough.
@K O: It’s the concept, I think from Brazil originally, that cities and towns need to be designed in such a way that all basic requirements (schools, shops, park, health centre, library, etc) should be within 20 minutes walk of a persons home. This reduces the need for car journeys and frees public transport for those travelling from one urban centre to the next.
Ian – you’re back! Did you get to sit with the almighty and laugh at all the sinners down below?! Did you ever make sense of why the devil would torture the sinners who are supposedly on his side, in this oh so binary dynamic? It’s like doing a free nixer for god, for all eternity. It never much sense that!
@brendan hackett: do you not notice the pattern?. It’s the small party in the coalition that every time we punish on election day rather than the party actually running the show. The Greens deserve to lose seats but so do their partners in crime. Don’t fall for the easy scapegoating
@087 bed: FGs grand failure that is somehow now deputy leader of the party. A shameless politician who has done nothing but fall upwards. A complete failure as justice minister, inner city areas have never been worse crime wise. Vote anybody but FFG.
For a government on the side of ordinary workers, for carers and disability services, for homeownership over fund-ownership, for public childcare, and to ban the practice of vulture funds buying up swats of our housing. Vótáil Sinn Féin. #ChangeTheGovt
@honey badger: Not defending this, and not voting SF, but if you can’t see that FFFG don’t have an equally if not worse record for abuse, neglect, cover ups etc. then you are simply blinded by hate.
@Ross: If you could provide a link to any other party leader attacking a rape victim in a televised interview, I’d appreciate it. If me finding this repugnant qualifies as “hate” in your books, you might want to adjust your moral settings.
@Vincent Alexander: If you don’t know how devolution and power sharing works, then you shouldn’t be referencing the Assembly and the MLAs of Northern Ireland as an example for voters in the Republic.
@Brian: Vintage Brian. Ignores rape victim being attacked by Sinn Fein leader. Ignores Jonathan Dowdalls cameo in clip. Takes grave offence that I find this repugnant. Classic shinnerbot.
@honey badger: Post one, just one instance where I have advocated voting for SF. You won’t find one Honey, because I never have. You’re the classic but but SF troll .. anything to deflect from the the abject failure of your beloved FFG.. I just point out your hypocrisy and the makey up stories you post without a shred of evidence to back them up. Like using the victims of stardust to spread a malicious rumours about ML. Poor Honey doesn’t like being called out on his B/S and hypocrisy.. Tough. Now jog on lad.
@honey badger: You support and applaud the slaughter of thousands of women and children in Palestine and Lebanon.. your just a lame ni jafa b bot who hasn’t a vote in the Republic …. But ya will in the future ;).
@honey badger: alleged rape victim. The actual court of law to establish that allegation was ended by the alleged victim walking away from that court. So neither myself nor yourself know the truth or not behind the allegations.
@honey badger: I told you previously I don’t read or reply to any of your comments. I only respond when you jump in with your typically clumsy ad homimens. It goes like this: I criticise a politician/ party – you attack me. (The only comment you’ve left me that I recall was your infuriation at me outlining that Clare daly and Mick Wallace had voted against an EU parliament motion critical of Iran executing children. I provided the EU vote reference number, etc, so others could confirm the details and judge for themselves. You accused me of misinformation, etc. You’re a that sort of clown. If it’s any consolation, you’re not alone here. There’s a great many big babies that throw their toys out of the pram when Sinn Fein are asked to account for their behaviour.
@Michael o Dwyer: Persumably, with your vaulting morals, you’ll be only too ready to strongly criticise McDonald imputing a rape victim? I mean, you’re not doing a ‘brian’ and shooting the messenger while throwing in a bit of deflection? Surely not, michael?
@honey badger: I impugned no one. Merely stated the fact that neither of us know the truth. But I’m never arrogant enough as you as to state my opinions as facts, without evidence. So again you make false allegations. BTW I’m in Donegal which is indeed the most northernly county. Ty for the geography lesson.
@DT Walsh: Nope! No child fiddlers thank you. After that last scandal are you serious? I also don’t want a United Ireland and all the trouble they intend to stir. But I think I will vote for someone pro hard border and pro Irish so definitely not them and their flip flopping ways.
@DT Walsh: That was donkeys years ago. Sure you might as well mention the Labour Party”s Emmet Stagg who was caught with a male prostitute in the Phoenix Park. And of course there was a senior FF politician who was charged with sexually assaulting a young woman.
