26 County General Election 2020

[thebigfella]

The Newsletter is literally talking about the weather. The storm has pride of place on their homepage, no mention of the election that I can see. Meanwhile in the Belfast Telegraph, RDE is obeying Godwin's Law by comparing SF's success to the rise of the Nazis (yes, she actually went there) and that this election that SF won fair and square is a "threat to democracy on the island."

Other quotes of note:
"Sinn Fein surge in Irish election a wake-up call for unionism"
Leader

"Faced with the choice between Leo's Tweedledum and Micheal's Tweedledee, who can blame voters for giving Mary Lou McDonald a chance?"
Eilis O'Hanlon

"Sinn Fein has spooked the unionists with election success"
Alex Kane

"Skeletons of past will haunt Sinn Fein until party addresses the pain of victims"
Suzanne Breen

"Mood for change seems so strong that Leo Varadkar may have to dust off his CV"
Tom Kelly

From the Irish News:

"Sinn Féin should be judged on its mandate"
Leader

"A political and electoral revolution is underway"
Jim Gibney

"As election tightens, Sinn Féin's past might make it difficult to attract much needed transfers"
Fionnuala O Connor
(I'm not sure if that's an issue in so many constituencies where SF only ran a single candidate that topped the poll)

"Sinn Fein's surge is the story of the Republic's election, so why aren't we hearing more about it?"
Brian Feeney

"Sinn Féin must address the past with honesty"
Alex Kane

You should look up Godwin's law.

[HiMucker]

I think the big 3 parties are all that closely aligned on that particular question, that I find it bizarre posters making inferences about SF on it?

[Sportacus]

19 Independents elected so far.  Is that not a bit of a cop out, for the most part just electing someone who'll get you a wee motorway or a new school in your backyard.  Democratic it solves little or nothing for the country.

[Armagh18]

Mr Cullinane TD for Waterford allegedly singing "Up the Ra" in some Pub in Waterford.
Why do they continue to use the Tricolour as a weapon and as if the rest of us were Unionists?

This shows a profound lack of judgement, apart from anything else.
Singing James Connolly or even Kevin Barry would provide a good night and not bring attention to yourself.

Yeah because as has been proven, the good "old IRA" never killed anyone....

[Cavan19]

"Up the Ra" hopefully he will be the new minister for justice.

[macdanger2]

19 Independents elected so far.  Is that not a bit of a cop out, for the most part just electing someone who'll get you a wee motorway or a new school in your backyard.  Democratic it solves little or nothing for the country.

I agree, if there were 160 independent TDs in the Dáil, nothing would get done.

A lot are gombeens but Fitzmaurice and Harkin are v good imo

[Eamonnca1]

19 Independents elected so far.  Is that not a bit of a cop out, for the most part just electing someone who'll get you a wee motorway or a new school in your backyard.  Democratic it solves little or nothing for the country.

It's a problem all right. Some people blame the STV system for the Parish Pump Politics problem, but I think it's down to power being too centralised. More power to local councils and you'd see local people getting stuff done at local level without distracting the Dáil with their petty requests.

[Itchy]

19 Independents elected so far.  Is that not a bit of a cop out, for the most part just electing someone who'll get you a wee motorway or a new school in your backyard.  Democratic it solves little or nothing for the country.

It's a problem all right. Some people blame the STV system for the Parish Pump Politics problem, but I think it's down to power being too centralised. More power to local councils and you'd see local people getting stuff done at local level without distracting the Dáil with their petty requests.

Quite a few are ex members of a bigger party that fell out for one reason or another but had done work in their area so people stayed with them. There are very few "single issue" independents today like there were before.

[dec]

but had done work in their area so people stayed with them.

That's the problem. Any system that relies on an individual elected official to use there influence to get something for their area is a terrible system.

[Eamonnca1]

He fixshed de road!

[Rossfan]

The pesky people are allowed to vote for whoever they want for whatever reasons they want......The Bastards

[Eamonnca1]

I'd be surprised if there were another election soon. In theory SF would clean up by fielding more candidates, but in practice it could piss off the voters and hurt the shinners more. They play a long game and they can wait a bit longer for the top job.

I'd say we could be looking at an FF/SF/Green coalition with MM as Taoiseach, MLMcD as Tanaiste, Pearse Doherty somewhere high in the cabinet, maybe as high as Finance Minister, with the greens in some environmentally important portfolio like transport. FF and SF aren't that far apart on the northern question, so it might work for a while at least. Maybe some PBP or SD types in the mix to make the numbers up and give it a good solid majority. Wouldn't be the worst government, although I don't think rainbow coalitions are terribly stable. SF could give it a year or two, find FF up to no good with some brown envelope payment, then pull out of government while still on the moral high ground, and go to the country this time with a decent number of candidates, and this time top the poll with enough seats to form a coalition with someone other than FF/FG.

[J70]

Thomas Pringle back in.

[seafoid]

Could there be an SF/FF/Green coalition on the cards? I don't see how the numbers can add up for a leftish coalition that excludes FF or FG.

SF would probably get more seats in a second election because they didn't manage their vote well this time.

It is high politics.

[Eamonnca1]

Could there be an SF/FF/Green coalition on the cards? I don't see how the numbers can add up for a leftish coalition that excludes FF or FG.

SF would probably get more seats in a second election because they didn't manage their vote well this time.

It is high politics.

Indeed, which is why they can play hardball with FF in the negotiations. A second election suits SF just fine, FF not so much. Mary Lou can demand the Taoiseach's job and MM would be under pressure to let her have it, or face going to the country again and seeing SF pick up maybe 50 odd seats and shutting FF out with a coalition of the left.