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The Daily PollCLOCKS AROUND IRELAND will go back an hour at 2am tonight as daylight saving time ends.
The dates in Ireland are set by EU law, while countries like the US, Canada and Australia also change their clocks, but at slightly different times.
For a number of three years, the Irish Government has opposed an EU proposal to abolish the time changes given that it could mean two different time zones on the island of Ireland.
“There is some concern that because the UK is out of the EU, we could end up with two time zones on the island of Ireland. That is nonsensical, and would not happen in my view,” Irish MEP Sean Kelly said.
“It stands to reason that if the EU brings in this change, most other European countries neighbouring the bloc would follow suit. The EU has the power to enact this change.”
Today we want to know… Should Ireland keep or scrap the biannual clock changes?
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“To keep them in check”…..a bit rich from Fianna Fáil to keep anyone in check
@Jb Walshe: Cosa Nostra as FF are known around here.
@Jb Walshe: Yeah, a bit rich for them. With their Galway brown envelope tainted tents
I am not happy with FFG but would consider emigrating if SF get into power.
@Pato: You’re only ‘considering’ emigrating. Please don’t hesitate, make a commitment and do it. After all thousands of our young people have to do it due to FF-FG-GP failure to provide homes.
Fortunately there is a growing number of young voters remaining to fight this decaying regime and will vote in the Sinn Féin alternative government. So if you don’t want to join in the new Ireland, off you go.
@Pato: but you wouldn’t in reality in fairness
@Pato: Yep, while you’re considering it, I’ve done it thanks to FFG.
@Pato: pack your bags then
@Pato: grow up and remember Finna fail called in the IMF , Fine Gael called in vulture funds, Fine Gael, greens, Finna fail told us in 2011 if we paid carbon tax the icecaps would stop melting it’s now 2023 we all paid millions in carbon tax and the ice caps are still melting that a fraudulent political misrepresentation to tax us more just like the temporary usc, as for health it’s does not work for most people because it’s broken.
@Fearg: get a job and get a mortgage then you will have a home …..not the government’s job to give out houses ….. Jesus thats all sf go on about free House .. do they think that’s all they have to do if they get into power is solve a housing problem…..they are not ready for a seat at the big table with the big kids ….. give it another generation and maybe then….but i still doubt it
@Pato: Ryan Air is your best option
Under FFG people can’t afford anything else
@Fearg: There’s more people coming back than emigrating at the moment
@DT Walsh: Me too but il be back to vote these Ffg cl0wns out
@Pato: ..If SF enter government after being democratically elected then
It is your choice to emigrate. Seems crumbling Health service, Homelessness, Housing crisis, Billions taken from the Irish economy and Billions more to be repaid for the gangsterism of the banks and developers facilated by the same political parties that are again in power, A make it up as you go along refugee crisis, Scandal after scandal…seems the mess created by FFG/ Greens makes you happy to stay.
@Donal Desmond:
I’m alright Jack
@Pato: you and the rest of the unionists will need to find a new home across the water
@Fearg: I like thousands of other came home after emigrating for 5 years to a good job and built a house.
@Pato: Sinn Fein only fielded 42 candidates in the 2020 general election and won 36 seats, a whopping 86% success rate. On the contrary FF ran 84 (44% success rate) candidates with only 37 winning seats while Fine Gael ran 82 candidates and won 36 seats (43.9%). FFG have not delivered since their contentious coalition post 2020 and if Sinn Fein’s upward trajectory continues and they run twice as many candidates next year it would not be beyond the bounds of reality that they deliver a decisive victory requiring only the support of on or two smaller parties to lead the next government .
I would really like a sensible sf supporter to tell us how a party who obviously detest builders, developers and banks expect to fix the housing crisis. Its a simple question???
@Chris Gaffney: legislative policy.
@Liam Foy: Wow….That the best you can do??
@Liam Foy:
Sorry liam but be it a SF led government or a FFG one we will have the same number of builders.
@Chris Gaffney: hardly a simple question when it is premised on a falsehood. More a loaded question, as to attempt to answer it would give credence to the falsehood in first place.
@P.J. Nolan: but maybe a moratorium on buy to let apartment blocks would redirect those builders into badly needed social housing.
@M Bowe: What you and many others fail to realize is that the build to rent apartments are badly needed by working people who need to rent a property. These people pay large amounts of tax which help fund the construction of social houses. We need both types of accommodation as our economy is growing which most people (except sf) think is a good thing.
