Election to be called Fri - predict outcome

Unfortunately, I see independents and chaos as the biggest winners in this election. Really difficult to see where a government is coming from.

FF/SF/Aontu/II probably the best bet.

Yes I have and yes I am. I only changed it before the the European elections and referrendum this year. It came then in no time. Maybe the post man or Woman has posted it in the wrong house by mistake 😞.

Are suggesting they would be mutiny among some members.

There was a prominent ex IRA member in the cabinet in the Rainbow coalition and in a govt a good few years later a very senior ex IRA man was among those who the cabinet answered to.

It might not affect them in no 1s but it may cost them transfers, others might draw a line about putting their local FG boot boy in to a seat.

Harris comes across as the most insincere person in the debates and interviews. If people didn’t like Varadkar I don’t know how they can trust Harris.

I think there's a rising anti FFG sentiment out there.

How a government gets formed only time will tell.

Not a chance of that government formation, apart from anything else it wouldn't last any time.

They're the only parties they know? I mean there's still plenty voting for fringe parties.

Huge portions of the voting Irish public are wedded to their parties regardless of policies. You only need to look at how many won't even entertain SF due to the troubles but wpupd probablyagree woth a lot of their policies.

You can choose to believe that the status quo is indictive of no issue but I respectfully disagree.

Yes Seth, that is what I was saying and I think MLMD is aware of that perception among some.

We'll see the status quo prevail. It doesn't mean the average person doesn't feel strongly about immigration.

It's more indicative of neither of the two parties that have always governed the Republic having different views on it.

Well SF are just as radical free market as FG on it and probably much more so in a large section of the party.

PbP, the Greens, Soc Dems sound like they have been reading Ayn Rand when it comes to immigration.

Voters and their parties often have very different views on key policies.

I can't remember who said it, it might have been Ivan Yates - but before this campaign started somebody mentioned that the FG polling number is too high because it's people being asked which party do they support without people realising that their local FG TD they have voted for for years has stood down and now it's a brand new face they are looking at. As we are getting closer to the election it's becoming obvious that people are realising if nothing else that they can't vote for the same person again, so the FG numbers have slid.

With the strong independent numbers though - I wonder how transfer friendly they will be. Could be a case of lots of number 1s and nothing else? People who support FF, FG, Labour, Soc Dems, Greens, may be more minded to transfer to other parties before the various Indys?

The handing of the Kanturk issue caused all the damage.

I disagree. It could have the numbers, and there are a number of common policies.

All four parties (FF, SF, Aontu, II) are broadly anti-Green in their approach, favouring roads over public transport. They all have nativist/nationalist roots, have deeply conservative elements in their party. The likes of Peader Tobin, Eamon Cuiv and II would share some policies. They would also be likely to actively pursue (albeit futilely) a United Ireland.

Certainly such a grouping would be more compatible together than any of them with Fine Gael.