The decline of SF?

The forecast from the usual suspects was that the Greens would be wiped out and that Sinn Fein would be the largest party.

I am laughing.

…in a GE was the forecast blanch.

We'll see when a GE happens.

I would be more inclined to believe the senior and other party members making noises about coalescing with SF, they aren't stupid or un-ambitious and wouldn't make those noises if people such as yourself made up the majority.

They seem confused to me

I haven't heard any FF or FG senior party members even countenance going in with SF

Jim O'Callaghan:

SF: Do you still believe that Sinn Fein has to be held out of government if possible?

JO’C: No, I don’t hold that view. It’s easy for me to be critical, but I do think, and I did say this in advance, that, by ruling out Fine Gael before the 2020 election and by ruling out Sinn Féin, we boxed ourselves into a very difficult corner. It became apparent after the election that if we didn’t break those commitments, there wouldn’t be a government. So we did break the commitment and we went in with Fine Gael. 

In terms of Sinn Féin, the people of Ireland will decide who is in government and who not in government.

SS: Would you share a government with Sinn Féin? 

JO’C: Well, I would be open to doing it yeah. If they are elected.

https://thecurrency.news/articles/25200/jim-ocallaghan-prior-to-the-next-election-we-should-not-be-ruling-out-going-into-government-with-anyone/

Almost 20 Fianna Fáil TDs have said they would not rule out holding coalition talks with Sinn Féin after the next general election.

It comes after Taoiseach Micheál Martin appeared to soften his stance on the prospect of Fianna Fáil negotiating with Mary Lou McDonald’s party, suggesting it “may evolve depending on policy”.

While some party members expressed concerns about Sinn Féin’s policies, almost every Fianna Fáil TD who responded to queries from The Irish Times expressed a willingness to sit down with Sinn Féin after the next election.

Some TDs also said they believed the party made a mistake in not doing this after the 2020 general election.

https://jimocallaghan.com/ff-tds-would-not-exclude-sinn-fein-coalition-after-next-election/

Neither has anyone else. There was one ambiguous isolated quote from MM on one occasion after the general election that could be interpreted as opening the door to coalition with SF, but it was an isolated quote, it was ambiguous and it contradicted everything else he has said before or since.

Nevertheless, that hasn't prevented a poster or two (or maybe just one) clinging to that quote as "evidence" that FF are prepared to go into coalition with SF. Apart from that, the occasional comment from a backbencher anxious to shore up transfers from good republicans is the only other "evidence".

They will be upset that MLMD won't be Taoiseach, but what policies do they have that they won't get to implement?

There isn't a single coherent policy from Sinn Fein on anything.

Ahh random links to an article while ignoring the other 100 articles which say the opposite is just part of the noise from some around here

The same poster went around for years with "proof" that FF wanted to go into coalition with SF after the last election, nothing in the article said they would and in fact a party spokesperson said no chance would they ever go in. But it was fired up here 100's of times as proof

It's all just noise

FF and FG don't want anything to do with SF, as I pointed out as well neither do any other parties in Ireland(North or South)

If FF won't go into coalition with SF, then SF will never be in power. They'll never get enough votes. The majority of working people won't vote for them.

I think the tide is turning on the housing crisis so SF will have nothing to complain about.

I couldn't care less what that poster says, if you had the time and looked at all the predictions I would say 1% of them are right and that is just down to pure luck because they have made so many

It's a similar gang on other threads that claim to be "interested in politics" but then seem to have zero idea about anything, apart from posting the latest from SF propaganda machine.

MLMD and SF can come out with whatever they want as far as a lot of the population are concerned, people will never vote for them and they will block any attempt of their party to form a coalition with them, FF and FG especially. I expect the green party are similar with the online abuse over the years.

Only SF would think an online army abusing people online is a good idea

Don't think it matters much to be honest what Harris does or doesn't do. The music come the GE will be that FG have had their boots under the table for too long now and change is needed. Can't see the electorate giving them a further term at this stage. Time is up for the moment.

FFG are now more likley to return a govt that at any point in the last 2 years or so.

When all is said and done, it will be up to FF who they partner with and FG are their preferred partner.

Yep, I can see Harris wanting more time and had predecited he would be more centre right than Leo. So far, this has proven to be the case and he has certainly won back some of the lost FG support, as well as pulling some folks back into the FG fold whom otherwise might have voted far right/independent, on account of immigration policy.

But FG are on the crest of the wave now & no wave carries forever; so unless Harris has a few other headline grabbing policies up his sleeve, it would seem logicial to go for a Nov election, post give away budget, and whilst SF are still all over the place and directionless.