General Irish politics discussion thread

For the countries sake I hope SF find better candidates than the dregs they were forced into using last time, violet anne-wynne as a prime example.

Seems to be a common thing this week, but SF politicians on TV shows are getting their arse handed to them.

Pearse Doherty got a right roasting on Prime Time the other day, now it's John Brady's turn on The Tonight Show. Refused to answer a question and confused the EU with the UN when it came to troop deployments and just went on and on as if he was a robot.

It's showing in the poll numbers. SF won't be getting more support and has probably peaked. They are trying to be everything to everyone and many people are copping on to the fact. They refuse to answer the pointed questions on what side they would fall on and take the easy way out. If they want to lead a government, they can only lie their way to the top so many times.

They will do well in the next Election, but won't come within an arses roar of an overall majority, so will need a few coalition partners and may need to have their hand out to FF of all parties. They will extract a very heavy price and SF supporters will hate the leadership for it.

Robert Troy - further revelations about failure to comply.

Stephen Donnelly - further revelations about failure to comply

John McGahon - revelations about his interests

Sinn Fein - revelations about their failure to comply.

It is high time that the failure of government to introduce a regulatory body with teeth was called out. Emergency legislation, which can be done if the will is there - is required.

Revisionist history strikes again. SF were not pleading with anyone to talk to them after the election, in fact they were called out by other smaller parties for not engaging.

Now I'm sure this is right

but the specific point I was addressing was about SF grassroots and their supposed massive ingrained resistance to any deal with FF.

I don't think they are ever going to enter a coalition where they are cannonfodder as minor coalition parties here have been. Even if they are accussed of not wanting power.

Can't blame them really when you remember the carnage reeked on the minor coalition parties with FF and FG

SF wants to eat the parties on the left not accommodate them. SF's possibly preferred deal is to lead a SF/FF coalition.

Correct.

SF did everything it could to waste time after the election, as they were happy to let FF and FG trash something out with the Greens.

Sure it took them about 2 months to send a letter to PBP to even ask the question.

He's a TD in my consituency now. Shinner economics with a side of some Renua social policies.

Putting it kindly, I'll leave it as he's not my cup of tea.

Yeah but most recent IT poll had them on <1, which I presume is the polite way of saying 0. They're a one-man band, zero chance of any other seats. As I was saying in the CA forum, the poll ratings of the smaller left parties seems to bounce around between 0 and 5% with little apparent connection to how things are going for them in the 'real world' or how they are likely to do in a general election.

Holly Cairns to be new leader of SD's. Unopposed in her bid.

All opinion polls have a margin of error. Depending on the size of the margin the numbers for parties that have percentages in and around that margin of error are a bit meaningless. You'd expect that relatively small parties figures would bounce around between 0 and the margin of error. That's probably what you are seeing with Aountu and the smaller left wing parties. Statistical noise. All you can really say is that their share of the vote is small but also big enough to register in a national poll. Not every political party is big enough to feature in a national opinion poll.

For bigger parties polls are a bit more meaningful but even then you bear in mind the context and limitations of any opinion poll.

I agree they wouldn’t but how are SF if they do get into government as the major party going to sell to a junior party that what has happened to others won’t happen again ?