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‘WE’RE NOT A tax haven, we have never been involved in any kind of tax malpractice’ said Michael Noonan last October.
If your top political figures need to constantly state that you are not a tax haven, then the chances are you probably are a tax haven. And as the UN’s Philip Aston says, ‘when lists of tax havens are drawn up, Ireland is always prominently among them’.
The US Senate similarly found that by any ‘common sense definition of a tax haven’ Ireland easily met the criteria. I mean when Forbes regularly ranks you in their list of ‘Top ten tax havens’, there’s not really much of a debate to be had.
In Ireland there’s no debate to be had, but that has more to do with it being a taboo subject amongst our mainstream media. Take pharmaceutical giant Pfizer’s recent announcement that it was relocating its HQ here, solely for tax purposes.
This drew international condemnation with the Financial Times calling us a financial ‘black hole’, The Guardian arguing that we should be ‘subject to economic sanction’, and US presidential hopefuls Trump, Clinton and Sanders all issuing criticism.
For the most part our media skirted around the issue, stating obvious facts like our tax regime was ‘back in the international spotlight’, but failing to offer any serious analysis of why this was. Then there was the customary denial by a top political figure, this time Simon Conveney, who declared ‘nobody is using Ireland as a tax haven’.
Someone should tell poor Simon to take a stroll down to five Harbour Master Place in the IFSC.
There he’ll find a small building which houses around 250 companies controlling almost €2 billion worth of assets, but he won’t find any employees – because there are none. Not even a fella to clean the brass plates on the doors!
The OECD has launched its new Base Erosion and Profit Shifting project (BEPS) designed to clamp down on the kind of tax dodging measures Ireland supports, whilst there has been talk of standardised corporation tax rates at the European level.
This is a clear indication of the way the wind is blowing, meaning Ireland urgently needs to change course. The first step is facing up to the fact that we are a tax haven, so let’s review the historical and contemporary evidence.
A taxing history
The dominant narrative here in Ireland is that we were the economically ‘sick man’ of Europe up until the 1990s, after which time we slashed corporation tax, multinationals flocked and the Celtic Tiger was born. It’s the old low corporation tax = high growth rates line, yes that old canard!
In reality our tax haven strategy was born in the 1950s after a range of tax exemptions on corporate income and profits, as well as offshore tax exemptions were introduced. But it was the 1970s before things really got going, when Ireland was marketed abroad as a ‘no tax’ regime and the idea of establishing an Irish Financial Services Centre was hatched.
Back in 2000, Padraic White, former head of the IDA and one of the IFSC’s chief architects, co-authored the book The Making of the Celtic Tiger. The book describes how White recruited a Wall Street expert on offshore banking, who ‘examined the success of Bermuda in creating jobs in financial services, and he was satisfied that Ireland could emulate its achievement.’
Yes, Ireland planned to create its own Bermuda triangle, but the only thing disappearing would be the taxes of multinationals. Although the Central Bank initially rejected the plan because it ‘smacked of a banana republic’, the election of Charlie Haughey, saw the plan quickly revived.
Today the IFSC administers almost 50% of global alternative investment funds (hedge funds, venture capital, derivative contracts, mortgage back securities, etc) and has disparagingly been referred to as the ‘Lichtenstein on the Liffey’.
But as the graph from the Tax Justice Network demonstrates below, the Celtic Tiger didn’t take off because large multinationals flocked here after we slashed corporation tax in the 1990s. Ireland had long been trying to market itself as a tax haven, it just wasn’t working, not until we gained access to the European Single Market in 1993.
If it walks like a duck…
The two defining characteristics of a tax haven are; (1) a jurisdiction there is little/no tax liabilities for foreign individuals/businesses and (2) where key financial information is suppressed.
1. Multinationals
Our 12.5% corporation tax rate is often referred to as the ‘cornerstone’ of our economy, but even the dogs on the street know that the amount that’s actually paid is as little as 2%, and sometimes it’s nothing at all.
Between 2007 and 2012, the likes of Google, Microsoft, and pharmaceutical giant Abbott Laboratories, all managed to pay less than 1% tax on their profits.
