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Leo Varadkar (L) and Eoin Ó Broin (R).

Leo Varadkar says FG paid students to pretend to be pollsters, DPC to ask SF about its practices

Varadkar says the practice was “discontinued” in the past seven years.

LAST UPDATE | 9 Jun 2021

TÁNAISTE AND FINE Gael leader Leo Varadkar has said his party has “done something similar” after it was reported that Sinn Féin party members had pretended to be pollsters to conduct election surveys.

The Irish Independent reported this morning that Sinn Féin provided members with instructions on how to present as pollsters in order to conduct election surveys as part of a 2015 “election toolkit”.  

Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin defended what he termed “informal polling”, saying it was “widespread and common practice”. 

Speaking to reporters at Government Buildings today, Varadkar said that Fine Gael has not undertaken this practice since 2016 and has instead used polling companies .

However, Varadkar said he “can’t swear blind about local arrangements that may have been done in the past”.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Drivetime programme this evening, Varadkar acklowdged that members from his party had previously engaged in the practices described. 

“Quite frankly yes, this isn’t something that we’ve done since 2016 or even before that, but certainly prior to that, we would have done something similar,” he said.

Either volunteers would have been asked to do surveys door to door or students would have been paid to do it and it would have been done on a similar basis, anonymised, for the purposes of polling. But like I say that practice has been discontinued.

Varadkar said he has been “trying to check” when the practice stopped and that it hasn’t happened “in the last 5,6,7 years”.

Speaking this morning on Newstalk’s The Pat Kenny Show, Sinn Fein’s Ó Broin said he didn’t accept an accusation that the practice was deceptive, instead saying it was a way for “small” parties to conduct anonymised polls without paying for professional companies. 

“Informal polling by political parties, particularly larger political parties, has been going on for years and when we started doing this back in 2010, we would have been a very small party, limited resources,” he said.

“You’re trying to compete with the bigger parties who are able to pay professional polling companies, so it was the only way parties like ours were able to do polling.”

He claimed it was a way to “have a level playing field”. 

Local polling by local party organisations has been a common feature. There is nothing untoward about it. People voluntarily answer the polls, it’s a way of gathering polling data.

The Irish Independent reported that a manual showed detailed instructions on how to present as a researcher working for a fake company to survey voters. 

Ó Broin said: “The polls were done properly and were done ethically, in my view.

“Thankfully because the party has grown we are now able to employ professional polling companies, we don’t have to do this kind of activity anymore  but it is very, very commonplace.

“If we spend tens of thousands of euros employing a professional polling company to do the same thing, you also don’t know that they’re employed by a particular political party. That’s the nature of polling, it’s always anonymised, you never know who the instigator of the poll is.”

He said the anonymous data collected was used in the same way as it would from a professional polling company.

Speaking to RTÉ radio’s News at One, Ó Broin said members would have been supplied with badges featuring their real names, a picture and “the name of a marketing research company”.

He said the anonymous information gathered would have been accessed through an election directorate in the constituency.

Also speaking to reporters about this issue today, Labour Party leader Alan Kelly said the practice is “absolutely not” something that has occurred in his party. 

Kelly said he was not surprised “when it comes to Sinn Féin as regards their behaviour when it comes to issues like this”.

The Data Protection Commission said in a statement to The Journal that it was contacting to Sinn Féin to “see if there’s personal data involved”. 

Following Varadkar’s admission that Fine Gael had engaged in similar practices, Fianna Fáil TD Marc MacSharry tweeted that “an examination of these matters must be carried out by Gardai into the legality of misrepresentation”.

“If it is not against the law it should be,” he said. 

- Additional reporting by Rónán Duffy.

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    Mute camio55
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:20 PM

    Absolute gobbledegook. SF is one of the richest political parties on the island of Ireland. Deception (planned or nuanced)is never right from any party in our Democracy.

    622
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    Mute Tommy Berry
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:22 PM

    @camio55: Why only mention SF? FF and FG have done this also.

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    Mute Peter McGlynn
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:36 PM

    @camio55: this comment aged well. Lol

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Jun 9th 2021, 8:20 PM

    @camio55: Seems you forgot vardkar stated F.G.also used the same system. Of course that would go against your narrative. Amazing how FFG conveniently forget about their own past and tell us it’s time to move on. Of course that does not apply to another political party.

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    Mute Angela McCarthy
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    Jun 9th 2021, 9:38 PM

    @camio55: FG is also one of the richest parties on the island, why didnt you name them, especially as that party’s leader has come clean. Or FF who’s old election slogan was to vote early and often. And we remember Haugheys election agent being arrested for voter impersonation in the 80′s etc.

    62
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    Mute Da Dell
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    Jun 9th 2021, 9:57 PM

    @camio55: And so what if they are, maybe their members actually support their party. FG politicians are the richest politicians in the country, seems like their number one priority is filling their own pockets and not their parties.

