Talk:1987 Irish general election

2007 comments about tables
If you are unsure how to edit a table, do not insert random text and leave it until glaring errors, this means you User:Valenciano. Also, the PDs did contest the 1982 election, as they did not exist, however, they were +9 in the 1987 result, because they had 5 seats at the dissolution of the previous Dáil from which the numbers are counted. As for Sinn Féin, it you find out the figures, then put them in CORRECTLY, don't slap in any aul shite and expect someone else to clean up your mess! Snappy56 21:52, 8 May 2007 (UTC)


 * A rather unnecessarily nasty and intemperate reply. You’d do better to read WP:Faith and WP:Civil before you type. Mistakes are easily made – see for example your inaccurate and illogical assertion above that “the PDs did contest the 1982 election” Anyway the table that you’ve readded is no more accurate than mine and contains the “glaring errors” which you complained about.


 * Firstly, since the number of Dail seats was unchanged the total net/gains and losses should be zero. You don’t need a calculator or spreadsheet to see that 6-20+9-4+2+2 clearly doesn’t equal zero, so this is wrong as it ignores the seats that FF and FG lost through defections.


 * Secondly Sinn Fein did not stand as Independents and their exclusion from the article is to put it mildly, suspect. Similarly neither the Greens or Jim Kemmy who won a seat in Limerick for the Democratic Socialist Party were independents and that information should be included in the table. It would be a lot more constructive if you’d done that rather than whining about edits. I’ve changed the Independents category here and elsewhere to others to replect the fact that it included Independent FF.


 * As for your point on the PD gains and losses, nope. Academic precedent from other reliable sources[], www.election.demon.co.uk and Wikipedia precedent is to compare the gains and losses to the previous comparable election. Cf [] where pre-election defections to the SDP and Ulster Popular Unionists have been ignored. Similarly on other Irish election pages eg this one (before I amended it) [] the changes in number of seats are relative to the previous election not the state of play at dissolution. In order to be consistent, defections, by-election changes and vacant seats should be included. So I’ve reverted the PD figures. If you wish to highlight the fact that they gained 9 seats then an alternative way to do this would be via an extra column in the table showing the state of play at dissolution. All the best, Valenciano 13:17, 9 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Oh dear, it looks like someone can't even talk mild criticism, (and believe me, by my standards this was very mild.) Stay indoors, petal and you'll be alright. ;-)


 * Then there's a long whiny rant about errors in the article, (errors in Wikipedia, I never!), I, like you, am one of a long line of people who have edited this article, and also I edit many articles on Wikipedia, so I don't feel responsible for any inaccuracies in an article I edited. Feel free to blame me if you want I don't mind being a scapegoat!


 * My gripe was that you left the table in a mess, you've fixed it up now, so it you had done that in the first place, we wouldn't be having this exchange.


 * Finally, "your inaccurate and illogical assertion above that “the PDs did contest the 1982 election”", I obviously meant that since the PDs were founded in 1985, they weren't around to contest the 1982 election (unless Dessie and Mary were secret PDs back then....), so it's logical and accurate!, Keep it country! Snappy56 18:47, 9 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Criticisms fine - unnecessarily snotty replies don't help anyone (as well as being a breach of Wiki policy). I know full well what you meant to say about the PDs just as you know full well what I was trying to achieve originally with the table but clicking the undo button is a hell of a lot easier than sniping at people about it, no? Anyway let's leave that there and move on to more constructive things - e.g. as your profile says youve Irish knowledge, so who or what were Parti Cummanach? Communists? Also any chance of extending the table so that we could include situations at dissolution? Valenciano 20:20, 9 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Indeed, let's move on! The Pairtí Cummanach na hÉireann are the Communist Party Of Ireland, they used to contest elections but I don't know much about them. If you want a more detailed results template then you could use the one from the Irish general elections from 1992 onwards. It's very detailed and will take time to fill in, time I don't have at present but you can give it a lash! Snappy56 21:42, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

2008 comment about tables
I fixed the three-person table at the top right, insofar as I made it appear aethetically correct. I did this by copying an earlier version. However, I notice that it actually changed the name of both the party and the leader. I have no idea if the edit I've created is the correct one replacing a vandalized version, or vice versa. I leave it for others to figure it out. Unschool (talk) 05:46, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

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