Bermuda is top of the charts not because of genuine economic activity.
2. Tax deals under investigation
Last year a report by 19 European nongovernmental organisations found that the lack of “financial and company transparency” is one of the reasons Ireland is so attractive a location to corporate subsidiaries.
This shouldn’t be surprising, just take the example of Apple, which is now being investigated by the European Commission to see if our government gave them a number of tax deals. Our strict law surrounding taxpayer confidentiality has meant that these deals have been beyond the scrutiny of the public and the Oireachtas, even though they are of huge significance to the exchequer.
Our government doesn’t seem to like transparency, especially not in the area offshore trusts. The users of trusts enjoy relative anonymity which makes it difficult to ascertain who owns them, what assets they control and how to tax them. That’s why the establishment of a public register of all the beneficial owners of companies and trusts is being pursued at the European level, but unsurprisingly, our government along with the likes of Luxembourg are lobbying hard against this.
What’s the fuss?
Our tax haven strategy isn’t just screwing our own citizens; we’re screwing the citizens of other countries too. Our legal framework undermines the tax laws of other nations by inducing economic activity to relocate here purely to dodge tax. And it’s not just developed countries who are losing out, Christian Aid estimates that the loss to developing countries from the kind of transfer pricing operations is somewhere in the region of $160 billion annually.
For that reason the international community is now taking steps to clamp down on tax havens and the transfer pricing they facilitate. With the net beginning to close Ireland needs to change direction before the decision is taken out of our hands. Attracting investment solely by way of low taxes is the policy equivalent of a one trick pony.
It’s high time we put this pony out to pasture.
Cillian Doyle is an economist and activist. He works as an executive officer at Trinity College Dublin.
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just use it, remember a lot of Irish people with big dreams for this island of ours died so you have the privilege to vote, honor their memory and use your vote regardless who you vote for use it.
Agreed wholeheartedly. Those people also died for Irish Freedom. So please honour their memory by voting for the only defiantly All-Ireland, republican party we have. The only ones actually interested in achieving Irish Independence and not the continuation of a partitioned land, partly under foreign rule.
Fastest growing economy in EU, highest employment figures in 7 years, IMF gone….
Plenty of good left, right and centrist candidates who can protect and improve this.
No need to hand it over to the economically illiterate, morally bankrupt SF/PIRA movement.
http://www.davidmcwilliams.ie/2015/03/16/auf-wiedersehen-never
“When you hear politicians talking about the Irish economy, and saying we are the fastest growing economy in Europe, it is meaningless, because we aren’t a European economy at all. We are an Anglo/American economy, with a European exchange somehow grafted onto us.”
Hey Tyrone will you be voting today? No, but I think your leader David Cameron gave his support to Enda so that’s something.
We have the fastest growing economy amongst 28 EU Member States.
We alao have the 2nd worst healthcare service in Europe even though we spend the most money on it. A vote for FG is a vote for people lying on trollies
For connolly who would you ask people to vote for, people before profit ? The party that supports striking Luas workers ? Absolute Joke of a party
Remember the country is 205 billion in debt- if anyone borrows enough money they can pretend everything is going great.. The ‘recovery’ is a sham
Ross if SF were in government borrowing would be reduced very sharply because nobody would lend to Ireland
Vote no to the 3 Amigos, from down Mexico Way
#Gerry4Taoiseach
“Ross if SF were in government borrowing would be reduced very sharply because nobody would lend to Ireland”
PMSL!
‘joe’, if you’re going to follow the governments mantra and try frighten people, you should probably stick a scary halloween costume on or something, because your comments aren’t cutting it.
We don’t need an Irish version of Syriza in power.
SF considers them heroes, parading them at their Ard Fheis.
Keep up the good work dermo. One day you might have your head rubbed by the guy, who had his head rubbed by the guy, who had his head rubbed by the guy, who had his head rubbed by the guy, who had his head rubbed by Sarkozy in front of the worlds media.
Tír Eoghain Gael…presuming you are from Tyrone then you don’t have a vote in the election so your opinion is irrelevant. You may feel comfortable voting in murders and rapists but we’re not down here. Now go back to bed and pull your Celtic duvet over your head
Ah lads it’s election day, be nice to each other! Call a 24 hour truce till we see the results.
