The decline of SF?

The rest of the western world has a housing crises. Many young people ( people in their twenties / early thirties say) struggle to buy a home in Sydney, London, San Francisco too, despite high salaries there. Everyone wants lovely pads in great locations, but there are not enough to go around. High immigration in to this country in the past five / ten years has not helped, it is supply and demand. However you can still buy an apartment in some parts of the country for double the average public sector wage or less. The problem is these are often bought by retiring public sector workers with their one and a half year wages tax free lump sum when they retire, so young people are not always able to buy them. Ask any auctioneer.

The health crises is caused by our inefficiency to govern ourselves, not by lack of money we ( the taxpayer ) give to the HSE, VHI, doctors etc. Giving control to a organisation who main past expertise was robbing banks / planting bombs would not guarantee an improvement.

Overseen by successive line ministers and the government generally, for yonks.

Privatisation of property is nothing new, it has been there ever since a family or tribe took over a cave.

In the Dáil today Pearse was giving out about 2 more excise increases on petrol and diesel this summer and that they should be stopped

Micheál Martin immediately replied that Sf's alternative budget had the whole lot up in one 8% increase in April

Saying one thing one month and a different the next,you wouldn't have a clue what you'd be voting for would you

Isn't this another example of the kind of all over the place pirrouetting of policies that has SF support falling amongst other things?

I'd disagree there.

The Martin Ferris review of the EU and Co Co results is done.

There will be another change in tack/pirrouette call it what you will,so you will see a rise and rise by Sinn Féin in the run up to the election

…sorry but this more than likely isnt gonna happen, sf are clearly in free fall, this more than likely will not reverse leading into the ge, there will very likely, and imho, be another ffg government, and the fact theyll do everything they can to try always block any alternatives, its very likely we ll just remain pretty much as is, possible indefinitely…..

…i.e. the best way for ireland to change, is to stay the same……

…always leads to radical changes of course!

…and again, this isnt how the pr-stv system works, government formations are partly to do with voting outcomes, i.e. voter choices, but also partly due to agreements made post election day, i.e. government formations are not entirely due to the involvement of a single entity, either voter choices or elected officials agreements. therefore, the most likely outcome of the next ge will be another ffg lead government, due to the fact theres currently a rapid decline in support for sf, causing a default towards another ffg government. in order for a sf government to be formed, there would need to be a significant high number of votes for sf, significantly higher that both ffg votes, again, this is currently highly unlikely, but i guess we dont have long to confirm this now……

…yes irelands voting system is far more fairer compared to a country such as belarus, but again, voting outcomes only play a part in government formations, this means a single party may in fact obtain the largest amount of overall votes, but still not be able to form a government, this again will more than likely be the case for sf, causing the default to ffg….

If you google it up, you will find in Spain the average annual wage stood at approximately 29,113 euros in 2022.

The Prime Minister of Spain earns only €86,542 per year. Here a lot of Gardai , lecturers in third level colleges etc earn that each year and get more than that as a tax free "gratuity" when they retire. That, and wages in general and cost of building etc here, pushes the price of property higher here.

So 2 different economies. If people here only earned 29k on average, rent would only be 400 per month too.

Maybe in countries like Libya, Venezuala and North Korea, the cost of renting is cheaper too. Republicans have visited those countries in the past, maybe we could learn from those countries you think?

Are you arguing against free will there?

Because last time I voted,there was noone standing over me saying if I voted for one government party I had to vote for the other

If I did that it was my choice

Noone elses

If we had a FPTP system, it's unlikely SF would exist at all, it only suits a 2 party system.

Using it as an argument that SF should do better in an election based on number of votes is nonsensical.

SF have to make themselves more transfer friendly, which they were doing as they were morphing into FF but it's blown up in their face as is slowly dawned on their supporters what was happening (particularly galling for the lefty group being taken advantage of).

In theory SF being the chief opposition party if they polled the 36% or higher of last year at an election,they'd trump the other choices and would have to be involved

Their not being able to do that would be solely down to voter choice

Your analysis otherwise is nonsense

There is still plenty of time for SF to grow their vote,its not going to shrink further.

That would require Sinn Fein to develop some sensible policies that would simultaneously attract support from the lunatic fringes and survive detailed analysis by the sane.

The lunatic fringe is fragmenting - see the rise in support for independents - while the sane middle is coalescing around the traditional parties.

Very little room left for Sinn Fein, other than bawling for "change".

A nearly 5000 majority for the candidate, says the electorate of FST don’t share your view.

the prices being paid are affordable because of the number of high wage jobs in Dublin. If they werent affordable, landlords would drop the rent.

places rent out very very quickly at current prices.

SF absolutley could do worse. its the lamest of all arguments to say things couldnt get worse. They can always get worse.

SF would lilkley reduce the number of new homes being built by squeezing out investment funds and not replacing the housing supply they disconnect, which will have an upward pressure on rent prices.