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.

Yup

I think the SF surge is very similar to the Brexit vote.

People are rightfully annoyed that their interests are not being represented by the government.

In response they make an ill thought through ‘protest’ vote. That ignores a lot of other realities and probably won’t get them what they want.

@LaurieMarlow my house is worth less than 300k so only one sinn fein candidate came to my door. I live in a working class estate. I don't dislike it, but I wouldn't find common ground in the area of politics.

No whatabout, FF and FG's failings are very recent events and they are not acknowledged at all to the extent that SF's dodgy connections are. I would imagine that a lot of people want to see FG and FF wake up to the fact that they are failing. Not to actually have SF in power. For Leo and Micheál to realise that SF have gained such popularity should help them realise how how of touch they are.

I know those I speak to would not dream of giving SF a vote. This is the first time FG have not gotten my No1.and those I speak to are the same. They don't want SF in power - they want FG (or FF) to be better and less laurel resting about them.

SoK, my neighbours house is worth €1mill + and nobody came to their door. Not one candidate.

No one came to my door either mind you so I wouldn't put it down to that, I even checked my doorbell and outside lights to make sure I would not miss them. I think they were all too damn smug about it being in the bag.

Starting to come around to thinking that maybe SF just need to be allowed to prove how bad a job they'll do. :/

Labour have been pretty much non-existent in this election.

All of the Labour Party members that I know, about 5-6, left the party after the last election due to the Leadership's riding roughshod over them when it came to what was best strategy for individual constituencies. From what I could see, they just don't have the 'boots on the ground' anymore.

At our expense Mindy?

I’d be very worried about giving SF a shot at the economy when the recovery still feels quite fragile.

Though I’m behind the overall impulse to kick FF/FG up the arse.

I would like to see Mary Lou in a coalition with either FG or FF. Of course, neither of them will apparently, but it would temper SF policies (the ones I don't agree with are high corporate tax and a united Ireland) whilst at the same time putting the boot up the hole of either FF or FG.

I think the SF vote will show a big generational divide. Young voters just aren't interested in SFs history and connection with the IRA. They are very motivated by housing/homelessness and SF are lucky to have Eoin O'Brion who is a very capable politician as their housing spokesperson. I'd say FF /FG would love to have him.

Labour completely shot themselves in the foot in the aftermath of the last election by going for Brendan Howlin as leader, they needed someone young to modernise the party. Eamon Gilmour used to top the poll in DL now that vote has disappeared, gone to Boyd Barrett and Greens and labour will never get it back.

It will be very interesting to see what coalition we'll end up with, or another election perhaps if no one can stomach joining up with SF. Maybe a FF FG coalition to keep SF out

Leo would never work with her. Sleeveen from Cork might though.

Are people voting for SF who don’t actually want a United Ireland?

Because I’d find that utterly batshit.

I'm flicking between the coverage on RTÉ and Virgin Media 1 and I'm thinking that RTÉ are trying to make David McCullagh the Irish version of Peter Snow

It is fascinating how the climate didn't register enough to boost the GP enough (though maybe that's a case of once bitten twice shy) and how the LP didn't make much inroads in this election.

I think one of the best things about an Irish General Election is the single transferable vote. An absolute gem in modern democracy.

We were just talking about the fact that SF didn't talk about a United ireland at all, I didn't hear it being brought up as an issue and I listened to a lot of election coverage.

I think SF have been masterful at distancing themselves from their (very recent) past when targeting young voters.

I have 2 dc voting, both left leaning, neither gave a preference to SF but a lot of their friends did and none for 'republican' reasons

Oh no of course not JaneJeffer, I'm only a couple of hours up the road and my family and closest friends are down south. Gah. I just feel like this has been building for a while and SF always have hope and promise to fall back on because they've never actually had to deliver, iykwim?

Well it looks like Shane Ross is out

mobile.twitter.com/Jennifer_Bray/status/1226464601983897600?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

Here's a treat for all the Sinn Féin fans. Dessie Ellis getting elected complete with tricolours and the obligatory rendition of Come Out Ye Black and Tans.

SF are topping the tallies in 8 out of the 11 Dublin constituencies.

*"Are people voting for SF who don’t actually want a United Ireland?

Because I’d find that utterly batshit."*

@LaurieMarlow I suspect the vast majority of Sinn Fein voters in the ROI have little or no interest in a United Ireland. The two main parties (well, historically the two main parties) FF and FG have proven themselves to be indifferent to the suffering of ordinary people - suffering caused by the recessionary measures and the deficiencies in housing and health. Not to mention the pensions issue which raised the ire of older voters. Sinn Fein capitalized on this by putting out messages about change and making all kinds of financial promises they're unlikely to keep, in the event that they do get into government. Young people are largely ignorant of the Troubles because they haven't grown up with them and those events haven't played out on their TV screens night after night like they did for people of my generation. They're less aware of the atrocities carried out by the IRA and of the links between Sinn Fein and the IRA.

I said this a month ago on FB - the decision to try to commemorate the RIC and the Black and Tans would be the downfall of the government. And I was right.

You've Irish people looking at this, looking at their history and going 'What the actual fuck?' What planet are these dudes on?

That was their downfall. 100% guaranteed. Changed opinions.

My 68 year old mother was sending me links to how Come out ye Black and Tans was topping the Irish iTunes charts!

I think Leo was very badly advised on that point. I said it would be his downfall and it was. It showed a deep divide between our history and his. And I really loved Leo. I really wanted him to do well. I want him to continue to be our Taoiseach. But he just does not understand the history. He can't comprehend it!

Hence the swing to SF I think. People were thinking - at least these people know where we're coming from!

My great grandfather was in the black and tans but i wouldnt want to celebrate it. Im not proud of it. But also i dont want to have to feel ashamed of it! It was the past!

I think Leo was very badly advised on that point. I said it would be his downfall and it was. It showed a deep divide between our history and his. And I really loved Leo. I really wanted him to do well. I want him to continue to be our Taoiseach. But he just does not understand the history. He can't comprehend it!

I'm not sure I understand -- what's the difference between 'our' history and 'his'? Who's the 'our' and the 'his'?