Again jamming advocating Mary Hearneys closer to Boston than Berlin. You’ve copied and pasted that quite several times now; you were morally outraged when you ‘caught’ someone else doing that 2 days ago. And finally, McWilliams does not in anyway dispute that our economy is the fastest growing in Europe.
Of course his opinion is relevant Beano,are comments closed if you’re not from the 26 counties?or does his opinion not wear well with your traditions?
“We inherit the land from our ancestors and borrow it from our children” Vote for who you think will protect your children’s future and your states assets. Those who would sell these things for personal gain or profit are not worthy of a vote.
The total annihilation of Labour begins…YAAAS!
Beano, I’m sure Tir Eoghain Gael is the holder of an Irish passport as is his right and therefore an Irish citizen. Your comment is petty and childish though typical of someone who feels the 6 counties are not Irish.
Exactly Andrew, some people are so childish and spiteful.
It will be interesting to see how many people vote, on the Centenary of the Rising, for the party being backed by the British government…..
They also advised them on their election strategy.
Cameron also wants Britain to stay in Europe, Sinn Fein are backing Cameron’s plans for Britain to remain in Europe. Sinn Fein are friends of Tory Government.
I’ll be glad when it’s all over won’t have to see the tripe all of ye have been writing for the last few weeks from all sides
Shinnertroll Connolly, why are you so sensitive when I raise Syriza?
I thought you Shinners love Syriza?
I thought you Shinners endorse Syriza strategy?
Will Syriza be at your next Ard Fheis?
Good luck to all candidates today.
SF/DUP are big fans of Cameron when they beg him for handouts from London.
FC on about the tories and FG, while his own party happily implement tory austerity in the North.
And the only “1916 rising” celebration you’ll need as a shinner is for unemplyed 20 year olds to get out of bed to vote today.
The 6 counties are part of Great Britain and not of this great republic of ours… Different currency, different leaders…
The FG monkey, gone tomorrow.
Plenty of good left, right and centrist candidates to choose from, from many parties.
We can do better than the political wing of a terrorist organisation.
Get back to us when FG/Labour aren’t gifting Seanad seats to former Secretarys of Dissident organisations who didn’t sign up to the peace process, dermo.
So you would like to talk about the treatment of Mairia Cahill by Sinn Féin, following her sexual abuse and kangaroo court at the hands of the Provisional IRA?
It’s off point, but sure, let’s talk about it….
Monkey, Lets talk about Siteserv and Enda misleading the Dáil about appointments to state boards or the one about army on the streets to protect the ATMs. This guy is a first class clown.
Slab Murphy sentenced to 18 months.
Hard luck SF/PIRA supporters.
At least prisoners can vote.
Great news, Diarmuid.
One down, many more to go.
18 months!! He’ll be out in less than a year with remission and being a good republican!! You must be sick Diarmuid!! Ah well, I can’t see this being a good weekend for ye anyway!!! ;)
Jaysus, even buses wants rid of her!
http://cf.broadsheet.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/CcI0PMoVIAAgiF2.jpg
Softer sentence than he passed on many, I wonder will a jail sentence for tax evasion see him in with “political prisoners”
That’s a face that could turn a funeral up a side street.
Noonan was lucky so
Best of luck to all the parties and candidates today on left and right and in fairness I wish them all well even if it’s not to my political leaning.
soc dems
fg
aaa/pbp
independent alliance
greens
direct democracy
renua
FF
independents
labour
It’s Labour/RNU Greg. Get it right!!
Up FF
You seem to have forgotten we one of the largest national debts on the planet, and a huge amount of personal debt and the reasons why the IMF were here have not changed.
I voted first thing this morning, No1. Soc Dems, 6 votes to left leaning candidates and 2 fingers to the establishment, “what’s in it for me” parasites.
