Hard Truths That Will Anger Some To Hear

(A lengthy but necessary post)
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Ireland government power will be once again returned to the usual old parties. much disliked by the rest of the nation. Fianna Fáil in particular will gain power yet again. Micheál Martin will grin into TV cameras and speak of successes. Ireland is not for changing that much it appears.
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Who Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will amalgamate with, to make a majority, remains to be seen! Both parties will try and avoid independent groups (too volatile as individuals), so they will be looking at Labour (Gawd help us) and the Social Democrats for a dig out (parties that have a whip system – keep them controlled better).
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Why are we back to FF/FG yet again? Multiple answers.
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1. While FF ran a traditional on the ground election, they used modern marketing tactics also effectively, online, by word and graphically. They kept their head down and avoided election time slip-ups – although Micheál Martin slipped up on one day by being abrupt to one street person. However, FF did generally manage to keep their head down and soldier on.
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2. Fine Gael in hard truth, should have done better – but Simon Harris in big part, helped to ruin their greater seat chances. Fine Gael had more of it’s own scandals and election cock-ups exposed to Ireland than FF did – so FG paid a heavier vote loss price than their twin. FG also made a major whopper in running an assaulter. No question. The effect of this had national consequences, not just at local level in Dundalk where the assaulter ran.its
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3. Sinn Fein allowed themselves to be tarnished badly just before the election time was announced. They are to blame here to some extent and, in part also not.
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* Everyone with a working brain ABSOLUTELY KNEW there was going to be an election around this time and we repeatedly stated this over and over. Despite SF also knowing – they had to have known – they mismanaged situations within their own party and in great timing for FF/FG, allowed further bad publicity to ensue right up to voting day.
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* Sinn Fein were also in part, not to blame too. They were doing things more right than FF/FG. SF called in the Garda to investigate questionable people in its party – while FF/FG have long constantly declined to do the same. So, for doing the right thing, they still gained a lashing from FF/FG for doing right – but FF/FG deliberate focused on SF’s questionable people rather than their own dodgy activities (that are far less publicised by biased media). Some of the public saw the SF bashing and went along with it, while not hearing enough about faults within FF/FG.
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4. The far-right bunch affected voting numbers. No question.
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* They divided votes that would have more likely gone to more government opposition, left-wing parties.
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* They stupidly kept attacking government opposition parties rather than targeting the government itself, who was creating the very conditions that irked them, that they were then using as PR to advance themselves.
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Why were they big time attacking opposition rather than hold to account the very government parties that might have flooded the state with too many people? Plain stupidity and/or hadn’t the guts to confront the real Dail villains who are able to make greater differences.
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They MASSIVELY did FF/FG a favour by mainly attacking opposition parties – who in truth, through having minority numbers themselves, could make far less Dail change happen. The fanatics picked on innocent, softer, easier to target and exploit people, while the real culprits in government got off far lighter.
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* The extremists and racists have been nationally and at local levels, been soundly rejected – and rightly so. The only people they can ultimately clam to represent, is themselves and little more. They ruined more professional opposition chances in a number of ways while attacking the wrong people. Complete stupidity. A lot of the public saw this stupidity – and thus opted not to support them over their mis-targeting alone.
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5. I have said the following in another post – and in short, I will say it here again. The marketing methods used by opposition were a disaster.
* They failed to listen to even free given professional advice. How dare others suggest what to do or what needs to be changed!
* They failed to use free marketing abilities.
* They refused to implement specific changes where absolutely, unequivocally needed – despite being told repeatedly. Well, if they won’t listen, they gain a losing price – and they have. All the suggestions I made in marketing terms, for example, were ignored by runners who thought old ways would still be enough. They weren’t, and I was proved right by they eventually gaining extreme low vote numbers – and I mean LOW!!! Sometimes marketeers feel wile we are wasting our time when people and parties won’t listen to what they are told. It’s extremely frustrating. It’s simply more stupidity carried out by others, when they refuse to listen and/or act.
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6. Many voters have been still voting with a parochial level. They voted for persons in a general election based on who they were, not what party they were saddled up to. In local elections, this mentality is only to be expected – but in a general election, doing the same thing is just ineffectual in helping to create real national change. Still, frustratingly, too many of certain generations are still voting with a parochial mentality rather than a party mentality. It’s just nuts!
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7. A lot of young people – besides others, didn’t bother voting. Only 59% came out and voted. 41% of the nation did not. Some have genuine reason. Some are ill, incapable, dying, abroad, working, etc – genuine excuses. Some however, let me be blunt, just couldn’t be bothered to get up off their backside. Too much like hard work.
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8. We normally get to vote once every five years for a general election, barring an early collapse of government. In a lifetime, we only get to democratic decide to chose what way our national lives will go, between 11 to 14 times on average. Other people died and families had subsequent hearts broken as a cost, so that the rest of use could have a democratic nation. How quick and thoughtless are some to forget in ungratefulness!
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So, some of you are disillusioned by the antics of politicians. You are right to be peed off by some of their antics. However, by NOT turning out to vote, you are massively doing them a favour – because you then let their own support voters more so, come out and gain a vote numerical greater advantage. If you think you are doing your area, nation or self a favour by staying at home, you are absolutely wrong. You are aiding the people or party you hate – and disabling others that you might actually like.
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The non-voters of Ireland will still grumble for the next five years – but ask them to do something just once in every five years? “Naaa, I cannot be arsed“. This is simply not good enough. We, as a nation, reap from our in-actions – and not in a good way. Well, you are not more entitled to whine about the next few years of serious issues, when you can’t be bothered to do a five-minute job once in every five years. You shame those who have died so that you may more be free and then free to vote. Hard truth!
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9. A small number of young people didn’t vote in truth, because they are soon leaving Ireland or plan to leave. They are completely out-priced on many things. From property items to daily cost of living items. They have had enough – so they are getting out – and as they are getting out, they see no point in voting over something for which they won’t be around to feel the later vote effect of. This is what some tell me. If they were staying, some stated they would likely be more inclined to vote, but they are not – so why bother! They also see other people willing to remain politically stupid.
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There are other reasons why Ireland is yet again returning to the same old Dail crap setup of rotten parties. Biased media antics, a lot more stupidity, lazy people who won’t do anything but still grumble about others that do try and make a difference, to barstool ‘experts’ that advocate don’t ever vote at all. A form of anarchy ideology that ultimately progresses little or nothing every time.
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There has been massive world changes that have occurred because at core, single individual people have said “Enough” and stood up, got up off their arse to speak out and stand against foes, empires, big corporations and more. “Strong people stand up for themselves, but the strongest people stand up for others” so goes the saying – and it’s true. Those that are willing to go beyond their front door or safe roof, are the ones that all create change. Never the ones that stay at home.
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If you want change, you have to get up. You have to speak up. You have got to assist others. You have to even take ten minutes or less, to vote every five years. Staying at home changes bugger all. Till we all get that suck into our thick heads, of course the same old crap will continue – and that’s an ultimate hard truth that again has to be stated.
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Will we ever learn? It looks like for the moment, some of us refuse to, once again. The stupid will find excuses to use. What’s new – and then they will grumble that “Nothing changes“. The rest of us have a greater inkling why…
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Hard truth.