After the biggest Presidential election debacle in Fianna Fail's history, how long realistically does Micheal Martin have left? Will he resign or will there be a heave against him?
I suppose I am one of the many who has inadvertently lead to the status quo. Used to vote Labour. Then gradually didn’t see the point as they became so weak and lost their identity as well.
Now I would vote independent if the choice was there. Last election I voted no1 for an independent first time TD to give him encouragement. To my surprise he got in and is now propping up the government.
There really is a vacuum for a sensible left alternative - around where Labour / Soc Dems are.
I know SF are the largest opposition party but they have still one foot in the Republican past and they always have half an eye on the NI electorate more than the ROI. I don’t really view SF as sensible.
FF and FG must be laughing to themselves at this stage. As the current arrangement is very convenient. Yet it doesn’t look like either of the two will ever return big numbers to form a government without the other . So this could remain the same for another decade ?
“ Ah sure it will do” is basically keeping Martin there. Notably it is mostly the very young backbenchers that have been calling for change.
You'd miss Renua Ireland.
They still exist, with their handful of members and handful of voters. The Centre Party - doing the usual thing of extreme right wingers claiming to be centrist that we can see with Restore in the UK and so on.
Christ. I didn't realise. I presume they'd disappeared completely when Timmins Senior went back to FG like a dog returns to his old vomit.
I'd wager they will be bigger than…lightweight fluffy parties like labour and possibly Soc Dems.
Do you wantto put actual money on that?
On the Aontu votes thing, you may remember people here telling us that they were going to make huge advances in the 2024 LE and as-yet-at-the-time unknown future GE, that ended up being in 2024; due to their vociferous opposition to the family and care referendums in March 2024
It didn't happen. They gained 5 councillors in the LE and 1 TD in the GE, but there were people convinced they were going to race forward as the "only party" representing the ~70% No votes.
They're a single-issue party with a loudmouth populist leader, and very few plausible candidates. There is no growth path for them.
For the craic ill stick 50e on that with you.
I know you're a decent skin from the Mayo forum.
When the time comes we can DM eachother.
today's Indo
Paul Lawless will be 100% re elected in Mayo.I can confidently say that however many years out that is.
Can we agree that FF and FG are going to hemorrhage votes the next election? Can we agree that SF are not a credible alternative and the majority of the country will never vote for them? What are we left with...one of the above parties and a coalition of many.
So that could be a coalition of the left,SF plus a few Ivana Baciks and head in the clouds Holly Cairns.
Or it could be a more centre right coalition with FF or FG (whichever one cops the fcuk on first) I think this will probably be FF but I don't care either way and then a coalition of independents and the likes of Aontu.
Now,do you think Ireland/Europe is going to be leaning more centre Left or centre right over the next few years...
As regards the very young backbenchers calling for change in FF, I would think that after the last week, FF need to be seen to be acknowledging the grassroots etc and the young are as good as any to be used for the optics.
They are fairly rattled on the ground
Support has reduced for FFG for sure but they still dont have a challenger that can gain an equal amount of seats to FFGs 86.
Paul Lawless scraped in because FG ran too many candidates.
They won't do that again, and he'll be out.
They will go back to being Toibin, mouthing off about whatever populist thing he thinks will get votes, and a tiny handful of councillors (many related to him).
Polling does not suggest FF and FG are going to lose significant amounts of seats as it stands. 10 years of centre-right government (FG/IndA, FG/FF/GP, FG/FF/Ind) hasn't worked so it is unlikely that there will be a shift further to the centre-right.
They have hurt their share of the grey vote, not doing something on heating oil, that effects largely the older population.
Cllr not sitting on a fence https://www.galwaybayfm.ie/galway-bay-fm-news-desk/local-councillor-brands-taoiseach-arrogant-man-living-in-cocoon-218558
Lawless will 100% be voted back in.
I didn't vote for him but his popularity has absolutely skyrocketed.
Thats becasue everyone wants to be an independent platforming their own specific interest to get elected locally but no one is willing to put their necks on the block and advance a cohernet national platform. And whats worse it seems thats what voters want.
MM strikes me as a lad who doesn't really care anymore, or at least gave up the illusion of even trying for the optics.
He has been in there since '89 and pulled a Keyser Soze during the crash. A remarkable achievement to be fair.
He is 65 now and will closer to 70 if this Dáil runs it's term. He is circling the drain as is.
He is starting to become a de facto liability for the brand and once that happens it's only a matter of time.
For those vying to replace him, it has actually been a pretty good week.
GI Jim has made himself toxic to any potential tilt.
If anyone benefitted in the party this week, it was probably Jack Chambers.
Chambers is hugely damaged within the party by Gavin. Suspect the voters don't give a toss about it, but the members and TDs who have to elect the new leader do.
There's such a paucity of potential options there. Would be very funny if one of the women won, just because SF members have used "Ireland's first female Taoiseach" to describe McDonald.
I think Martin wants a big job in the EU or UN. He will want to be leader for the upcoming EU presidency so he will fight tooth and nail to stay. He doesn't give a hoot about ordinary citizens anymore. He lack of vision and reluctance to do anything meaningful will be his legacy.
Norma Foley?
That would be end of FF then.
I'd find that very funny too (the end of FF).
If Simon Harris can be leader of a governing party, anyone can. Does anyone even want the gig besides Martin? Easier life being a TD/Minister. I look at when Leo resigned, Harris was pretty much uncontested, no one senior wanted it.
A Sinn Fein cllr criticizing the Taoiseach wow big news
Thought it was a FF 😊 I must contact my optician..
TheJournal running an online poll Is now the time for Fianna Fáil to replace its leader?
be hard to shift martin he's a slippery customer
I hear Willie O'Dea has already voted three times.
I'd love to hear from Ivan Yates on this one. Is he doing and media these days?
What a lot of voters want is communication. The government was radio silent last Tuesday on the first day of the protest. Micheal Martin is a bit of a fool though and doesn't realise that radio silence only works in dictatorships
Also, the way Martin constantly goes, 'I can't believe this is happening, this is terrible!' every time a crisis occurs. Which just makes him more of a fool. Do you not have advisors to explain?
