The decline of SF?

The decline of SF is overstated. In a general election with maybe 15% extra turnout, I reckon they will do much better.

That said, there is now competition for the "I want something different, as anything is better than this" vote. More independents, more hard right, and the likes of Aontu and other smaller parties eating some of that SF lunch.

If SF make progress from here, they will need to be more definite on policy, and more realistic about what is and is not actually possible. Houses in Dublin for 300k would be wonderful, but who pays for this. "Change" will not be enough - it needs to be change to something believable and definitive, not just following what they think is popular.

I wouldn't say it's disastrous but more disappointing.

I think their voting base will be more motivated to vote in a General Election.

They'll almost certainly be the biggest party after next election.

It'll come down to if FF will go into coalition with them or not, which is impossible to say right now.

I think in general SF lack strong leadership and strong communication.

Some of their communications are crackpot like €300,000 houses. It's like what a 12 year old would say.

Also they ran too few candidates in last election and too many in this.

This shows they don't have proper data analysts advising them.

Personally I see no competence or talent or intelligence in the entirety of SF and would vote for the status quo or the SDs or Labour before them.

If I had the choice between Pascal Donaghue or Pearse Doherty handling the country's finances, I'd go for Pascal every time.

I admire PBP and other lefties but wouldn't vote for them.

100%.

It's a better functioning democracy if there's healthy opposition.

I think they should bring in consultants and have a simple, clear message before next election.

I've a feeling Simon Harris will give FG a boost in next election. He's a much better politician than Leo.

They do seem a bit lost when it comes to policies. She comes across as a bit of a bully. I wonder (and it's complete speculation no evidence to back it up) is she a bit of a dictator within her own party. I could picture her at a party meeting just yelling at them all and the rest of them sitting there with their heads down waiting for her to just shut up instead of getting ideas and policies from them.

Sinn Féin have turned into globalist open border peddlers. Did many predict 4 years ago? I definitely didnt.

There was a meeting in Donegal a few months back with 1000+ people at it. The basis of it was what Pearse was gona do as Min For Finance next year. Doubt that will be happening now. Theyve been riding the donkey too close to the tail with a lot of their policies since their success at the last GE.

They are trying to spin it.

Heard one or their guys (Matt Carty I think) earlier say they have actually increased their seat count.

Turd polishing of the highest order.

Bombing in the Euro elections also as already said.

Could we see an early general election called?

I read somewhere they didnt even show up to the count centre in Mary Lou's constituency.

The problem for SF is, currently there are not enough left wing votes in Ireland to elect a left-only government.

So they moved to the centre and became undistingusable from them in many ways. Immigration was the main example of this.

Their working-class base then abandoned them en mass.

So what do they do now?

No idea, but one they need to do. Learn some humility and be more human.

SF aren’t winning over middle class Ireland any time soon. Not in the next 9 months anyway. Rightly or wrongly they’re seen as a party of the welfared. Freebies to the sorts of people who have little intention of getting out of the welfare system. All this paid for by taxes collected from those at work, the middle classes for a large part. I haven’t heard them say anything different. In addition, they see multinationals and their tax windfalls as a party pot which can be dug into to keep the fun going for the welfare staters. I’d say corporation tax would rise on their watch. The downside of that is those companies pivot to more favourable tax jurisdictions. That can happen very quickly and suddenly the party pot is looking a good deal emptier. We’re not favtastic at fostering indigenous industries and a lot of middle class workers are employed by multinationals. You wouldn’t expect turners to vote for Christmas so why expect these workers to vote for a party clearly intent on harming their jobs.

Until recently SF were a much smaller party. It’s a great position to be in as you can trot out any old policies and get media coverage. Nobody cares really though as you’ll at best, be a junior partner in a coalition without access to the important stuff like financial management. Unluckily fur SF they made it into the big time after the last GE. They were seen as a B potential, maybe inevitable, senior party of government and with that came increased media attention and public scrutiny of policies and the party as a whole v they hadn’t the talent and groundwork put in to measure up. Now they’re in trouble.

Full article:

https://archive.is/M8NAt

Final paragraph:

So don’t be fooled by the success of the existing political establishment, impressive though it is. The ground is rough – Ireland has to get through a terrain made jagged by the mismatch between the expansion of the population and the sclerosis of the State. It is going to be a bumpy ride and from here on in all the shocks will be felt.

O'Toole doesn't seem to think Sinn Féin are in as bad shape as the local elections would indicate.

SF believe too much in brand SF and that this will magic them seats. That no-one will ask them and their candidates hard questions.

As regards the recent election result, the biggest factor was nailed by the lad who shouted 'Brits Out, Everyone Else In'.

Not giving a fig how immigration affects your core vote was never going to end well.

Problem with that is that SFs base and the wider working class were all deeply opposed to those radical free market positions and expected SF to be as well, they didn't expect them to be lock step with the Govt because it was on trend in leafy south Dublin.

The attitude to the base, lifelong activists who even expressed concern about these issues or questioned it, was absolutely shocking.

You can't have some snooty activist or wannabe cllr screaming at someone that they are a "fash" etc for wondering about an approach being correct and that was all too common.

On Twitter Sarah Holland was describing the Irish times political journalist, Lithuanian name, as a "trad Cath fash", she was saying McDonald had only bad elections.

Disagree with her, but that journalist isnt a traditional Catholic fascist ffs. Then she is tweeting Eco's 14 characteristics of fascism, what about SF cllrs being rarer than a Corncrake south of the Liffey and people who put in years of work getting 2% in places they were once cllrs and serious contenders for TD.

What the f789 in Umberto Eco's musings on that.

Another of her normal ultra nutjob tweets is pointing out a tricolour on a Simon Harris poster, that FG will try absorb the far right and the flag being the sign of it. Mind blowing Lunacy, so it's raving about trad Catholics and the Irish flag, she isnt in the DUP ffs

That's Blanch15* and Clo Cl* levels of obsession and delusion.

*To protect posters anonymity.

11% is shocking, but I'm so happy. I **** don't want to see SF near the cabinet table.

How will they almost certainly be the biggest party after the next General Election?

They only got 11% of the vote!!

That's the only certainty in politics.

Not that long ago that FG were in coalition with a who's who of the Official IRA and their hands still stained from printer ink off the 5 pound notes.

Based on recent policy decisions, SF may not be seen as left by the time of the GE.

This sort of illuminati type controlling groups posting.

You on about chemtrails again.