Does Sinn Fein have a social media problem?

blanch152

quokula wrote: »

I wouldn't say they see it as a social media problem. Without the ability to spread unchallenged propaganda on social media and whip up their supporters by telling different groups different things that they want to hear, the party would be absolutely nowhere electorally. It's the exact same pattern that led to Brexit and Trump, with the exact same unsavoury element of flag waving nationalist bigots present when you look beneath the surface.

Yes, when you think of it from a Sinn Fein perspective, that the hatred and bile promulgated by its supporters on social media has led to electoral success, then it isn't a problem.

For the ordinary, decent onlooker, there might be a different view.

Yes they do.
And always will.

friendlyfun

I don't think it's entirely fair to see Sinn Fein are Trumpian, I mean it was young FG who had delegates at the right wing Turning Point USA two years ago and Leo Varadkar agreeing with Trump's media comments.

blanch152

friendlyfun wrote: »

I don't think it's entirely fair to see Sinn Fein are Trumpian, I mean it was young FG who had delegates at the right wing Turning Point USA two years ago and Leo Varadkar agreeing with Trump's media comments.

That is just a "look-over-there" comment that doesn't address the real issue.

It is not about whether Sinn Fein, Trump and Brexiteers share a political ideology in a left/right sense, it is about their political tactics, their aggressive social media presence, their nasty exclusionary nationalism which can be left or right, their anti-intellectualism, their populism, their bullyboy tactics within their own party etc..

There are plenty of right-wing politicians and political activists who are far from Trumpian, ditto left-wing, it is the other things that identify it.

mariaalice

The foundation of the Irish state was extremely bloody, numerous heroes of 1916 were court marshaled and executed by the state in the early 1920s Erskin Childers, Liam Mellows to name two there were 81 overall.

That fact seems to have escaped Irish conscientiousness, it's all let's celebrate 1916 and gloss over the bumpy messy bits of the foundation of the state.

The political parties we have in Ireland today originate from the political party that ordered those court marshals.

Not a of fan of SF but they are a political party that has emerged from blood sacrifice republicism and that is one factor in the sort of social media support they attract.

If SF gets their turn in government and there are no guarantees, after a short honeymooned period, they will be savaged via social media as what happens when the heroes of those social media posters get into power, and minimal changes happen? their heroes are part of the establishment now.

He who rides a tiger finds it difficult to dismount.

Hotblack Desiato

If you take up arms against the democratically elected government, why on earth would you NOT be court-martialled?

The rules are always different during times of civil insurrection, national emergency or war and that's still in our constitution today

Nonetheless the anti-treaty IRA were in most cases treated a lot more leniently than they would have been in other countries with civil wars.

BTW there is only one party in existence today which is descended from pro-treaty SF (two, if you count Renua as still going)

The simplistic jingoism in 2016 made me retch. We've now moved on to an altogether darker phase of events 100 years ago and it's no coincidence that all is quiet on that front, I think after the "Tan" debacle they'll just try to forget the civil war ever happened at this stage

blanch152

https://www.thejournal.ie/belfast-grafitti-leo-varadkar-5344817-Feb2021/


I see that social media issues have got another airing today in the Journal.

It seems that there is no let-up from the usual sources. Just go on to Twitter and see the hate and bile that pours forth from every second account that has a tricolour motif somewhere on its profile.

stefanovich

nuac wrote: »

Vile stuff from SF and not for the first time,
Suepeised that in such a rigidly controlled party that that ths was not dealt withe sooner and more effectively.
Perhaps this sort of "banter" comes from other parties, but not incietment to mirder erc.
Hope tue SF heavies wanrned and expelled their more enthusiastic posters

Irish republicans have a history of punishing people with big mouths.

FreudianSlippers

You don't have to look much further than boards.ie to see the SF social media team in action - posters and mods - continually posting really vile things, deflecting from any negative SF news by attacking anyone who dares question them, and then met with the lightest-touch moderation compared to anyone who dares speak out about SF.

Not this forum luckily, although it has had its problems in the past, but very clear on other areas of the site. Makes me wonder if it's policy from the top brass or if it's just overlooked?

Lumen

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

You don't have to look much further than boards.ie to see the SF social media team in action - posters and mods - continually posting really vile things, deflecting from any negative SF news by attacking anyone who dares question them, and then met with the lightest-touch moderation compared to anyone who dares speak out about SF.

Not this forum luckily, although it has had its problems in the past, but very clear on other areas of the site. Makes me wonder if it's policy from the top brass or if it's just overlooked?

The different forum charters vary massively, by design.

I made the mistake of thinking that the Current Affairs forum was some generalised variant of Politics, only to discover that you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. It's like a grim version of After Hours in which people take their own disgusting opinions seriously. And sure enough, according to the charter that's pretty much what it is supposed to be.

Brendan Bendar

Lumen wrote: »

The different forum charters vary massively, by design.

