Sinn Féin in the lead! FF & FG surprised?! What do you think? Exciting or scary times?!

[Housiemousie]

I have always been a Fine Gael voter. I'm from a long line of FG voters, many active in the party, who would be horrified by how much I want Mary Lou to succeed.

I really want to like Leo. He looks the part but he's not speaking to me. I am self employed in rural Ireland and neither FF or FG have sounded like they know I or any of my family or friends exist in the 20 years I have lived here (having worked abroad for a decade post uni). I even have a soft spot for Micheál Martin (who can resist a Cork accent) But I am not a farmer so he's not representing me either.

So why is Mary Lou so appealing? I couldn't even listen to Gerry Adams. Is it the fact that because she's not northern I'm not thinking IRA? Or because we really have moved past that , or is it that we are so, so sick of the entrenched fat cats of FF and FG that anything (well, almost, you can keep Aontu) will be better?

I'd love to hear I'm not alone in finding this upcoming election more exciting than previous ones.

God I can't stand her and I totally 'hear' IRA when she speaks. I think people have very short memories if they vote Sinn Féin. But it's a kick in the arse for the two bigger parties that people feel unheard and unrepresented by them.

SF are picking up lots of protest votes. And while I would never vote for SF in a million years, FG and
FF have it coming to them.

Neither party seem at all interested in making things better for ordinary people.

I decided tonight to vote for the Greens. Traditionally I’d have voted for FG, but they don’t deserve it. I was thinking of Labour potentially, but they’ve contributed very little of note either.

The results will be interesting.

I don't know why the media are surprised by the increase in support for SF. I know from talking to people that a lot of them are going to vote for SF and these are middle aged and older people who would never have voted for them in the past.

It's so hard to know who to vote for because of the poor choice of candidates and parties. It's a case of having to start listing in order the candidates you like the least then reversing that list on the ballot sheet.

I know the ones I wont vote for. I will not vote for FF after what Mehole and his party did to the country. Mehole was a major player in bankrupting the country and he's just as responsible for the deaths of lots of people who ended up taking their own lives as SF were in the past. His amnesia is mind blowing.

FF have a history of buying elections with giveaway budgets that lead to recessions and FG then get in to get things back on track but they're out of touch with most people especially those outside the M50. They're the party for the wealthy though their one positive is they've been the party that stuck their heads on the block and had the referendums that brought social change divorce, marriage equality and abortion. That would not have happened under FF.

Labour have the screeching champagne socialist moan hole Joan Burton who is so out of touch with most people and the power tripping Alan Kelly who showed his true colours over the Irish Waters debacle. No thanks.

Aontu - the 1930's called, they want their misogynists back.

Independents are the ones who could hold the balance of power. Some of the previous independents did trojon work exposing all sorts of corruption.

I think the result will be a case of rearranging the chairs on the Titanic with FF supported by FG.
The Green Party - jaysus that Eamonn Ryan is obnoxious and is regularly on the radio even before the election was called talking down to people. He's a big hypocrite driving a 2l diesel vehicle yet telling everyone to walk or cycle. He's a townie telling farmers how to farm, he wants to bring back wolfes, stop the proposed upgrade of the road near Westport and a section of the road between Cork and Limerick - both places where there are accident blackspots. A number of Green candidates from around the country disagree with him especially Saoirse McHugh who has said he cannot transpose the Greens urban transport plan to rural Ireland where there isn't public transport.

The SD and PBP seem to be good candidates but they're too minor parties to have much influence in most parts of the country.

I don't know why the media are surprised by the increase in support for SF.

They’re every bit as out of touch as the government tbh.

So many of the RTE big names are FF supporters and connected to FF TDs - Miriam and Jim O'Callaghan, Ryan Tubridy and Barry Andrews. I saw a graph a while back showing all the connections.

I've been researching my local candidates and deciding which to go for. The Social Democrat candidate reads well, as do a few of the independents.

The likes of my parents: well off, in their 70's, will never abandon Fine Gael though and FF have as many blindly loyal supporters so yes, as a pp said: rearranging seats on the Titanic.

I'm voting SF though it doesn't sit overly well with me. We have several FG and FF candidates in our area, a SF, a PBP, a labour and a green. The SF candidate is a decent enough guy from my town who helped a great deal during repeal when no other TD/councillor bar a PBP Cllr and the labour candidate rolling up for the photo op day helped. Though he was not re-elected in the local elections and wasn't elected during a recent by election so I don't know how well he will fare. Most people I hate spoken to will be voting anything other than FG/FF.

It's certainly interesting but I could never vote for Sinn Fein. I'll be sticking with FG.

It's certainly interesting but I could never vote for Sinn Fein. I'll be sticking with FG.

Is the mood in the South similar to the mood in the North re United Ireland? Admittedly I don't know a lot about the politics in the South but I think Brexit has made the idea of a United Ireland more palatable in the North, perhaps the South see the potential economic benefits of reunification and this may have lead to the shift? Or am I wildly off the mark?

