Ff and FG are like the current Liverpool, there to be beaten. What kind of party could do it? Surely if you ripped it up to start again it would be easy. A party seen as left leaning without being woke softies like current labour.
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Theyâll likely be beaten next time because they no longer have a mudguard like the Greens or Labour and because theyâve been in for so long, particularly FG. This time FF and FG are the mudguard of the crank independents, who are teflon. FF and FG donât understand social media, though social media is admittedly inherently rigged against parties like them.
What Irish voters really want and have always wanted is a sort of social democracy with a rabble rousing populist (but at the same time not too threatening) nationalist edge. Haugheyism. This has been the direction Sinn Fein have been heading in for decades.
When Martin goes as FF leader in at latest 18 months time, possibly much sooner, Jim OâCallaghan will replace him and move in a much more anti-immigrant direction. It likely wonât work out very well for FF. Theyâll be faking it. It isnât the DNA of the party to go after immigrants in an aggressive way.
Sinn Fein are still trying to play the two stools and keep the anti-immigrant nutters on board. Mary Lou McDonald was trying to virtue signal to the fascist nutcases on Twitter this week in order to keep areas like Tallaght âonsideâ.
That could sort of work in the short term if the circumstances are ârightâ for it to work, ie. if the governing party/parties have been in forever and people want rid, as is increasingly the case here now and was the case in the run up to the last UK election, but when you get into government, it becomes a noose around your neck. Labour have found that out. You become the party of government and the anti-immigrant nutters who voted for you because you were the obvious alternative then drift away to far right parties and the greater part of your vote who are more centre/left leaning get disillusioned with you chasing the far right dragon.
What Sinn Fein will do when they get into power, and I expect them to lead the next government, is to push the united Ireland issue relentlessly. Theyâll do this to try and keep their support. In the process theyâll make a united Ireland less likely.
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It would be very silly to change the government when we live in such a brilliant and rich country
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RTE being anti-SF since they started taking seats in the DĂĄil in the modern era, is FF/FGâs biggest weapon, because outrageous RTE salaries are dependent on the government. If SF manage to get in, even for one termâŚRTEâs reversal in attitude is something Iâm going to order a case of popcorn to amusingly witness. If there was no overnight reversal, I could see SF completely gut their funding, which would be hilarious.
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Yeah, thatâs a good post. If SF had any idea what they were doing theyâd have been in Government long ago,
They need some serious political advice in the background to make it to the next level because they donât seem to know what they are doing.
How they handled their âgame changerâ decision this time out being the most recent example.
SDLPâŚ.
RTE being perceived to be pro-FF/FG is beginning to turn into a major liability to FF/FG, not a benefit.
Ireland is not like Britain. The traditional media in this country do not have anywhere near the power they do in Britain to influence opinion in terms of voting. Irish media has to keep a brake on things even if some sections particularly the Indo group would love to go full Daily Telegraph.
But this new emerging internet-based headbanging partisan media and social media is turning people increasingly feral. People like the hyper-partisan shite, not real journalism.
RTE and the media (and they have many faults) are now used as a punching bag by morons in the same way referees are abused by angry GAA supporters. Because theyâre easy targets.
If Sinn Fein defund RTE once they get into government because RTE donât suddenly become a propaganda outlet for Sinn Fein, that is not a good thing, itâs a very bad thing. Democracies require good public service broadcasting, not Orban style propaganda.
The decline of the BBC has been tragic. It has happened overwhelmingly because right wing politics (and the right-wing aping current Labour government) took the conscious decision that the idea of a genuine public service broadcaster was THE ENEMY. They put their people in to lower the standard and then the public perceive the BBC to be of less value and hop on the âkick the BBCâ bandwagon. The ultimate aim of this is to abolish the BBC and replace it with a hellscape of partisan media which will inevitably be heavily right wing biased. Run down the institution deliberately in order to make it fail and then the public wonât object when you get rid of it. The same process is being carried out on the NHS. Once you deliberately undermine an instution that has a trusted reputation for objectivity and quality, you canât ever get that trust back.
We donât need that shit in this country from any source and if Sinn Fein start attacking RTE, which Iâve no doubt they will, these are Tory/Orbanist/Trumpist tactics.
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The BBC is highly woke.
This is a view based on paranoid fantasy (the BBC is anything but âwokeâ) and the fact you use âwokeâ as a pejorative marks you out as another standard issue turgid right wing troll fuckwit.
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Agree with all points, however I would add my opinion that RTE does not hold a trusted reputation for objectivity and quality.