I made the mistake of thinking that the Current Affairs forum was some generalised variant of Politics, only to discover that you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. It's like a grim version of After Hours in which people take their own disgusting opinions seriously. And sure enough, according to the charter that's pretty much what it is supposed to be.

Bit harsh there?

ancapailldorcha

Mod: Please don't discuss other Boards.ie fora here. Any feedback should be taken to the feedback forum. Thanks.

StringerBell

Does sinn Fein have a social media problem? Yeah, most of them do tbf. Social media and political parties are new to each other, and the "establishment" that will make up the leadership and controlling members of long time political parties are often of an older generation who may not be fully aware of how it all actually works.

Do all sections of the electorate contain some absolute loopers and scumbags? Yeah from what I can see, for sure.

Does Sinn Fein seem to have more of them? Maybe, it certainly looks like they have some of the more stupid ones who aren't clever enough to keep things behind closed doors.

Sinn Fein is far from a perfect party, still resembles a paramilitary organisation in many ways but I do think they are on a path to typical Irish political party, just slower than a lot would hope.

I share alot of ideological views of the party, but at the minute I wouldn't want them anywhere near power because I think they would bankrupt the country and that they simply don't have policies to successfully enact the populist retoric, it's easy to be outside the tent pissing in.

I am not on Facebook so haven't seen any of the content of this group but I wouldn't be surprised to hear anything, we all hear stuff said in "private" surely that we know people would never say in public/good society? Don't interpret that as any excuse for some of the idiots who espouse racist/offensive in whatever way the views were, views. It is not that, I do feel that whenever something comes out that can be used to tarnish SF it gets a magnifying glass put on it, but that's politics I guess.

To compare it to the US, the likes of fox will always look to portray something a Democrat does as an absolute scandal regardless, and MSNBC would be the same on the other side. It loses some of its impact that way imo

Sorry for the ramble

stefanovich

expectationlost wrote: »

why didn't the Irish Times name the administrators?

That’d be too much information for us plebs.

stefanovich

quokula wrote: »

I wouldn't say they see it as a social media problem. Without the ability to spread unchallenged propaganda on social media and whip up their supporters by telling different groups different things that they want to hear, the party would be absolutely nowhere electorally. It's the exact same pattern that led to Brexit and Trump, with the exact same unsavoury element of flag waving nationalist bigots present when you look beneath the surface.

Partially agree with you except on the Brexit and Trump point. There was propaganda on both sides but social media were only engaged in the suppression of right wing political speech.

whysobecause

No homphobia please.

Colonel Claptrap

Theres a facebook page known as Call for a revolution in Ireland. It was set up around the time of the water protests. Now it posts anti-establishment, populist, pro-SF content.

What's most striking is not the content. It's the comments from it's legion of tri-colour/Palestine flag waving knuckledraggers.

Don't believe me?
Here's a selection from the past few days.



"Get of scot free slimy slithering corrupt bastards the lot of ff fg vermin rats we should hang these ***** to the lampposts joke this **** this wanker will probably get another pay rise out of this and a big compensation pay out for being bullied by us folk online your a rat 🀠pure vermin tick tock posh boy plenty of rope with your name on it"

"Leo will have no problems dropping the soap in the showers in the Joy 🀣🀣🀣🀣🀣🀣"

"Kick this **** stabbing dope out of Ireland nothing but a sellout💯💯💯"

"Once Pearce is minister for finance he will reveal the books to the public all the corruption
Any money mehole will do a Bertie he will get out before the **** hit the fan some other poor bolix in FF will sink with the ship"

"Rotten tan"

"Retard"

"Bender"

"Terrible racist comments....to be fair"

"What a ****en TRAITOR to the Irish people Dragging a Republican party to bed with Blueshirt Black&Tans you disgusting piece of ****e and the rest of your FF,, Yes minister,, colleagues after being castarated
Party needs disbanding,, to a few with BALLS AND VISION, 🀬🀬🀬⁉️"

"I can't wait for the day when Mary Lou sits in her new office and asks the heads of Rte , times, independent at al into government buildings for a chat . Change is coming"

"You are a disgrace you ****ing black n tan traitor to the Irish nation,,,thank God for the IRA hero's protecting the national people of Ireland against Death Squads Colluders including Agent Harris MI5,,,shame on you bailed out rogue banks using Irish taxpayers money you criminal bastard,,how dare you corrupt to the core muttering fool,,,,NOT OUR TAOISEACH NOT ELECTED BY PEOPLE,,,WANTING TO COMMERATE MURDERING BLACK N TANS YOU AND YOUR BLUESHIRT TRAITORS,,,,STEP DOWN YOU MORON THIS IS STILL OUR ISLAND OF IRELAND."

"Ryan has a great jaw for a slap of a hurley
Preferably one that would not brake. I would love to administer it."

"One empty headed ****"

"What I would love to do to that fkr is beyond my pacifist stance now.
That slimy bastard has none, and will never have children, so he cares fk all about any of us.
Honestly I want to smash his head in along with that fkn ratfaced bastard of a teashock. Grrr..."

