Could Fine Gael be pushed to the right?

almostover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123941282#Comment_123941282

That's a good summation, FG have traditionally been the party of fiscal responsibility and have always been brought into government to fix FF's mess. FF tend to be the flaithulach party, populists to a fault. That has changed under Martin's tenure where they have been become more like FG. SF are eyeing up the former position of FF and moving quickly from Marxism to populism.

almostover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123941632#Comment_123941632

Problem with Renua and Creighton was they were tarnished with being anti abortion. She'd probably still be in FG today only for that

Sunny Disposition

I think the public, those aged 30 and over, are way to the right of all the main parties on immigration, crime and welfare. People think the country has lost the plot on them all.

Given that there is so little ideology among the leaders of our parties, I’d be very surprised if FF and FG don’t pivot sharply and quickly.

The presidential election might be an important wake up call. A budget that increased welfare and gave no tax breaks to workers; doomed Heather. It was a pretty bizarre move tbf, very hard to defend to people who do work, which is most people.

Idbatterim

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123941865#Comment_123941865

That's some strange logic, what we have in the Dail is horrendous. For whatever reason, proper leaders and people with integrity, who would get things done, don't have an interest in politics. We just havecwafflimg wasters. In other countries, it seems common for business people to take an interest in politics and run for election...

Idbatterim

Maybe. But times are seriously different...

Maria Steen says there's a big gap on Irish political right - but is unsure if she'll run again https://jrnl.ie/6857035

Yeah, lots of comments talking about the need forca centre right party in that article. The fact that ffg, will lose votes and seats, as they think rewarding welfare more than week os a priority, that's how spineless they are. It's going to be great, when they lose seats to this hopeful new party, it can't come soon enough.... shower of wasters, we need our own DOGE also. The waste and lack of accountability here, is staggering... as is the current economic mismanagement, wait until the **** hits the fan again and the masses wake up to, the reality of the current wreckless with state finances, the 2008 crash, will have been way more forgiveable than this lunacy... " lessons learned " Loooooooooollllll!

Rjd2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123941189#Comment_123941189

What killed the Tories in the UK for is their voters felt they were not delivering on their promises to limit the numbers when it came to immigration, thus them currently been destroyed by Reform and ultimately why Jenrick will be installed as next leader before the next election as he very much running as a hard right immigration hawk.

The chattering classes and the likes of Boris may have wanted the tories to be socially liberal and fiscally conservative but their voters on the ground most certainly didn't.

Strumms

I don’t think so personally. FG are still too interlinked with big business and their interests. That’s why they are very much ‘ left ‘ on the subject of immigration. More people here = more competition for jobs which means lower wages. Simple.

wont take a more right wing approach to crime as they haven’t supported the Gardai, haven’t brought through the necessary extra prison places.

Over Varadkars terms as Taoiseach, every year with the exception of one year, crime increased. “Getting tough on crime”… nope, sorry….

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942207#Comment_123942207

How is it strange logic? She literally lost her seat in the Dáil so clearly her constituents did not think she was better than anyone in it.

Idbatterim

They must not have … however, what did we get ? The same hive mind from the others that were elected... they literally offer nothing different

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942428#Comment_123942428

And "Fine Gael but socially conservative" was going to offer something different? Creighton and Renua's only point of existing was to be anti-abortion and no one had any time for it.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123941152#Comment_123941152

FF might have talked about ending emigration, but their policy failures caused more emigration under their rule than under the rule of any other political movement in the history of the state.

They also talked about draining the Shannon and eradicating bovine TB…

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123941227#Comment_123941227

Society most certainly has moved on from the sort of proto-fascist reactionary Catholic nonsense David Quinn spouts.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123941237#Comment_123941237

This is the party that talks about looking after the people who get up early in the morning, but even under "right wing" Leo it was only talk. The budget gave those who don't bother getting up at all €12 a week and gave workers a tax rise.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123941632#Comment_123941632

Creighton, what a joke. She had her chance and blew it big time.

Hotblack Desiato

Were the PDs not that party?

They were, but some have rewritten history to portray them as something akin to the Nazis.

What really killed them was getting too close to Bertie and his very dodgy decentralisation plan. "Welcome to Parlon Country". A billion taxpayer euro spunked on making FF connected landowners and developers richer, while making public services worse. They should have left government over that and that is the fault of Mary Harney.