And of course you (deliberately) haven’t mentioned the babies that were murdered and trafficked under the watch of FF – FG and Labour, or, the women who were enslaved and the children who were sexually assaulted, raped and murdered. over for decades.
People, glass houses and all of that
@DT Walsh: And what about all of the victims that were created under FFGL’s watch? Are you choosing to ignore that? Emmet Stag – Labour caught with a male prostitute in his car in the Phoenix Park, or the senior FF politician who was prosecuted for sexually assaulting a young woman? NO? Didn’t think so and that makes you a hypocrite with a selective memory.
@Honey Badger my response above was for you, not DT Walsh. There’s something up with the comments section because when I responded to you, it tagged DT Walsh.
@DT Walsh – sorry about that, the comment section seems to have a bug.
After 100 years of FFG cronyism and looking after the 1% vested interests, Sinn Fein more than deserve a chance at a fairer and more balanced Ireland for everyone
@thomas molloy: The only ones to prosper over the last ten years has been vulture funds, BAM and the contractors of the OPW. The rest of us just picked up the tab.
Vótáil Sinn Féin. We have a chance to end FG’s chaos in government. Cost of living is far worse than what it was 5 years ago, homeownership has become fund-ownership, rents are a runaway, FG’s immigration has been a disaster that cannot continue, they done noting for Carers and disability services, they emigrated our youth, and FG promised to give half a billion to landlords if elected. We can now put ordinary workers first, and return to homeownership. Let’s change this chaotic government. Vótáil Sinn Fein.
@Dave G Doe: living in the past …not good for you, “yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift..that’s why they call it the present!”…
@Dave G Doe: So you’ll be voting SF and transferring to socdems in that case? FFG is pure evil, and has left our youth out to dry without homes or hope for the future.
@Eoin .h: I want change but if a party is following the government stance on this issue as well as other issues like the 2 referenda back in March, what’s the point in voting for the same, so independents all the way.
@F1rYnpWc: See SF’s record in Northern Ireland and it is worse. Their only achievement is a few bilingual street signs to stir the pot of sectarianism.
@K O: if you read SF’s immigration policy on their website you will see that’s not true, they have a firm approach to immigration. While FG and FF have NO policy on immigration. We seen how they had no response to that. Inds stand for a variety of issues, not immigration.
@Vincent Alexander: SF in NI have Cost of Living far cheaper. House prices are more than half the price. Rents far cheaper. Unemployment only 1.9%. As I highlighted to you before. If you know who you’re voting for, that’s fine. Vote away.
@Sean Stevenson: SF are in government in NI. There the lowest number of house were built in 2023 since 1958. Don’t give the DUP as the excuse. SF will need a coalition partner to go into government here.
@Vincent Alexander: ‘don’t give the DUP as an excuse’. Meanwhile, there was no minister in charge of housing during 2023 because DUP refused to go into government because they lost to Sinn Fein.
@F1rYnpWc: Watching high profile SF TDs holding up “Refugees welcome” placards as well as their proposal to give immigrants a special status shows that they endorse the ethnocide policies of FFG/g. Until SF lose Mary Lou then look after their supporters nobody should give them a vote. They have been woeful in opposition, supported this FFG/g cabal in referendums, supported illegal immigrants overrunning the working class areas.
@Gerry Lamont: not that there is anything wrong in the slightest with people holding placards that say “refugees welcome”, in fact it would make me more likely to vote for them, those images have been repeatedly debunked as false
@Gerry Lamont: was it not FG Simon Harris who said that there is not such thing as an “illegal” immigrant as all immigrants are legally allowed to seek asylum with or without documents. It was at his sit down interview.
@F1rYnpWc: The only reason housing, cost of living etc are cheaper in the North is because it is part of the British economy. SF squander part of the subvention from Westminster to Irish instead of the likes of health care, pollution and infrastructure.
@F1rYnpWc: ” I will always chose good over evil”. So you don’t consider the tens of thousands of babies and children who were kidnapped, trafficked, raped and murder, or the enslavement of women, all under the watch of FF and FG, as evil, but what happened to MC is, do I have that right? Hypocritical much??
@Dave G Doe: Sinn Féin’s last has Republican violence in it yes. But FF and FG have the state sanctioned locking up of unwed mothers, institutional sexual abuse, burying of dead babies in septic tanks and selling off live babies to America.
