The accelerating fall in Sinn Féin support

Mate, stop. Being bitter is a waste of energy

He won't be standing for SF in the GE, independent possibly. Even SF are embarrassed by Browne

Interesting that when you add SocDem and Labour (the same party effectively), they have the pretty much same number of local seats as SF.

Couls SocLab emerge as a proper left choice for the future?.

Have you recently been kicked in the head by a horse?

I see SF are using the “we had too many candidates “ excuse now

I thought it funny Mary Lou blaming the fack people think SF are in government for the result.

Nobody thinks SF are in government just that they are in collusion with the government and that's how we are where we are today.

I don't think the carry on in Croke Park and the like helped either.

Zero sympathy for Sinn Fein.

They were totally fixated on things that most people don't care about, like asylum seekers and Palestine.

They are a far left party that cannot be trusted.

So, the EU held their election on this specific date to help out the Irish government who then gave the yearly payment to carers to vote for them.

The same carers who opposed the last referendum. Have you a tinfoil hat by any chance.

Maybe they should have picked another date,but that might have clashed with the dole, or illness benefit, or disability.

Mary Lou and Pearse are to blame. Long may it continue.

I wouldn't agree that Palestine is a middle class issue. Some of the strongest support for Gaza has been in working class areas (people flying the Gazan flag from their houses etc).

have you ever heard the phrase ‘an armalite in one hand and the ballot box in the other’ ?It nicely explains how SF operates, by their own admission.

That strategy hasn’t gone away, you know.

They’ve been “attacked” from all sides - left right and centre- the Independents and smaller more radical parties know that SF traditionally held some of their views whether it was on housing or immigration etc It’s left SF looking like an establishment party- fewer opportunities to take a populist stand on certain issues as the more radical parties have beat them to it.

In addition, Mary Lou is sounding dated and stale - her attack speeches on the government are falling flat - again, mainly due to the greater number of independent opposition members who have a louder and stronger voice.

If SF truely want power, they’ll have to show the public what their policies are instead of just moaning about the policies of other parties- that’s going to alienate their voters and at least some will “defect” to the more extreme independents - while o can’t stand Mary Lou, I’m not sure changing party leader will do any good right now.

Finally the number of candidates really diluted their votes- less would have been more for them - I think they’ll make gains in the next GE but only if they become clearer in what they stand for - it seems to me that their glory days of being an opposition only party are numbered - if they want power they’ll need to stand on their own two feet - that’s a big risk for them

There is a lot of truth in this.

One of Sinn Fein's biggest achievements over the last two decades has been their ability to organise the deluded, the disillusioned, the conspiracy theorists, the moaners, the obstructionists and the clearly demented into a solid block of voters behind them. Like all achievements, the unexpected consequences is that this newly organised mob isn't loyal, they just turn to the latest politician willing to indulge their fantasies once Sinn Fein started ditching their core principles at pace to make themselves look normal to the rest of us.

As a result, Sinn Fein has lost these newly organised and newly motivated mob to the fringes. The likes of Paddy Holohan, elected to two different LEAs is emblematic of this Sinn Fein.

I don't think it helps that their main "single issue" doesn't resonate with people right now (and that it's not something being pursued by the myriad of independents either). With Westminster elections next month the danger for SF is they'll double down on it again.

What a stupid thing for her to say..

Wicklow Co Council,a commuter belt county,SF got 2 councillors elected out of 32,Fine Gael got 9,what does this tell us ?

One of the new Fine Gael councillors is Graham Richmond,a 1st cousin of Neil Richmond

In 3 of the 5 LEA's,no SF councillor at all including Greystones