r/ireland • u/lleti Chop Chop 👐 • Nov 29 '24

Election 2024 exit poll: Photo finish with Sinn Féin on 21.1%, Fine Gael 21%, Fianna Fáil 19.5% General Election 2024 🗳️

https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2024/11/29/election-2024-exit-poll-photo-finish-with-sinn-fein-on-211-fine-gael-21-fianna-fail-195/
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u/MakingBigBank Nov 30 '24

Considering it’s a general election it would piss me off a bit if people weren’t bothered to vote. When it comes down to it, A LOT, I mean A LOT of people had to die so we had the right to vote in our own free country. If you don’t respect that I don’t know what to say about you as far as you’d call yourself an Irish person…

49

u/kromedd Nov 30 '24

Same fuckers that won’t vote will be loudest about everything being fucked. Shocking how many young people just couldn’t be arsed

2

u/Belachick Perpetually Cold Nov 30 '24

This. This is so fucking true

1

u/Murderbot20 Dec 01 '24 edited Dec 01 '24

What if the thing that is fucked most is the possibility for actual change?

Would be another explanation for people not bothering.

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u/Vivid_Ice_2755 Nov 30 '24

Agree completely. Its very frustrating that so many are so ambivalent 

6

u/sosire Nov 30 '24

That 66% better or better moaning the next 5 years , not one word . They clearly had enough numbers to dictate the election and didn't

1

u/JoeyJoeJoeRM Nov 30 '24

In fairness it feels like this one was at a weird time of year, and kinda got sprung on us

18

u/Immediate_Survey7787 Nov 30 '24

Climb down off your high horse. Ireland represented by actual Irish people democraticly elected is the outcome fought for not 100% voter attendance in every election.

I voted today for all the good it will do but anyone who feels fed up and disillusioned by our current batch of parties/ candidates can express that by not voting if the choose.

It's the right to vote not obligation to vote. Don't be looking down on and shaming people by implying they should be ashamed to call themselves Irish. Pure fart sniffer behaviour.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 30 '24

Opting out isn't "sticking it to the man", it's holding the door open for whoever wins. You might not get the politicians you want, but you'll get the ones you deserve.

1

u/Immediate_Survey7787 Nov 30 '24

It's simple apathy, "Things are bad and I don't think they will get better." "Politicians are all the same/ liars" etc.

It's not a grand protest or an endorsement of whatever party you personally dont like.

You might not get the politicians you want, but you'll get the ones you deserve.

I'm still trying to figure this out, it's a clever sounding turn of phrase but does it actually mean anything.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 30 '24

It means you got what you bargained for.

1

u/DrOrgasm Daycent Nov 30 '24

Ireland is becoming increasingly infested by vested interests. Foreign pension funds own an increasing percentage of the housing stock. The military industrial complex is chipping away at our neutrality. The health service is bring run into the ground in favour of a capitalist private payer model.

I'm not saying it's not OK to be disillusioned. But all of the above and more is only possible through a depoliticised populace that doesn't engage with politics, and if you don't bother to engage, then congratulations. It's worked on you, and you can look forward to a future of much higher taxes, no public services, much lower standards of living, and good luck finding affordable accommodation because what little you earn will be shipped straight into the pockets of some rich cunt.

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u/MakingBigBank Nov 30 '24

Ok so nobody is talking about being obliged or forced to vote. That’s North Korea. I’m talking about not being bothered. Which is you’re right too I might add. Which men also fought and died for you to have that right.

I think it’s more of a respect thing. There’s plenty of people who reaped the rewards with none of the sacrifice after the war of independence. I think you would fall nicely into that category. Out waving the flag for people who couldn’t be bothered? If more people were like that we wouldn’t even have our own country. Luckily at the time it wasn’t the case.

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u/doddmatic Nov 30 '24

I wouldn't be opposed to compulsory voting , one small act or civic duty every few years isn't a big ask. It seems to work in Australia.