    38
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    Mute Da Dell
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    Jun 9th 2021, 10:02 PM

    @Angela McCarthy: FG used American company ElectionMall from 2011. CEO of that company was convicted of federal crimes around electioneering in 2016.

    47
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    Mute Brendan McCarron
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    Jun 10th 2021, 12:46 AM

    @Da Dell: Its embarrassing how they try to pull skeletons from the SF closet and end up embarrassing their own activities. Literally Nube tactics. It’s not just fundamental policies they are falling short, but day-to-day operations. You only have to look at the cringe inducing tikTok videos.

    24
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    Mute Peter McGlynn
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    Jun 10th 2021, 10:03 AM

    @Brendan McCarron: every time Brendan. And every time they just solidify Sinn Fein voters and sway others towards the party.

    6
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    Mute Angela McCarthy
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    Jun 10th 2021, 4:57 PM

    @Peter McGlynn: Yes, you know how its often said there must be an election looming every time the FFG media machine goes into action against SF?

    so we can take it that we should expect more of these self defeating exposes while the DBS byelection is ongoing.

    1
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    Mute Brinster
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:11 PM

    These lads just love playing dress up, don’t they?

    454
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    Mute iohanx
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    Jun 9th 2021, 5:22 PM

    @Brinster:

    Is there a law against casing peoples information and homes?

    42
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    Mute Frank Cauldhame
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:50 PM

    @Brinster: Which lads? Lol.

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    Mute Bingobango
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    Jun 9th 2021, 10:27 PM

    @Brinster: How’s your standards now pal? Complete deception you we’re calling it earlier on, bad Sinn Fein. Hahaha. Thats gotta burn a little?

    30
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    Mute Bingobango
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    Jun 9th 2021, 10:54 PM

    @Bingobango: *were. Poxy autocorrect.

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    Mute Brian Burns
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    Jun 10th 2021, 1:14 AM

    @Brinster:blueshirts again

    11
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    Mute David Bourke
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:10 PM

    Hold on, if they’re conducting a poll, then how are they “pretending” to be pollsters?

    They’re not independent pollsters, so the polls are meaningless if used for publication, but if they are conducting a poll for their own use, then they’re not really “pretending” now are they?

    The article seems to suggest that it’s unethical for parties to do this themselves without paying a third party to do it, but either way the party gets the same information.

    296
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    Mute Jane
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:14 PM

    @David Bourke: yeah no problem going to a door, telling the person you are from an independent polling company (with fake info to back up that lie) and ask people for their personal information. No problem at all…..as long as it’s SF doing it that is.

    584
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    Mute Brinster
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:16 PM

    @David Bourke:

    How is this unethical?

    People think they’re talking to an independent company and their data would be anonymised.

    Instead their voting preference is appearing in a Sinn Fein held register..

    A lot of people would be very worried about telling the Sinn Fein who they vote for…

    This is really worrying.

    Faking who you are to obtain information is always unethical.

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    Mute David Bourke
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:26 PM

    @Jane:

    If they say that they’re from an independent polling company then it is unethical, as they would be lying. If they simply say “we’re running a poll” then there’s nothing deceitful happening.

    The lesson here is that you should be careful who you share information with. There’s worse people out there than Sinn Fein who could be getting information from you, like scammers.

    60
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    Mute David Bourke
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:28 PM

    @Brinster:

    Are they actually faking who they are though, that’s the question. If somebody rings you up and says “We’re conducting a poll”, then it’s really up to you to ask exactly what organisation they’re with.

    If they have genuinely lied and claimed to be with a different organisation, then yes, it is highly unethical, and I hope they’re prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.

    But from what this article says, all I’ve got is “Sinn Fein workers ran a poll without saying they were Sinn Fein”, the question is, did respondents ask?

    38
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    Mute Liam O Sullivan
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:38 PM

    @David Bourke: O Broin is defending informal polling, saying its not that bad. And he’s right, Sinn Fein running polls is fine if the people know they are talking to Sinn Fein.
    He’s avoiding the point that people are upset with, which is using fake identification and claiming to be from the Irish Market Research Agency.
    Why is that a problem? Well Sinn Fein clearly think they get more information by posing as a fake company than by posing as themselves, so are deliberately deceiving the people being polled. People may respond differently depending on who is polling them, they have a right not to be lied to.

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    Mute pat seery
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:24 PM

    @David Bourke: They would not be useless if they were not found out

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    Mute Jane
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:27 PM

    @David Bourke: so the fault lies with the people who believed these con artist and not with the con artists themselves?

    68
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    Mute David Bourke
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:32 PM

    @Jane:

    What’s the con? They identified themselves as pollsters and then they took a poll. Unless they specifically misrepresented who they were working for there’s no con. From what the article says, I’m not seeing where they lie about who they were working for.