It's certainly interesting but I could never vote for Sinn Fein. I'll be sticking with FG.

It's certainly interesting but I could never vote for Sinn Fein. I'll be sticking with FG.

I think I probably will vote Sinn Fein for the first time ever. I typically go Labour or Green but I'm so fed up of FG and FF and I don't want to vote for a party that will jump into coalition with one of them, only to have their principles steamrolled over.

It's impossible for SF to win a majority as they're not running enough candidates. But they can give FF and FG an almighty scare, and whoever's in charge (probably FF) may just have to start giving a shit about the housing crisis if they want to stay in government.

@TheTroutofNoCraic
I don't see an appetite for a united Ireland in the people around me - there were lots of conversations about it in the context of Brexit. I think people (or those that I know) think that we couldn't afford the 'burden' of NI In the short term.

The Sinn Fein surge has more to do with the housing and health crises, and a general feeling that both FG and FF have let people down. The whole RIC incident did damage FG and seemed to awaken a little bit of republican sentiment. It felt like the final straw for FG and that was the point where their poll numbers started to fall. But no, a united Ireland isn't a priority for the majority of voters.

I despise Mary Lou McDonald. She was on Pat Kenny this morning and she couldn't even remember Colin Party's name, she was so eager to boast about their close and meaningful meeting but she kept calling him 'Tim'.

It's just so characteristic of sinn Fein, disingenuous, sleazy murderers. I will never vote for them and it pains me to see young people, too young to remember the atrocities they carried out. The cover ups and all the rest.

They disgust me.

Colin Parry's name* autocorrect.

You've all said it but just adding to the chorus of I won't vote Sinn Féin but do hope the main two cop themselves on about the housing and health.

Can't understand why we can afford billions for the children's hospital but there are people lying on trollies for days.

Anyway constituency here has been 2 FF 2 FG and A.N. Other for a while so we'll see what happens. SF have the last seat the the moment. It could be just the same except with SF getting a higher vote share that that FG or FF are last.

Her attitude towards the Special Criminal Court is also very worrying.

Just back in ireland after many years away, and fielding questions from my son about how exactly FF and FG are different, given that he’s used to Tory/Labour.

Then again, he’s seven and otherwise arriving at his opinions based on lamppost posters (thinks Micheál Martin looks ‘secretly evil’) and refers to Mary Lou McDonald as the ‘baked bean lady’ because of her facial mole.

On the plus side, I think someone said the other day that more 18-24s watched the second last leaders’ debate than Love Island...?

I am a long time FG supporter. I am very disappointed in them in this government. I have never voted FF in my entire life. I despise Micheal Martin and his legacy from the last time FF were in power but for the first time ever Im strategising as to whether to cross vote FG and FF to keep Sinn Fein out. I am scared they will hold the balance of power. I despise their history, stance on anyone / couples earning over 100k ( not much after tax, mortgage, childcare )their stance on landlords , their stance on Brexit .i mean the list goes on ! Also there is no way im voting green . Soon there will be no turf allowed or coal for that mattet. Heads in clouds but they are harmless enough and keep to an ideology altho not always realistic.said to a FF canvasser are ye going to form a Govt. With SF. Said Micheal doesnt want to ......
Aontu. Peader Toibin is everywhere in Meath west. He has got to be worried as he l e ft SF so toxic to his old vote
Whoever is financing his campaign has poured money into it !
We have said if SF do well / end up in Govt are we outta this country !. As a worker im scared. I mean do they expect workers to finance everyone FGS . Its like you are nearly a baddie as a high paid ( are ya having a laugh -usc. High tax, pay for Dr, meds , a and e visits )worker according to Mary Lou. The front pages today are discussing the Quinn family and the answers they want from Mary Lou
I hope that hurts SF.

I'm originally from ROI, now in NI watching with interest. I'm glad I don't have a vote as it would be a difficult choice. I could never and will never vote SF though - whatever they talk about now, Mary Lou and the rest still joined the party when it was run by Gerry Addams and his buddies (ha, as if that's changed).

Neither FG nor FF seem inspiring to me though - although I don't really follow Irish politics.

However, I did have a car journey with my parents last week, and they put some talk radio show on, and it was naturally about the election. I was astounded at the high level of the conversation. No politicians, it was commentators, but it was nuanced, intelligent, balanced, good humoured. The UK could learn a lot.

For the first time ever I am absolutely and utterly confused about who to vote for. I definitely will not vote for SF even though I really like our local SF TD. He is a very genuine person and really does do a lot of work locally. Myself and DH were just chatting about it and we don't think this government will last long as it will be too fractured with TDs not able to agree on anything. He predicts another election within a year. @Housiemousie it's interesting to see you say you aren't interested in FF as you aren't a farmer, that's funny as we would always have considered FG as the farmers party

I agree with your DH Sparky, I don't see any government that forms from this election lasting too long, I told DP I give it two years max.

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