Idbatterim

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942446#Comment_123942446

Yes, but that issue is done- dusted... great. A massively grey area; shoots down a party that could have been a big benefit to the country. Unlike a seriously divisive issue ... housing, health, infrastructure, all those farces that effect us every day...

"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.

Winston Churchill"

The issue in Ireland is, the government effectively govern based on public opinion polls... and we wonder why the place is a joke !

almostover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942614#Comment_123942614

There's definitely an opening for a PD type party again, they'd likely garner a decent level of support given FG's trajectory under Varadkar and Harris.

Idbatterim

Mickey Mouse and the boy scouts, effectively make decisions, based on how rte will perceive them... how else do you explain 600 a year welfare increase and nothing for workers ? Their obscene cowardice, is going to be their undoing...

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942682#Comment_123942682

FFG are still likely to get voted in again. There is no alternative for the home owning electorate to vote for.

Idbatterim

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942446#Comment_123942446

Sorry, Are you insinuating the party were a single issue party ? Believe me, on finances abs taxes, they'd have been to the right of ffg welfare gravy train

Idbatterim

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942686#Comment_123942686

Possibly, but they are losing influence massively, ... we could get coalition of the " left "... they think they are losing votes because they aren't jacking up welfare etc emugh, it's people who would have voted for them, voting independent. Some maybe sf, as they find even them more stomachable than ffg …

I mean the electorate here, we facilitate the piss taking... if the constituents in Martins and hqrruw constituency, voted for other candidates. There would be a consequence, to them taking the absolute piss out of the country...

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942703#Comment_123942703

The left parties will increase welfare and tax wealth more heavily than FFG.

Most of the home owners wont vote for this and they are the largest part of the electorate.

Idbatterim

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942704#Comment_123942704

Why in your opinion, do ffg put welfares before workers, given welfarers despise them, particularly fg. Despite the fact they continually bloat our Billion a year welfare obscenity... unemployed by a mile the lowest voting rates as a demographic

https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2025/10/18/combined-support-for-fianna-fail-and-fine-gael-at-historic-low/

Very Good article here... lays out another very plausible outcome, come next election, its nearly or as plausible, as your prediction...

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942712#Comment_123942712

We have a very progressive tax system and I get that this isnt a typical centre right approach.

Yet SF or a left coalition is the alternative and i do not see a left govt giving tax breaks to the 40% tax paying group at the expense of lower paid workers.

FFG dont have an opposition that will reward the 40% tax payers and so they dont need to offer much to that group.

Idbatterim

What 40% ? it's 52 percent... over a nothing income...

One thing I'd possibly agree with sf is, a third rate of tax, maybe at 150k etc.. but 52% over a pittance, is a scandal...

It should be max 45% and that is already ridiculous at a threshold of 44k. Christ I think minimum wage will pay nearly 30k next year...

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942729#Comment_123942729

40% income tax. No other party is going to give that group a tax break.

Geuze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123941282#Comment_123941282

Yes, FF are more populist than FG. FG should be more fiscally responsible than FF.

A good example is Budget 2026. FG called for lower increases for people on JSA than other welfare schemes. Michéal Martin said no, he doesn't agree with divisions like that.

I think the general population do, and would, agree with treating social insurance (PRSI-based) different than social assistance (means-tested, for non-contributors).

But it didn't happen.

Geuze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123941420#Comment_123941420

None.

(1) No parties call for limits on the number of UKR (legal) refugees. Our figures are off the wall compared to other countries.

No parties call for sending any UKR people home before the war ends.

I haven't heard any parties call for sending UKR people home when the war ends.

Indeed, I sense a sort of acceptance that the UKR people will never be sent home.

(2) no parties call for cuts to student visas

(3) Turning to bogus asylum-seekers, no party calls for rapid processing and removal of the tens of thousands of bogus AS.

I see debate about the costs/contracts of accomm, but I don't see any discussion of reducing the processing times from 68 weeks.

Some people agree with the tiny amount of deportation we do, but I don't hear any calls for daily flights to remove 100-150 daily, that would be needed to deal with the scale of the issue.

Even after last week, nobody called for the removal of the 500 people with deportation orders.

Idbatterim

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942736#Comment_123942736

The Tax on my income over 44k, is 52% . I couldn't care less if they call it the tooth fairy tax. It's 52% tax. ..

dulpit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942773#Comment_123942773

And are you advocating for changing the bands or the tax rate itself?