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A Ukrainian family waiting for a train to Warsaw at Przemysl train station. Alamy Stock Photo

‘I have to go back’: Polish city remains a major hub for Ukrainians fleeing war (and going home)

Volunteers from all over the world are helping the city to handle the crisis.

Céimin Burke reports from the Poland-Ukraine border

A STONE’S THROW from Poland’s border with Ukraine, the city of Przemyśl immediately became a major hub for refugees fleeing Russia’s war when the invasion was launched in late February.

Within days the population of the city spiked from 60,000 up to 100,000 and several large buildings – including the train station, a theatre and a disused Tesco superstore – became temporary homes for thousands of people.

Nearly two months later officials in the local government say the city is now relatively calm. Yet people leaving (and returning to) Ukraine still stream through the train station throughout the day.  

Coming and going

Natalia and her son Symon previously passed through Przemyśl in early March during a three day journey to stay with her cousin near Dresden, Germany. 

Seven weeks later Natalia says it is time to return. “I’m from Kyiv. I have to go back,” she explains. “We have to try to have a normal life and to help Ukraine.”

Symon appears to be taking things in his stride, enjoying a mini-easter egg handed out by one of the volunteers and playing with a miniature helicopter.

Travelling in the opposite direction is Tanya and her dog Fedir. Tanya’s from a town close to Odesa and she’s going to stay with a friend in Katowice, Poland, before potentially moving to Berlin.

“I have no job now. I worked with an accountant company. I’m only young and I won’t be able to stay soon if I don’t get money.”

The station goes through periodic rushes of activity when trains pull in or when buses arrive from the nearby humanitarian centre – which is still housed in the giant Tesco. 

But outside of this the charming 19th century building can be almost serenely calm.

Volunteers hand out food, toiletries and sim cards. People waiting for trains talk and check for news from home. A nun kicks a football with two boys. An emergency responder wears a clown nose and makes kids laugh. A unicorn calls in for a visit.

przemysl-poland-17th-apr-2022-a-woman-shows-her-daughter-to-make-a-peace-sign-at-the-przemysl-poland-train-station-on-easter-sunday-near-the-border-of-ukraine-after-a-pink-unicorn-gives-her-can Volunteer Jennifer Grueninger entertaining children in Przemysl station. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Change of pace

Calm is also how Przemyśl Deputy Mayor Bogusław Świeży describes it. He says the city’s operation has shifted because fewer refugees are arriving than earlier phases of the war.

In late February and early March around 80,000 refugees arrived into the region every day; that figure has now dropped to 20,000.

While earlier in the war people stayed in the city for several days, most now depart for other parts of Poland or other EU countries within 48 hours. During their stay they are housed in the humanitarian centre. 

However, the local government still estimates that approximately 10,000 will remain in the city long-term.

“For the last week we have seen that more people have gone from Poland into Ukraine than from Ukraine into Poland. The situation switched in recent weeks,” Świeży explains.

The recent air strike in Lviv, which is just a little over 100 kilometres from Przemyśl, saw an uptick in people arriving in the city. But the deputy mayor says this was likely just a one-off occurrence.

“You must remember that in the west part of Ukraine there’s now about eight million people from the east who moved there at the start of the war. After something like the air strike in Lviv they will react and go to the border because they have the same situation at home.”

Volunteers

Świeży paid tribute to the countless volunteers who have travelled to Przemyśl to help Ukrainians arriving in Poland.

“Volunteers have come to us from all parts of the world. And we want to say thank you to all people who are helping us because without volunteers we can’t do what we’ve been able to do in Przemyśl in the last month.

“People have come from Japan, Brazil, Korea, all over Europe. So, we want to say thank you to all the people who have helped us.”

Among that army of volunteers is Nick Brown from Llandudno in north Wales. Nick first travelled to Krakow, Poland, where he worked in a first aid station and food shelter.

Now he’s helping people who are laden down with bags ferry them across Przemyśl station. He’s due to stay in the region for another two and a half weeks and plans to volunteer in Lviv if the situation allows it.