Better than voting for a party who are happy to have their ‘leader’(??) patted on the head by all the big boys (Merkel too) in Europe, who tell him what to do.
http://www.broadsheet.ie/tag/sarkozy/ Primary school (two years of it) playground stuff
I won’t be casting a vote. Voting is a covenant pillar of the democratic process. Until the party whip system is abolished, we remain under governance which is inherently undemocratic at its core. To vote for anyone in that system would be to support hypocrisy of the most detrimental kind. My vote is therefore to me, not real.
Greg, you left Sinn Fein out of that list but don’t worry about it. Good luck especially to them and to all other right to change candidates.
Joe the threatened Luas strike will go away once the election is finished.
Threatened ? They’ve been on strike
Stop or I’ll puke..
gold man sachs cooked our books just like they cook the greek books.
the eu banking system looking like they are going to fail again.but hey Ireland is booming again.something smells wrong and we have fg to blame.tis a great little country to do business in
Yep. They’re defiantly All Ireland. Jesus wept.
Biggest turnout in mayo thats because they have no. employment,
That’s an insult! (To clowns everywhere)
What time will we have exit polls anyone know?
Jane coverage resumes at 10pm I’m sure exit polls will follow shortly thereafter
Thanks. Hope it’s good news.
So Leo Varadkar is not respecting the people’s right to make up their own mind and is not respecting the media blackout. His twitter account is still campaigning and word is it has been suspended now. Good to see democracy being flaunted by the incumbents.
Why are you telling lies Garwig? Leo Varadkar’s twitter a/c has 4 tweets today, none of which can be construed as electioneering. Who’s ‘Word’ is it that it is a suspended a/c? It isn’t.
But besides all that, twitter is not subject to any blackout.
The moratorium has nothing to do with online content. How many times does it need to be said?
Garwig the moratorium applies to broadcast media only, stop showing your ignorance and/or deliberately lying
It’s not a lie, but it was whipped down. Very offensive to the people in West Belfast. A screenshot of the tweet is doing the rounds. No doubt the account was hacked.
Garwig a genuine question for you. I’ve noticed on articles about migrants you are very vocal about migrants from the Middle East coming into ireland unchecked. It is obviously important to you so how do you reconcile that with supporting SF who in turn support Ibrahim Halawa?
Vote people. Heard a few people in work already making their excuses…’I never changed it over when I moved to Dublin’…’its too much hassle’..etc…bull, just get up off your ar$e and make the effort
agreed. Use your vote and think before you waste it. Heard somebody the other day saying why vote things can’t get any worse.
They can.
Unless you earn less than 19k a year you will be worse off with SF or the hard left? In fact an average couple could be 2k a year worse up with them? If you are in private sector your pension relief will be cut by sf also, so even another blow to our pockets.
Things CAN get worse!
Or if you vote one of the usual suspects you will be stuck in a boom-bust economy for years to come. Lucky for whoever gets in Ireland is once more on the verge of a boom so they get elected, do well, get re-elected, things start to go tits up, comes out in the media they were using their position to make a few extra quid in an unethical manner. They leave disgraced, next person has to clean up the economic mess left behind, the situation begins to improve and the cycle starts all over again.
Gav that’s exactly what happened in 70s, 80s and 90s.
Fianna fail bust the country each time. Fine gael got elected to clean it up and just as it recovers and gets back booming again (but not quite there) who do the people vote in just before the country has turned the corner? FF get in again and take the credit, spend everything and then bust again, then the cycle continues.
People need to read their history and not let that happen today.
Greg how much do you get paid an hour working for FG media team?
Greg, what meds are you on? You’re quite obviously tripping. No to FF, FG and Labour. Let’s break the cycle of cronyism, Brown envelopes, and “what’s in it for me” politics. Vote for change people, not more of the same.
Fastest growing economy in Europe, falling unemployment, IMF gone…
These facts are a source of pride for everyone in this country.
Why do SF supporters deny these facts? Because they are disingenuous liars.
Still repeating the spoonfed soundbites dermo? Good lad.
http://www.davidmcwilliams.ie/2015/03/16/auf-wiedersehen-never
“When you hear politicians talking about the Irish economy, and saying we are the fastest growing economy in Europe, it is meaningless, because we aren’t a European economy at all. We are an Anglo/American economy, with a European exchange somehow grafted onto us.”
