Presidential Election 2025

Humphreys also complained about the 'tone' of questions she was asked. Her campaign manager complained of 'wedge politics' and Jennifer C. MacNeill complained of negative campaigning by Connolly etc.

Par for the course in elections.

I didn't see media claiming Connolly was either campaigning negatively or running smears. Those questions were focussed on FG.

The fallout of this election continues:

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/micheal-martin-admits-billy-kelleher-could-have-been-stronger-candidate-in-hindsight-and-rejects-he-is-a-top-down-leader/a2145602995.html

It seems that Martin wants to desperately cling on to his position as leader.

I would say though that I think the Migration Pact is a positive in managing the issue. Asylum claims are down about 25% this year. There is more data sharing, plans for age verification for people claiming to be unaccompanied minors, detention in some cases, and possibly Rwanda type plans.

In the UK there was a story some years ago about a 38 year old who pretended to be an unaccompanied minor and was at first believed.

I was listening to a debate in this recently on the Late Debate, and there was a lot of criticism of the Pact from those who normally oppose tighter controls.

Pollster who conducted exit poll says two thirds of those who spoiled their ballots said they would have voted for Steen. Says most of this spoiled vote was to the Right of where FF and FG are.

To the victor belongs the spoils as they say. Who knows where we will be politically in four years? The demise of FF and FG has been predicted many times and indeed their grip has loosened to catastrophic proportions, as far as they're concerned, but still they cling to power. A left alliance is still a very unlikely proposition given the differences within itself.

SF could well end up in govt, but I think if they do it will more than likely be with FF than any party of the left or FG. They have more in common with FF than any left party, bar labour perhaps? Anyway I see different times ahead and govt having to actually work for their corn as all steadfast support for any party is dwindling.

There is a possibility that this election, and the collapse in support for FFG, is a generational thing. The electorate itself changes and that rarely gets any notice in the media during elections. With a GE, it is approximately a 5 year change. With a presidential election, it is a 7 year change.

Even in the coverage of this election, the response from Bacik when asked if SF's endorsement changed things had her talking only about Labour and ignoring the question. The implications of a generational change are most obvious with Labour in that its support demographics are in the older demographics. Both the SocDems and SF are much stronger in the younger demographics. FF also has low support in the younger demographics. FG is not quite as bad.

By the time of the next presidential election, it could be a changed politial landscape with a number of new political parties.

but they couldn't find among themselves anyone with the courage to chance making a bid for fear of failure.

That is just a way of deflecting from the fact they got this election spot on. They entered the fray saying they would 'change the game' and if you look at the polls from that point on and the result, they did.

The whole premise of FF/FG stifling the nomination process by not allowing more candidates to the field is laughable, given that the whole left backed 1 candidate only. Good or bad, at least FF/FG put their own candidates forward!