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Replying To Seanfanbocht: "God bless your innocence. Your scenario will turn us into Albania! Imagine Brid Smith or Murphy as Government Ministers!!! SF 35% = no more than 60 seats. They'll have cannibalised some of the left and loony left seats so be hard to get this left wing paradise extra 21 seats. Most likely outcome is SF/FF Coalition." Sinn Fein were at 37% in the latest poll figures. That could give them about 69 seats I have seen predicted. Depends on whether Sinn Fein can keep their current level of support as high or improve it. They would have a lot options in that scenario (FG 33) and (FF 24 ) (Green Party 4) (Labour 5) (SD 5) (PBP 7) (Aontu 2) (Ind 11). They could easily form a Government without Fianna Fail in that scenario. Yet if their vote drops they would need Fianna Fail help. At the moment Sinn Fein vote is increasing and they are on course for a historic victory. REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts: 1617 - 09/10/2022 15:09:04 2443271 Link
Replying To REDANDBLACK30: "Sinn Fein were at 37% in the latest poll figures. That could give them about 69 seats I have seen predicted. Depends on whether Sinn Fein can keep their current level of support as high or improve it. They would have a lot options in that scenario (FG 33) and (FF 24 ) (Green Party 4) (Labour 5) (SD 5) (PBP 7) (Aontu 2) (Ind 11). They could easily form a Government without Fianna Fail in that scenario. Yet if their vote drops they would need Fianna Fail help. At the moment Sinn Fein vote is increasing and they are on course for a historic victory." Poll figures mean nothing in predicting seats for irish elections. Sinn Fein got 37 seats in the last election their best result since the 1920s when it was a very different sinn fein etc.. They got 37 from 42 candidates which is an excellent record but they wont find 20-30 more people to actually get elected ahead of the next election. FF, FG, Greens, Labour, SDs have all said theyre not going to or are not likely at all to join SF to make a government and of the rest there isnt enough to make up a viable government. KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3510 - 09/10/2022 16:43:34 2443285 Link
Replying To REDANDBLACK30: "Sinn Fein were at 37% in the latest poll figures. That could give them about 69 seats I have seen predicted. Depends on whether Sinn Fein can keep their current level of support as high or improve it. They would have a lot options in that scenario (FG 33) and (FF 24 ) (Green Party 4) (Labour 5) (SD 5) (PBP 7) (Aontu 2) (Ind 11). They could easily form a Government without Fianna Fail in that scenario. Yet if their vote drops they would need Fianna Fail help. At the moment Sinn Fein vote is increasing and they are on course for a historic victory." Polls mean very little when you look at the irish voting system for elections. PR and all that. SF are not transfer friendly for many people They wont run 70+ candidates and even if they did they wont have 90+% of them winning a seat.. KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3510 - 09/10/2022 18:00:08 2443294 Link
Replying To KillingFields: "Poll figures mean nothing in predicting seats for irish elections. Sinn Fein got 37 seats in the last election their best result since the 1920s when it was a very different sinn fein etc.. They got 37 from 42 candidates which is an excellent record but they wont find 20-30 more people to actually get elected ahead of the next election. FF, FG, Greens, Labour, SDs have all said theyre not going to or are not likely at all to join SF to make a government and of the rest there isnt enough to make up a viable government." If Sinn Fein wins the most seats in the next election they should form the next Government. If other parties were to band together to keep them out of Government it would be a bad look and undemocratic. If there are a majority of people voting for left wing parties a left wing Government should be formed. Fianna Fail/ Fine Gael have had their terms in Government when they were the largest party. A Sinn Fein Government would mark a change from the same old same old. What are the differences in terms of policies between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael?? They are both centre right parties. I noted that the current government had a surplus of £12 billion at the time of the budget a few weeks ago so they must have some financial acumen but they are the parties of bankers and landlords according to Sinn Fein and other left win parties. They are on the side of the wrong people. REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts: 1617 - 10/10/2022 10:34:10 2443358 Link
Replying To KillingFields: "Polls mean very little when you look at the irish voting system for elections. PR and all that. SF are not transfer friendly for many people They wont run 70+ candidates and even if they did they wont have 90+% of them winning a seat.." PR is a complicated system and I would agree that Sinn Fein are not the most transfer friendly party. Yet the polls are showing that the FF and FG vote added together is barely the same as Sinn Fein. That surely puts Sinn Fein in a very strong position at the moment?? FF and FG have not done enough to address the rent crisis which is a key issue for the electorate so Sinn Fein will get capital from that. REDANDBLACK30 (Down) - Posts: 1617 - 10/10/2022 10:41:05 2443360 Link
