Sinn Fein- Support in The Republic of Ireland

[Alec Horan]

I see from a couple of polls carried out today that they are now the second party in the Republic.

Interesting to note that the supporters are overwhelmingly Male- Young - Poor - Less Educated.

Young Dumb and Full of Cum is the old phrase for them.

Reminds me a little of those that supported extremist groups back in the 1930's and more recently in Eastern Europe after the fall of Communism.

Shall we ever learn from history.

Be Afraid.....Be Very Afraid.

[hd7055]

Really hate agreeing with this OP but looking at how well Mandela's best mate is doing in the Presedential polls is truly f***ing shocking ...

[cogol]

Why? What's wrong with Sinn Féin?

[doodlebug]

Although refusing to categorise Sinn Fein supporters as you do Alec, I would just say your "fear and loathing" is a little premature, remember the polls you referred to are about a Presidential race which is lacking a Fianna Fail candidate, still I would say a large party and also in Fairness to Labour are they not now the second largest party in the Republic.

Also interesting that your attitude to Sinn Fein gaining ground smacks of the partitionist attitude of some. Its alright for them to be the second largest party in the North and even to have power but God forbid they should get anywhere down here. Wake up lads this attitude is completely wrong and indeed insulting to Northerners. It is the same type of second class citizenship that eventually led to the troubles. Stop this double standard and judge parties on their policies not the agenda driven attitude of the extremely right wing media. I have no issue with people opposing any political party but scaremongering and effective racism I do object to.

[Bruno69]

I see from a couple of polls carried out today that they are now the second party in the Republic.

Interesting to note that the supporters are overwhelmingly Male- Young - Poor - Less Educated.

Young Dumb and Full of Cum is the old phrase for them.

Reminds me a little of those that supported extremist groups back in the 1930's and more recently in Eastern Europe after the fall of Communism.

Shall we ever learn from history.

Be Afraid.....Be Very Afraid.

It is to be feared as their economic policies are childish.

However, your barely veiled comparison to extremist right wing movements of old is just as simplistic and poorly thought out IMHO. SF are a socialist party with an all Ireland agenda. Nothing wrong with that. They just need to mature as politicians.

Whatever your opinion as to their roots, as a political party they have a social conscience, are inclusive and can in no way be compared to any right wing extremist parties from history or present day.

[El Gordo]

All major parties in the Republic, with the exception of Labour, were associated paramilitary organisations at some point during the twentieth century. It's just a question of how long ago.

[experiencedguy]

I'm in complete agreement with Alec, apart from the supporters comment, which is a huge generalisation, everything else seems spot on.

Here's why.

Over the last few years we have seen a rise in support for Sinn Féin from primarily right wing ideologies. This is as a result of their continued targeting of people who are low on the economic ladder in their policies and advertising, and thereby gaining the support of the people who have the 'foreigners taking our jobs' attitude. This is not exclusive, but is a huge part of their support base. This worked in 1970's Ulster because the unemployed and disenfranchised back then were primarily in the situation they were in as a result of political policy of the elite. This cannot be said of people in the Republic due to the access of everyone to a largely free education system. In short, if someone is uneducated, it's their fault. However, Sinn Féin has been appealing to the 'maginalised' using some not too subtle anti-europe tactics, and tends to give the impression that it's the influx of cheap foreign labour that has resulted in the continued unemployment of the irish youth, while not outwardly saying it. This tactic of implying things has been used before in a not too distant past historical context.

When Gerry Adams moved to the Republic, he ousted and forced a popular Sinn Féin councillor out of his seat so he could stand as a figurehead for Southern Sinn Féin, thereby abandoning his Falls Road constituents, both physically and figuratively, to achieve a political agenda that is just not economically achievable: a United Ireland. This was an oppurtunistic tactic to increase the vote. I don't have a problem with any party trying to increase their vote as long as they look after their people and don't have a hidden agenda. Sinn Féin breaks both of these tenets.

Martin McGuinness is now running for the office of President. In doing so, he is neglecting the higher political office of Deputy First Minister of the Northern Irish assembly, to run in an election in another country. This is also abandoning his constituents. If elected, we would have an ex member of the I.R.A. as head of our armed forces, and this would symbolically bring us back 30 years, back to the bad old days, if not actually, then symbolically.

It's not the fact that Sinn Féin is present here that bothers me. There is a section of the population that needs to be represented here, and they do that, in the absence of the SDLP in the Republic. It's the ease with which the party leaders of Sinn Féin are willing to abandon their own to further their agenda that bothers me, and there are very few people who either don't see it, or don't care. After all, politics is ideologically about representation.

