The accelerating fall in Sinn Féin support

Kermit.de.frog

Immigration was always going to break the back of SF. I'm surprised they've got away with the disconnect between their representatives and their voters this long.

Headshot

It doesnt surprise me to see the recent drop in opinion polls for SF.

There's been own goals by this party recently namely the referendum. It was the perfect opportunity for them to stand out but instead they get behind the Yes Vote following the Government.

The Irish public don't want another FG/FF but a real alternative and I don't see SF as that.

I've always said that immigration is going to be front and center of the GE stage and SF have no solution here and we're already seeing it hurting them. They need to get off the pot and make changes to their immigration policy before it's to late

As of now I can see the independents are going to win big time in the GE which has me worried because it might assist FF/FG back into power.

Ionraice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121751470#Comment_121751470

Well said. I have family abroad. They are all involved in construction. They would also like to come home. Ironically, they can't come home to build houses, because they either can't find a house to rent locally, or can't find an affordable house to rent further afield, while they build houses. It's catch 22, the fewer available rental properties, the less chance there is that skilled construction workers can return to build the houses that are so desperately needed. Meanwhile, we can apparently house all comers from every nation, without sufficient construction workers to supply the needed housing. Some common sense is badly needed....it is also sadly lacking, unfortunately.

MIKEKC

Very, much to the point. If construction workers are to come back they need somewhere to rent until they get their own houses sorted. SF, are constantly against landlords, which is causing a lot of them to sell up .They are afraid of SF, enter government they will stop landlords selling their houses. The majority of landlords are hoping to use their property as an addition to their pension. Pearce Doherty seems to be loosing the run of himself, constantly shouting in the Dail. When you have to shout you are loosing, the argument.I

Water John

Unless a house is left empty, someone lives in it. Thus overall, it doesn't matter a lot whether it's owned or a tenant, in the overall picture of housing the population. Numbers are the key. We need about 50K units per year, and need to ramp up to that. We don't need to do a Bertie and overshooot that number and create a bubble, that then crashes the market again.

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121954725#Comment_121954725

The biggest group of "some dickhead will try to bully them" is the Sinn Fein online supporters group, have been for years. plenty of evidence all over the internet, including boards of this group trying to bully anyone who doesn't agree with Sinn Fein

In terms of "SF who get voted from people who believe in them", the biggest issue SF have is thei policies are a bag of cats. None of them add up when you put them together. Like the "tax the rich" then next statement is "we plan to hire more doctors", combine the two and the target for the new "tax the rich" is the doctors they are supposed to be hiring.

This is why SF are losing votes. Waffling on about getting "voters who believe in them" ain't going to fix their incompetence at pulling together coherent policies, so the issue is not the voter, the issue is with the party

Finty Lemon

The fact that the current iteration of Sinn Fein is essentially product of Mi5, should be enough to turn most people away.

Do we really want a gang of British touts running the country?

maccored

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121957373#Comment_121957373

there is no disconnect. actual SF supporters (rather than people running from FG/FG and now not knowing who to vote for) welcome immigrants but are aware the current laws and EU agreements need looking at. the government was over zealous in trying to impress the EU. The people you are talking about and called 'voters' I'd guess havent voted SF more than once or twice, as a protest vote

mikethecop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121963810#Comment_121963810

ya im sure the hard core fanatics cultists will do just as they are told by the boys in Belfast or MI5 or who ever runs sf these days . i hope they have just as much control over the provo offshoots we saw mining around in thier black berets and ballys at the weekend.

Aren't ye giving up on attracting new voters a bit prematurely with an election looming? conceding defeat earlier than normally

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121963810#Comment_121963810

That 'actual SF supporter' vote of old gets SF 4 Dáil seats, no Euro seats, no entry to any mayoral rotations.

Bobson Dugnutt

Rumours flying around that McGuinness might have been a tout. Anyone here believe that? If the other lad in Belfast was named then that wouldn’t surprise me at all, but I have my doubts about McGuinness. What we do know is that the IRA and pre 86 leadership of SF was riddled with British informers.

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121965150#Comment_121965150

Don't really care to be honest

The PIRA was just a criminal gang, they would have done anything to protect the money they had flooding in from their illegal activities. Been an informer to the British was an easy way to get them to turn a blind eye

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121957792#Comment_121957792

I’ve mentioned a number of times in different political threads that independents will feature strongly in the next election - it’s a comment often criticised but I’ve seen enough elections over the years to know that the statement “feels” true - people disaffected with current parties and no reasonable alternative will make people vote independent in their droves.
FG will suffer definitely- Labour will probably gain some seats; FF will likely do reasonably well overall ; SF I’m just not sure of - I personally don’t like them and don’t think they can do the country good but each to their own I guess - I’m wondering though why might they do worse than last election?

They’re going to get anti-govt protest votes as well of course those who want SF in power - I don’t see them any ways worse than they were last time around but like I said I’m not a fan so not close enough to see the subtle differences - they haven’t been hugely vocal and their policies are not what you’d expect from the opposition so in that way yeah, they’re not doing a great job of holding govt to account

ELM327

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121966135#Comment_121966135

It's simple. The prevailing thought last time was "us" SF vs "them" FF FG etc. Now SF are "them" too.

mariaalice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121957373#Comment_121957373

Why would you think immigration is the biggest concern of the average SF voter?

The SF vote always seemed to be about hyper-local issues and we're not them.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121966161#Comment_121966161

yeah I would have thought housing and access to health care in good time would be the key agenda items for an average SF voter?

Potatoeman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121966205#Comment_121966205

How exactly is the increased number of Ukrainian refugees with medical cards and IP’s that also have free access to healthcare and accommodation not going to impact services?

Galwayguy35

Padraig Mac Lochlainn on The Tonight Show yesterday shouting about why the Government isn't getting ready for a UI.

The shinners seem to think a border poll is high on the list of things voters want sorted out when it really isn't.

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121981399#Comment_121981399

They are tanking, they have no decent plan on policies

They will start waffling about a United Ireland in the hope to draw back some of the supporters who have dumped them over immigration.

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121965150#Comment_121965150

It is more than just rumours, believed by many.

It would mean that the whole movement to stop killing people was actually directed by the British. Hundreds of thousands of lives saved by a British agent.

Bobeagleburger

McGuinness was a brilliant leader.

More than can be said for the current crop of jokers at the head of SF.

Chalk and cheese.

SharkMX

Im here in my sisters house getting a lift into work.

Mary Lou is on the TV moaning again. This time about the taoiseach not being around.

This is in a house where the adults up to a few months ago were all for voting SF. Now they are face palming at everything she does.

I have to say though "Karen" McDonald does seem like the perfect name for her constant moaning and finger pointing. Pure genius from the kids tbh.

markodaly

SF are getting desperate.

Trigger Happy

She does moan a lot. If she blamed the bad weather on the government I would not be surprised.

If they want to govern they need to start sounding like a party that can govern and not one that just complains all the time.

Raoul Duke III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122003934#Comment_122003934

The problem is that half the SF party have no interest in governing and would be deeply uncomfortable with the notion.

Trigger Happy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122003959#Comment_122003959

And the other half is incapable. Bad candidate selection over the years etc.

Bobson Dugnutt

She does come across as very negative, sneering and condescending these days. All very glib, looking out over her glasses, whiff of the school principal off her. A few people have mentioned how off-putting she is recently.

Seth Brundle

Mod: Thread moved from Politics to CA. Please take notice if the CA charter which applies

Quantum Erasure

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122004012#Comment_122004012

Negative, sneering and condescending...

Have you seen Micheal Martin lately?

Annasopra

The irony of moaning about moaning 🤣