Not stopping for a moment, Nick outlines the set-up as we help a large family move their bags across the station, through a tunnel and up stairs that lead to passport control.

His accommodation is a gym mat in one of Przemyśl’s many churches but the Welsh grandfather appears to be enjoying the discomfort of it.

The family are going home to Odesa. We take the bags as far as we’re allowed and Nick wishes them on their way. They look disappointed that he can’t help for the rest of their journey.

The situation clearly takes an emotional toll on Nick as when he talks about Ukrainians frantically watching for news from home – and breaking down when the news is bad – he asks for a moment to compose himself.

He settles by saying he’s glad the Irish rugby team whipped England.

“I’m a grandfather,” Nick explains, “when I see the little children like these, I think of my grandson. And I couldn’t but help them.  

“Basically, I just couldn’t keep on watching it. I was hell-bent on coming out.”

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    Mute DeWitt
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:07 PM

    The loony left think they have won, yet they have less than 50 percent of the vote. Some of these are economically toxic. While the IRA might want to be in Government they don’t have the votes.

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    Mute Joe Mc
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:21 PM

    @DeWitt: name the last time a party got over 50% of the vote. Very rare in this country

    54
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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:25 PM

    @DeWitt: FG and FF must have opened the hiring floodgates as all reports on this website are awash with new accounts roaring and bawling about army councils and all that nonsense.

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    Mute Pád
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:46 PM

    @DeWitt: Complete and utter Moron.

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    Mute DeWitt
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:51 PM

    @Joe Mc: agreed

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    Mute DeWitt
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:52 PM

    @Joe Mc: however I am referring to the combined left.

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    Mute Gerard Heery
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:58 PM

    @David Corrigan: Harris looked very unconvincing with smere of sinn fein being run by the ira

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    Mute Joe Mc
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:59 PM

    @DeWitt: I’m talking about any party

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    Mute The Risen
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    Feb 21st 2020, 7:19 PM

    @DeWitt: “The loony left think they have won”

    FF and FG forced into a coalition together and the optics of the most popular party being locked out of talks to form a government?

    The left have already won.

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    Mute John Considine
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    Feb 21st 2020, 7:23 PM

    @Joe Mc: 16th of June 1977. FF got 50.6% of the vote. It’s happened twice in the history of the country, FF both times.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A1il_election_results

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    Mute John Considine
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    Feb 21st 2020, 7:28 PM

    @The Risen: I would say your analysis there is accurate. It’s the analysis I gave the morning after, but at the time you strongly disagreed. Can I ask what’s changed?

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    Mute Joe Mc
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    Feb 21st 2020, 7:31 PM

    @John Considine: yes john. I said it was rare

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    Mute John Considine
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    Feb 21st 2020, 7:34 PM

    @Joe Mc: You said “name the time..”. I actually couldn’t remember so I looked it up; figured I’d share, if people are here in the first place it’s probably going to be interesting to them.

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Feb 21st 2020, 7:38 PM

    @Gerard Heery: He is in the job months and only makes his thoughts known now. His timing is perfect. Too perfect in fact.

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    Mute Angela McCarthy
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    Feb 21st 2020, 9:05 PM

    @David Corrigan: De Twit is another one of those accounts. They must think the election was fought and won for SF on these pages and are now trying to get in on the act to catch up. Poor fellas!

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    Mute Angela McCarthy
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    Feb 21st 2020, 9:11 PM

    @John Considine: that should have read – “The Looneys have to now turn left”. we are all invited to front row seats to Watch FF/FG introduce Shinnernomics!

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    Mute Richard Doherty
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    Feb 21st 2020, 10:36 PM

    @DeWitt: sinn fein lead government would be much better than incompetent failed policys of fine gael and fianna fail

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    Mute Llewey Byrne
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    Feb 22nd 2020, 4:41 PM

    @DeWitt: “Loony left”. Do me favour with the sound bites. Because FF/FG have preformed so admirably over the past 100 years. Doing the same thing over and again yet expecting a different result is a sign of insanity. Perhaps one could even call it “Loony”.

