Sinn Fein and how do they form a government dilemma

I'll eat my hat if they announce a pact.

There would be open revolt in FF IMO

I really can't see a SF/FF government as SF do not do compromise - we see that in the North.

I expect after the election that SF will be the biggest party, Varadkar will say that the people have spoken and that FG are going into opposition. FF will topple Martin and elect a new leader who will sit down with Sinn Fein. After 3/4 months it will become clear that a deal is impossible and FG will be asked to step back up to the plate. Hopefully the Greens will have enough seats to be in the mix for government, that would be so good for the country.

I would never ever trust the SF.

However I would expect that they would capture a very large audience of younger voters, especially those in their 30ies who are unable to afford or buy property.

I would understand for those in their 30ies to vote for SF, but I would never ever expect SF to be able to solve the housing crisis in the country.

FF doesn't seem to care if there is a housing crisis, FG, maybe but SF does.

SF cares about whatever they think people want to hear. Are you old enough to remember them complaining about the EU stealing all our fish? Or that we were giving away hundreds of billions in gas for free? None of which are much concern anymore. Housing is just the current thing. If anything changes with respect to housing when the get in, it will be more social housing, less first time buyers IMO.

Not really, I would say SF are pretty unique in being really on the wrong side of pretty much every major policy. Until very recently (pre the big scrub of the website after the start of the Ukraine war) anti-EU and pro-Russia. I am sure you remember the "EU stealing our fish" being a big deal? Also all the gas being given away for free? These "issues" have just disappeared have they?

FF might be dumb enough to go into government with SF, but I think there will be resistance to it. A far better option would the C&S agreement. It would allow FF to give SF full ownership of all the problems, there would be no one else to blame. The electorate have show they don't really have a long memory and they don't like excuses (the GFC or Covid are not really accepted as excuses for FG).

I remember SF being anti-EU like FG FF were anti marriage and women's rights .

What is your point?

Neither parties FF or FG were shy about cozying up to Russia if there was a gain in it for them.

Again, what is your point? All political parties here evolve.

It's clearly not just the electorate that don't have long memories.

FF took a fair bit of damage for their last C&S stint and it began the 'FFFG' era.

I guess it will be a case of which wing of the party wins out if it doesn't fracture apart.

What are you talking about?: SF have been watering down their policies for years in preparation for going into government in the Republic

They are absolutely up for a pragmatic deal with FF if the numbers are not there for their favoured Left government.

Kieran Cuddihy just did a quick comparison of the SF alternative budget and as he said there is very little difference between what we have heard is coming in the budget and SFs alternative.

Also recently I saw an article about EOBs housing plan which seems quite similar to the current government one...his big plan is to build more, if only it was that easy ...

SF no longer as radical as they claim.

The other advantage of a C&S government is that Sinn Fein would have to find 30 TDs capable of filling senior and junior minister portfolios. They would be lucky to reach 3 competent ones. You would probably find a reduction to 10 of junior ministers being painted as reform rather than sheer desperation at not being able to find someone capable of talking coherently about a policy.

If they did manage to find 15 untried, untested and largely inexperienced and incapable Ministers, the government would collapse within six months as one after another was fired for incompetence at the behest of FF.

Any other party would have dropped David Cullinane after his "celebrations". Instead he gets to be health spokesperson during a global pandemic, such is their level of depth. I am really starting to think it is best for FF to just say, the people have spoken and they seem to want a SF government, so let them have it, they will provide C&S.

Their election manifesto is slowly morphing into just "it's our turn".

When you are potentially entering power for the first time invariably it is likely you will not have 'delivered' anything as a Minister in an Irish government.

Is that the point you think it is?

I see no evidence that there are any shadow health TD's who would be worse than Donnelly or in housing for that matter tbh.

Well you might be slightly biased since you spend all day posting on boards about SF. EOB is a similar type of character to Donnelly IMO, has the educational background but no real world experience, so basically a new grad level. Both have a huge opinion of their abilities, based on really nothing at all. Anyway, I am just glad I am not relying on them to actually solve anything.

?? Who are you relying on?

And, I will judge SF after they are in power.

What I am doing now is assessing are they fit for power.

Looking at the incumbents and what they have and have not delivered, the answer is yes, they are. Like any government since the formation of the state they will get some things right and other things wrong. Some will be good ministers and some won't.

?? Not sure of the relevance on a politics forum. But work away.