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?

I must be a lot older than you @Onehorsetown. Early 20s is young to me! 😁

Me too!

Although I do think she should have deleted these tweets?

Oh, we're not going to have a recount after all because Michael Smith has done the gentlemanly thing and stood down. Fair play to him. I bet there is massive relief among the count workers.

Oh, I see these tweets were deleted and she apologised years ago.

Gentlemanly, probably also calculated to send more transfers in an FF direction that if the other guy blinked first. Good career move for him anyway since he wasn't going to get a seat anyway this election.

It's fascinating, isn't it?.

I'm quite happy with my constituency, we had a bit of restructure but it's well rounded and very reflective of the country as a whole.

The thing is even if it's the same formation, it's never really the same though, is it. New faces, new manifestos and a more deeper understanding of the issues people have day to day.

I've really enjoyed this thread and learned a lot hearing different perspectives.

The Smith strategy worked - Kelly and baby FF-er O'Meara elected.

This is the future : FFFG with a rotating mudguard. Forever 😂

I suggest you read back the attacks and nasty toned posts to myself by those in here. So I am delighted that the majority of the country is aligned to my beliefs and values.

I care that a party formed to bring women backwards isn't getting traction. We voted to have abortion and the good news is it is available not mandatory.

I am delighted because as someone who has being actively campaigning for divorce and abortion since I was 16 I feel I can relax that they are here to stay.

@Marblesbackagain why are you not concerned about the erasure of women’s rights in general? Men in women’s sports, men taking women’s jobs, watering down or removing medical terms that refer to women specifically, men in women’s prisons, men in women’s refuges. It’s not backwards to want women to retain their hard won rights and spaces.

I can say with hand on heart that I am pleased at three things from the election -

FFG + in power again. There was no real alternative I admit, but they have great experience in power and while they are not perfect by any means, I think that matters in today's world.

SF not making the gains they thought (or said) they would. I don't know where they go from here. I have to admit that I would never vote for them, the whiff of cordite is still strong in my nostrils. I lived through the times of the Troubles and . There are probably vestiges of that mindset still knocking around SF, which puts me right off. The men in Belfast decide anyway which is another complete turn off for me. And their promotion of a United Ireland (so aspirational) at this particular juncture too is ill timed, more important things going on. The NI wing of the party has not done any really great things in Stormont, and they still refuse to take their seats in Westminster. Representation huh?

And lastly Aontu not breaking through. We have grown up now I hope.

And of course there's a little addendum, Gerry Hutch getting the cold shoulder. I feared his pronouncements in the Dail Chamber under privilege (amongst other things) and I shuddered. Not going to happen now.

Why is my concern your business?
I am not engaging with the usual abusive posters on here if people don't engage with the hate and ignorance.

I am simply relieved that the majority is aligned to my view.

@Marblesbackagain well you are posting your views relating to other women’s issues and I am asking about your views on broader women’s rights. It’s hardly being an abusive poster to ask a question on a discussion forum. however even without answering you have made it clear you only care about women’s rights to the extent that they benefit men - such as abortion and divorce - always easy to spot when calling others hateful and ignorant. Lazy suppositions.

Thank you@Soupfactory for making my point. Love the new slant on divorce and abortion are for men, that's a new stretch.🤦‍♀️🤣

I see them as being absolutely fundamentally beneficial to women and am delighted to see them available to women. But off you pop to ask "what is a woman" over and over ad nauseam to anyone who isn't spouting the hate.

👋

If you didn’t keep calling it ‘the hate and ignorance’ it would be easier to take your point @Marblesbackagain.

Well@Interventioninvention when the hate stops it would be easier to stop calling out the hate 🤷‍♀️. See how that works?

No

@Interventioninvention ah so the critical thinking 🤔 issue keeps spreading.

Perhaps 🤔

Your definition of hate and ignorance certainly needs work.

I fully supported divorce, abortion and gay marriage (and still do) I draw the line at pretending people can change sex. And I haven't I insulted anyone on any thread.

And ? Plenty have I suggest you scroll back .

@Marblesbackagain and there is the aggression - always loitering just behind the ‘be kind’ women. And yes abortion and divorce benefit men as well as women. Women only spaces, sports and safety solely benefit women so women like you don’t support them - you support the men accessing these spaces. Anyone who disagrees is lazily labelled a ‘hater’ it’s all getting very boring and predictable.

And I don’t need to ask what a woman is. There is no ambiguity over what a woman is - just a lot of people like you falling over themselves to insist Barbie Kardashian is a woman ‘just like you’.

Mr O’Sullivan asked Kardashian “what object” she was going to use to rape Ms McGhee.“I wanted to use an electric rod, but that wasn’t available to me. I remember thinking I wanted to use the handle of a sweeping brush or a mop. I wanted to torture her [Ms McGhee] sexually, I wanted to sexually electrocute her genitalia,” replied Kardashian. When asked why use an “object” to rape, Kardashian replied: “Because I am a woman, and women use objects, that’s why I said object.”

www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/barbie-kardashian-tells-court-she-wanted-to-rape-prisoner-over-dirty-showers-rumour-1687610.html

💯

Crikey...Holly Cairns has been a TD since 2012? Time is speeding up for me. Her tweet looks really ....Sectarian. A guy called Stan Gebler Davies ran as a West Cork Unionist a few years ago. Maybe Holly could give it a lash if the Soc Dems implode.
Now why would SF take seats in Westminster? Nobody there gives a hoot about Ireland, North or South. I gave a 3rd preference to Aontú myself but let's face it people : they are just SF with a little tweak. The name is a clue....

Unionists take their seats in WM. But I suppose there's a non nationalist reason for that.
NI is a basket case I'm afraid. However as long as peace lasts I'm happy. I don't want that fragile peace breaking down for an aspirational UI either, well in the next ten years anyway. Too much too soon. If the UK couldn't give a shit about NI, who do you think will pay for the unification?