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    Mute The Risen
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:14 PM

    FF and FG proving to be completely undemocratic by locking the party who had the highest number of first preference votes and most support out of government formation talks.

    Let them. They might think that they can ignore the result of the election, but they won’t be able to ignore the next one.

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    Mute We Love Katamari
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:16 PM
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    Mute Denis Ryan
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:16 PM

    @The Risen: You keep going on about the first preference votes 500,000. If only the number one vote counted and all seats were filled by a first past the post after count one. The lay of the land would be FF 48, SF 39, FG 33, IND 17 and GP 9. Check it out for yourself, I’m purely a numbers guy and have no skin in the game.

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    Mute Sim0n
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:18 PM

    @The Risen: Sinn Féin have questions to answer. I obviously would never vote for them, but many did for the first time. If their voters are happy to have a PIRA army council with overarching strategic control over the party then so be it. The previous article on it is uncomfortable reading for me, and should for many others.

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    Mute Larkin About
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:19 PM

    @Sim0n: nobody believes you. that’s the downside of posting nothing but hate at a single political party.

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    Mute Sim0n
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:22 PM

    @We Love Katamari: Is he wrong? No. Calm down please. He’s just extrapolated Risens point for all parties at the recent election. No need to be rude to a very fair point.

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:22 PM

    @Sim0n: Can you prove that please? In fact, can anyone in the country prove it?

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    Mute The Risen
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:24 PM

    @Denis Ryan: Show your work, ‘numbers guy’…

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    Mute Sim0n
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:24 PM

    @Larkin About: Happily your opinion of me has no bearing on the reports contents. Its a worrying read, and profoundly undemocratic until such a time as sinn fein clarify and allow voters to decide.

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    Mute Larkin About
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:26 PM

    @Sim0n: like I said nobody believes you. nobody believes your fake concern.

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    Mute Denis Ryan
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:29 PM

    @We Love Katamari: I have posted that message exactly three times in response to the risen constant talk of 500,000 first preference votes. He has never responded yet he declares that a party with 24.5% of the vote are being undemocratic kept out of government formation talk based on 500,000 first preference votes. Where is the logic in that.

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    Mute Sim0n
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:29 PM

    @Larkin About: I’ll repeat myself too. Your opinion of me has no bearing on the contents of that report. It’s a worrying read and profoundly undemocratic until Sinn féin clarify and allow voters to assess their response. You can keep giving out about me all you want. Its irrelevant and a little childish tbh.

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    Mute Denis Ryan
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:33 PM

    @The Risen: simple counting, go to rte’s election coverage. There are 39 constituencys, go to first counts and add them up. It’s not hard.

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    Mute The Risen
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:36 PM

    @Denis Ryan: Show your work please….

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:36 PM

    @Sim0n: Any comment on FG’s inability to get the HSE under control? Get insurance costs under control? Their mismanagement of the new childrens hospital? Lack of homes and increased homeless figures?

    You never seem to comment on items we have actual proof on i.e. our social issues but you have loads of comments to make on unproven accusations and theories about SF and some mythical organisation called the “army council”. Why is that?

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    Mute Liam Higgins
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:37 PM

    @The Risen: get over the percentage element of the election. Democratically it’s the number of seats in the Dàil. Surely you know that by now.

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    Mute Denis Ryan
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:39 PM

    @The Risen: just told you how I did it. You claim to support PBP but you are responding to every comment about SF. It struck me as strange. Once again simple addition that I actually did on a napkin..

    12
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    Mute The Risen
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:43 PM

    @Denis Ryan: LOL! THAT’S how you did it??

    You’re no numbers guy, in that case.

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    Mute Sim0n
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:45 PM

    @David Corrigan: Why? As I’ve said umpteen times, I have voted for all parties that aren’t SF, PBP, or the far right headbangers in my voting career. I don’t believe sinn feins hyperpopulism is deliverable, in fact I genuinely believe it will drive us off a cliff. I understand people’s frustrations completely but the answer isn’t SF. I would be happy to support any mix of parties excluding the ones I mentioned. I hope this offers you a satisfactory answer. Have a great evening.

