isn't it strange...

[Jim Comic]

....that F.F. bent over backwards to help sinn fein get into power in the north yet refuse to countenance them sharing power down here? Hypocritical surely?

http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0508/election.html

[EDDIEB]

....that F.F. bent over backwards to help sinn fein get into power in the north yet refuse to countenance them sharing power down here? Hypocritical surely?

http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0508/election.html

Barking mad economics policies the Sinn Fein have would have us all emigrating yet again.

[jungle]

The irony is that they'll have major trouble finding a coalition partner now. The PDs are going to lose tonnes of seats and no other party is going to want to be seen keeping Bertie in power now.

I'd go as far as to say that if we see a Fianna Fail led coalition after the election, it won't be with Bertie as Taoiseach.

[Jim Comic]

The PDs are going to lose tonnes of seats.

do they even have tons of seats to lose?

[Some user]

Noel Dempsey said that they'd rather go into opposition than go into government with Sinn Fein.
FF's coalition partner preference would probably be something like:
1. PDs
2. Labour
3. Greens
4. PDs/Labour + Greens
5. Sinn Fein

As Labour will get more seats than Sinn Fein, the maths say that FF wont have to contemplate coalition with Sinn Fein once Pat Rabbitte agrees to go into government with FF. He hasnt ruled this out but would prefer to go with Fine Gael.
Theyre probably saying they wont go into government with the Shinners to keep the SF vote down. You're less likely to vote for a party that isnt going to get into power.

Rabbitte is going to be the king maker. The only dilema really is whether Pat Rabbitte would choose (FG+LAB+Greens) or (FF+Lab). The former is most likely as he'd be tripping over the "Alliance for Change" comments for the rest of his political life.

[jungle]

If Labour go in with Fianna Fail, it won't be with Pat Rabbitte as Tanaiste.

I wonder what odds you can get on Brendan Howlin being the next Tanaiste...

[POL]

Barking mad economics policies the Sinn Fein have would have us all emigrating yet again.explain?

[Tube a Pringles]

explain?


I would say the hiking of Corporation tax (as per their agenda) would mean job losses in the 10s of thousands.......

[trasnanadtonnta]

....that F.F. bent over backwards to help sinn fein get into power in the north yet refuse to countenance them sharing power down here? Hypocritical surely?

http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0508/election.html

It's somewhat hypocritical. Although there is a difference between being MLAs together and forming an independent government together, surely?

That said, it reminds me of the people ringing Joe Duffy and writing letters to the papers giving out yards about Gerry McCabe's killers being released. Plenty of British army families and RUC families had to see the killers of their loved ones walk free too. If the North had to suck it up, so do we. The same is true of Sinn Fein being in government.

[Actin The Sham]

There is a difference between being part of a constitutionally underwritten power sharing devolved executive and being part of a sovereign government.

The Good Friday Agreement lays down rules which in effect force all the parties in the north to co operate with each other which is why a far left party like Sinn Féin has to share power with a far right party like the DUP.


There is no constitutional imperative here in the Republic, hence coalitions here are voluntary.

And as they are voluntary, then the chances are that no party is going to volunteer to enter a coalition with Sinn Féin as it currently stands.
This may change however in the future as Sinn Féin develops it's policies and other parties review their positions.
But the whole "you want them in government up here, so why not down there" is a red herring introduced into the debate by unionists in the north when the Irish Government was trying to persuade them to share power with SF.