Yeah, David McWilliams and his bank guarantee idea worked out well for us.
I hope to get to vote – working a 13 hour shift today with an hour and a half commute each way but will try my best – no excuse good enough, if you don’t vote you shouldn’t complain about which party gets in
An opinion that we are closer to Boston than to Berlin, does not hide the fact that Ireland has the fastest growing economy in Europe.
Buy a map.
Why would a SF supporter deny this fact?
Our grandchildren will be paying for their lack of negotiation with Europe.200 billion in debt because Fine Gael/labour haven’t got one working pair of balls between the lot of them.
From your official rag ‘luke’
“He said he had told former Finance Minister Brian Lenihan at the time that the guarantee should have been made conditional and not open-ended, so they did not end up having to pay off risk capital.
At no stage, he added, did he suggest to the minister that it should include subordinated debt……
……The economist suggested to Mr Lenihan that he introduce a temporary guarantee of perhaps two years to stem the run on deposits and give the government time to arrange audits.
He said he became worried about the guarantee eventually introduced, because it appeared less like an emergency measure to protect depositors than a blank cheque to protect bank creditors.”
Is Ireland not in the European Union?
@Diarmuid. It’s not just SF voters who are not happy with Enda and Joan’s ‘facts’. In fact, the majority of the country won’t be voting for either FG or Labour and it’s independents who are leading that charge. So a bit ingenuous to polarise the electorate into either pro-Government or SF. The last poll in thejournal showed that 45% of the country would be voting for candidates other than FG/Lab or SF.
BS!!
He called for a full bank guarantee the weeks before it was put in place, congratulated Lenihan for putting it in place and immediately started to distance himself from it when he say what was happening – he (like Sinn Fein) is an economic halfwit.
Agreed Anne, I’ve always said there are plenty of good left, right and centrist candidates. I’ve regularly criticised this government. Unfortunately, the resident SF supporters try to label me as a blueshirt as they are incapable of any form of civil debate.
In fairness to you, Diarmuid, you do keep the old ‘anyone but SF’ mantra quite consistent, usually, but when you start peddling government soundbites of ‘fastest growing economy’ and ‘lowest unemployment since…’ with a straight face, your true allegiances are exposed.
Are you fully satisfied with those two claims? Should we all be thanking Enda and Joan?
IMF gone you say??? WTF planet are you living on apeman? As long as a primary school teacher and a counsellor are prostituting the country to the highest bidders, the IMF are here to stay. Wake the fuk up!
” try to label me as a blueshirt as they are incapable of any form of civil debate.”
Irony overload!!!!!!
Complaining on social media means nothing if you don’t get up off your ar#e and vote .
exactly Kellanne.
one young guy i heard yesterday moaned that things cant be worse, so why vote.
well things could be worse under sinn fein he was told. The guy laughed in agreement. Think he will vote today alright to stop them getting .
There is always worse around the corner.
For someone who sits in a rape room you seem to talk to a lot of people? Other FG lackies is it? I’ll tell you one, I was in the pool last night and spoke to about 10/12 people between the ages of 50-80 and not one single person was voting for the established parties. They were angry about healthcare, corruption and quangos. They were even more angry about Enda Kenny getting caught live on telly admitting to corruption during the last debate. I get that you are paid to toe the FG line and abuse SF, but your biggest worry today should be independents and more importantly, FF.
I’d say they love to see you coming gearoid oh no hers that nosey hoor they are thinking.
Tell me Greg, this young guy you talked to, he wasn’t by any chance holding a pint in each hand?
Some great candidates from all over the political spectrum out there.
We can do better than electing the political wing of a paramilitary organisation, who are only interested in defended “good republicans”
Done and dusted in Kildare north. 1) SD 2) SF 3) Independent – Young 4) Green Party 5) PBP
90 years of civil war politics has let us €200,000,000,000 in debt and generations lost to emigration. Time to vote for change everyone.
Straight right2change ticket from this house, with possibly a lower preference to the SocDem candidate as a nod of respect.