Replying To REDANDBLACK30: "PR is a complicated system and I would agree that Sinn Fein are not the most transfer friendly party. Yet the polls are showing that the FF and FG vote added together is barely the same as Sinn Fein. That surely puts Sinn Fein in a very strong position at the moment?? FF and FG have not done enough to address the rent crisis which is a key issue for the electorate so Sinn Fein will get capital from that." Opinion polls and the number of votes mean nothing, it's Leinster House seats that count. That's where the FF and FG machine have had a big advantage over other parties, they have vote management down to a fine art. I think though that Sinn Féin are learning fast and will run more candidates in some constituencies to block other candidates and less in other constituencies to maximise votes their candidates. Until now they may not have been so transfer friendly, but FF and FG popularity waning and better vote management should improve their chances. I don't believe any party that says they won't go into coalition with Sinn Féin either. If Tony Gregory, a Sinn Féin man in the 60s, can hold the balance of power in '82, then anything is possible. Ideally a grand coalition could be formed with the best people in the Dáil picked for their best departments. I won't hold my breath waiting for that though. GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7344 - 10/10/2022 13:26:23 2443397 Link
In the 2020 GE the share of 1st preference votes for the 3 main parties was roughly equal to the share of seats they got in the Dáil. Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 1417 - 10/10/2022 16:11:35 2443433 Link
Great to see Roy Keane speaking so glowingly about hurling last night on Sky. TerribleFootwork (Wexford) - Posts: 1716 - 11/10/2022 10:28:11 2443531 Link
A fantastic win for the Irish ladies team last night which secured their place at the World Cup. It was particularly poignant that Donegal woman Amber Barratt scored the decisive goal. She spoke very eloquently after the match about the recent tragedy in Creeslough and dedicated the win to the families impacted. It will give a fantastic boost to ladies football in Ireland. Hopefully more and more girls will be encouraged to take up the game and they have some great role models to look up to. Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9135 - 12/10/2022 11:37:40 2443716 Link
Think they were really singing, "Ooh ah, up na mná, ooh ah up na mná"... Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9135 - 12/10/2022 17:02:05 2443773 Link
Replying To Lockjaw: "Think they were really singing, "Ooh ah, up na mná, ooh ah up na mná"..." A couple of politicians and some media in the North going on about the singing as if they had killed people. The same people were quite when orange lodge's we're singing personal stuff about a young girl murdered on honeymoon. Wolftone songs can be bought on the high street so don't know what the big uproar is about. Well done ladies and great to see them thinking of Donegal so soon after game. Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2013 - 12/10/2022 17:49:08 2443779 Link
We live in an age where people look to be offended by everything. Probably ill advised to video the dressing room celebrations is the only criticism I would level at them. Make no mistake the DUP are absolutely loving this. I don't remember them getting too upset when the orange boys were mocking the murder of Michaela Harte. If the singing of a song can cause such outrage I do wonder how on earth any talks on a United Ireland happening anything soon could happen… yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11230 - 12/10/2022 18:16:02 2443782 Link
It was clumsy and naive at worst by the girls. They were celebrating a defining achievement though so it's understandable in a way that some common sense was lost in the euphoria. I've seen some ridiculous over the top comments in response to it. One DUP MP suggested that it amounted to "another day highlighting the indoctrination of young people who didn't live through the murderous actions of the IRA" As if the girls weren't in fact going to Australia/New Zealand next year, but instead to a weapons training camp in Libya. It just goes to show that any hopes of a seamless border poll & transition to some sort of united Ireland are greatly misplaced. Can we honestly say we'd be any better though? If a united Ireland was announced tomorrow it would be impossible to keep a lid on the sense of triumphalism. "A Nation Once Again" and the like would be belted out all over the country no matter how much pleading from nationalists not to rub Unionist faces in it. I genuinely think that if such a scenario played out we'd see an inverse of what happened during the Troubles. Namely some hardline Unionists vehemently opposed to living under an Irish flag, even if the tricolour was disbanded in favour of a new inclusive one. It's why Brexit is such a complete fiasco for the North. Since the GFA things had been going relatively smoothly. People identified as they wished and went about their business peacefully. Brexit has opened up old wounds in terms of the border and all down to the Tories and their arrogance/greed. Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9135 - 13/10/2022 10:04:57 2443805 Link
