Election 2024 . Not that one, though the Trump victory is sure to influence some of what we are threatened and promised. presumably we'll have a date soon.

[DeanElderberry]

Any wise thoughts?

There's Clare Kerrane making a liar out of me! Up on the shoulders, and beside her a little lad who I assume is her son, and she just most touchingly took his little hand and kissed it. Awwww..

Mary Fitzpatricks transfers didn't suffice? Will Pascal's elect the Monk I wonder.
On the hoisting up on shoulders .....a lot of these lads look a bit unhealthy. Hope there's defibrillators in the count centres!

Ah ...he didn't quite make it. Stand down the snipers at Leinster House.

I don't think he'll be going to Lanzarote soon either. Although I wonder will his bail conditions now change since he didn't win a seat. That was the primary reason for the Spanish authorities granting bail and allowing him back to Ireland.

He looks angry, but I have no idea whether that relates to the vote or whether it's his default facial expression.

I really hope the votes he got make the rest of the politicians take a close look at how they've been failing that electorate.

Your dismay at seeing Bertie on a panel on RTE last night @Taytocrisps - be prepared for him to run for President.
And seeing the results of this election, the Irish people have very short memories and quite a few appear to lack scruples, sadly.

What's the point of voting, if the other parties refuse to go into a government with Sinn Fein anyway.

That's what happened last time.

It's a ridiculous system.

I don't even vote for sinn fein myself, I'm just saying it's not much of a democratic system when even if sinn fein get loads of votes, the other main two parties will refuse to go into government with them.

Why are they allowed to do that? Thats not following a democratic process.

Here in Longford Westmeath, one thing that has annoyed me (possibly irrationally). Both FF and FG ran female candidates as the 3rd candidate. Both were local businesswomen who zero previous experience - at local level as councillors or even as community activists. Nothing against either woman, but they hadn’t a hope of getting elected (got about 500 1st preference votes each). Is this what gender quotas do? Get a random female candidate to tick a box but will in no way be a threat to the main male candidates ??

Yes I agree. There are a lot of things wrong about our system.

Lack of female representation is still a huge problem.

And I agree with what you said.

If they put a female with zero experience, up against men with huge experience, how will she get in.

The men that run these things definitely want men to stay in power

I don't live in Ireland anymore but if I did I doubt I would ever vote for SF as I don't think they have left the IRA/organised crime far enough behind them and many people believe the strings are being pulled by shadowy forces.

I'm not sure how long it will be before enough people trust them and they get to form a government with some like minded left wing parties but I do agree that it doesn't feel democratic at the moment when FF/FG are almost guaranteed to get into power.

I can't see it changing for many years to come.

Yeah how is it an "election", when fine gael and fianna fail always get in.

O'Gorman and McEntee have both been re-elected. I am gutted.

You are not alone.

I think I said it before, but maybe Mackers will be shuffled out of Justice at last. If that happens, what Ministerial office would be best for her?

I'm so happy to see the Greens getting such a beating, a pity Roderic O'Gorman scraped in on the 13th count.

Why do people dislike the greens so much?
Genuinely curious, the small party in the coalition always seems to bear the brunt of the electorate anger.

Northern Ireland - run by the same party for 50 years. It does happen. Not healthy though....

I know. I dislike the Green Party personally because I live in an area that is "up and coming" and is wealth but also social deprivation. And I feel that they don't understand social issues, poverty etc.. at all. They are just sooo "middle class" And can be very tone deaf about these things. Like all for cycle lanes but no calls for a plan to clean up the streets which is also an environmental issue. In areas like mine, they need to listen to people and find environmental issues that are relevant to them,

Anyway they did an incredible job on the cycle lanes in Dublin anyway really.

I don't think you can say it's undemocratic. People knew what they voted for when they voted FF FG. These parties made it clear they wanted to work together and ruled out SF throughout the campaign.
Sinn Fein got around 19% of the vote behind FF and FG.
I understand that it feels unfair. Maybe for the next election SF needs to work more closely with the left parties to create a credible alternative.
I think Irish people are generally pretty centrist so FF/FG will appeal. It's not like the UK where there are huge differences between Labour and the conservatives. UK Conservatives are much further to the right than FF/FG have been here.

Well that's true @Brownwitch. FFFG are more have been more moderate than the UK tories. Until v recently they've always needed a partner though? Now they've tied the knot they may be less restrained. I saw an old photo of Cabra West estate under construction in the 40s - it was on some Facebook history page. Biggest housing project of its time in Europe. Quite a shock to think that was Fianna Fáil .

We love the lifts here as well. Some of them look very well rehearsed. We've been commenting since yesterday on all the lifts and how good or bad they are

Yes it is not unsurprising. I'm a firm lefty person but SF don't appeal to me. They can be very populist. I was particularly disappointed by the way some of their candidates leaned into the anti immigration rhetoric. They flip flopped on issues.

I hate the lifts. I know some of women get lifted as well but it seems so "old boys club"

And Norma Foley. Wtaf do you have to do to lose your cushy sinecure in this country. She is Minister of Education. The unisex toilet nonsense happened in a Gaelcholáiste in her own constituency. Yet here she is again. We get what we deserve really.

Well in fairness nearly every party said they wanted to build 55,000 houses a year.

Because that's what we need to do apparently. Let's just see if they do it.