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    Mute We Love Katamari
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:46 PM

    @Denis Ryan: yeah, so? what ur saying doesnt count because we dont use first past the post.

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    Mute Denis Ryan
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:46 PM

    @The Risen: either are you if you think 24.5% dictate terms to the other 75.5%. Have a good evening, I’m sure you will be busy responding to all your threads.

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    Mute Denis Ryan
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:48 PM

    @We Love Katamari: that’s the point I was making to the risen but he kept repeating the same nonsense.

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    Mute Manbackonboard
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:49 PM

    @Denis Ryan: The Risen is a bitter supporter of SF with a massive chip on his/her shoulder, employed by SF to reply to every comment on here about SF. Like you I’ve no particular leanings towards any political party but I’ve yet to see a reply from the Risen into how Sinn Fein supporters believe that 25% of the overall vote gives them the absolute right to be in government. It would make you question what their version of democracy is.

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    Mute Denis Ryan
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:54 PM

    @Manbackonboard: exactly, it’s very strange. I made no comment on the Drew Harris thread cos I don’t like how that is being played out but the risen repeating the whole popular vote nonsense just got to me.

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:57 PM

    @Sim0n: Let’s make this very easy then. You are putting so much energy into defending all the main parties who have proved over and over again that they don’t have the ability or interest in managing our country for our people. We have enough data to prove this beyond any reasonable doubt.

    On the other hand, we have SF and the other smaller parties you mentioned who have never been in power in this country. They have never had the responsibility of managing our country yet you knock them clean work out of the ball park even though you have NO data to back yourself up.

    It makes no sense to me at all how your mind works.

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    Mute Sim0n
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    Feb 21st 2020, 7:03 PM

    @David Corrigan: That’s fair enough. I can support whoever I want, as can you. I criticise SF policies, their elected members, & their history. A lot of people here attack me personally for doing that. It’s a funny old game is Internet politics

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Feb 21st 2020, 7:07 PM

    @Sim0n: That goes without saying. Of course you can support whoever you like and nobody can take that from you.

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    Mute Bernard Sweeney
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    Feb 21st 2020, 9:04 PM

    @Manbackonboard: maybe you should ask for Connolly or revolution_irl over on Twitter, they’re all the same person.

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    Mute Manbackonboard
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    Feb 21st 2020, 9:15 PM

    @Bernard Sweeney: I thought as much. My suspicion is that these are paid accounts that try to keep the Sinn Fein message going.

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    Mute Angela McCarthy
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    Feb 21st 2020, 9:20 PM

    @David Corrigan: It probably make no sense to simple Simon too, other than its a compulsion.

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    Mute Shazam37
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    Feb 21st 2020, 11:01 PM

    @The Risen: it’s a daft point. They’re not being remotely undemocratic. The number of first preference votes while indicative of the public mood means absolutely nothing in practical terms.

    If you’re serious about being taken seriously then talk seriously. FFFG are perfectly entitled not to talk to SF.

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    Mute Damian Mac An Bháird
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:17 PM

    The establishment want the staus quo ffg. Most of the citizens don’t. Who will win out? I hear the civil service are burning and shredding documents that could land alot of ppl in trouble, they fear sf in government! ;-)

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    Mute deise
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:28 PM

    @Damian Mac An Bháird: you believe everything you hear?

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    Mute Brinster
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:46 PM

    @Damian Mac An Bháird:

    Most citizens don’t?

    If that were true, then it would be easy for the Left to form a Gov, but they are nowhere even close.

    Utter rubbish being spouted as usual by usual suspects.

    SF have no right to be in Gov, same way FG and FF don’t either.

    You want to be in Gov – get the numbers. Get enough votes. Get enough like minded TDs.

    Other parties are darn right to say “No” to a group of populists ruled by an Army Council.

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    Mute We Love Katamari
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    Feb 21st 2020, 7:10 PM

    @Brinster: evidence?

