Sunday Times Behaviour and Attitudes poll 15th Sept 2012: FG: 31%, SF 18%, FF: 16%, Lab:14%

[Holly]

Sinn Féin will be the official opposition after the next general election.

[riposte]

Sinn Féin will be the official opposition after the next general election.

They could be in government Holly.

[Holly]

They could be in government Holly.

They will lose support if they go into coalition with any other party.

[Darren J. Prior]

FF were always a party, in urban areas anyway, of street fighters. They are going to have to fight SF and LB at a national and local level if they want to be the second biggest party in the State in the medium term or, again, the biggest Opposition party in the Dáil.

I hope that Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore finish their term and lead the Government after 2016 and I hope that FF remain the largest Opposition party in the Dáil. But unless Mícheál Martin becomes contrite of what he and his colleagues did to the country's economy then they will remain toxic for 80%+ people even at the next GE in 2016 and, although they may be bigger than Labour then, SF will destroy them from 2016 in the Dáil. I hope SF don't destroy the State also as the largest Opposition party and I'm sure FF don't also so they should cop on.

Mícheál Martin needs to become contrite. Ideally he shouldn't be the leader and Averil Power would be. Averil is not a TD and their calibre of current TD's is appalling so I think Averil should still be on the FF front bench anyway.

The only hope I see for FF out of all their members in the Dáil and Seanad and prospective national politicians is Averil Power and Éamon Ó Cuív.

(The way it is looking now is that Averil may not even get elected to the Dáil).

I am an independent.

[Holly]

...
I am an independent.

It strikes me that you want no change in Irish politics, Darren.

[jmcc]

Darren, weren't you a campaigning FG supporter at one stage? What happened to make you change your mind?

As for Fianna Fail, Micheal Martin is a part of the problem. He and the other Ahernites and Cowenites need to be removed before any progress can be made. Otherwise that floating vote that FF needs to get back in the game is going to go elsewhere.

Regards...jmcc

[Greengoddess]

Sinn Féin will be the official opposition after the next general election.

Refusal to enter government in Ireland will leave them with no credibility . They will be asked this before the election too.
Biffos idea of minority government could happen if the government falls and there is not to be an election. The Troika do not like elections in these circumstances. Or else they insist on them . .This happened in Greece.
I note that the Portugeus situation is becoming unstable now.

[jmcc]

Perhaps it may be disturbing to some, particularly FFers, but SF may now be the official opposition.

Regards...jmcc

[Baron von Biffo]

Perhaps it may be disturbing to some, particularly FFers, but SF may now be the official opposition.

Regards...jmcc

We don't have an 'official' opposition. All opposition parties have equal status and are just distinguished by size for the purposes of place in the pecking order to speak or question the government and other procedural matters.

[Baron von Biffo]

Refusal to enter government in Ireland will leave them with no credibility . They will be asked this before the election too.
Biffos idea of minority government could happen if the government falls and there is not to be an election. The Troika do not like elections in these circumstances. Or else they insist on them . .This happened in Greece.
I note that the Portugeus situation is becoming unstable now.

Solely from their own electoral prospects perspective it's hard to see what Lab would have to gain by doing what the Greens did in the last Dail - Withdrawing from government but continuing to prop their former partners.

The time for that was when it became clear that they weren't going to secure the Dept of Finance or any significant policy influence on the PfG.

[Darren J. Prior]

Darren, weren't you a campaigning FG supporter at one stage? What happened to make you change your mind?

As for Fianna Fail, Micheal Martin is a part of the problem. He and the other Ahernites and Cowenites need to be removed before any progress can be made. Otherwise that floating vote that FF needs to get back in the game is going to go elsewhere.

Regards...jmcc

Yes I am an independent. I am not loyal to any party now. I like some politicians of all parties and as I said I want Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore to finish their term and be reelected. I was musing on FF as I want them to continue to be the largest Opposition party in the Dáil.

[Baron von Biffo]

Yes I am an independent. I am not loyal to any party now. I like some politicians of all parties and as I said I want Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore to finish their term and be reelected. I was musing on FF as I want them to continue to be the largest Opposition party in the Dáil.

Why do you think that either of those aspirations will be good for the country?

[disability student]

Yes I am an independent. I am not loyal to any party now. I like some politicians of all parties and as I said I want Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore to finish their term and be reelected. I was musing on FF as I want them to continue to be the largest Opposition party in the Dáil.

Are you that naive given the fact that they broke their election promises? They have adapted FF budget last December as they have wrecked huge havoc in their handling of our economy.

Level of state debt in relation to GNP is 150% which is mighty unsustainable along with a drop of 2.5 % in GNP(last year) as you want to vote them IN, which indicates that you are either a fool or a die hard loyal FG .

[Holly]

Refusal to enter government in Ireland will leave them with no credibility .

That type of thinking is held only by those who have no regard for democracy and want all deliberations and decisions to be taken by a handful of cabinet members along the lines of some agreement for government which the electorate did not vote for.

They will be asked this before the election too.

And their answer should be that they are running for government, not coalition.

[Greengoddess]

That type of thinking is held only by those who have no regard for democracy and want all deliberations and decisions to be taken by a handful of cabinet members along the lines of some agreement for government which the electorate did not vote for.


And their answer should be that they are running for government, not coalition.

Won't work that way by 2016. Or earlier. We will be possibly in a very bad place. But possibly not.