    If it turns out that the pollsters did lie about something, then it’s not OK. But the article doesn’t provide any evidence that they did. All I’m reading here is that they rang people and took a poll, it’s up to you to ask who somebody works for if they want to poll you, and you’re concerned about who it is.

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    Mute ed w
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:38 PM

    @David Bourke: err they represented themselves as a representative from a fake company. that’s the con. to get you to give data to sf. if they had nothing to hide they would just use a reputable polling company who have to follow rules and guidelines for data.
    whilst at in its wisdom decides to collate data with no oversight

    62
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    Mute Jane
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    Jun 9th 2021, 2:21 PM

    @David Bourke: SF provided them with fake IDs and a 72 page manual on how to lie about who they worked for

    63
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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Jun 9th 2021, 2:44 PM

    @David Bourke: they didn’t just omit to mention they were from SF, they pretended to be working for a non existent company that sounded a bit like a real polling company.
    It’s not okay, no matter what standards you apply.

    55
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    Mute Tommy Berry
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:23 PM

    @Jane: people were asked who they’d vote for. No other information was asked.

    14
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    Mute Frank Cauldhame
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:48 PM

    @Jane: Please unleash your wrath at Leo’s admission about FG using the same tactics !

    43
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    Mute Da Dell
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    Jun 9th 2021, 9:21 PM

    @Brinster: ah brinster ya fear grinn, your timing was off again, such a pity to come outa retirement to complain about SF and make some serious allegations around ethics and other baloney and then Leo and later FF come out and say they were doing same, scarlet for ya bud. Lol

    36
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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Jun 9th 2021, 11:46 PM

    @Jane: Conveniently you fail to mention how vardkar used taxpayers money to enhance himself and the F.G.party. Conveniently not mentioned in your comment.

    11
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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Jun 10th 2021, 12:11 AM

    @Liam O Sullivan: A bit like deceiving the people when Martin stated there was no bank bailout . Vardkar has for once come clean and stated F.G. did the same .Martin and F.F. very quiet on this subject. Vardkar again got in before Martin admits F.F. did the same.

    11
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    Mute Jane
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    Jun 10th 2021, 12:23 AM

    It’s hilarious. All the SF supporters think it’s ok cause FG and FF did it too. Aren’t SF suppose to be different? I’ve been saying it for ages, SF are the very same as the other two. ‘Change’ me hole!

    3
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    Mute Brian Burns
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    Jun 10th 2021, 1:17 AM

    @Brinster: out of retirement to drop this clanger..brilliant

    7
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    Mute Derek Ryan
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    Jun 10th 2021, 5:35 PM

    @Liam O Sullivan: but fg do it as well not just sinn fein

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    Mute Sparky
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:12 PM

    Surprise surprise..

    278
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    Mute John Fairclough
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:16 PM

    Another non-story about Sinn Féin. It’s a pity Ireland doesn’t have decent investigative journalists who could pursue real political shenanigans

    287
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    Mute Mark Brown
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:47 PM

    @John Fairclough: Deception is a non-story? You need your head checked if you think it’s perfectly reasonable to turn up on someone’s door and pretend you’re someone else.

    385
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    Mute a
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:53 PM

    @John Fairclough: Defending the indefensible.

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    Mute Stephen Kelly
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    Jun 9th 2021, 2:01 PM

    @Mark Brown: read the other stories going around the this. FFG doing it for years too

    45
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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Jun 9th 2021, 2:45 PM

    @Stephen Kelly: I never heard of any other party being involved in stunt like this. Have you any facts that say different?

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Jun 9th 2021, 3:44 PM
    33
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    Mute Franny Ando
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:28 PM

    @John Mulligan: Well now you have. Satisfied

    42
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    Mute John Cassin
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:13 PM

    Is that guy wearing those glasses for a bet.

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    Mute The Grand Nagus
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    Jun 9th 2021, 2:10 PM

    @John Cassin:
    It’s the Marxist 20 20 vision look

    97
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    Mute alan
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    Jun 9th 2021, 2:20 PM

    @The Grand Nagus: ex blackrock college boy look

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    Mute Mad Worldman
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    Jun 9th 2021, 2:30 PM

    @John Cassin: it’s the Harry Potter look. A subliminal message that a sweet little wizard is trustworthy and a force for good.
    It works

    22
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    Mute Earth Traveller
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:48 PM

    According to another newspaper, the polling was done under the guise of the Irish Market Research Agency (IMRA), which does not actually exist.

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    Mute Earth Traveller
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:18 PM

    @Earth Traveller: It’s surprising that people didn’t cop on who the IMRA pollsters were – just drop the ‘M’.

    157
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    Mute John Mc Donagh
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:08 PM

    “Nothing untoward about Sinn Fein members posing as pollsters”——Of course there wasn’t, and there was nothing untoward about Sinn Fein members posing as Gardai—-Was there Angus?