@M Bowe: 8
I don’t doubt that SF will change the percentage between public housing and private, including build to let, which in itself may not be a bad thing but it will inno way, shape or form solve the housing crisis.
Only an enormous building programme will do that, of all types of housing.
@Chris Gaffney: what you and free market neo liberals have played on is that supply reduces demand which reduces costs. Building social and genuinely affordable housing Will free up plenty of properties for rental markets at sustainable rents, thereby benefiting those workers. Save large swathes of the half billion euros being paid to vultures which are of zero tax benefit to this country. Putting a sense of community back rather than warehousing people at maximum profit for a select few.
SF will be more of the same, same old spin coming out, same old apologists for terrorists, particularly in the mid east right now, and let’s be honest, SF have plenty of experience in that camp haven’t they? Instead of calling for Israel to be referred to the international criminal court, SF should have been demanding that the ‘Palestinian’ ambassador call for all terror groups and their supporters to immediately surrender, and leave Gaza and SF should have also publicly made this demand themselves. But no, they have appeased the terrorists. Nothing new for SF.
@Chris Thaunton:
As opposed to enabling and encouraging a vengeful butcher like Netanyahu to carry out another Nakba genocide all to deflect from his policitical legacy going down in flames on the alter of his own rank corruption and judicial ‘reforms’ to keep him from being incarcerated lawfully!
Unlike the 4000+ Palestinian hostages they have interned illegally along with the 2 million remaining souls in the condensed death camp of Gaza….along with the 270+ that were slaughtered in the West Bank this year before the ‘intelligence failure’ and unjustifiable brutal attack of 7/10 and the 200 killed the proxy settler ‘terrorists’ in collusion and under their guise, direction and escort as seen regulary since, on Al Jazeera and TRT etc!
@Chris Thaunton: I understood the Good Friday agreement brought lasting peace and the IRA stood down along with the unionists terrorist or have you misunderstood we all moved on from the past but Leo and Fine Gael along with Finna fail keep bringing it up when Sinn Fein is high in the polls yet Finna fail, Fine Gael support the Israeli butcher by not expelling their ambassador.
@Liam Foy: You have completely missed my point, not surprising for the uneducated.
@Joe Meade: That’s a different argument. A simple yes or no answer will suffice for the following, anything other than that then it’s obvious that you are happy for the terror groups to remain in Gaza….
Do you agree or disagree with ” SF should have been demanding that the ‘Palestinian’ ambassador call for all terror groups and their supporters to immediately surrender, and leave Gaza and SF should have also publicly made this demand themselves. Yes or No.
@Chris Thaunton: In order to give either answer, one would have to accept the implied premise of the question. Just because the IDF have a fancy uniform and a flag, does not mean they are not also terrorists. So personally, I believe all of the terrorists in that area should lay down their arms and release their hostages. Then sit down and sprt pit their differences
Err… sort out
@Liam Foy: I would say it is more important to have ambassadors from unfriendly countries than friendly ones. At the end of the day, friendly leaders and ministers will just talk on the phone and ambassadors don’t necessarily need to get involved. Expelling an ambassador is just removing the possibility of engaging in diplomacy with the country in question.
No FF No FG
No government
@P.J. Nolan: Mary Lulu, You got your grounding when you were a member of Fianna Fáil. You left that Party disgruntled ? WHY ! because nobody would tolerate nonsense, now in your ‘New’ Party you tolerate a nonsensical Front Bench of “I can’s” when we all know they “Can’t”
@vxQ6cYzh: unfortunately people learn from past mistakes and move on like Mary Lou, sadly Finna fail never learned from any of their mistakes and keep making them.
Hey journal, how about some good news stories like the heroes of the national bravery awards who accepted their awards yesterday. (Apologies if you have reported on this but I can’t find it).
@Eamon: good news is no news,we need terror blasted into our brains every minute of our waking days
We don’t want FFG in our government. They have had their time and failed. Time to give someone else a chance.
@: As bad as FF/FG are/were, they have 100 years experience between them. SF with all their intentions, have not got one single member with any experience of running a government department. You might pick one or two SF members who might give it a gob but not many. Sf need to go into coalition with either FF or FG if they want any experience to ever go it alone.
