Ireland General Discussion

[MaxQue]

That paper in hurting the scientist in me.

Since gay marriage is on the topic, what is the Ireland situation?

[DemPGH]

Irish abortion policy "kills woman"

I just cannot believe that there was no recourse for the husband and for this woman other than to just lie there and suffer. Really, really an outrage.

[afleitch]

Another reminder of Ireland's quite disturbing clerical past.

http://www.thejournal.ie/symphysiotomy-survivors-gather-to-recount-stories-of-torture-673113-Nov2012/

The limp is a common ailment in women who have suffered through symphysiotomies, a painful surgical procedure used in maternity hospitals across Ireland in the 20th century. Other problems include chronic back pain and incontinence.

Often performed in the place of the more commonplace Caesarean section, symphysiotomies involved breaking the woman’s pelvis during childbirth. The Survivors of Symphysiotomy (SOS) group claims that the operations were carried out without prior knowledge or consent “mainly for religious reasons, by obstetricians who were opposed to family planning.”

The last operation was carried out in 1984.

[Oakvale]

There's a march planned for tomorrow afternoon. I'll be going - it takes a lot of me to get horrified enough to show up to something like this, because I'm not a "protester" generally, but this disgusting incident and the ensuing fallout has managed it.

[Franzl]

There's a march planned for tomorrow afternoon. I'll be going - it takes a lot of me to get horrified enough to show up to something like this, because I'm not a "protester" generally, but this disgusting incident and the ensuing fallout has managed it.

Same here, I'd certainly take part...

[Јas]

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www.boundarycommittee.ie

[ObserverIE]

The Labour Party has lost it's 5th Deputy since entering Government following the vote of the Chairman of the Parliamentary Party, Colm Keaveney (Galway E) against the budget measure to cut the respite care grant.

No danger to the Government majority, of course, but the slow fragmentation of the Labour parliamentary party amidst the context of unpromising opinion polls and continuing economic difficulty... well, oh dear.


Dáil Éireann
...

United Left	5
Independents	14
Ceann Comhairle (Speaker)	1

"United" Left should now be down to 4, after the Clonmel-based Workers' and Unemployed Action Group withdrew back in October, and one of the TDs of the two main components resigned from the group she belonged to (though not from the alliance as a whole). The two main components (the Irish franchises of the Committee for a Workers' International and the International Socialist Tendency) are, of course, circling each other like two tomcats at a barndance.

[Oakvale]

Fianna Fáil are now just a couple of points away from being the most popular party in the country.

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[Kitteh]

Fianna Fáil are now just a couple of points away from being the most popular party in the country.

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Why??

[Oakvale]

Fianna Fáil are now just a couple of points away from being the most popular party in the country.

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Why??

As in any country, the voting public are terrible morons. There's also, to be fair, the issue that the government are unpopular (obviously) and there's always going to be a lot of people who will never vote Sinn Féin. Thus...

The way Irish politics has always worked is that Fianna Fáil will be in government until they ruin things so badly their re-election can't be justified, in which case we'll install Fine Gael and Labour to punish FF for a little while until we happily put them back into power.

It's very depressing - the only reason I'm even going to bother voting next time is to vote against FF.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Fianna Fáil are now just a couple of points away from being the most popular party in the country.

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Why??

As in any country, the voting public are terrible morons.

Elitist.

Working-class populism FTW. /TRUE LEFTIST

[RodPresident]

Any poll about by-election in Meath East?

[DC Al Fine]

Fianna Fáil are now just a couple of points away from being the most popular party in the country.

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Why??

As in any country, the voting public are terrible morons.

Elitist.

Working-class populism FTW. /TRUE LEFTIST

Splitting hairs between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail is not worth your time

[ObserverIE]

I would now advise Oakvale to avert his eyes. The rest of you can take a deep breath and look at the rightmost column:



via Gavan Reilly of TheJournal.ie on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/gavreilly/status/295282647939309568

[Хahar 🤔]

Amazing.

[ObserverIE]

Any poll about by-election in Meath East?

No candidates nor date yet so no.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

So, basically, the other shoe (the blue one) has finally dropped.

[Oakvale]

This is the worst country in the world.

[ObserverIE]

Amazing.

At this stage, I expect FF to be the largest party in the local elections next year. Not that that will be difficult.

FG are coming across as being as incompetent and ethically dodgy as FF, obsequious abroad while bullying at home, and only really caring about the wealthy; there was a row in the lead up to last December's budget where Labour wanted to raise payroll taxes (PRSI) on employees earning over €100K from 7% to 10% (self-employed already pay at this rate on their earnings over €100K) but FG were only willing to agree to this if all basic welfare payments - except for the old-age pension - were cut by 5%. A couple of FG TDs also performed solo runs on the property tax last month, complaining that their constituents in the wealthier areas of Dublin would be obliged to subsidise their social inferiors in rural and working-class areas.

FF generally made a (superficial) effort to look as if they wanted to spread the burden of adjustment more fairly, because they knew where their votes were. FG haven't bothered, I suspect because they were convinced that they were now in power for ever. They're in for a rude awakening.

[ObserverIE]

This is the worst country in the world.

Eh, it's not really. Not even close.

We don't have a Geert Wilders or a Jobbik. We have the Healy-Raes.

[ObserverIE]

So, basically, the other shoe (the blue one) has finally dropped.

The RedC poll tonight isn't as dramatic (28/21/19/11/21), but FG definitely seem to be back at the mid-to-high 20s support level that they've had for most of the period since 1987. Labour are also back at historic norms, but without the same likelihood of picking up transfers as previously.

[Oakvale]

This is the worst country in the world.

Eh, it's not really. Not even close.

We don't have a Geert Wilders or a Jobbik. We have the Healy-Raes.

Well not literally, no - though it's funny you mention that since pretty much the only thing I'm thankful for in Irish politics is that we don't have any far-right parties and most of the disaffected vote that would go to them votes SF instead.

[ObserverIE]

This is the worst country in the world.

Eh, it's not really. Not even close.

We don't have a Geert Wilders or a Jobbik. We have the Healy-Raes.

Well not literally, no - though it's funny you mention that since pretty much the only thing I'm thankful for in Irish politics is that we don't have any far-right parties and most of the disaffected vote that would go to them votes SF instead.

Our would-be Geert Wilders is on the left.

To give the Shinners credit, they've pretty consistently kept to an anti-racist line down here for the last decade (and I suspect that cost them a seat in Dublin South West in 2007, just as I suspect it cost Joe Higgins in Dublin West at that election).

The other likely source of potential immigrant-bashing outbursts are in government and so are inhibited from opening their blue-tinted gobs. Other outbursts are getting slapped down.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

I got of bed this morning for this. I demand my sleep and pleasant dreams back.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Actually one thing of note with these results is that if these were to occur at a GE the only possible government would be FG-FF... which would be something.