The decline of FG?

It was a disgusting, exploitative, deliberately emotive and personalised speech (knowing the government can't talk about specific patient details) about a highly complex problem that contributed absolutely nothing. It's not the gotcha that you think that because MLM lied to some desperate parents that if only she were in power she could wave to solve this. We know that a significant amount of the backlog was created by a surge

This from a party that can't even deliver clear drinking water in Belfast (lots of excuses when it's SF unable to deliver basic services).

I didn't see the Taoiseach get angry in that entire video including with the appalling use of the childs parents as a prop. He asked if MLM was better than that. Obviously not.

Better to start from a high polling position than a low one, if your aim is to win the election.

High polling is no gaurantee of success, but it improves your chances.

Well said, the parents' and child's dreadful situation would be no different if ML was in the opposite seat, frankly disgusting to use individual citizens' trials for your own political gain. She knows full well she wouldn't be able to pull a lever to help them either.

He was so confident as a Minister he publicly promised to fix the situation in 2017.

SF’s vote peaked at the last election.

They successfully managed to get the knuckledraggers, Rastoolers, some who wanted an larp and a % of delusional left wing kids.

It was an incredibly successful campaign as FF and FG were successfully painted as FFG.

The SF coalition though was unstable and has fallen apart. It is very hard to see new voters moving over to them as what are they offering?

And now that you have successfully got FFG pained around the place, their voters actually transfers to one another.

There will naturally be another contender down the line but it is impossible to see it in SF at this moment in time. I think what is most likely at this point is that post election the soft left who let SF “lead” will coalesce as it is acknowledged that they are an awful brand to gather around.

At this stage it is looking more like a Spring Tide than anything else.

A Spring tide, like what you did there, though this government would be mad to go to Spring, last 2 Spring elections have been to their detriment.

And?

Provisional SF have never gotten over 28% in a GE or Assembly Election.

Up north the sectarian nature of things masks this failure to expand the nationalist vote so they can waive their tri colours but at some point questions need to be asked about what they are doing.

Trying to be FF 2.0 has failed completely.

thread is not about SF.
it’s about the decline of the FG vote.

Well you certainly called a spade a spade there

It's actually a training gig for Fine gaelers

They're scored on their responses and some will be going on to great things 😆

How many Enda's promised 'New Politics'?

The man who published this document - Enda Kenny:

Microsoft Word - New Politics.doc (thejournal.ie)

How many of these reforms where delivered for instance?

As part of the New Politics Fine Gael will deliver:

• A single chamber Oireachtas with no Second House.

• A reduction in the number of TDs in the Dáil by 20.

• A significantly strengthened Dáil committee system that holds Government to account; a fundamentally reformed legislative process that gives TDs real influence over the drafting of legislation; and a completely modernised budget system that will prevent a future Government from behaving recklessly with the State’s finances.

• A vote in Presidential elections for Irish citizens living abroad, a more transparent system of political funding, and a petitions system that will allow citizens to have their concerns considered in the Dáil.

• An Open Government Bill, published with this document, which significantly strengthens Freedom of Information, registers all lobbyists, protects whistleblowers and allows the Standards in Public Office Commission to launch its own investigations.

*Good lord, I maybe shouldn't have gone looking for that. I've spoiled my Friday. What a sham all that was.

Failed to convince the electorate and deliver two of them.
How would assess they did on:

*A significantly strengthened Dáil committee system that holds the government to account?

*Given we have had several bodies warning about overspend how have they done on this:

and a completely modernised budget system that will prevent a future Government from behaving recklessly with the State’s finances.

and what about this one? The one where they didn't need the electorate to affect change:

An Open Government Bill, published with this document, which significantly strengthens Freedom of Information, registers all lobbyists, protects whistleblowers and allows the Standards in Public Office Commission to launch its own investigations.

That a party who go into power don’t action all plans is the way of things. Particularly in the case of coalitions.

The constitutional rejections prove out this point. Barely over 1 in 3 voted for FG. Even if they all supported every policy, it is not like there was an overwhelming mandate to achieve all policies.