So if you think RTE doesnât, who does?
Having a commie in the Aras will be fun to watch.
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What kind of fun things will happen would you say)
Will they call Trump a gowl?
Iâm hoping sheâll turn the phoenix Park into allotments or small holdings.
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Is she anything to Fr. Fintan Stack?
On the eve of presidential polling day, a last-minute bid for a High Court judicial review of the nomination process has been refused permission to proceed, after the court found Dr Cora Stackâs case made âentirely baselessâ and âunstateableâ claims.
Dr Stack, a maths lecturer, had sought permission to challenge what she termed the âunlawful blockingâ by political parties of her and other Independent candidates from contesting the election, which she said turned it into a âcomplete farceâ.
Dr Stack took the action against the Attorney General, the State, the Minister for Local Government and Heritage, the Presidential Returning Officer and TĂĄnaiste Simon Harris.
At the High Court on Thursday, Mr Justice Mark Heslin rejected Dr Stackâs submission that the nomination process was âunconstitutional, unfair and undemocratic and contrary to the express and implied provisions of Bunreacht na hĂireannâ.
Dr Stack also sought a declaration that the âdirection of TĂĄnaiste Simon Harris instructing all Fine Gael councillors nationwide to block independent candidates from being nominated was unlawful and unconstitutionalâ.
She had sought an injunction requiring the nomination process to be conducted âfairly, lawfully and constitutionallyâ and requested an order restraining the State respondents from âproceeding with the current defective processâ.
The process demands that aspiring candidates must secure nominations from either 20 members of the Oireachtas or the support of four local authorities.
Mr Justice Heslin said Dr Stackâs complaint that she could not access 20 Oireachtas nominations was ânot arguableâ as she had not put forward any evidence before the court of her efforts to do so. He noted that there were also more than 20 Independent TDs in the Oireachtas that could have provided her with a route to nomination.
He said Dr Stack had not provided evidence of âeven the most basic mattersâ and that there was no evidence that a single councillor had either proposed or seconded her.
Mr Justice Heslin said that Dr Stackâs claim that councils curtailing potential candidatesâ presentations to âfive minutesâ was a denial of fair opportunity could not be laid at the door of the named respondents because it was entirely up to each council to make provisions regarding the scheduling and running of meetings.
The judge noted that no councils were named as respondents.
Dr Stack had further submitted that multiple council meetings were âconvened simultaneously on 15 September 2025 making attendance impossibleâ.
Mr Justice Heslin said Dr Stackâs assertion that the âunprecedented clusteringâ [of council meetings] on September 22nd, 2025, pointed to âorchestration by central authoritiesâ was entirely baseless.
He said that the fact that Dr Stack was only able to attend two council meetings did not breach her rights or break the law. He added that to say any wrongdoing occurred in this regard was an âunstateableâ proposition.
He said if Dr Stack believed she was championing the sovereignty of the people, âin substance, the applicantâs claim utterly ignores the will of the people as currently expressed in the Constitution and in statuteâ.
The judge said Dr Stack was seeking a change in the law âso as to make it easier for her to secure a nominationâ.
Mr Justice Heslin said that any reform to the nomination process was a political matter to be decided by the people and their elected representatives and this would have to be approved in a referendum.
He said the courts did not have the power to make law as its role was to âinterpret and administerâ the law.
Mr Justice Heslin then refused the application for leave for the review and awarded costs to the State, which was represented by Francis Kiernan BL.
Listening to Anton Savage there on whether Heather can hold her head high. She gave it a go, didnât really offend anyone and hasnât lost anything. She never really fired a shot till it was too late. She can go back to what is probably a very nice life now. I liked the way she acknowledged that she wasnât a good performer on camera and a bit more raw honesty wouldâve been endearing. Connolly looks set to make the role interesting at least.
Itâs a tough old game. I was thinking of running for public office myself and starting a Footix Party with the goal of the major Irish city teams joining the English football pyramid. Seeing what happened to Jim Gavin has given me pause for thought and I may now remain in the shadows, especially with the country heading towards Communism. Bringing the Footix and League of Ireland supporters together would almost be as significant as The Good Friday Agreement.
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This whole eligiblity to run thing is a bit like the offside rule. You have to draw the line somewhere and there will always be someone just the wrong side of it. Why was there so many in the last few elections and so few on this one I wonder. Did all the dragons denners get 20 nominations?
They all went the county council route last time and in 2011 also, this time the councils wouldnât nominate anyone.