If you want to claim historical moral superiority read about all the history of this island
Today folks you can vote for change, or vote for more of the same. Housing disaster, homeless levels at all time highs, a government that treats an essential fabric of society, housing, as an investment product rather than what it is, a home. A government that has hoodwinked homeowners into believing your house value is the only way to build wealth, when in the rest of the world, investing in equities/stocks is the way to build wealth, but taxes are too prohibitively high here for that. Vote ANYBODY but FFG, vote all the way down the ballot and give them no preference. Get rid of the FFG rent trap, which will cause the collapse of the public pension because housing being this expensive is causing a demographic timebomb – young people cannot afford a house, nevermind starying a family.
@Sean Stevenson: A vote for SF is a vote for the party that is run from Northern Ireland and celebrates the killing of our poor Garda not to mention rampant child protection issues. Only people voting for SF are traitors to Ireland.
@Trump24: If you’re looking at it from a historical lens mate, FFG is far, far worse. Who let the church have unfettered access to our children? Who let the Magdalene laundries run unhindered in our state? All FFG. You FFGers love to call out the past while remaining ignorant to your own. Look at it from a
modern lens, FFGs performance is abysmal. The waste of our prosperity, the continued emigration of our youth. Vote ANYBODY but FFG. Don’t like SF? Vote socdems.
@Sean Stevenson: Sorry mate I want my country run by an Irish party not the UK based SF/IRA Army council Sona strong no to SF from me. As for the Social Democrates absolutely not they are absolutely pointless and a waste of a vote.
@Trump24: yeah stay in the past!…I come from a family of gardai grew up with the uniform I’ve been voting SF 20 odd years AND IM NO TRAITOR!!!! I’m sick of cruption lies and taking what’s not there’s stealing from us not giving a ounce of thought for the homeless its regrading!, i grew up with the troubles but i dont hold grudges thats no way to move forward its the the likes of you who keep this hateful spiteful past going i work hard and why should I let this lot back in everyone deserves a chance absolutely hate this country and the way it’s gone and that’s because of the government who runs it now!! Now run along and hid under your little Rock!!….
@Sean Stevenson: ‘… housing, as an investment …’
Irish ‘people’ did that and are still doing it, and governements facilitated and encouraged it, aided by a wild west banking system.
If Irish society doesn’t look at itself honestly, nothing will ever change.
@Sean Stevenson: The Magdalene laundries and the RC in charge of education is a legacy from a former of bunch of the IRA. They bombed and shot their way to freedom with no idea how the country was to be financed. Like a dog running after a car. When it stops he doesn’t know what to do with it. Lifts his leg and walks away. The peace route was the way to go.
@Vincent Alexander: the boats leave Dublin docks every couple of hours,off you go and enjoy bowing down to your big eared king over there.goodbye mr alexander
@Dave G Doe: it’s friday most people work from home in our modern hybrid work society, but being an FFG voter I wouldn’t expect you to be able to think critically lol
@Rua Rogan: Interesting ratio of 8:1 on pro SF comments. If representative of voters SF should be home with an overall majority. More like the Cumann whip is looking to manipulate social media.
@Vincent Alexander: And using clever ploy of allowing all those nasty vile comments, from the Trump/FFG trolls and the lies from the Orange Order trolls like yourself and the Badger, as a double agent spy type thing lol.
2015 Simon says “NCH had an estimated cost of €650m and a completion date of 2020”.
2017 Simon says “It will open in 2021”.
2018 Simon denies “that spending on the planned new hospital was out of control” after Irish Times revealed cost was now about €1.4 billion.
Feb 2019 Simon says to Oireachtas committee that NCH at 1.4 billion “does represent good value for money”.
Feb 2019 Simon apologies to the Dail for missleading about the huge inncrease in cost of NCH.
Apr 2019 Simon says he will implement the 11 Major PWC review recomendations on the NCH.
Jun 2024 Simon says the Gov commits to Covid inquiry before next general election.
2024 Simon says NCH will cost at least 2.2 Billion and might be complete in 2026 meaning as before, give or take billions and years.
Oct/Nov 2024 Simon plays silly games about date of election and disrespects the Irish voters, then continues to show his true colours, while continuing to take no accountability or responsibility for his own actions and failures.
Never forget fianna fail who gave away our multi billion corrib Gas field for free to Shell Oil
Never forget fianna Fail who gave us the forever house tax and forever USC charge
@Kevin O Brien: free my ar*e. What agreement was made in the meeting, where FF minister dismissed all others, recorded no notes, yet on his own bat signed that contract????
