The accelerating fall in Sinn Féin support

rob316

SF are a party without a purpose. Mixed up in all these social issues that no one really cares about.

If they went hard on housing, crime and immigration they could sweep the next election but they have deserted their core base for going with the wind.

paddyisreal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121945259#Comment_121945259

Which political party can you trust ? I will take my chances with any party who come out against this hate bill. In fairness also SF wanted amendments which the government decided to ignore.

ELM327

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121945358#Comment_121945358

Left wing Ireland for the Irish would be a lot of SF core support both now and over the years. Not right wing.

ELM327

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121945423#Comment_121945423

Yes, my uncle for example was a lifelong SF supporter, an ardent one. He died 20 years ago and would likely be shocked at what has become of "his" party now.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121945500#Comment_121945500

SF wanted amendments which the government decided to ignore.

But doesn't this indicate they favour some sort of 'hate speech' legislation? If I was you I'd wait till SF rule out introducing any such legislation if they get into government before letting this latest move influence how you vote in the GE.

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121945777#Comment_121945777

By the amount of legal cases SF are bringing against the media they will probably try to make it illegal to be critical of SF

When you see how they use their online supporter to attack people online it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to me

padd b1975

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121945581#Comment_121945581

So he was an ardent Marxist?

Yeah Right

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121945500#Comment_121945500

SF voted, to a man/woman, FOR this bill. https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/vote/dail/33/2023-04-26/51/

If they wanted amendments, that was the time to put the lámh in the air and say níl.

Why would you vote for something if you didn't want it in it's current form? No point voting for it and then trying to change it, they should have voted against it and said "we'll vote for it next time if you change X, Y and Z". The very definition of a populist party, caught with their pants around their ankles when their stance is going against the grain. They are backtracking and in damage control mode at the moment.

It is as clear as day that they DO want it, but all of the recent backlash means they're speaking out of both sides of their mouth (as usual), so that they can stop the hemorrhaging which is currently ongoing. I suspect that the recent referendum debacle means they want to distance themselves even further from the current Govt., but that's my own suspicions.

All the guff about amendments is just that, guff.

Augme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121945227#Comment_121945227

You're one of the few though. The vast majority of people are far more concerned about the likes of housing, health, crime, immigration, education etc than some hate speech legilsation that won't impacts 99% of people.

Mick ah

That's the thing though. The hate speech bill will impact everyone (negatively).

Most people are just too ignorant to recognise that though.

iffandonlyif

It was often said that Ireland didn’t have a right wing because SF hoovered up the nativist, anti-establishment vote and channelled it towards an ostensibly left wing desire for a united Ireland. SF’s big success in the last ten years has been to preserve that base while attracting young, progressive voters (whose support was usually explained as being because of the housing crisis, but I think was at least in part because of a burgeoning Gaelic nationalism among the young -- e.g. the women’s football team singing Up the Ra, the trend on campuses of Gaelicising surnames, etc).

The seeming incompatibility between the two groups was said to be possible because the hardline nationalists were willing to overlook anything so long as they got their dream of unification. SF would also throw them a bone every now and then in commemorating Republican martyrs and kicking up a fuss over things like the since-cancelled RIC commemoration.

But now the party is stretched to breaking point by the immigration issue, on which one group is ultra conservative and the other ultra progressive. It seems SF have bled nativist votes to independents and Aontu. If the party chases them (or even just fails to advocate strongly for refugees), they will lose progressive voters to the Soc Dems and the Greens (or who will just not vote).

You’d love to be a fly on the wall at party strategy meetings.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121945423#Comment_121945423

That traditional core gets them the ~5 seats they had in the 00s.

The original left wing of SF didn't go with the current SF in the 70s split; the majority of them ended up in Labour by the late 90s after the OSF->SFWP->WP->Split->DL->Merger setup.

Milominderbender

People have forgotten about the lead up to the last general election. Charlie Flanagan decided to have a commemoration for the RIC. Problem being the hated black and tan were also RIC members. The Wolfe Tones ended up topping the charts with a rerelease of their song "come out ye black and tans".

https://www.thejournal.ie/ric-cancelled-4956894-Jan2020/

Voters wanting to stick it to the west Brit establishment voted for Sinn Fein in droves. None were more shocked than Sinn Fein themselves. No hoper candidates ended up topping the poll ! One newly elected TD was even away on holiday.

All this was seven months after their disastrous European and local elections where they all but one of their MEP's and half their local councillors.

In 2020 they benefitted from their reputation as a nationalist party. Problem for them is that more and more voters are seeing that Sinn Fein would rather wave a Palestinian or rainbow flag than an Irish one.