They were silly to sing the song and to post it on social media but I don't think any malice was intended, they apologised straight away no making excuses etc. and I think some of the reaction has been over the top. Think some people these days are mad to put someone or something on the chopping block and easily offended as a result. TerribleFootwork (Wexford) - Posts: 1716 - 13/10/2022 10:39:01 2443811 Link
Not to have a pop at the player who posted it but I hate that everyone now is interested in their profiles gaining traction via social media. I am a huge believer in these moments being totally private between the players and staff. The goes for all sports. TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 7891 - 13/10/2022 13:00:40 2443834 Link
Replying To Lockjaw: "It was clumsy and naive at worst by the girls. They were celebrating a defining achievement though so it's understandable in a way that some common sense was lost in the euphoria. I've seen some ridiculous over the top comments in response to it. One DUP MP suggested that it amounted to "another day highlighting the indoctrination of young people who didn't live through the murderous actions of the IRA" As if the girls weren't in fact going to Australia/New Zealand next year, but instead to a weapons training camp in Libya. It just goes to show that any hopes of a seamless border poll & transition to some sort of united Ireland are greatly misplaced. Can we honestly say we'd be any better though? If a united Ireland was announced tomorrow it would be impossible to keep a lid on the sense of triumphalism. "A Nation Once Again" and the like would be belted out all over the country no matter how much pleading from nationalists not to rub Unionist faces in it. I genuinely think that if such a scenario played out we'd see an inverse of what happened during the Troubles. Namely some hardline Unionists vehemently opposed to living under an Irish flag, even if the tricolour was disbanded in favour of a new inclusive one. It's why Brexit is such a complete fiasco for the North. Since the GFA things had been going relatively smoothly. People identified as they wished and went about their business peacefully. Brexit has opened up old wounds in terms of the border and all down to the Tories and their arrogance/greed." The tricolour is already more inclusive than the union jack. Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 2660 - 13/10/2022 13:43:21 2443842 Link
Replying To Doylerwex: "The tricolour is already more inclusive than the union jack." That's true in that the orange portion of the flag represents Irish Protestants. But those of a certain Unionist background will never accept that - hence the need for a modern, more inclusive flag. We all know that the flag has serious symbolism. But deciding on a flag would be well down the list of priorities if/when the time comes when there is a united Ireland. Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9135 - 13/10/2022 14:09:22 2443846 Link
Replying To TerribleFootwork: "They were silly to sing the song and to post it on social media but I don't think any malice was intended, they apologised straight away no making excuses etc. and I think some of the reaction has been over the top. Think some people these days are mad to put someone or something on the chopping block and easily offended as a result." It was naive at best. I for one take great exception to a British journalist telling us we need to be better educated on Irish history. Rebel songs are part of our culture. That is their fault, not ours. Furthermore, the average British person knows nothing of their history beyond the 2 world wars. Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 2660 - 13/10/2022 17:59:06 2443889 Link
Replying To Doylerwex: "It was naive at best. I for one take great exception to a British journalist telling us we need to be better educated on Irish history. Rebel songs are part of our culture. That is their fault, not ours. Furthermore, the average British person knows nothing of their history beyond the 2 world wars." Yes that line of questioning on Sky Sports News was ridiculous, it was naive like you said but the reaction has been way over the top. TerribleFootwork (Wexford) - Posts: 1716 - 13/10/2022 21:23:00 2443914 Link
Replying To Doylerwex: "It was naive at best. I for one take great exception to a British journalist telling us we need to be better educated on Irish history. Rebel songs are part of our culture. That is their fault, not ours. Furthermore, the average British person knows nothing of their history beyond the 2 world wars." If they're so worried about wolftone songs, all nations should take offence to the words of, God save the queen. Verse about falling their enemies and so on. As you say rebel music is our culture and we are proud of it. I grew up listening to it and my children listen to it, and I know for sure their children will grow up with it. Doesn't mean to say everyone is going to get out the M60's. It's a no story not helped by the fact loyalists can't bear the fact that Sinn Fein are No 1. Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2013 - 13/10/2022 21:46:48 2443916 Link