Bye bye Cabbage Heads, you’ve had your day and effed up ours.
No thought for the pensioner whatsoever and more air miles than Ryanair and Aer Lingus put together!!!!
@Sun Rise: I’ll guarantee my level of intelligence is streets ahead of yours. Getting bitter now because your days are over. At least I don’t hide behind a nom de plume!!
FG is the party of austerity. FF brought the country to its knees. Sinn Féin are getting my vote today. Enough of this FFG charade while they sell the country to the highest bidder. Votáil Sinn Féin.
@Kevin O Brien: This is more serious than college politics games. We have taken 100 to climb out of post colonial poverty why out of boredom with prosperity vote for enslavement poverty change. “A new study has shown that Ireland has the highest quality of life compared to other countries in Europe.
The study, carried out by lifestyle magazine Dailybase, analysed 12 factors to determine which European countries have the best quality of life, including unemployment rate, access to healthcare, cost of living, and salary.
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Ireland scored the highest, with a score of 73.72 out of 100.
Ireland’s GDP was 11.97 in 2022, 354 per cent higher than the European average, while the divorce rate was just 0.6 per 1,000 people.
@thomas molloy: FFG is like the arrogant controlling partner in a relationship. Making great money but partner and children are living on a pittance, barely existing. While the dominant one likes to wine and dine his select circle of sycophants. Bragging on how well he is doing and flashing his wealth. We are those children and partner and today is divorce day. Do you want to stay with empty promises of change or are you going to take that step you know you need for your own and children’s sake. Vote SF followed by those who will help deliver that change.
@Phillip Smyth: Nope vote Independent Ireland. We dont need SF a party who defend child fiddlers, care more about immigrants than their own and want to start war with UK over united Ireland. Nope
A Chairde. Get out and Vote. Men and women of Ireland fought and died for your freedom and right to vote. Freedom isn’t Free. Honour those that sacrificed all, while having nothing. Today you have it all, think of those left behind and with nothing. Be kind, be generous, be proudly Irish and never forget….
Enda ran away, Leo ran away, Simon always says it wasn’t him, Dee on the Sick, Eamo on the lamb, posse of others off into taxpayer funded sunsets…
NCH 2.2 Billion and increasing…
RTE 750 Million…
Security Hut 550,000…
Bike Shed 336,000….
@Michael Collins: not hard to know who u follow & nobody need u to tell them how to vote people are very well informed I would not want anyone to tell me how to vote I would do otherwise
@Sheila McNulty: I didn’t tell anyone nor you who to vote for ya pillock .. but I seriously urge ya to heed your doctor’s advice and lay off the daytime vino ;)
@Beachvibe: I wish I had the crystal ball you have, but the fact is, the future is unknown. What we do know, is what has happened in the lifetime of this government, and this government has failed on every front. People want change. We wanted change in the last election too. The two undemocratic parties FG and FF would not respect the electorate and would not talk to Sinn Fein. Disrespecting 34% of voters. This time round, change will happen. Change is needed
The Government has not failed on every front The country is doing great & we are the envy of many countries look no further than accross the water, Yes there are problems Housing, Health services Immigration so no matter who was in it would be the same Houses are being built all around the country it will take more time we had way over 100,000 people come into Our Country so schools, Hospitals, Dr Practices & of course Covid everything was effected so don’t tell me the last 4 years would be any different if someone else was in power & i am not staunch any party
@Sheila McNulty: I have a 7 year old Autistic child who is still waiting on a Speech and language appointment. I’m not staunch any party either, but I’m done listening to the excuses this government makes. Whatever government we have next has a massive job to do and won’t be fixed overnight, but this shower is way out of its depth. It’s indefensible
If people want change they have the power to do it but they won’t there too afraid of change they will vote the same partys back in power.the Irish people have no balls
I had my constituency labour candidate call to me last week all excited saying they would be kingmakers in the next daily, he said most likely government will be FF fg labour, I said I won’t be helping that happen.
