Election to be called Fri - predict outcome

What misinformation?

Was MM questioned properly about his actual record as Taoiseach and Taniste?

Absolutely and empathically he wasn't.

Was almost every direct question to MLMD framed with a negative 'whatabout' she had to deal with first = yes.

Were Harris and Martin allowed pretend they were the opposition to themselves and their record = yes.

At a few points I wondered had RTE been called with a list of questions to ask by the FF FG campaign teams

It's a known fact that RTE don't like SF but the questions towards the other 2 party leaders were worse on account of their dismal record I think. They were continuously asked why the electorate should trust them to implement the changes when they couldn't do so in the past

I did feel the other 2 yahoos were afforded more time to make and finish their points but aside from that it was relatively unbiased from the 2 reporters

It's an opinion.

Call it what you want, who cares. But noticeable that you can't refute the point made but want your opinion to be gospel. MLMD has done as well for her party as any of the rest. In last polling 1% behind FF and ahead of FG from several % points behind both. FG's campaign is in close to freefall while she has created some momentum.

When the government parties are not properly held accountable as a coalition and are allowed spin their records that is inevitable…for a while.

Nobody could spin the last year as a good one for SF and I am not but they'll be happy at the gains made and MLMD's part in that. If she goes so be it.

Important to remember that, unlike the other 2, she had no hand in the current housing and homeless crisis. So she couldn't be asked the same question as them. Both of the civil war parties were questioned why the electorate should trust them.

SH's comment was based on more building work here tempting the Irish builders back here. Not saying he's right but if SH is correct there will be more children coming back from Australia under SF's plan than FFGs plan. This is a factual point that MLMD should have made on the night

she was asked about homelessness where SF does have a record in the north though and said something something Whitehall don’t give us enough money DESPITE the north getting 21% per person more funding than England

NI’s record on homing people vs the 26 counties make our housing crisis look like disneyland

SF left NI without a government for 2 years over cash for ash for heaven’s sake

They could have threatened the same up there to establish a red line on housing

But clearly it wasn’t important enough

So MLMD didnt have the best of nights and it must be the fault of RTE?

At a few points I wondered had RTE been called with a list of questions to ask by the FF FG campaign teams.

Wonder away, but that is the tinfoil hat stuff I mentioned earlier.

All this RTE are against us shte is actually making want to vote FF or FG for the first time.

Getting so sick of Sinn Fein's bullsht.

Its a mess because they are talking about constructing houses out of thin air, we simply don't have the workers to meet the kind of numbers they are claiming and to do that in the time frame they are suggesting would require massive subsidies to encourage builders et al to return from the likes of Australia and then somehow magically house all these people as well. And before you start jumping on me im not blaming SF for the housing issue but its a major blocker towards their suggested solutions which they are simply not being honest about in their proposals.

I also don't agree with many of FG or FFs policies for housing like increasing first time grants etc

We should be concentrating on making construction cheaper to begin with and also kicking the banks who are refusing to lend to construction companies which forces them to sell off plans to institutions leading to nothing but build to rent being constructed currently in much of dublin.

It's an opinion.

You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts. But you do like to live in a post-truth world, dont you?

Their housing policy is basically based on 2 incontravertible mistruths

1.Workers not there to build

2.Banks not there to lend

Both make the SF housing policy a fairy story

What is not 'factual' in this?

MLMD has done as well for her party as any of the rest. In last polling 1% behind FF and ahead of FG from several % points behind both. FG's campaign is in close to freefall while she has created some momentum.

-6 in an election week? Not 'almost freefall'? 1% behind the leading party is not 'doing as well as the rest'?

I watched the entire debate. It was underwhelming. I don't think any floating voters would have been convinced by any of them:

Harris: Saw him described somewhere as being like an undertaker on speed. Seemed overly eager to reel off some pre-cooked answer at the sign of any question. Did that annoying talking under his breath while others were talking. Given his disastrous last few days though he didn't make any major errors so that probably seems like a win for him.

MLMD: Was often on the back foot defending some of the sillier stuff that in her party's manifesto. Irish Times described her as being like a tribute act to her 2020 self which seemed accurate. She even tried to use her line from that debate which seems a bit hackneyed at this stage. I just don't think her heart is in it and expect her to stand down as leader after the election.

MM: Probably came off the best without being particularly impressive. Acknowledged a lot of problems wit the country despite the fact that he's been in cabinet running it for most of his career. Himself and Harris were clearly going out of their way not to be too critical of each other

Moderators: Didn't really let conversation flow. As a result it felt like as soon as someone was about to say something interesting the moderators would jump in and reset things with another question - which just returned the leaders to their own talking points. They seemed to me to be particularly quick to shut down MLMD although they asked gotcha questions of all of them.

Nobodies going to be talking about what happened last night in years to come - like they do with the 2020 version or the 2007 version.