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    Mute Damian Mac An Bháird
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    Feb 21st 2020, 8:26 PM

    @Brinster: calm down!!!! I’m no supporter of sinn fein. Were i live we had two choices sinn fein or ffg. I voted independent. Only choice I had. I have nobody representing me in the provisional government, who ever they be. I’m sitting back and watching the farce unfold.

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    Mute Angela McCarthy
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    Feb 21st 2020, 9:24 PM

    @deise: well people on hear seem to believe anything about SF without be shown a shred of evidence – oh its a report – must be true!

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    Mute Garreth Byrne
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    Feb 21st 2020, 7:30 PM

    The civil service is the permanent government. Cabinet government is just a front.

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    Mute Damian Mac An Bháird
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    Feb 21st 2020, 8:31 PM

    @Garreth Byrne: and thats the farce we live in

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    Mute TMcMahon
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:27 PM

    Don’t let the lunatics, run the asylum.

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:41 PM

    @TMcMahon: They are for the last 100 years. Frightening isn’t it!?

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    Mute Angela McCarthy
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    Feb 21st 2020, 9:26 PM

    @TMcMahon: too late- they’ve been doing it for 100 years

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    Mute Mary Sunderland
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    Feb 21st 2020, 6:57 PM

    Genuine question so I’d appreciate an answer without the need for rude or condescending answers.
    I’ve never taken much interest in the formation of the government before but this election seems to have really piqued public interest.
    Can ff and fg form a dail without sf even though sf clearly won the popular vote? Could the leaders of ff or fg really be Taoiseach if they both just scraped into the dail on 5th or 6th round? What would it take for a re-election?

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Feb 21st 2020, 7:04 PM

    @Mary Sunderland: Yes they can if they bring in the Green Party for example as they would have the numbers Mary. The problem for FF and FG is that up to now they have rotated themselves between opposition and government without anyone to get in their way. Now if they go into government together and screw up (as they always do), then it leaves SF as the main party in the country. If that happened and SF actually delivered as promised, it could leave FF and FG on the opposition benches for ten years. That is what FG and FF fear the most.

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    Mute The Risen
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    Feb 21st 2020, 7:11 PM

    @Mary Sunderland: They can. But as SF are the most popular party, can any government which purposely blocked them from formation talks be considered legitimate?

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    Mute John Considine
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    Feb 21st 2020, 8:03 PM

    @Mary Sunderland: David’s take on it is pretty sound I reckon, from a political perspective.

    From the constitutional perspective all that matters in the formation of any Government is the number of TD’s. Because SF ran so few candidates their larger share of the vote did not translate to more seats won. There are currently 160 seats in the Dáil but, since the Ceann Comhairle rarely votes, 80 is considered enough for a majority. FF (38) + FG (35) + Greens (12) = 85. (84 if you factor in that FF lose a vote because the Ceann Comhairle is from their party).

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    Mute Anne Finnerty
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    Feb 21st 2020, 8:56 PM

    @The Risen: ⁰
    In the

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    Mute Anne Finnerty
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    Feb 21st 2020, 8:56 PM

    @The Risen:

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    Mute Shazam37
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    Feb 21st 2020, 11:15 PM

    @The Risen: yes it can – and any suggestion otherwise is daft and childish.

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    Mute Adrian Shanahan
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    Feb 22nd 2020, 5:46 AM

    @Mary Sunderland: Mary that’s a fair question, the short answer is yes they can.

    To understand why you need to understand our voting system Proportional Representation Single Transferable Vote or PR STV for short. That in itself is rather complicated but it’s without doubt the fairest and well regarded voting system in the world.

    Without going into huge details it gives the most representative result of what more of the people want. In PR STV the popular vote/number or first preferences count for nothing, neither does the order of who was elected first or on what count.

    If you have more specific questions ask away and I’ll try answer.

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    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Rory
    Favourite Rory
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    Feb 21st 2020, 10:01 PM

    Let SF be in government if they get the numbers.

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    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Matthew Mc Garry
    Favourite Matthew Mc Garry
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    Feb 21st 2020, 11:11 PM

    @Rory: no thanks

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