Rodney Bathgate

Sickening but hardly surprising.

Hotblack Desiato

whysobecause wrote: »

Snipped post.

He's not wrong.

There's already been an MP murdered in the UK over it.

mariaalice

If and it is a big if, they even get into government a lot of it would fall away, it's easy for the online SF supporter to project any fantasy on to SF while they have no power.

To the online supporter, they can be a socialist party, an old-style republican party, or modern republican party, the party of the working class replacing labor, the party of the middle class replacing the 'corrupt cronyism' of the present set up, they will sort out the 'corrupt' biased media, abolish the special criminal courts and so on.


Plus a certain amount of it must be mental health issues that is not an excuse though.

smurgen

tayto lover wrote: »

You can decommission guns and explosives.
You cannot decommission psychotic minds.

Sinn Fein will have to disassociate themselves from this kind of thinking if they want to move on and build trust in their party.

Can they do that?

Meh it's a bit ott there. Just because a few headbangers in a group under a party name post means nothing. Do they actually support SF policies? Doubtful they even know them. That's not Sinn Fein's fault. People don't like this Government it's deeply unpopular and people are reacting to it.

Aa regards other parties I seen calls of violence multiple times against SF TDs. There was a post doing the rounds calling for Mary Lou to be raped. It's was in a group called provisional Irish meme which seemed to be vile postings at anyone with republican leanings. Do I blame other parties for that? Nope. It's just headbangers. But I will say this only one party that I know of had attacks on another as part of a research candidate application process and it was not Sinn Fein.

Brendan Bendar

smurgen wrote: »

Meh it's a bit ott there. Just because a few headbangers in a group under a party name post means nothing. Do they actually support SF policies? Doubtful they even know them. That's not Sinn Fein's fault. People don't like this Government it's deeply unpopular and people are reacting to it.

Aa regards other parties I seen calls of violence multiple times against SF TDs. There was a post doing the rounds calling for Mary Lou to be raped. It's was in a group called provisional Irish meme which seemed to be vile postings at anyone with republican leanings. Do I blame other parties for that? Nope. It's just headbangers. But I will say this only one party that I know of had attacks on another as part of a research candidate application process and it was not Sinn Fein.

Are Cullinane and Stanley headbangers then?

El Tarangu

smurgen wrote: »

Aa regards other parties I seen calls of violence multiple times against SF TDs. There was a post doing the rounds calling for Mary Lou to be raped. It's was in a group called provisional Irish meme which seemed to be vile postings at anyone with republican leanings. Do I blame other parties for that? Nope.

Were there TDs and councillors from other parties in the group? If not, your analogy is worthless, tbh.

Larbre34

They simply must not be elected to lead a Govt. Ever.

smurgen

El Tarangu wrote: »

Were there TDs and councillors from other parties in the group? If not, your analogy is worthless, tbh.

Not really. There are plenty of FG councillors trolling on twitter. I'm not certain of that group but I'd imagine a group of 16k members is going to have a wide net.

smurgen

Brendan Bendar wrote: »

Are Cullinane and Stanley headbangers then?

Were they the ones asking for violence in the group?

Jinglejangle69

smurgen wrote: »

Not really. There are plenty of FG councillors trolling on twitter. I'm not certain of that group but I'd imagine a group of 16k members is going to have a wide net.

FG on a SF thread.

You are the first to accuse people of saying look over there when the roles are reserved.

FG really grate SF supporters, borderline obsessed with Leo Varadkar.

Bizarre.

El Tarangu

smurgen wrote: »

Not really. There are plenty of FG councillors trolling on twitter.

Define 'trolling' - are these FG councillors engaging in childish tit-for-tats, winding people up? Or are they advocating cutting people's throats and giving someone a bullet in the back of the head?

Again, if it's the former rather than the latter, your analogy is hopelessly flawed.

smurgen

El Tarangu wrote: »

Define 'trolling' - are these FG councillors engaging in childish tit-for-tats, winding people up? Or are they advocating cutting people's throats and giving someone a bullet in the back of the head?

Again, if it's the former rather than the latter, your analogy is hopelessly flawed.

Well they liked a post asking for someone be murdered. Is that enough for you? Those are FG councillors btw.

https://twitter.com/christineomg5/status/1256552956561960962?s=19

blanch152

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/sinn-fein-councillor-organises-commemoration-for-ira-bomber-40104086.html

Another online faux-pas by Sinn Fein.

Quite how they think these things will not get noticed and picked up is beyond me.

"“We do not need or want to commemorate bombers, kidnappers, bank robbers and the people who murdered our gardaí and Defence Forces.”

Mr Craughwell was reacting to online promotional material to m ark the 25th anniversary of the death of “Volunteer O’Brien”, apparently issued in the name of Mr Ó Súilleabháin, a local teacher."

Is there any chance they will learn to cop on and tone it down?