@Noelyj: that’s no great advertisement for them 100 years experience in running a country into the ground
@Shane Doyle: Not advertising, just stating the reality of OUR situation
Who is we?
So Sinn Féin do business with Hamas but not Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael.
@Adrian Dervin: false. It was FFG who refused to do business with SF. And SF are clearly on record as criticising Hamas on last months attack.
The difference in language used by the Journal in the Fianna Fail and Fheis and sinn Feins one is noticeable .if the Journal decides to go the same way as RTE and The . delete this App .
Stay neutral we want unbiased news .Not opinion pieces or biased reporting.
Treat every party the same !!
It’s getting noticeable
@John Mcmahon:
Sorry for the spelling mistakes and leaving out The Independent.ie all together
But ye knew what I meant
SF NOT GETTING MY VOTE IF THEY ARE PLANNING TO GO INTO GOVERNMENT ALONG WITH FG OR FF , FFG ARE PRACTICALLY THE SAME PARTY THEY ARE NO DIFFERENT, PEOPLE WANT CHANGE AND DEFINITELY NOT LEO ,MARTIN.OR THE REST OF THE CRUCKS
@M G: Well said. If they can’t make a simple majority on their own then sf should stay in opposition!!
@M G: no – If they need them go in but don’t give them any of the important posts and use them as mudguards for subsequent election.
@Peter McGlynn:
The problem with that is it isn’t FF that have made the big promises so it won’t be FF who suffer the most when the uncomfortable decisions and realities appear.
@Chris Gaffney: Did you say that at the last election when FF and FG cosied up after swearing it would never happen? You are pathetic lolololol
@Peter McGlynn: You realise if they don’t get any important posts they won’t help SF form a government thus means SF won’t get the chance to govern? You’re not very clued in on how things actually work in the real world are you?
@M G: so by not giving SF your vote, you are making it more likely that FFG will have some input into next government. Your logic does not make sense, or is that your intention to direct votes away from SF to achieve the outcome you pretend to despise. Only way to guarantee those parties are not in government is voting SF 123 and giving preferences to only NON FFG candidates to support the changes required.
@Peter McGlynn: I bet you are a fan of the tooth fairy too??
@Mike: No. Because it was an obvious marriage. FF/sf would be slightly more dramatic and prone to failure!!! Simple really even for you to get!
@M G: Remember Gilmore, Rabbitte, and co, great revolutionary talk going to change Ireland into socialist utopia, then when they entered Government they became as right wing as their coalition partners. Time will tell if Sinn Fein will find 101 excuses why they can’t implement their election promises and manifesto. Will they abolish the family home tax as promised if elected to government? And the many more promises the made over the years in opposition. Action speaks louder than words.
.
@James Doyle: If they are clever they will be working on their excuses now.
Rhetoric meets reality.
It’s going to be so much fun watching the shinners who thought they were voting for a left wing party when they go into coalition with FF.
Of course, as an ex-FFer herself, it’s only to be expected that Mary Lou would prefer FF as a coalition partner rather than the pseudo-trots and misfits of PBP. And to be honest, Boyd Barrett and company will be happier in opposition, rather than being in government, where they might actually have to do something.
And oh the irony of things, if the main political beneficiaries of a SF led government turn out to be….ladies and gentlemen, I give you…. Fine Gael and Labour !!!!
@lesidees: quite right. PBP can afford to take the moral high ground as they will never have a ministerial post or hold executive power. In reality, they’re a parish pump operation only good for getting medical cards or dealing with potholes at the end of Mrs Murphy’s road. I doubt Sinn Fein for all their fine words would want to get into bed with them. The Shinners have already said they will need ten years in government to sort the country out. Put another way, after five years of having achieved eff all, they’ll go into an election on the basis of we told you we would need a second term. Bunch of charlatans.
SF will just become like the rest and tow the line if they get in. Civil servants run this country nothing will change and all their promises will dissappear slowly but surely
Choosing to open comments selectively as always , the Journal building SF support without even understanding so.
If SF go into coalition with FF FG or the Greens, then what they are saying they’ll do to progress the country will be utterly meaningless .
@Fr. Todd Uncious:
In fairness Todd you are ruling out all options there except a return of the existing government, which I doubt you want that.
The alternatives are either a SF FF coalition or a SF lead left wing government, which would almost certainly need the Greens….
