Ivan Yates

[Yermon]

FPTP would require a merger of FF and FG. That’s the point I was addressing.

It’s not changing you’re right. It’s changed on the left also. Labour were the main left party by a considerable distance and that’s no longer the case.

Occasional fluke aside, Labour seldom had enough to do other than be the fourth wheel in a coalition. And they lost the trust of the Left voters once too often in rushing into the arms of FF/FG. SF had remained aloof from parliamentary politics for decades. But post 1981 any student of Irish politics can see SF's vote growing and FFG's dwindling.

There'll come a time when the balance will inevitably tip imho.

 

[Yermon]

That remains to be seen, but at the moment FF are looking to take back more of their soft republican vote from SF, while FG are stagnating under Harris unable for now, to increase vote share. That said, they've 4 years to the next general election.

I'm more interested to see what happens on the left. Labour and SD are making a huge mistake in agreeing anything with SF, and we'll wait for how that unfolds.

Good luck with that when FF leader won't even discuss the preparations for a Border Poll. MM put his lust for power far in advance of reuniting Ireland. And even "soft republicans" cans see that.

I doubt there'll be any "soft republicans" go back to Fianna Fail as long as Micheal Martin sticks to his "Never. Never. Never"

As for your notion that Labour and SD are making a "huge mistake agreeing anything with SF" have you anything to back that up apart from your irrational fear of SF. Their collaboration on electing easily the best candidate for President of Ireland didn't work out too badly, so what kind of "huge mistake(s)" have you in mind?

 

[MerchantOfEnnis]

I'd vote for the Greens, SDs, FF, FG, the Nazi Party, before I'd ever give a vote to Sinn Fein

I reckon they will be finished in a few years

 

[Hallbopping]

Occasional fluke aside, Labour seldom had enough to do other than be the fourth wheel in a coalition. And they lost the trust of the Left voters once too often in rushing into the arms of FF/FG. SF had remained aloof from parliamentary politics for decades. But post 1981 any student of Irish politics can see SF's vote growing and FFG's dwindling.

There'll come a time when the balance will inevitably tip imho.

That’s some reaching there

 

[Hallbopping]

I think both FF and FG realise that they're both in terminal decline compared to where they used to be even a couple of decades ago. All it is likely to take is for them both to be out of power at the same time, maybe the election after next who knows? and then the FF and FG grandees are likely to want to put their past differences harking back 100+ years aside, and coalesce into a large party where they think the sum of the whole will be greater than the sum of the parts.

As long as they continue to take later seats through transfers from each other they'll likely stay apart, but once the rubicon has been crossed, I think their survival gene will kick in and they'll do what they feel is necessary to get back to power. They've supported minority governments; they've called for the other lot to be thrown out only to promptly go into power with them; and lately they practically canvassed on the same ticket. Bit by bit their "differences" are becoming miniscule.

Their reasons for staying apart are dwindling by the day, as older egos disappear one by one. Their time will come.

Wishful thinking in the same way that those who hope the Soc Dems and Labour will merge. Won’t happen.

 

[Hallbopping]

I'd vote for the Greens, SDs, FF, FG, the Nazi Party, before I'd ever give a vote to Sinn Fein

I reckon they will be finished in a few years

Vienna really had an impact on you!

 

[MerchantOfEnnis]

Vienna really had an impact on you!

You'd be surprised at how prevalent such feelings are over there.

I don't agree with many things that they did, but I certainly do share some of their beliefs.

Before anyone loses their shit, yes I completely condemn the holocaust. I wonder how their legacy would look was it not for that?

 

[Hallbopping]

You'd be surprised at how prevalent such feelings are over there.

I don't agree with many things that they did, but I certainly do share some of their beliefs.

Before anyone loses their shit, yes I completely condemn the holocaust. I wonder how their legacy would look was it not for that?

I had a discussion with a lad in work lately and we both agreed that Anschluss should be repeated.

 

[MerchantOfEnnis]

I had a discussion with a lad in work lately and we both agreed that Anschluss should be repeated.

I don't agree with that

 

[Hallbopping]

I don't agree with that

We try to come up with the most controversial opinions and try to outdo each other. My latest one is the return of Danzig from Poland to Germany.