Sinn Fein and how do they form a government dilemma

Prior to the election the discussion was the poor polls for SF, we were told to wait for the election as that was the only valid poll. Now the poor polls have been confirmed, in fact the actual vote is way worse, suddenly there's more excuses..

On NT this morning Boylan proclaimed it was actually a great result as SF had increased their seats over 2019, and then said they would look into what went wrong in the exact same election🤷.

These people are spoofers, all they know is to repeat what they've been told to say by unknown internal structures. There is not an independent thought among them.

The Soviets were no fans at all of the Provos. Saw them as too bourgeoise and riddled with informers. The Provos made their bed with Gadaffi, their sympathisers in the States, and with the Moroccan tribes involved in the first wave of cannabis into Europe.

The US flow of arms was always spotty at best, but Gadaffi was prepared to flood the country with guns, bombs and launchers for a long dirty war. Someone very very high up in the Provos informed on them.

All detailed in the tremendous Secret History of the IRA by Ed Moloney. Darkie Hughes also had his deep suspicions about one of the IRA leadership.

Where did I predict the outcome of this election?

That is you and blanch who have said this.
Put uo or shut up.
I did say that a GE was a different beast to LE’s and EU elections and they are.

On the leader - I have said before, I don't think it matters whether he was in the IRA or not. I can understand why he would not be in it - and I can see why he would be in it. I am quite well aware that some SF members were in the IRA.

On voting for them - I am not unique. SF's vote has massively increased over the years, while the vote share of FG and FF has fallen from 86% to just over 40% and is still falling.
So, I hate to tell you, many people are being 'converted' and are 'suddenly voting' for SF and other parties. Any informed politics watcher would know this.

A lot of the increase of the SF vote in this state from say 2 or 3% during the troubles to say 12% or whatever in recent elections is due to a higher % of young people than previously now voting for SF because of their opinions on housing, healthcare, cost of living, protest vote against the government, whatever. Usually people do not change their spots, or if they do they get slightly more right wing (compared to their youth) as they enter their sixties or old age : they do not become passionately left wing at that stage of life to the extent of posting non stop on social media?

Does raise the question of why they have done so badly if this is their support. I know the turnout was below 50% could it be down to lower voting numbers in the younger age brackets? I'm sure it's a factor at least

If SF could get younger people out voting they'd storm to victory

Interestingly in the Limerick Mayoral elections the vote winner has effectively copied one of the SF policies of more housing as his main policy.

And there was I thinking that opinion polls didn't matter.

Those figures relate to an old opinion poll that is clearly out of date and wrong, based on what happened last Friday.

Remember you told us before last Friday that the ballot box was the only thing that mattered.

Opinion polls are out of date almost as soon as they are conducted. That is why they are continually done blanch.

The poster seemed to think SF only had support in one or two age groups. How wrong they were.

If you can explain where the alternative funding comes from to deliver the projects, please go ahead.

We are all still waiting for anyone, including SF, to answer that question.

Just because you change an approach does not mean your new alternative will be more effective.

Remember that the current govt are upping projections towards the 50k new mark now. So although the 33k homes delivered last year is not where we need to be, it is on an upward trajectory & with further large rises planned for and expected.

Commemcement notices for 2024 are up over 600% vs same period last year, so the proof of uptick is there.

You say "If corporations paid the proper amount of tax there would be more again to go around." The thing is, if the tax rate was higher here then a lot less tax would be collected : we are known as a tax haven of the world and the reason Apple etc pay a lot of their worldwide tax here is because tax rates are so low.

SF and their comrades have gone to other regimes around the world for co-operation and inspiration. See how successful Venezuala, Libya, Cuba, North Korea etc are at extracting money from multi-nationals / creating wealth in their countries?

See how quick so many of the biggest multi-nationals ( Meta, Google, Intel, Siemens, IBM, VW, Amazon etc ) moved when Paddy the CEO of the web-summit made a few lefty comments - they were not long suddenly boycotting his web-summit then, having booked to attend.

https://www.politico.eu/article/paddy-cosgrave-web-summit-ceo-europe-tech-conference-resign-israel-hamas-comment/

Apple is the largest taxpayer in the world, paying over $35 billion worldwide in corporate income taxes in the last three years. Apple pays taxes in every country where they sell their products. You are aware of transfer pricing, and the fact the commission declared that Apple owed €13.1 billion in unpaid taxes to Ireland for the period between 2003 and 2014 (when Apple changed its structures), as well as €1.2 billion in interest?

No wonder many think of Ireland as the tax haven of the world.

It's a tax haven for some but not for all

Probably the pesky Shinners fault. 😁

Increased the Shinner vote? Gave them an extra MEP, maybe 2, decimated the Greens and gave FF/FG another decrease in their vote share? All on what was a bad day for Shinners?

Unlikely since SF have never been in power

Swinging and missing?

A lot of it going on. Keep trying.