Don’t ever forget Vicki Phelan the smear test scandal, the constant tax increases l, the constant rise in interest rates, the overspend on the hospital, these people are taking us for fools, the mass immigration of unvetted men, the list is endless it’s time for a change
Christ it is dispiriting looking up at that character but happily think i made better use of the ballot paper than I did with even the last GE where undemocratic tactics by the establishment returned fg ff instead of FF SF – Boyd barrett and also ruth coppinger ignored the chaps I once knew that asked why they didn’t condemn an assault that happened at a PBP meeting the person attacked was Stephen Kerr. This means that violence is acceptable to them depending on the ideology or politics involved. Coppinger arrogantly said after ‘why WOULD I speak to you?’ she should marry into fine Gael and keep plugging her bpb / independents 4 change ideas that just don’t gain momentum in a centre right country. I suppose she could always marry John mcgahan, that would make more sense?! I voted in support of the many different kinds of disenfranchised people I’ve met especially after COVID, people who took their lives & others who suffer. Many elderly went out today to vote for people who keep them in their suffering so I’m glad I gave them a thought.
Cnn calls Harris the tik tok Taoiseach! Should only be in counting down the days to him vanishing like the previous coward Leo!! Knowing what he’s said behind their backs is worse, voted today to make a difference and that means nothing to Fg FF
Finally, get out and vote. None of us will agree with the outcome for many reasons, but it’s important. No voting cards arrived to us, but I checked the register yesterday, and it confirmed we are all on it and told us what room to vote in ……polling station is bigger now.
@Tired Jim: You mean the 2 mortal enemies who have been fighting each other for a 100 years until SF came on the scene? This action alone besides all the other scandals is enough to tell me FFG are a disgrace and a pack of liars.
@Tired Jim: Yeah prosperity and stability for you. Poverty, emigration and no chance of a home for the majority of us.
Typical wealthy “I’m alright Jack” FFG voter. You’re the height of pure selfishness. I hope you get a well deserved shock after this election.
Voted. Took pleasure in not voting for far right candidate and also the local loon elected to council in summer elections. Remember the Irish made this country the way it is. Don’t buy the scapegoating of immigrants on offer (re-heated rhetoric that Irish emigrants were greeted with previously).
Just voted a few minutes ago… very sad to see how little in the way of choice I had!! Ain’t going to knock any party or politician but surely we can do better than this crop!!
@Concerned Driver: people do not understand the implications of their 2nd,3rd,4th vote etc..look how varadkar crept in on this and the damage he caused.
@Basildon Joe: that was a result of deliberate tactics by FG to split the vote and try to get 2 candidates in. It happens, all the time. I’m amazed by the ignorance displayed on social media and on here of how our electoral system actually works.
@Basildon Joe: In the UK, the polls close and they start counting straight away, some areas even have an official result within an hour or two! In Ireland, the polls close, and everyone goes home to bed, with some results taking weeks to come in. I know which system I prefer!!
@Basildon Joe: it’s not perfect but it’s one of the fairest systems out there. Proportional representation means all opinions are represented in the Dail. In the UK Labour had a landsilde and have a huge Commons majority with 35% of the vote. That system here would mean permanent FFG. Which is why FF twice tried to get rid of our PR system in referendums
@Sean Stevenson: well, if you read up a bit on church/state relations, on censorship and moral issues through the early decades of the state, you’ll find SF very much cowed to the Church as well, just as much as the other parties.
@Trump24: FFG were in power for 100 years of systematic institutional sexual abuse and have shoved the victims compensation bill on to the working man/ woman similar to the banks /developer bail out bill
@Demot Blaine: Yes, it is fanciful to imagine that things would have been any better if SF were in power. It was the Irish people who elected the politicians, and they were ultimately responsible. The Republican Movement has a history dotted with Nazi collaboration, anti-Semitism, Catholic fundamentalism, cover-ups of child abuse and, of course, the heinous murder of any civilians who got in its way or were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
@Sean Stevenson: and SF would have been no different, is my point. Anyway SF were more focused on underming the state in that period, even working with the nazis to that end.
I just voted there in my constituency. I gave my number one vote to Alan Shatter and I ranked no one else because they were all as bad as each other. We are screwed up the creek without a paddle no matter who gets into power. Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Fein all hold an ideological hegemony over politics here in this country. They are all part of the Socialist establishment which work hand in hand with the NGOs to push their left-wing economic and social policies across the country. There isn’t a single party on the right in the Dáil and as a result, there is only arguments about how much taxpayer money to be spent, no whether it should be spent in the first place.
@Frank O’Hara: from what I have read you should vote all the way down. If you only vote for one person you potentially are reducing the quota so more of a chance of someone you don’t want getting elected.
