Election 2024 . Not that one, though the Trump victory is sure to influence some of what we are threatened and promised. presumably we'll have a date soon.

[DeanElderberry]

Any wise thoughts?

It feels like there are no options currently.

The more "right wing" parties, common sense parties IMO are small and varied so they are spreading the vote too thin

@Trumped are you recommending people vote for particular independent or just any independent? Most constituencies do not have an independent worth voting for. I will certainly not be voting for the independent candidate in my constituency.

I really can’t believe the observers of the count would allow estimates of transfers. They are sharp eyed, borderline fanatical and meticulous about calling out errors. I went along one year when a mate was running, and it was fascinating.

I wonder how surplus votes are re allocated? So you have Mary Kate and she has just exceeded the quota, so her surplus will now be distributed. Ok the quota was say 20,000 and the surplus is 4,000. So which of the 24,000 votes are the 4,000 surplus ones to be re-distributed?

I think that's where the estimates or % of votes comes in. Not sure because EVERY ELECTION I make a note to find out, but I never remember to!

Possibly but even that is very hit and miss I mean how on earth would anyone know who the over quota votes should go to.

Just because someone votes for a candidate in a party, it should be assumed the left over votes go to the potential running mate, simply because they are in the same party.

I have received 2 leaflets and zero calls, very disappointing, I don't think I'm scary yet no one is willing to engage with me

Is anyone seeing candidates getting their faces out?

And they are not getting adequate time to canvass due the short lead time.. I hope they were organised

Not here

No, not any independent. We have one in my constituency who is extremely far left so will not be getting my vote.
Any independent who aligns with my values will get a vote from me, there's no Independent Ireland candidate in my area but there's Aontú who I'll vote for

I read that through and Roderick is already spouted by the excuses for the migrant situation

Campaigning for a dedicated migrant department as and I summarise

'It was not fit for purpose when i inherited it, it couldn't cope with 2000-3000 applicants a year let alone the numbers we are seeing.'

They will get a few but not what they had. Eamonn Ryan is gone Roderick O'Gorman comes across as pompous and seems deeply unpopular with the public. Not sure about his own district though.

Voting some of the status quo will be attractive to some voters if it blocks the path of huge IPA centres being set up in their areas.

That is where some incumbents will go play on people's fears

I've had candidates at the door. Fine Gael saying their priority is housing and Sinn Féin saying we need change. Both asking me to get on to them if there's anything they can do for me, which I never had before.

Fine Gael and Labour mugshot posters up in town this morning (which I thought was illegal) and the front page of the local paper has a pic of Simon Harris in our town, buying something from a person whose mother grew up in the house I live in now.

Touched by greatness.

@DeanElderberry

Claim to fame was only a matter of time 😀😀

I saw Labour posters up, must have went up during night.

Posters are popping up all over the place around here

Roderic called here on Halloween night. It turns out he has become even more pompous and self-righteous than in previous years. His canvasser called first and when I asked him about his definition of a woman, he said he'd send Roderic to the house. Roderic called and clearly didn't want to engage. It's such a pity, I would love a genuine Green Party, not this current iteration of whatever is it they have become. I truly, truly hope he will never, ever get near the Department of Children again.

Some time ago when I was researching the introduction of gender legislation, I looked up all the parties' LGBTQ++++ policies.

PBP and Sinn Féin in particular were very pro-trans, pro-gender ideology, pro-self-ID, pro-GRA. I thought I'd have a look to see how trans issues were featuring in this election campaign.

Unfortunately I only kept a link to the People Before Profits policy on trans rights, I should have downloaded it because I googled it just now and guess what?
People Before Profit
https://www.pbp.ie/policies/lgbtq-policy
LGBTQ Policy - People Before Profit
returns
404
Unfortunately, this page doesn't exist.

I hope it has been archived. Searching the PBP website for 'transgender' comes up with a few old links to events, nothing else, the LGBTQ policy document is gone.

Back then I downloaded a statement from Mary Lou McDonald in 2020 that said:
Sinn Féin proudly stands with the transgender community. We reject transphobia here in Ireland and abroad.
We want to see the Gender Recognition Act extended to trans youth and non-binary identities. We also want to reform trans healthcare towards an informed consent model.

It's still online at Sinn Féin committed to seeing true LGBTQI+ equality achieved - Mary Lou McDonald TD - Sinn Féin
However, there appears to be nothing at all about trans issues on the Sinn Féin website now.

So far I've had a go at the FF, FG, and Labour candidates/canvassers, and I'm looking forward to asking PBP and SF if they still stand by their enthusiastic promotion of pro-gender-ideology policies.

No-one from the Duplicitous Weasels Hoping To Get Away With It For Four More Years Party (any version) has rung my doorbell yet, nor have any Independent Mustelids. So sad.

With all the sound bites RTE must have by this stage, and all the issues that impact the young - fees, accommodation, climate - they have to choose one who wants hormones and surgery because of their gender, in the vox pop on Morning Ireland shortly before 9.00.

This is the most worried but least engaged I've ever felt about an election. Because it doesn't matter what any party plans or promises now.

If Trump applies import tariffs there will be more unemployment. And if he pulls the plug on Ukraine there will be a lot more refugees. If he gives Israel its head there could be an oil crisis.
I'd say a Novena would be more useful than any manifesto....

They should have consolidated together back in March after the referendum.

Well done! That is the question I have for every single one. "What is a woman"? The only ones who have answered correctly (or at all!) are Aontú, Nationalists parties & the Independents!

I must be really scary, so far I have a couple of early morning leaflet drop and a letter from GP TD, obviously got my details from electoral roll advising me she is a TD and should I need any assistance to please get in touch.

She didn't even get the relationship of voters in the house correct as she has myself and my son coupled up.

Next under my GC microscope: Social Democrats.
They have an LGBTQI+ Rights document as a separate PDF on their website. It's mostly about extending existing rights/policies to 'LGBTQI+' people.

It's a useful object-lesson in the need to split the LGB from the TQI+, as we are different groups with different issues, and different levels of public support and acceptance.
Lumping us L&G people in with T++ is putting us in with a highly questionable group, and is in danger of increasing homophobia. LGB✂TQ+

Here's an extract which goes beyond the 'extending rights'. It includes legislation about 'intersex people' although the term 'people with DSDs' is more accurate, and these are medical conditions not 'gender identities':

We will implement the recommendations of the Government’s Review of the Gender Recognition Act to provide legal gender recognition to non-binary people and trans people under 18.

We will legislate to protect the rights of intersex people – including a ban on infant genital mutilation, in line with the laws in place in Iceland.

We commit to using gender neutral pronouns whenever possible in future legislation, and recognising Them/They pronouns
LGBTQI-Rights.pdf