Makes you proud. Good aul honest Irish Politics.

Spanish Harlem

What a disgusting little "political party". Thugs in suits.

Saab Ed

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Do you think, just maybe, that if you'd lost a loved one in the twin towers you might have had a wee celebratory drink when Bin Laden was assassinated?

Simple question.

Genuinely no. I'd much rather see him serve life in prison.

What happened up North was wrong on both sides. There was no winner. In actual fact stuff like this only serves to keep the hostility going.

Nodin

Zaph wrote: »

I agree, and there are a lot of people who will never vote for SF because of it, myself included. However they are now trying to portray themselves as a legitimate mainstream political party that at some stage could be in government, so at what point do they decide to stop with the sniper signs and other stuff to make themselves more attractive to voters outside their normal demographic?

You mean morph into yet another FF/FG style waste? Bit pointless that. Stay true to the roots and make converts, don't be the convert I say.

Zaph

Nodin wrote: »

You mean morph into yet another FF/FG style waste? Bit pointless that. Stay true to the roots and make converts, don't be the convert I say.

As long as they stay true to their roots they'll never be in government. As I said before, Irish people have very long memories when it comes to politics.

shane9689

sinn feinn are a bunch of nut cases. they want northern irish west minister mps to be part of the daíl !!! i mean, thats a retarded notion (it was in their mandate around election time)

that means not only would you have the extreme partys of the north represented here, you would also have a bunch of irrelevant unionists represented too... unless the country is united, mocking about with such ideas just causes problems

Saab Ed

Nodin wrote: »

You mean morph into yet another FF/FG style waste? Bit pointless that. Stay true to the roots and make converts, don't be the convert I say.

Convert to what? Sinn Fein were the political side of a terrorist organization. They've now disbanded, their fight is over. Sinn Fein now either represents something different or they're a bunch of hypocrites!

Nodin

Zaph wrote: »

As long as they stay true to their roots they'll never be in government. As I said before, Irish people have very long memories when it comes to politics.

I remember any number of "nevers". All things in time.

My name is URL

Zaph wrote: »

As long as they stay true to their roots they'll never be in government. As I said before, Irish people have very long memories when it comes to politics.

That's why FF are topping opinion polls atm?!

The only 'long memories' in Irish politics are those entrenched in the old civil war divide. And those people on both sides are hopelessly lost in the past.

wow sierra

Sinn Féin are under pressure to keep all their supporters happy, including the most extreme who might be tempted to give support to the Real IRA and other dissedents. I imagine they try to avoid making a major issue of the likes of these lads selling badges etc in order not to antagonise these elements. Just my cents worth.

On a separate note can the people who keep getting upset over Margaret Thatcher please open a history book and look at what she did to her own people even if you dont care about her relationship with Ireland. I am old enough to remember it.

Chuck Stone

Saab Ed wrote: »

Genuinely no.

Fair enough. I doubt many would be so pragmatic - certainly not myself.

I'd much rather see him serve life in prison.

Oh I'm with you there. What happened was an assassination not justice in the true sense of the word. They were never going to put him on the stand though because there'd have been far too many hard truths about US foreign policy brought to the public consciousness.

SEPT 23 1989

They will never be let into power in the Republic,as soon as they come close the State will take off the gloves

buyer95

Lelantos wrote: »

Even during her address to the gathering, Toiresa Ferris had to mention she had downloaded that song, got a cheap laugh & a round of applause. Stay classy SF.

At least she's nice to look at, it would be a lot more disconcerting if it was McGuiness saying those things!

Zonda999

Despite the happenings of the last six years and Irelands only self confessed half moderate leftist party still only on ~15% is an appalling performance in my honest opinion.As to why is very simple. when you see this crap, you just can't get your mind away from the SF/IRA thing. the fact this is still the case in 2013 is pathetic. How do they ever expect to be taken seriously as a government alternative? SF need a total rebrand, getting rid of anybody with any link whatsoever, be it proven or otherwise, with dissident republican activity. they will go nowhere otherwise..

And no, I don't consider Labour to be a leftist party. They were always going to go into power with FG. They would have done it in 2007 and they still jumped at it in 2011

'Sniper on welfare' would probably have been more apt.

Dyr

Zaph wrote: »

I agree, and there are a lot of people who will never vote for SF because of it, myself included. However they are now trying to portray themselves as a legitimate mainstream political party that at some stage could be in government, so at what point do they decide to stop with the sniper signs and other stuff to make themselves more attractive to voters outside their normal demographic?

you mean when do they start to worry about how theyre percieved by people who will never vote for them?

Pawwed Rig

schnitzelEater wrote: »

What exactly are these 'policies' of which you speak?

Property tax, austerity, bail out programme etc etc. What has been on the news everyday for the last 5 years.

Zaph wrote: »

In fairness, they need to start taking themselves seriously first. I can't believe that this stuff was on sale without the knowledge of the party higher-ups, and they should have had enough cop-on to stop them being sold.