Anybody interested in voting for real change on the Centenary of the Rising can do so by checking the following link for their local candidate(s)
We don’t care how you are pretending to vote shinnerbot.
Glad you recognise “provisional” Sinn Féin is not a Civil War party, not the same party established in 1905. Just the politician wing of a terrorist organisation set up in 1969, which terrorised this island for 40+ years.
FC is voting for the striking Luas workers
“We don’t care how you are pretending to vote shinnerbot. ”
Yep, another FG troll account appointing them official spokesperson for everyone.
Good lad dermo.
Voted early,a pleasure not to give Fine Gael/labour or the other arse cheek Fianna Fáil a mark beside their names.
You had yourself appointed as the spokesperson for all the young voters yesterday Jammin, I guess you must be a troll too.
Jane, jamming rules only work one way.
Anonymous, unverified Shinnerbot lecturing us on who to vote for…
Pretty patronising.
Keep up your shill cheerleading.
Don’t recall telling people to vote for FG… maybe you can point me where I did that?
“You had yourself appointed as the spokesperson for all the young voters yesterday Jammin”
I’m only a spokesperson for me, jane.
So you have no comment on right to change candidates supporting the luas strikers ? Personal greed is ok it seems, little like gerry and his holiday home etc etc
^^
Shills for the ‘whats in it for me/I want loads of money’ party. Accuses others of ‘personal greed’.
Mind you’re not crushed under the weight of the irony there, ‘joe’…..
I’m not a shill for anyone, just anti sf, and your beloved pbp clowns get under my skin. people before profit, I asked you many times and never got an answer, which people before who’s profit ?
So luas workers are deserving of 50%+ payrise, it shows the stupidity of pbp that they support this,
Have your say people!
Had an awful dream the new government sorted out health. Thank god it was just a dream!
please no more enda and Joan
@ Hugh O’Connell You are correct to state that a shooting in belfast is NOT election news. Might i ask what the fcuk you are doing including in the live election news feed, if not to subtly make a totally bogus link to SF with it? Absolutely PATHETIC stuff. Some poor family in Belfast is plunged into horrendous grieving and you couldn’t even wait until the victim’s body had gone cold before trying to use it for dishonest political manipulation of gullibe potential voters. A new low. You should be ashamed of yourself.
How you possibly link a shooting in Belfast to SF, you’d swear they were in a power sharing government or something
Some recent NI murders have been linked to “former” Provos, with senior members of Sinn Féin being questioned.
Hugh is doing your crowd a favour TEG.
Absolutely right TEG. Seriously, BLue O’C, WTF?!
Tir. I didn’t hear you complaining when GErry Adams used suicide figures from the north in his leaders debate. now THAT is using other peoples misery to further his own ends.
Hypocrite.
Suicide doesn’t stop at the border, you sick fcuker.
Done and dusted!! Ignore FF they drove that bus over the cliff says Miriam on over 100K
Just voted. Bye bye labour traitors. And no bloody way FF/FG/FGNUA
“Lucinda has been thanking renua supporters”. Bet that didn’t take her too long
With you all the way William, bye bye conway and coffey.
#nofgliebour
I really hope that things change whoever gets in. But track records are not great for the past 2 governments. TO VOTE FOR A CHANGE WILL MEAN PEOPLE WILL HAVE TO VOTE DIFFERENTLY.
They sold us out ! Now Fcuk them out !
Don’t not forget the lies that have been told when you cast your vote today !!
Gerry ‘I wasn’t in the IRA’ Adams is the biggest liar in Dáil Éireann.
FG and Labour are like the nice aunt and uncle who come to help the family recover after being destroyed by Dad’s (FF) gambling and spending problem that send them to bankruptcy.
They help the family with a 5 year plan to get them on their feet. The family now are eating better and the aunt and uncle increased their allowance after they looked at the family budget for the year. some of the children now want to kick out the uncle and aunt and let the dad back to the his old way of spending and gambling the family’s purse strings.
The other angrier children want their bearded uncle who always drinks champagne to come in to help instead. He is offering sweeties. But the Uncle then flip flops and goes back on his word and tells them to tighten their belts and they are living beyond their means and there CAN’T be any reinstatement of the allowance. But yet HE lives in his big mansion up the country and at other times in his second villa.