    135
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    Mute Philip Cooper
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:21 PM

    I’m not sure it’s very fair of the Journal to use the word “pretending” in the headline as though it were a factual conclusion.

    It’s a perfectly reasonable story but surely it’s expected that a news source would not make conclusions of this nature?

    Sinn Féin responds to allegations of “pretending” is fine. Stating that Sinn Féin was pretending feels a bit off to me.

    “Leo leaked the document” versus “Leo is accused of leaking a document”.

    There’s a difference isn’t there?

    “News matters” etc.

    116
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    Mute Gerard McAuliffe
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:33 PM

    @Philip Cooper: But they did pretend and Eoin O’Broin admitted that. Splitting hairs to suit a narrative here I think. Sinn Féin pretended to be independent pollsters and have admitted that to corroborate the story. Call a spade a spade…

    221
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    Mute Philip Cooper
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:51 PM

    @Gerard McAuliffe: if he said “yes we were pretending and it’s no big deal” sure you’d have a point. If he didn’t , I’d have a point.

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    Mute Bain triail aisti
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:28 PM

    @Philip Cooper: His defense was basically “needs must”, so they are liable to do and say anything to improve their votes…
    Populism ???

    36
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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Jun 9th 2021, 2:47 PM

    @Philip Cooper: they pretended to be from a polling company that doesn’t exist.

    20
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    Mute Diarmuid O'Braonáin
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:48 PM

    FF and FG Supporter: “Hey look over there, look at what SF are doing. Its disgraceful and shameful”.

    FF and FG Supporter: “That was close, least it will distract them from all the scandals at the minute. (Affordable housing for young people, rising rents, vulture funds, cukoo funds, old vulnerable people on trollies, homelessness. HSE inadequacies, HSE hacked because of outdated systems… ect ect)”

    136
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    Mute Franny Ando
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:56 PM

    @Diarmuid O’Braonáin: Mother and baby homes, nursing homes….

    100
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    Mute Eoin Jackson
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:04 PM

    @Diarmuid O’Braonáin: the irony in this comment is staggering.

    SF supporters always claim the “look over there, look at SF” response by FF/FG supporters and then immediately employ the same tactic when their party are involved in something fishy. Incredibly ironic.

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    Mute Bain triail aisti
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:05 PM

    @Diarmuid O’Braonáin: You’re already in the north politics whataboutary mode.
    This is the main danger SF carry.
    Do nothing, just point across the fence.

    43
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    Mute Diarmuid O'Braonáin
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    Jun 9th 2021, 5:41 PM

    @Eoin Jackson: nonsense comment, because at the end of the day. This country faces real issues. We have people who have worked hard their whole life on hospital trollies. We have young people who cannot afford a home. We are currently building the most expensive hospital in the world. We have the mother and baby home report that none of those affected agree is accurate.

    SF cannot be blamed for any of it. They were not the ones behind the wheel when all those decisions were made. FF and FG are not solving the big issues and people are angry. The trolley crisis goes back 30 years, never solved and all those promises. These are issues that need to be solved and if FF and FG are not gonna solve then they should move aside. Your time is up.

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    Mute GrumpyAulFella
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    Jun 9th 2021, 6:58 PM

    @Diarmuid O’Braonáin: have you read the 2020 SF manifesto? If you seriously think that is going to fix those problems then think again. Free everything for everyone.

    12
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    Mute Eoin Jackson
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:13 PM

    @Diarmuid O’Braonáin: how is it a nonsense comment? It seems to be less of a nonsense comment than your original one based on the reactions alone. You seem to have misunderstood me, let me break it down for you; Whenever any person says something about SF, their followers claim its a case of “look over there, look at SF” – especially on articles of FG / FF wrongdoing. In the comments when someone mentions SF, there literally is 100s of comments from SF supporters claiming just that. You even reference it in your original post. Its a go-too SF supporter comment.

    Now SF are involved in an issue which could (and in my opinion should) be deemed unethical. This is SF wrongdoing article. Whats the SF supporters immediate defence? Look over there look at all this stuff FF / FG has done!! The exact thing you accuse FF / FG supporters of doing?! Do you still not see the downright irony and hypocrisy of it? If not i may need to run lut and buy some crayons and we can go through it again.

    PS i am not defending the main two parties. Their record is horrendous. But this is not the subject of the article is it? Oh but yeah, i should just “look over there” and ignore the article – gotcha!

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    Mute Diarmuid O'Braonáin
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:22 PM

    @Eoin Jackson: turns out all the political parties were at it.