@P.J. Nolan: If SF run more candidates this time they will wipe out most of the so-called jest wing seats.
SF ars too busy suing people to run the country effectively.
@morgan crowe: why do we have libel laws to protect citizens against what they see as defamatory comments,( I haven’t read what was printed, so can’t comment on that), if it is somehow wrong to use those laws ?????
If FF and FG and Labour and Soc Dems and a gaggle of Independents can out number Sinn Fein they will cobble a Govt together.
It will only postpone the inevitable. The more they deny SF their right to represent their voters in Govt the more the electorate will take it into their own hands.
Might not be this time but it’s coming.
@Gerry Ryan: Nobody has the RIGHT to represent their voters in government. If that was the case there would never be any opposition parties .
@Gerry Ryan: Hopefully 10 or 15 years away!!
They’ll be shooting themselves in the foot on their very first day on the job by linking up with ff.
@Dissasociated Follower: Mary Lulu, You got your grounding when you were a member of Fianna Fáil. You left that Party disgruntled ? WHY ! because nobody would tolerate nonsense, now in your ‘New’ Party you tolerate a nonsensical Front Bench of “I can’s” when we all know they “Can’t”
I am not sawing FF/FG are the government we need but I feel they are the better option if SF is the alternative. When asked where they would get all the money needed to fulfill all what they say they will do, their spokesman for finance’s answer was, we will get from somewhere. Is that who you want leading the country?
@CBR Lover: I said this yesterday and i’ll say it again although the context is completely different.
Just because one is a politician does not mean that one has superior intelligence.
At this stage after 100 years of FFG i dont care so much what comes out their mouths, SF should be given at least years in office.
@Denis Rathsallagh Brady: Why, is it just because they are there, that is not going to make them any good.
@CBR Lover: Keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.
In other words vote FFG and lets have more of what we’re having now.
@Denis Rathsallagh Brady: it is better than the alternative that SF offer.
@CBR Lover: Are you seriously saying that more FFG is better than giving SF a chance of 4 years?
You gotta be joking, like seriously. The state the countries in and you say lets have more instead of SF?
The remnants of FF under new leadership may yet prove somewhat useful in order to smoothen the transition for any stockholmed secs. general, similar grades and any other ‘snivel servants’ overly used to the overly comfy status quo and passive subservience.
That burgeoning stuffiness and ‘sure that’s the way it’s done around here mentality’ of perceived inefficiency and stodge will be replaced with a fresh approach and a genuine urgency to endeavour for the many and not just an already well looked after priveleged few, vested interests and typical lobbyists etc!
@Joe Meade: seriously disrespectful way to speak of the civil service which has always done this country proud. And to imagine that a similar percentage of civil servants don’t support SF as the general population belies your ignorance. You’d think your only interaction with the civil service was been refused more benefits payments!
@Joe Meade: You’ve been watching too much ‘Yes Minister’.
I wonder if Mary Lou will fix costs as well as rent?
It doesn’t really matter if she does.
What they will do, they have repeatedly said it, is bring in a ban on no fault evictions. So once the house enters the rental market it never leaves (unless the tenant volunteers to leave.)
So unless the tenant leaves themselves the house would have to be sold with them in place.
The usual markdown on that would be 20% or so.
@P.J. Nolan: So what you are saying is that private landlords would have to subsidise the state/tenant by 20% of the principal value of their property? I’m an accidental landlord, I do not want to sell, I have followed the rules and both me and my tenants are currently happy with the current arrangement. However, I am not in a position to see many 10s of thousands wiped off the value of a property that will lose its fixed rate with the bank in a few years. The banks will not take a 20% haircut, so I have little choice but to evict my tenants before the next election. Any financial transaction has to benefit both parties. So, people unnecessarily uprooted will be the result of that rhetoric.
Correct.
I would live to see an alternative to FF/FG but be careful what you wish for. I think any party that props them up will regret it very quickly and pay a very heavy price in the following election, which probably won’t be far away.
Just put SF no.1 and an Independent as no.2 on your ballot sheet leave the rest blank. We dont want FFG getting any transfers.
I’m guessing when a lot of potential voters realise that SF have never properly condemned Hamas vicious and disturbing attack on Israel or called for the release of hostages not even the babies they will reconsider voting for them. In an era of increasing danger from extremists do we want a government soft on terrorism?