@Sal Paradise: Firstly, I love On the Road too so I tip my hat to your username. Secondly, I hate all of the parties running in my constituency equally. They all offer the same stale left-wing ideas that have caused the major problems in our country. Alan Shatter is literally the only candidate who I reached out to via email who had the respect to respond personally to me and gave me a clear outline of his policies. He wants to abolish inheritance and property taxes, privatise some of the HSE services in order to dismantle the bureaucracy, enforce the immigration laws on the books so that illegal immigrants can be deported, strongly supports Ukraine and Israel, end the nonsensical “Net Zero” targets and double the number of Garda officers on the beat. All of those are things I support.
@Michale Kane: Why? He’s the only candidate in my constituency who is speaking common sense and has some very good policy proposals and not just the same of left-wing nonsense of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Fein.
@Sal Paradise: the quota is not affected by how far down the ballot paper you vote. The quota is calculated as the total number of first preferences votes cast divided by( number of seats plus 1), and adding 1 to the result
@Sal Paradise: incorrect, by giving the number 1,2 3 or how many you want to mark, your are increasing the transfer potential , by only marking a 1 or 2 depending on your voting stance. You limited how your the transfers go
@Michale Kane: Well just myself thanks no idea who the other person. How is your last day in the SF propaganda dept in Belfast going? Will the army council issue formal stand down orders tonight or tomorrow for you??
@Trump24: How can you say that you support the policies of Donald Trump when you openly profess that you just gave your number 1 and number 2 vote to a left-wing party? Is it because you promised you more welfare handouts from taxpayer money?
@Frank O’Hara: Wow Frank interesting that even with all the information you call FG left wing they are centre right and FF are centre left so try and keep up.
@Trump24: No they are no you left-wing stooge. You are voting for the very same policies that Donald Trump opposes and yet you are literally called Trump24! Open borders which allow illegal immigration, heavy inheritance and property tax hikes, wacky environmental policies like “Net Zero” and the carbon tax, abortion up until birth, LGBT indoctrination in schools, allowing men with dresses in the same changing rooms and bathrooms as my daughter, minimum wage hikes which hurt businesses, rent control, price controls, restricting the right to own firearms and increased welfare handouts + the removal of means testing. You are a very dumb person if you think that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are anything but left-wing. You’ve just given your no 1 and no 2 vote to a shower of Socialist clowns.
@Trump24: Sounds like someone is triggered! I voted Alan Shatter number 1 and no one else. Shatter was the only candidate who had the decency to personally respond to me when I emailed him about his policies proposals. He supports abolishing inheritance and property taxes, privatising some of the HSE services and reducing their administrative bureaucracy by firing at least 15% of the healthcare civil servants, ending the “Net Zero” targets and the carbon tax, abolishing rent control across the country, ending price controls on childcare, doubling the number of Garda officers on the beat and strongly supporting Israel and Ukraine. He’s a proper authentic right-wing candidate with common sense that I’m proud to vote for.
@Frank O’Hara: Ha ha thanks for the laugh absolutely hilarious. You made my evening. He is an absolute clown with zero chance if getting elected. I went to school with him and was a fruit cake even then.
@Trump24: Typical woke tool. Common sense right-wing policies offend you so you resort to insulting the individual because you can’t attack their policies. Alan Shatter is a brilliant man who has a great vision. The only fruitcake around here is you for voting for the eejits of Fine Gael.
We should make it compulsory to vote, like the Australians do. If your able bodied and in good heath, there is no reason not to be able to cast as vote, exemptions for people who may have to overnite stay for work. But we should be in the 70-80 percent for voting turnout
@James Brennan: Doesn’t make sense to me to make it mandatory to vote in a democratic election. Voting is a privilege. If someone chooses not to vote then so be it, It’s their choice so respect it.
@Kevin Kerr: So those 200 lads are seasonal workers, what about the hundreds a week coming in on buses and planes? Kudos for not showing us those eh kev? Zilch reports on those until the locals see the buses pull up in the dead of night. Such a loyal little bottom feeder you are Kevin, kudos to you indeed.
@Freda Peeple: you make no sense – asylum seekers numbers are freely available, just look them up on line. This fact check is about misinformation pushed by people who have an anti migrant agenda, but it seems you have no problem with this. And ffs, cut out the personal insults, will ya
@Kevin Kerr: Apologies for the insults but you get on my nerves at times. We have polar opposite views on what’s happening to our country and Europe in General.
“Tik Tok Taoiseach (does anybody actually call him that ?)” You’d have to serious question the journalist and their detachment from what’s going on to ask that question.. Yes they do ffs !
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