Agreed but they are still on the verge of becoming a significant force in Irish politics as there is no good alternative to what we have now. They are the only party in opposition. FF seem to be still licking their wounds and nobody really takes what they say seriously. They may be part of a government sooner rather than later. If Labour do suffer a collapse at the next election SF would be the most likely beneficiary. If neither of the FF/FG gets a majority (which is unlikely) it may be difficult to form a government without SF (scary as that is)

Zebra3

The same people complaining about pin badges are usually the same muppets whom agree with the Irish taxpayer being raped to pay the debts of private businesses.

Distraction journalism.

Oh, and don't forget about FF allowing America to transit kidnap and torture victims through Shannon airport.

Madam_X

Zebra3 wrote: »

pin badges

More specifically: extremely distasteful pin badges which are a massive **** you to people killed by the IRA and their loved ones, and which would be just as bad being for sale at a UDP party conference.

Saab Ed

Zebra3 wrote: »

The same people complaining about pin badges are usually the same muppets whom agree with the Irish taxpayer being raped to pay the debts of private businesses.

Oh, and don't forget about FF allowing America to transit kidnap and torture victims through Shannon airport.

So we agree, its all wrong.

Birroc

The Irish political system is immature in a lot of ways. You can see that by the calibre of the candidates that are elected every time. They are all mé feiners bar a small number.
Sinn Fein members tend to be loony dreamers and they usually only attract extreme elements. However the worry is that these loons could form a coalition at some point in the near future because people are finally disillusioned with the main parties (with good cause) and need an alternative. The choice isn't great which is why we need a new political system way more than a strong SF.
As for the sniper badges, there are a-holes in every party.

hyperborean

Those SF ard fheis's are a hoot, the real big "hitters" in attendance aren't even politicians.....

My name is URL

Madam_X wrote: »

More specifically: extremely distasteful pin badges which are a massive **** you to people killed by the IRA and their loved ones, and which would be just as bad being for sale at a UDP party conference.

Similar things are sold through the Sinn Fein bookshop all year round...

Don't really know why a few eejits selling tacky merchandise at a party conference is especially newsworthy.

I think selling such stuff is stupid fwiw.. I doubt the money it brings in is any greater than the damage it does to their image.

token101

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

Maybe get off your high horse and stop looking down on SF and the people (including myself) who vote for them.

High horse? The IRA, over which the current leaders of Sinn Fein directly presided, killed over 1,800 people! And Gerry Adams is still lying about much of what went on!

HoggyRS

I see no absolutely issue here. I'd wear that t shirt, have no problem with the pin and i've voted SF every election i've been eligible.

The only issue here is that clearly McGuinness and the grassroots of SF selling this gear are out of touch cause he's been cribbing all week about celebrating the oul bitches death. He's an absolute fool mind you.

My name is URL

token101 wrote: »

High horse? The IRA, over which the current leaders of Sinn Fein directly presided, killed over 1,800 people! And Gerry Adams is still lying about much of what went on!

In fairness though, why should he come clean about his past when people on other sides of the conflict refuse to do so?

Adams etc have been calling for years for a truth and reconciliation forum to be set up; where everyone sits down and agrees to be open and honest about what happened and what they know about. Both the British, Irish and NI parliaments and security forces have refused to consider it.

GRMA

lol @ the faux outrage

SF in not hating the IRA shocker

They aren't going to forget the fighting men from crossmaglen

Saab Ed

GRMA wrote: »

lol @ the faux outrage

SF in not hating the IRA shocker

They aren't going to forget the fighting men from crossmaglen

For those lads they'll be selling "Diesel" T-Shirts to commemorate their efforts.

joe swanson

In fairness, says more about the sort of people who vote for them. Scroungers, thugs and the uneducated.

Czarcasm

The possibility of Shìtty (Mé) Féin ever in government?

Not even a LOL, merely elicits a mild snicker at this stage.

Not even at the last general election when they packed a load of foreign nationals into minibuses and carted them to the polling stations did it have any effect on the outcome.

Clueless pack of pie in the sky pricks is all they are. If any of them could even spell "economy" I'd be surprised. I wouldn't ask them to write it because their knuckles must be sore from dragging them along the ground.

That's the only reason they gave up the violence a few years back- they couldn't shoot a rifle nor pull a pin on a grenade with their calloused fingers.

TEMPLAR KNIGHT

joe swanson wrote: »

In fairness, says more about the sort of people who vote for them. Scroungers, thugs and the uneducated.

I am a fourth year economics and finance student who has had a job since I was 17, and I vote sinn fein. I've grown up with the absolute corruption of other political parties and as a young man I am sick of the people being treated the way they are So please keep your ignorant sweeping generalisations to yourself and continue to vote FG/FF who have absolutely destroyed this country and its inhabitants through sheer and utter negligence.