If the polls are broadly replicated in the Election SF ,at around a third of the seats,will need a party with 20% of seats to form a government. That can only be FF who will be the kingmakers as they may have the option to go back in with FG and the Greens
If FF have the option yo go again with FG or take a leap and go with sf it should be a fairly easy decision!!
A SF Government could well lead to a return of the troubles.
@Gertrude Gilmore: Thats the kind of thinking that have FFG in power all these years. Have some backbone and put your trust in them.
Now, explain how SF getting into power could lead to a return of the troubles.
“Housing Minister Eoin O Broin”…since when?
In the past SF have had a habit of shooting themselves in the foot. They need to concentrate on what the people really need, and work in the real world. Do they deserve a chance ?, that’s up to us. I can’t see them being worse than what’s been there for the last 20 years. But with people being more critical regarding politics, and younger voters are not aligned to a political party, they must realise if they make a mess of it, they will be gone the next election. Lots of voters don’t know who they are going to vote for, but they do know who they are not going to vote for.
@John Farrant: any numpty can make things worse, it’s very difficult to make things better. Judging by SF policies, it’s almost a certainty they will make things worse if in Gov, the question is how much worse.
Disassociated follower: Very apt comment.
An addendum to my previous post. Obviously if SF have 2 candidates in the same area put them as your no.1 and 2 then leave the rest blank.
We and they deserve at least 4 years.
If you fill out the ballot form all the way down to the end, say 12 for example. FFG have a chance to get a candidate elected from transfers
@Denis Rathsallagh Brady:
You do that Denis, FFG would be delighted with your help.
@Denis Rathsallagh Brady: Great rescue there……I assume that’s the Royal “We” you are referring to ??
@P.J. Nolan: SF 1 and 2 and thats it. You’re gonna have to explain how that helps FFG?
@Chris Gaffney: Hahahha we and thee and them and they
@Denis Rathsallagh Brady:
Easy, it’s a type of scenario that happens somewhere every GE.
Let’s say you have a 4 seater and 2 candidates from SF, FF and FG along with the usual mix of smaller parties and independents. So the first 3 seats are sorted, 1 SF 1FG and 1FF. Let’s say the last seat is between SD SF and FF. Unfortunately for you the SF guy is eliminated as lowest of the 3 and his transfers decide the thing.
Because you didn’t continue your preference for other left wing candidates your vote goes into the non-transverible pile and it is one less vote against the FF guy.
A similar scenario happened in my constituency last time out, last count was FF and the Greens, FF guy in the lead but transfers got the Green candidate in.
@P.J. Nolan: Proportional representation huh?
Who’d have it?
Oh right…
Mary Lulu, You got your grounding when you were a member of Fianna Fáil. You left that Party disgruntled ? WHY ! because nobody would tolerate nonsense, now in your ‘New’ Party you tolerate a nonsensical Front Bench of “I can’s” when we all know they “Can’t”
It really not the parties who are in power.. its the civil servants who run the country hiding beheind the politicians telling them what to do.. its that simple.. jobs for life.. no performance reviews or actions.
If in doubt leave FFG out go it alone Sinn Fein
SF have some talent in their ranks, but no governing experience. They would be better off as junior partners to get some.
I’ll vote sinn fein all day. But please please don’t go and ruin it by going in with mee hole. Never.
SF have to hope they surpass the projected 67 seats in the next general election otherwise its going to make incredibly interesting viewing trying to pull together with FF and not potentially lose huge support as a result.
Can SF pull off 75 seats? They’ll need to if they want to leave both FF and FG out of government but they’ll also need the SDs to do well and a leftwing independent or two to come on board. If its to be a left/centre left ‘new’ government.
If she promises to remove the Israeli Judaeo Nazis from here, bombing hospitals with US weapons, she gets my vote.
Will definitely avoid FF if the shinners are on their ticket.
Sinn Fein will be in government.Stop the crying,and get over it.I love to see the All right jacks crying tho mmmmm nice.
I voted for sinn fein the last time and got more of the same thanks to Mary Lou not having enough candidates running. After what she said last week about Israel I’m not sure I can vote for them again. If they don’t realise that the reason Israel is in Gaza is because of the sheer horror of what was done to their people on the 7th of October. Men and women shot in their homes, toddlers tied together and burned alive in front of their parents. If she can’t see anything wrong with that then I can’t vote for her party.
have your say