Sinn Fein and how do they form a government dilemma

You have to hand to SF. Being so brazen. No I know why these same people can defend and stand over the murder of women and children.

They utterly missed the point of this election.

Have you been out of the country? Unwell?

Weird take on the GE I voted in and watched anyway.

Win the battle or not, their core voters dont agree with them!

Thata the point you keep missing.

I think it's yourself and your fellow FG lovers who are missing the point. SF certainly didn't win the election that's for sure. But what is also certain is that, between them the TWO government parties only accrued about 40 odd percent of the national support. That means in some form or another, whether through sf, lab, soc dems, ind, far right, 60 odd percent of the country does not support the government and wants an alternative in some shape or form. 40% support for any government in any country is not a success nor a winning mandate. Hell the Democrats in their election achieved more when losing to Trump

Its a tough one considering.

Over 31 elections stretching back to the 1920s, this was:

FG's 3rd worst ever election 1st preference % wise, with the two worst happening in the 1940s.

and

FF's 2nd worst ever performance first preference % wise. Worse than 2016!

And still they hold power. All be it, sharing power together. The 2 major parties performing historically poorly and they still cling to power by simply sharing it.

With FF and FG now working together, once that continues in a balanced way there is no path for any other party to form a government.

While a disappointing election for SF, it was still their second most successful first preference % wise ever.

The future path to power for a party like SF in my mind now relies on a FFG coalition with one of the two a clear junior party. This government will be the start of that with FG acting as a more junior partner. While maybe not publically, behind closed doors definitely. They have lost so many senior TDs and have such inexperience in their leadership, they are undeniably the junior partner in that coalition.

FG they may now meet the same fate as other junior partners have and see a very poor election in 5 years. That may be enough to open a door for SF and a growing SocDems.

However it is also just as likely any votes lost by FG will just go to FF and we will be back to the Haughey, Reynolds, Ahern eras of FF dominance.

They had challenges to deal with and have stayed surprisingly more stable than you'd expect. And as I said its far from.a victory from SF but it is you and ffg who are spinning. Both parties combined share of the vote has been decreasing election on election for decades now. Several decades back ff or fg on their own could achieve a majority. Or a majority with one smaller party or few independents. Now they have to marge to even stay to cling to power and even that is declining election on election. The majority of voters voted for an alternative to FFG government in some shape or form. That is a fact.

Granted the exit poll wasn't 100% accurate but it was approx

This is splitting hairs. The outgoing government will not reach a majority on their own. Whether that's share of vote, first preference, total seats etc. So whilst SF alone haven't won for sure it's also clear majority of the country does not support the joint desperate merging of FFG despite how you may spin it.

You're either intentionally being obtuse or can't comprehend a simple message. Where did I say I am a sf supporter?I didn't and I'm not. Where did I say it was a victory for sf? I didn't and it wasn't. Read my posts and my points again because you've missed them entirely.

I'll ask you, have the two government parties combined received the majority of support or votes or seats in this election? If not then the majority of the country wants change or an alternative in some form.

I think two parties campaigning on two different sets of promises and then coalescing regardless skews any voting system.

SF never offered themselves as mudguards.

If they were going in like the Greens or Labour then no, I know I wouldn't support that.