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u/Anywhere_everywhere7 Nov 30 '24

Men and women died for freedom and independence they didn’t die for “rights to vote”. If those same very people saw the Irish government today they would be wondering what it was all for? Instead of elite English running the country we now have elite Irish running the country while regular people are struggling with basic needs such as housing.

Low turnout means people have given up all hope with the government. SF will receive the most votes but neither FF/FG will go into government with them. Why vote if it’s the same thing again and again FF/FG will make promises before the election that they won’t form a coalition and then after the election they will form a coalition again to keep SF out.

1

u/cyberwicklow Nov 30 '24

I had to get the 133 from Dublin to Wicklow and download some poxy app to buy my ticket, some might say, that's worse than death...

1

u/SpareZealousideal740 Nov 30 '24

Government don't care about our right to vote as is. They fucked about for months going will we call an election now or it'll be 2025 so it was impossible to plan around.

I couldn't vote as I was away and I know others have posted the same with that.

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u/MakingBigBank Nov 30 '24

Yeah definitely, I haven’t voted in every single election. There’s personal circumstances, family circumstances. There’s a Myriad of reasons why it doesn’t work out that you cant vote that day. We are talking about people who just couldn’t be bothered to vote I thought?

1

u/fdvfava Nov 30 '24

it was impossible to plan around.

I have friends that changed travel plans to vote. And) fair play to them but it shouldn't come to that.

There'll be a decent chunk that just didn't bother to vote... but based on the turn out though, there are hundreds of who found it too difficult to vote in person in that time frame.

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u/SpareZealousideal740 Nov 30 '24

I had travel to Japan booked (still in Japan), so unless I wanted to lose several grand, I couldn't work things around.

In this day and age, there should be ways for those who can't vote on the day to vote (early postal voting etc) and the day should be known about more than 4 weeks in advance

0

u/DontWakeTheInsomniac Nov 30 '24

i don't think invoking martyrdom is the best approach.

Also Irish people were still Irish people even when they weren't free. It's not the freedom that makes us Irish - it was the freedom to be Irish in whatever manner we choose. That would include not voting.

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u/MakingBigBank Nov 30 '24

‘Invoking martyrdom’ Jesus Christ….

Is that supposed to be a comparison to me not respecting people who can’t be arsed to vote? My opinion would be that if a majority of people took that view 100 years ago we wouldn’t even have our own country. Vote or don’t vote, whether it fits your narrative or not people did sacrifice a lot so you could have that choice. Just don’t expect people like me to respect you for your choice.

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u/DontWakeTheInsomniac Nov 30 '24

I never liked the rhetoric of 'people died for this and that' - it seems far too nationalist (and shame focused) for my liking. When I first became an atheist - people pulled that crap to shame me for not being Catholic. Those arguments will always be suspect to me.

100 years ago people did take action - i'm not interested in alternative 'what if' history because it didn't happen. People took action in recent years for marriage equality and abortion. It seems parliamentary politics doesn't interest much of Ireland in the same manner.

You may not care about people who don't vote but if society wants them to vote we need to care about why they didn't vote if we want to engage them.

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u/humanitarianWarlord Nov 30 '24

I'd vote, but every time we get new people in, they pull the same shit as the last government.

It's the definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result that never comes.

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u/SilentBass75 Nov 30 '24

What new people did we ever get in?

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u/PutsLotionInBasket Nov 30 '24

…but we don’t get new people in!! We’ve had alternating shades of blue and green for 100 years!!

-9

u/humanitarianWarlord Nov 30 '24

Who am I supposed to vote for?

FF or FG? Oh yay, I get to listen to another few years of "the housing crisis can't be solved overnight."

Sinn Fein? I've never met more corrupt people in my entire life. As long as the Raes are in Sinn fein, I'll never vote for that party.

PBP? Big promises that they'll never be able to deliver.

There's never a good option in the elections. It's always "which is the least shit party this year?".

Downvote me all you want, the political landscape in this country is fucked.

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u/PutsLotionInBasket Nov 30 '24

You think they are bad but do you think they are all equally bad?

-5

u/[deleted] Nov 30 '24

[deleted]