Haha
You were going well until you mentioned the angry children. Close enough though!
Jeez…..stick your head in the sand and ignore corruption and cronyism.
It was more like FF crashed the bus and FG/Lab came along and rifled through the victims pockets.
I think some people suffer from stockholm syndrome.
Just remember that a vote for FG is a vote for, and endorsement of the actions of, Alan Shatter, James Reilly, Leo Varadakar, Michael Lowry and councillor Hugh McElvaney. Ineptitude, cronyism and corruption aplenty. Justice, health and planning scandals just some of what we would have to look forward to as well as a string of broken promises.
That’s the perfect analogy AlCa, but you’re forgetting after crashing the bus, the severely injured and dying were brought to hospital where they were left on trollies in overcrowded emergency rooms for days.
Good analogy Al Cal. Very fitting.
If your an ordinary decent working person you need to vote for someone with your interests at heart .. I am one of those and I will not be voting for FG/FF/LAB/RENUA
Remember, FG “what’s in it for meeeeeee”?
“Bring lots of sterling. Ten grand would be a start. ” – 9 times elected FG Monaghan councillor.
McDonald’s should have had people handing out free breakfast vouchers to voters coming out of the polling stations. No free food unless you’ve voted!
Bye bye Enda
Please, please, please Journal – from a web development perspective….
Put the liveblog and all associated updates inside a scrollable embedded predefined sized frame on the page. – It’s a pain in the arse to scroll from here to Timbuktu to read updates and comments. Come on…….
Totally agree. I normally give up on it in its current form. Almost impossible to make sense of it.
Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry Gerry
Enda’s second PREFERANCE vote went to F.F. lol.
Probably Renua in fact???
The Political Revenant that is Fianna Fail is indeed a marvel of our age. This is an organisation that most sober observers would accept has, for the majority of its existence, acted in a subversive, anti-state manner. Since it entered the “Free-State” parliament in 1932, it has acted to serve the interests of its supporters, at the expense of ‘the enemy’, or the rest of us, in real world terms. The short-lived interregnum between the demigod that was Eamon De-Valera, and the– as many of its supporters still maintain is the only true God–Charles Haughty, Fianna Fail did throw up one patriotic, visionary leader, in the form of Sean Lemass. But the truth of the matter is that Fianna Fail, in the round, has acted against the interests of Ireland and Its people. This organisation has twice bankrupted the country as a result of placing its interest above the welfare of the nation. The 1977 manifesto populism was a warning, a warning we failed to heed. The wild spending commitments made to get it into power then, brought on a fragility in public finances that forced penury on many during the late seventies and early eighties. The result, mass emigration and widespread poverty. During this period it had the perverse luxury of the conflict in the North to distract the people from its reckless behaviour, and indeed, it, especially Haughey, actively exploited hostility toward the British during this awful chapter in our history. The systematic targeting of public office, in a relentless determination to reduce every opportunity granted by access to power, to a racket designed to enrich its party and friends/accomplices, ranks both as a crime against the State, and the Hall-Mark of Fianna Fail government under Haughey and Bertie Ahearn. The Last building/banking/failed regulation/capitulation to Europe, crash, came about because we as a State failed to develop robust institutions and a culture of mature government. No political party is more responsible for this reality than Fianna Fail. So why on earth would anyone wish for anything other than its political euthanisation? Answers on a postcard to, Fianna Fail, Main Street, HELL!
Going by previous elections, there will probably more of a turnout for the McDonalds free breakfast then for voting itself.
Family voting Sinn Féin 1+2, Social Democrats 3, then Labour 10 and Fine Gael 11. Delighted.
Genuine question! If you take no interest I’m politics and you don’t vote and people say “you should be voting”! Who do you vote for? It’s like going out and picking 2 people for the sake of it who coukd be two arse holes
First time voter here ,but I’m not sure if I’m able to vote . A woman called to my door a couple of weeks back asking for my self and my brothers details . I made it clear that we were two separate people , however a couple of weeks later ,only one polling information card came with both our first names on it and our last name . They must have thought we were one person .so I’m just wondering ,does this mean the two of us are unable to vote ?
