The Presidential Election 2025

[deeahgwitch]

Your thoughts.
i’m in the ABB camp.
I accept he did a great job re The Good Friday Agreement but his government pre the economic crash !!!🙄🥲

CC asked in the Dail for the GRA to be extended to include other genders. HH was the Minister who refused her request.

HH has stated that an woman is an adult human female.

Only if he chooses not to take up the position. I'm not saying he would, but there's no way to compel him not to, if he is duly elected.

Yes.

Which would be hilarious and make the country a laughing stock world-wide.

Which would haunt our politicians for rest of their days.

Which I could live with.

Please do not spoil your vote with the intention it will effect change. IT WON'T!! It will be a headline for a few days and then CC or HH will take the job.
After a lot of thought I'm going to vote for Gavin as #1 and not vote for the other 2 so theres no transfers from me to help thrm. Im going to take the chance that he has some bit of decency and won't take it if he wins and we will get another election. If he does take it he's a lame duck president from the start.
The Gavin situation has thrown up the possibility of effecting chance. Let's not waste it.

@HayGal but you are effectively spoiling your vote.

It’s a complete shambles. There are no good choices.

Any vote which is counted is not spoiled. A #1 vote for Gavin is as valid, and as unspoiled, as a vote for either of the other two. He is still on the ballot, and can still be elected. He has just been put in a place where the only honourable course for him is to resign as soon as he has been sworn in.

Then there has to be a new election within 60 days.

Now - would he do the honourable thing? I'd love to see it.

I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him unfortunately.

I can hear it now … “the people have asked me to take this with their votes …” 🫠

a perfect start to panto season . . .

Yes, it's too big a risk 😩

@PegDope I don't see it as a spoiled vote as I am putting a number next to a name so thats a vote.

I just cannot go into a booth and write a name and put a tick next to it. Might as well write Daffy Duck. Its a 100% waste and will have no effect. FF FG SF are the people who can twist anything to their own end eg last year's referendum. By voting for Mr Gavin theres a chance of a rerun. Theres absolutely no chance of a rerun by handwriting a name.
But we can agree to differ. Either way its disgraceful. Was on o connell street at the weekend and wondered would the 1916 fighters have bothered if they saw this in the future.

It's an absolute clusterfuck.

I cannot decide which is the least awful option.

I am diametrically opposed to CC's views on gender. HH will be a FF, FG mouthpiece.

I know.
But I can't in good conscience vote for either of them.

I’m like you @LeeshaPaper
I can’t vote for either of them for different reasons.
If I put an X beside Jim Gavin and he gets enough of them, could he decide to become President and will FF get their electoral expenses back.
I don’t want either to happen.

I know a spoiled vote wont prevent either candidate from being elected, ultimately one of the two will be President. But I do think that a high number of spoiled votes will surely send a message to government that people are not happy. They might say its undemocratic to spoil a vote etc. but behind it all they will be wondering are they really out of touch with so many people - people they'll be eventually looking for votes from when general election time rolls around. So for that reason I've decided to spoil.

As far as I know, the electorate are the only people who can decide who is President. Gavin can't nominate his replacement.
But for those not voting for CC or HH there seems to be a split as to whether to vote JG or spoil.
It's probably better if the majority of the protest votes went with one of the other to make an impact.

@LifeInAHamsterWheel I truly believe they don’t give a shit. Actions speak louder than words.

But could Jim Gavin, if given the most votes decide that he does want to be President after all and ……….
Hypothetical I know.

If you put an X against anyone your ballot paper is spoiled and goes in the bin.

Ok, thanks@DeanElderberry- If I vote for Jim Gavin…..

I intend to vote for Jim Gavin despite knowing that if a lot of us do that:

FF will get their money back

He might decide he's going to grab power on the back of a win

SFFFFG might conspire to place Bertie Ahern or some other weird antique

We might end up with another choice of Tweedledee and Tweedledum party hacks.

But at least it will be a protest and they'll have to count it.

An article in Gript says that Jim Gavin needs to get 12.5% of the vote on first count to recoup the party expenses and that residual support is at 12% currently. The article suggests that voting for JG is being pushed as a way to protest the election but it is a means for FF to recover financially.
gript.ie/mcguirk-is-fianna-fail-trying-to-sneak-its-money-back/

I don't care if they do.

Fair enough! :-) If I thought it would restart the election I'd do it too but I don't think there is enough people of a similar mindset. And it might not even work.

Wouldn't just failing to vote and having a drastically low turnout give the same message? I'm just not clear how wasting a vote is a better option than just not voting

If the only options are sit and mutter in a mutinous way or remain silent although cross, I'll always be a mutinous mutterer. I have a vote, and I'll use it.