    In any case this is a non issue. We have big problems to solve. They will not be solved by politicians and journalists attacking other parties because their numbers are falling in the public poles because people are being hurt and physically and emotionally are in real trouble. We then have a govt that is looking after big business rather than helping people. This story is a distraction tactic. That’s all it is straight from the US politicians playbook of making the other person look bad. Nothing more nothing less. FF and FG will try every dirty trick to hold on to power rather than help people.

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    Mute Eoin Jackson
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:29 PM

    @Diarmuid O’Braonáin: so the ‘right’ wing parties have got the journal (a ‘left’ wing publication by all accounts) to dish some dirt on SF as a distraction tactic for their performance in government? And the journal decided oh yeah we are fully on board, tell us what to right? As in that type of distraction tactic? Yeah ok – i buy that…

    For the record im not defending the two bog parties. As i said, their record leaves a lot to be desired and i do think a change is probably needed. However, i definitely also cannot get behind SF and their pie in the sky populist nonsense. As someone with a background in finance, I cannot support a party who promises everything to everyone and then their numbers on how they will afford it does not even come close to adding up. Its populist nonsense that they cant even afford to implement. Thats just where I stand. Each to their own though.

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    Mute Disco Inferno
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:31 PM

    @Diarmuid O’Braonáin: where in the world can young people afford to buy houses???

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    Mute Dave Hammond
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:34 PM

    @Eoin Jackson: ironic …….and Leo is admitting FG did the same thing…..oh the irony !!

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    Mute Eoin Jackson
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:37 PM

    @Dave Hammond: yes he did. The article was updated to say as much since. I’m no real fan of Leo – but anyway that was not the point of my original post and you know that full well – do try and keep up.

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    Mute Da Dell
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    Jun 9th 2021, 8:46 PM

    @Eoin Jackson: Phil Ryan editor of the spindo and co-author of leos book will be gutted, as twice now in a row, his great investigative journalism into SF has had blowback oh his hero.

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    Mute Dave Hammond
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    Jun 9th 2021, 9:39 PM
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    Mute Da Dell
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    Jun 9th 2021, 10:11 PM

    @Dave Hammond: The new Ryan article is gas, FF in the big bold headline while the bit about FG doing the same and for longer than FF is down lower in article, ya have to applaud Ryans devotion to his hero lol.

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    Mute Eoin Jackson
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    Jun 9th 2021, 11:25 PM

    @Dave Hammond: you still don’t see my point do you? The fact you posted that link shows the point goes right over your head. Political parties are not football teams that you should support no matter what. The FF / FG supporters always throw out the look at SF line. The SF supporters castigate them for this and then the second the same opportunity comes up they do the exact same. Its that football mentality, the “they are my team through thick and thin, no matter what”. Thats polarisation and its an absolute cancer! Its what has brought trump and brexit and its not done yet. How is this not getting into your head! You don’t have to be ‘SF til i die’ or ‘FG til i die’. You can objectively look at something the party you currently support has done and go ok that was out of order, don’t do that again. But no the sheep on both sides either attack or defend, depending on who’s at the centre and nothing ever changes. SF can do what they want because they know a core base will support them no matter what. FF and FG the same. The real power is with the people who swap between. You get so defensive over SF and its so irrational, like other people with other parties – i just don’t get it! I could go on a rant for ages on this but if you haven’t understand my point by now you never will.

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    Mute Ro-your-nan
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    Jun 10th 2021, 12:02 AM

    @Eoin Jackson: you

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    Mute Ro-your-nan
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    Jun 10th 2021, 12:04 AM

    @Eoin Jackson: you’re spot on Eoin. It’s tribal, base, Neanderthal behaviour – this is MY party aren’t they amazing and I’ll support them no matter what their policies because critical thinking is beyond me. Put robots in charge, me thinks.

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    Mute Martin Lynch
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:58 PM

    Shocking that Sinn Fein think this is ok -crooks come to mind !-and they are not like any other political party -they are the richest party on this island after the millions they were left in a will not to mention the US fundraising–puts me right off them now !

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    Mute talksense
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:27 PM

    @Martin Lynch: if they had any decency they would donate the 50+ premises they own to charity then we might believe something from their gobs

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    Mute Margaret Kane
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:36 PM

    @Martin Lynch: you say crooks come to mind i hope you are including fffg the biggest crooks in Ireland

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    Mute GrumpyAulFella
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:38 PM

    @Margaret Kane: at least they tend to be unarmed.

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Jun 9th 2021, 11:55 PM

    @Martin Lynch: Let’s not forget the Galway tent by F.F. The same party that F.G. are quite comfortable to enter government with. As vardkar stated F.G. used the same system to poll the the same for polls. Amazing you did not include that in your comment, or the use of taxpayers money to enhance himself. Surely you remember Vardkar the climb down by vardkar and F.G. concerning this little incident.

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    Mute Irish big fellow
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:57 PM

    A lot of SF members pretended in their early years not to be in the IRA. Nothing has changed.