Funny how today we’ve got a fella who was jailed for tax avoidance reasons, we are voting for people (who it could easily be argued are criminals), who have made it legal for themselves to claim exorbitant, unjustifiable amounts of taxpayers money.
They have a proven track record of wasting massive amounts of taxpayers money through their gross incompetence, have gotten the countrys finances into hugh trouble on a number of occasions, they are in charge of a relatively small economy when globally viewed, yet rank top among worldwide politician in pay, benefits and financial support. Ridiculuous rip off!
John Halligan sartorially elegant as always.
Touch of the Mediterranean playboy about our John.
The people of Waterford are privileged to have him representing us.
Do our ballot papers just get destroyed afterwards? Or can you see a record of your vote somewhere?
Tips for next SF attempt (in 5 year time)…make it a crime not to vote. Everyone should have to vote. 2) stop blaming the working folk of this beautiful land. Try engage them. Relatively speaking, a young entrepreneur is just as pissed off not getting an A8 and only getting an BMW 3 series, as somebody that feels that life owes them a living.
“Enda Kenny & his wife Fidelma” – Fionnuala, yo!
voted. Good Luck Enda Kenny
Aye, good luck on your way out.
There are people sitting at the tables in polling stations that are there on behalf of political parties counting etc.voters. What is this and why are they there?
Renua/Eddie Hobbs.
People before Profit and Anti Austerity Alliance/Left wing idealists who live on benefits street who love Immigration.
Sinn Fein/commies who also live on benefits street.
Fine Gael/Lieing eyes Inda
Fianna Fail/Once Twice
Labour/Goodbye
Greens/ Tandem bike riding meat dodgers.
Independants/futile decency.
Other Independants/ loony bins.
How you had 11 red thumbs is beyond me. A disgrace
Who do you vote 4 when you have no interest in politics? Just pick 2 names on a sheet even though they could be two clowns?
Someday Shane…you’ll make the connection between government polices and how it affects you and your families standard of living……until them I suppose you’ll just be flotsam at the mercy of the political storms.
It’s General Election Day, everyone’s off to the ballot boxes but I won’t be casting a vote. Voting is a covenant pillar of the democratic process. Until the party whip system is abolished, we remain under governance which is inherently undemocratic at its core. To vote for anyone in that system would be to support hypocrisy of the most detrimental kind. My vote is therefore to me, not real.
Killian, you don’t mention if you have registered to vote. If this is the case stop reading now. Today is the day to get down off your self righteous horse and realise that the system will never change without your help. Even if you spoil your vote by outlying your complaints. The whip system is down to parties not the election system itself. For too long people have turned away thinking that by not voting you hurt the system, in fact it helps the parties systems you despise so much. Now you have 3 and a half hours left to change your mind. tomorrow you may regret your decision. Humble your this once and vote.
I was being very pessimistic there wasn’t I. That’s precisely the point to me. It’s entirely circular If I don’t agree with the system and do not with to support it in it’s current state I’m told I and others who feel the same have no right to talk about it, negating my ability to change it by other means. If I support it I’m furthering it because the whip system ensures I never get represented. Thereby negating my vote. It doesn’t feel tangible to me then. The lawmakers are making rules for themselves that prevent a democratic process from happening. This is something that deserves constitutional attention let alone legal.
However Leartius I’m not entirely saddled on that horse today. There are a couple of good human beings running where I live and it’s not too hard a pill to swallow if it means there’s a chance one less party linked candidate gets in.
Let some kind of good come from this.
Have a good election evening, I can see you have a bit of fervor for your feelings on it.
I hear you Killian,spot on.
Independent TDs don’t have a whip system.
They also don’t get to represent their constituents fully because of the party whip system.
I was looking for IL DSD DC-163.7 last year and encountered a website that hosts lots of form templates . If others need to fill out IL DSD DC-163.7 as well , here’s a “http://pdf.ac/5usDMy”
Jennifer Conroy is hot.
have your say