Sinn Féin harks back to an old idea, one which is no longer sustainable. We are no longer suffering the troubles. In the Republic, most of us have moved on, and would never go back, and I would hazard a guess and say that most of us on this site remember when people were being shot and bombs were going off. They may have had a point at one stage, but not any more, and I do NOT want my country represented by someone whos ideology is to make Ireland 'united' at the cost of abandoning the majority of its people, which, by past actions, Sinn Féin has proven that it WILL do.

[TheNads]

I see from a couple of polls carried out today that they are now the second party in the Republic.

Interesting to note that the supporters are overwhelmingly Male- Young - Poor - Less Educated.

Young Dumb and Full of Cum is the old phrase for them.

Reminds me a little of those that supported extremist groups back in the 1930's and more recently in Eastern Europe after the fall of Communism.

Shall we ever learn from history.

Be Afraid.....Be Very Afraid.

I guess Alex that you are happy living in a republic where all parties are scrapping over the middle ground, or right of middle to be exact ?
Lets be honest about it, FF - FG - Labour - all the same wolf in different clothing ! I warned everyone I knew to avoid FG & Labour but hey ho, off like sheep we go. We now have a government persuing the exact same policies as FF, complete continuity after election. The fact is that we have had no real options here for an age, same as the US where Republican or Democrat means just more of the same. In the UK Labour & the Tories ? Same, same.
Don't forget that the institutions of state that have destroyed us, set up the bloated civil service we are unwilling or afraid to radically change, so we can survive etc etc have been set up by successive governments - FF, FG & Labour all had parts to play in the ridiculously unrealistic remuneration packages & conditions these people get.
What the fuck is wrong with the public having a real alternative to the failed policies of these self, golden circle & corporate interested people ? Why are so many people afraid of real change ? Even though they'll admit that the establishment has failed them they won't consider any alternatives. The saying that you get the government you deserve is very applicable to Ireland & the scaremongerers like you Alex should stop & realise that these angry, ill-educated, young men, who society has never given a chance to have a vote that carries equal sway to yours.
"Democrats" like you Alex should not be afraid of this, as you beleted on for long enough about wanting SF / IRA to pursue their aims exclusively via the ballot box & that day is here.
When the revolution is won I'm gonna be the Minister for Revenge & Bertie's top of my list !

[TheNads]

[QUOTE=Bruno69;598110]It is to be feared as their economic policies are childish.

Let it be known that I am not a member of SF but a socialist.
Fact : SF's last 2 pre-budget submissions have been presented to the dept. of finance for costing, verification etc & on both occasions it had to be admitted that the numbers stacked up.
None of our "independent" media chose to highlight this & merely let the hacks continue to trash & dismiss the SF economic policies as "childish" & it has enjoyed success obviously as I see these words repeated here.

[experiencedguy]

I guess Alex that you are happy living in a republic where all parties are scrapping over the middle ground, or right of middle to be exact ?
Lets be honest about it, FF - FG - Labour - all the same wolf in different clothing ! I warned everyone I knew to avoid FG & Labour but hey ho, off like sheep we go. We now have a government persuing the exact same policies as FF, complete continuity after election. The fact is that we have had no real options here for an age, same as the US where Republican or Democrat means just more of the same. In the UK Labour & the Tories ? Same, same.
Don't forget that the institutions of state that have destroyed us, set up the bloated civil service we are unwilling or afraid to radically change, so we can survive etc etc have been set up by successive governments - FF, FG & Labour all had parts to play in the ridiculously unrealistic remuneration packages & conditions these people get.
What the fuck is wrong with the public having a real alternative to the failed policies of these self, golden circle & corporate interested people ? Why are so many people afraid of real change ? Even though they'll admit that the establishment has failed them they won't consider any alternatives. The saying that you get the government you deserve is very applicable to Ireland & the scaremongerers like you Alex should stop & realise that these angry, ill-educated, young men, who society has never given a chance to have a vote that carries equal sway to yours.
"Democrats" like you Alex should not be afraid of this, as you beleted on for long enough about wanting SF / IRA to pursue their aims exclusively via the ballot box & that day is here.
When the revolution is won I'm gonna be the Minister for Revenge & Bertie's top of my list !

You have good points regarding FG/Labour and FF. We have no real options in voting, but bringing us back 30 years is not an option either. It's the lack of will of the people to get involved in politics except from the comfort of their armchair that has resulted in this.

Bear in mind that the reason we have 'angry ill-educated young men' in Ireland is because THEY CHOSE TO BE. Society didn't choose it for them. If a person wants to get educated, they can. It may take a while, but that's the price everybody pays. It takes 3 years at least to get a degree. The fact is that these 'ill-educated' young men saw the money being flouted about on building sites and went after the quick fix. That was their decision, not 'society's'.

So where are the options? Where are the protests? They're all sitting at home, writing on forums on their laptops, or shouting from the roof of Facebook to any idiot that will listen instead of getting off their arses and doing something for themselves, and THAT is the real problem.