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    Mute David Mulligan
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:03 PM

    IMRA is a perfect example of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, SF are trolling us at this stage. I understand people looking for an alternative but do you really want all the crazy sectarian baggage that comes with them?

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    Mute John Fairclough
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    Jun 9th 2021, 10:37 PM

    @David Mulligan: Yes

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    Mute Finian Gardner
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:26 PM

    They haven’t gone away you know!

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    Mute DM
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:47 PM

    It’s grand, Eoin O’Broin has been pretending to be a politician for years.

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    Mute Gerry Ryan
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:16 PM

    Don’t political parties generally try to disguise their connections to powerful lobby groups.
    Isn’t the game to present yourself in the most advantageous way possible to as many as possible.
    Doesn’t that include appealing to people you have no intention of doing anything for.
    What’s the issue here.
    Oh yeah, it’s mud to throw.

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    Mute Brinster
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:54 PM

    @Gerry Ryan:

    No.

    No they don’t.

    Maybe you should aim higher than SF.

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    Mute mark d
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:48 PM

    @Brinster: oops looks like fine gael did the same thing lolz, maybe you should aim higher than FG

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    Mute pat seery
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:24 PM

    Imagine SF Running The Country

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    Mute Declan Doherty
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:14 PM

    Interesting to read the earlier comments before it was updated with Leaky Leo’s revelations. I wonder will the same posters continue to be as vocal on the issue now that their own are at it too. It’s wrong for any party to do this in my view and it shows the level we’ve sunk to in Irish politics.

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    Mute Daniel Kevin Sullivan
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:39 PM

    “If we spend tens of thousands of euros employing a professional polling company to do the same thing, you also don’t know that they’re employed by a particular political party.”

    Other parties do not spend “tens of thousands of euros” to do constituency based polling, nor are they doing it by having party members and supporters going to people’s doors and recording how they voted or how they will vote along with information like their home address while pretending to not be from a political party. What parties do on occasion is paying a polling company get non-party people to stand in specific locations (shopping centres etc.) located close to population centres in a constituency and offer random people a sample ballot paper. They might record gender and a rough idea of the person’s age profile so the poll is roughly demographically faithful to the area, the person doing the poll doesn’t know where the person lives and nor does the party.

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    Mute John Fairclough
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    Jun 9th 2021, 10:39 PM

    @Daniel Kevin Sullivan: were those words you had to eat tasty?

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    Mute Bain triail aisti
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:06 PM

    The lack of quality in the actually documents they used.
    Embarrassing that this mob are conning so many of our people.

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    Mute Paul Mc
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:15 PM

    What real difference does it make or did it make?

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    Mute Brinster
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:18 PM

    @Paul Mc:

    Why did they do it if it wouldn’t make a difference?

    Under false pretenses they’ve elicited private information.

    Not surprising that SF supporters dont understand basic ethics.

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    Mute Franny Ando
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:53 PM

    @Brinster: And do you think F.F F.G are ethical parties. If you do then I’m more worried about you and others who think the same.

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    Mute GrumpyAulFella
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:36 PM

    @Franny Ando: you might have a point if this story was about FG and FF ethics in politics but of course it’s not.

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    Mute Franny Ando
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    Jun 9th 2021, 2:11 PM

    @GrumpyAulFella: Well maybe it should be. If you think “polls” like this didn’t happen prior to S.F. you are very naive. Political parties have always found ways to elicit people’s political leanings and voting habits especially F.F

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    Mute GrumpyAulFella
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    Jun 9th 2021, 4:55 PM

    @Franny Ando: I just don’t remember FF getting into hot water with the Office of the Data Commissioner over suspect practices in trawling the web harvesting details of unsuspecting social media contributors, entering them on a database/system that was the accessed by admins across Europe. They didn’t have a DPO appointed and the party spokesperson (Eoin O Broin) doesn’t know who has access to the system nor how data is entered. P

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    Mute Franny Ando
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:31 PM

    @GrumpyAulFella: Now F.G are in the same boat. How long before the s#$t hits the F.F fan.

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    Mute GrumpyAulFella
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:53 PM

    @Franny Ando: same boat as under investigation by the Office of the DPC for potential DP non-compliance? I wouldn’t doubt that different parties are using different and perhaps unethical polling techniques but only one is under investigation by the OFPC from what I know.

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    Mute Da Dell
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    Jun 9th 2021, 8:38 PM

    @GrumpyAulFella: Lol, I only know one party leader under a criminal investigation at the moment.

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    Mute Rob Gale
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    Jun 9th 2021, 2:40 PM

    I honestly don’t care about it at all. Compared to what FF/FG have done for decades it’s really nothing.