Bobson Dugnutt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121946167#Comment_121946167

Top class synopsis.

ShagNastii

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121946912#Comment_121946912

It'll be interesting to see how the Sinn Fein back benchers do in the next election. As you said there unbelievably are many that were geniunely caught completely off guard by being elected.

My own constituency had one elected. In terms of presence and impression within the electoral area it was been less than minimal. I haven't even seen nor heard the bloke that absolutely hockied Leo V to be first in the poll for West Dublin.

They have their Pierce Doherty's, Eoin O Broin's and Mary Lou can be very very impressive but compared to the other parties their experienced, well placed credible offerings aren't as deep at all.

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121945803#Comment_121945803

No. The very most of the support base, the very most of activists and most of those who were in the army were not Marxist.

Milominderbender

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121947545#Comment_121947545

I wonder did Varadkar throw the election ? The black and Tan commemoration due to happen on the 17th of January was cancelled on the 7th. On the 14th a snap election was called for the 8th of February. Surely it would have been wise to wait until the controversy died down ? Varadkar's face was plastered all over the country despite he's unpopularity as a leader.

Dick phelan

SF want the hate speech bill. If they didn't they wouldn't have voted for it. But just like everything else SF will lie and just go with whatever is popular. They are the worst kind of politics, will sacrifice any principal they ever had for a chance at power. To quote Peter Hitchens about the Tories. These are my principals and if you don't like them I've got other ones. Sums up SF.

Clo-Clo

The Ditch, the most corrupt and biased media source in Ireland, is doing a bit of back tracking.

They ran a story, contacted the Gardai for comment and published 3 mins after contacting not giving them time to comment

The Garda and some seem to claim the posted it as declined to comment, but The trustworthy Ditch crew said they posted article as “contacted to comment”

Between Paddy’s recent ranting and raving daily on tiwttrr, now the Ditch reminding everyone how corrupt they are, it’s seems everyone aligned with Sinn Fein are losing the run of themselves because they are down in polls

Hilarious to watch

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121942631#Comment_121942631

...and what happens if a shed load of transfers go to SF!

SF historically have never been transfer-friendly, so why would it start now? Its unlikely.

You admit SF are crap, but are supporting them anyway..

That says a lot.

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121948275#Comment_121948275

The Ditch are a story away from being taken to the cleaners.

They will publish the wrong thing, piss off the wrong person and each and everyone of their 'journalists' will be up in court.

Paddy might bail them out but given his own empire is in free fall, he might not have deep pockets as people think.

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121948725#Comment_121948725

in court again you mean, most of them have had their issues with the law before. a bit like their benefactor.

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121948725#Comment_121948725

Ahh they are a shame and getting caught out more & more now. THis is just the latest.

They are the most corrupt and biased media in Ireland, not sure anyone can even argue against that

ToweringPerformance

I'll be voting any independent who is anti mass immigration that runs in my area. If none run i'll spoil my vote as a protest as the rest are all in the same boat. I've gone from voting for SF every election over the last 25 odd years to them being the very last choice if a gun was put to my head (or kneecaps it being SF) tbh.

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121947545#Comment_121947545

Paul Donnelly does a lot of work around Ongar and Corduff. Protecting his vote, I have no doubt he will get in.

Dick phelan

If they run a candidate in my area then Aontu has my vote. Don't agree with everything they stand for but at least they are saying something about mass immigration and the social justice crusade being followed by our current major parties. If not them, then a like-minded IND. If neither option is available a spoiled vote will be my 3rd choice.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121947545#Comment_121947545

many back benchers are deeply rooted in their constituencies - some re-elected decade after decade - you need a solid base to vote for you and even then that can go wrong such as we saw with FF back in the 2000s - but leaving exceptional times aside hard to get re elected after whatever prompted the votes last time around without a solid base- an ideology won’t cut it second time around

Sheep breeder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121950120#Comment_121950120

the younger people who have come of age since the last election don’t have much interest in politics any more, they are worried about college, accommodation, cost of living and travel expenses, getting a job and down the road about housing and future life, most couldn’t tell who the local TDs are and don’t care about deep rooted constituency. The old family thing is daddy voted blue shirt and we all have to vote the same is gone,

pureza

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121949778#Comment_121949778

They're anti abortion,anti divorce,anti gay marriage amongst other things,are you OK with that ?

Peadar left Sinn Féin and set up Aontu due to the abortion issue,he's not a fan of female reproductive rights

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121949124#Comment_121949124

Donnelly took three elections to become a councillor (including losing his seat after being co-opted) and six elections to become a TD. Rather the non-poster-child when SF attack people who lose elections.

His local vote is far from secure, despite decades of doing work.