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    Mute Wade Wilson
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    Jun 9th 2021, 5:20 PM

    Sinn Fein had pollsters go around and ask about how they voted and some people are bothered. What about the patient records of every person who ever used the services of the HSE which are now being passed around the internet thanks to continued lack of investment in proper cybersecurity for the pass few decades thanks to FFG being completely clueless about how important it is? I’m more worried about THOSE details and who allowed THAT to happen!

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    Mute M
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    Jun 9th 2021, 3:29 PM

    Eoin O Breen is always the one they send on media outings when some scandal has to be defended. have to say he struggled on this occasion to defend the latest one saying that his party is small and struggling financially (not true)and that all parties does this without saying that at least they don’t pretend to be from a non existent company.

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    Mute Rory J Leonard
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    Jun 9th 2021, 8:03 PM

    @M:

    In fairness to the man, during his grilling on the subject today from Bryan Dobson on RTE’s News at One, he confirmed that SF did those naughty things in the past when Funds were tight, to gather door to door information in the different constituencies.

    Every time Dobbo pressed, Eoin never lost an opportunity to say sure other parties were up to the same tricks – confirmed with one example on this Article’s update this pm – with the difference seemingly students being paid to do the necessary.

    Eoin did state in the exchange with interviewer that the practice ceased around 2016, presumably when coffers start bursting.

    So, given recent windfall from Estate of a fan in deepest England, SF should be able to go significantly up-market for future such constituency research leg work.

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    Mute patrick malone
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    Jun 9th 2021, 3:37 PM

    sf always playing the poor us .the day before they claimed to be the biggest party in the country

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    Mute Paul Power
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    Jun 9th 2021, 4:12 PM

    Nothing new people pretending, FF FG And Labour, have been pretending to be politicians for years.

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    Mute S J king
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    Jun 9th 2021, 2:54 PM

    The fact that he states there’s “nothing untoward” about pretending to be someone your not says a lot. Why not just be honest and say your a member of Sinn Fein looking to gauge support for your party?

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    Mute Christybhoy67
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    Jun 9th 2021, 8:14 PM

    So much outrage about SF but none about FG or FF , Labour double standards from the Indo

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    Mute Tommy Berry
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:24 PM

    An article about the blueshirts and all the comments about SF

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    Mute Declan Doherty
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:27 PM

    @Tommy Berry: They just updated the story about 20 mins ago to say FG were at it too.

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    Mute Christybhoy67
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    Jun 9th 2021, 8:16 PM

    What about the Indo they have people writing for them pretend to be journalists, don’t hear anyone on about them , pot calling the kettle

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    Mute Da Dell
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    Jun 9th 2021, 9:08 PM

    Will Leo now get a grilling from the presstitutes in the media, will spindo editor philip ryan now do a piece on FG, heck no, its all ok now cause Leos party does it. Will be great to see, if the usual suspects in the media and in the comments here retract their over the top comments.

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    Mute Gerald Gallagher
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    Jun 9th 2021, 9:27 PM

    @Da Dell: FF have also said they have engaged in this practice in the past so it’s all turning out to be a non story by the sindo.

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    Mute Da Dell
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    Jun 9th 2021, 9:34 PM

    @Gerald Gallagher: yeah, just saw Ryan had to do another article with FF in the headline and Leo buried halfway down the article of course. He must be raging lol.

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    Mute Bain triail aisti
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:20 PM

    FG organised street riots in 2011!!
    Really?
    Any links to back up this claim.

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    Mute xDemo17
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:29 PM

    I wish Id see the same energy from people with regards to the real issues in this country… Talk about hopping on the bandwagon

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    Mute Eugene Comaskey
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    Jun 9th 2021, 6:28 PM

    as is USUAL with S F, there is nothing wrong. now if another Political Party were doing it, it would be completely immoral according to them.
    No matter what they do there is never anything wrong, they are always correct.
    It is deceatful and surely they must be lying if they tell people that they are independent pollsters .

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    Mute Tony Harris
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    Jun 9th 2021, 8:00 PM

    @Eugene Comaskey: hahahaha

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    Mute Mike
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    Jun 9th 2021, 9:57 PM

    @Eugene Comaskey: Same criticism of FG?

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    Mute Simon Connolly
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    Jun 10th 2021, 1:07 AM

    @Eugene Comaskey: *WARNING – your comment has expired and needs updating! – WARNING*

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    Mute Mike
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    Jun 9th 2021, 10:01 PM

    Proof this was yet another bias story, if investigated properly the journalist would have easily found out others were at it..Oh no the target was SF alone a hatchet job, twice he has been caught now…
    Our media is in the bin , 2 generations drove off the island because of bad bad governance and this is the drivel the media critics feed us..
    We are in massive massive trouble this rotten decades old nepotism cabal needs breaking and fast and the young ones are going to do it…

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    Mute Da Dell
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    Jun 9th 2021, 10:05 PM

    @Mike: Original spindo article written by its editor Philip Ryan, who also co-authored Leos book.

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    Mute Ian Hester
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    Jun 9th 2021, 2:38 PM

    Helping to elect Lynn Boylan, in the DBS election.. thanks for that Pat sez Eoin

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    Mute Barrycelona
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    Jun 9th 2021, 4:54 PM

    Why does Eoin O’Broin continue to try and make us believe he came down in the last shower. Given the history of SF, you would think that they would go out of their way to be above board with the electorate and that they would stop giving the opposition, who are probably more underhand, sticks to beat them with. Do SF not understand that this sort of underhandedness only takes away from a lot of their well thought out policies, well articulated by some clever individuals ( Still a lot of SF’s sit there and say nothing) This makes me question giving the Justice portfolio to SF, even in Govt

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    Mute Barrycelona
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    Jun 9th 2021, 5:11 PM

    @Barrycelona: P.S. It has the uncomfortable feeling that I got from Cambridge Analytica and Trump’s manipulation of Social Media and Russian interference in the 2016 Election

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    Mute Da Dell
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    Jun 9th 2021, 8:36 PM

    @Barrycelona: Maybe look into the American Companies that FG were using during election campaigns while you do your so deep investigations.

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    Mute Chris O'Neill
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    Jun 9th 2021, 4:57 PM

    This has to be a breech of data protection law. Runs a cart & horse through GDPR.
    A fake ID in one hand ….

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    Mute Bain triail aisti
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:13 PM

    No doubt people who voted for SF are complaining about the riots on the streets over the last weekend, ignorant to the fact they are utimately culpable.
    Right2Water mob will be at it again this weekend takes to the platform they’ve been given.
    Well done Ireland Clapping hands signClapping hands signClapping hands sign

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    Mute MickN
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:19 PM

    @Bain triail aisti: Millionare households getting a tax break to buy votes in a by election annoyed people more imo than this messing, its already come out that FG done same in 2011.. Its mud throwing and again they cant throw without splattering themselves..

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    Mute Siofra Cronin
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    Jun 9th 2021, 12:45 PM

    Surprised The Journal isn’t doing a poll on whether this is ok or not

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    Mute talksense
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    Jun 9th 2021, 1:23 PM

    @Siofra Cronin: no point as we all know it’s not

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    Mute Lily Martin
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    Jun 9th 2021, 6:04 PM

    Nothing wrong? Hahahahaha

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    Mute Paul Power
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    Jun 9th 2021, 8:03 PM

    The great pretenders.

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    Mute Michael Healy
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:09 PM

    We really are blessed with dodgy parties and their deluded supporters in this country. We mocked the yanks about trump supporters and how they will swallow anything told, yet we have the FFG mob, SF and the rest all doing dirt in order to get ahead and not one of them really give a dam about the people….maybe we need some kind of virus to wipe out the political parties in this country and start again, cos clearly this is just a mess now

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    Mute Barrycelona
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:53 PM

    It would make you wonder what sort of questions these polling companies are asking and what the parties are doing with the information. When it comes to Social / Moral issues eg Catholic church abuse/ Mother and baby homes, Homeless, Disabled / Mental Health Services, HSE, Tax havens / Vulture funds / E13 billion, even publishing reports etc etc etc and TD’s pensions and expenses, can’t we have no say, presumably because the parties don’t want to know or care about our opinions on these issues. I hope with the demise of the big 2, this signals a big shift in opinions but I fear that the self interest of people and the divide that has shown up during covid will prolong the big 2 for years to come

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    Mute pat seery
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    Jun 9th 2021, 7:55 PM

    Now we know All The Morans in Leinster House

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    Mute Tom Goss
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    Jun 10th 2021, 9:08 AM

    Fake FG pollsters may ask the same questions as official pollsters…but chances are very high that they’ll bin a few non-FG replies during the day.
    Party workers with fake accounts here are on the same level, imo.

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    Mute Ruairí Ó HEithir
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    Jun 12th 2021, 8:54 AM

    Along with a number of friends in UCD, in 1982 (I think the second election of that year) I was paid for a day to be brought down to Kildare and carry out a poll on behalf of an English professor carrying out research into transfer patterns in a STV system. I was provided with a letter signed by this professor (which included the name of his university and a description of the research aim), and a list of names randomly chosen from the current electoral register. Our job was to go to each of these and ask the person to fill out an abbreviated voting paper showing their voting intentions. We were in pairs, one driving the other to gather info, and then we were all to report back and drop off our filled polling sheets before returning to Dublin. Of course, there was no such professor: there were two FG seats and with the polls showing a drop in support one of the two was worried that the running mate might squeeze them out, so they needed to know where Labour and other preferences were going. So let’s not get too high and mighty about this, it has been going on for a long time (as, indeed, Varadkar has admitted). Alan Kelly might also want to check more carefully before making blanket statements on this issue!

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