Skip to main content

Sinn Failed

Tiocfaidh ár thaw. Sinn Fein have gone from having 159 local councillors elected in the 2014 local elections to 81 in the last weekend's election. What has happened? Are Sinn Fein a one-trick pony, only good at blowing the whistle when the government steps out of line? Are they a party which the electorate would trust to run the country? These are the questions being repeated ad nauseum by commentators trying to make sense of the party's seemingly calamitous defeat. I even heard one presenter suggest that Mary Lou, only wearing the Sinn Fein captain's jersey a wet week, should step down. Really I think people are missing the point here.



Sinn Fein entered the 2014 local elections on a simple mandate: anti-austerity and, principally, anti-water charges. They were, for all intents and purposes, running on a single-issue ticket. At a time when it seemed like there were no benefits left to cut or taxes left to increase by the Fine Gael-Labour coalition, people voted with their wallets.

But voting can be based on priorities. 2014, economically, seems like a long time ago. In 2014 unemployment was nearly at 12% and a whole generation were flooding out of Ireland in search of work, telling themselves that they would probably be saying farewell to their families for a decade.

Today is different. Unemployment is at a 10-year low and the economy is bouyant. Pretty much everyone who wants a job can have one.

Today the priorities of the electorate lie elsewhere - people are concerned about housing, about the destruction of the planet by climate change and about Brexit. Hence their decision to shift towards the Green party. As I have argued before, I think Attenborough and Thunberg have indirectly been more effective campaigners for the Green Party than its leader Eamonn Ryan.

I don't think it's that Sinn Fein dramatically failed to connect with people or made any calamitous slip-ups since the last election, it's merely that people are concerned about different issues today. In 2014 they channelled the zeitgeist of water charges and in 2019 the Greens have capitalised on the prevailing awareness of climate change.

Unfortunately our chattering political commentators seem to overanalyse these results and are harping on as if Sinn Fein have been reduced to political roadkill after this election. Most voters are, with respect to them, shallow and fickle. More politely, they're not interested in high-level politics, they are simply attracted to parties and politicians which deliver them solutions to issues that matter to them at that moment.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

@rtesecretpro - An account that should never have gotten legs

Recently a controversial Twitter account by the name of ' RTE Secret Producer ' has emerged. Its premise: a brave RTE staff member stands up against their employer and sets out to expose the hidden culture which prevails within the organisation. It sounds like a plot to a low-budget thriller. The account has spurred much debate and has riled up many of the anti-RTE cynics who inhabit our country. Moreover, some of the Irish media - in competition with RTE and unlike RTE, not subsidised by the license fee - are probably happy to have a go at their media nemesis. I have a few thoughts about this Twitter account... First of all  I have read Facebook comment after Facebook comment praising this mystery staffer for their bravery and for being the good Samaritan to expose the ' flawed ' organisation. Although when one examines the level of 'exposure' through the Twitter account, one notices that this secret producer's ramblings amount to little more th...

The 'A Word'

"YOU support murdering children?"   It was a simple exchange. We were talking about faith in the modern world, and I foolishly dropped the 'A Word'. Hinting my feelings in relation to this controversial topic, I was immediately stopped in my tracks. My words had led to a judgement being made about my character and my personality. This headline from Waterford Whispers News summarises what has happened to the debate in Ireland: It's ironic, because since the debate has come into general public consideration in Ireland, it has almost become more of a taboo. A highly emotionally-charged debate, both sides will shoot the other down with provocative statements. People are afraid to open their mouths about it in case they are ridiculed for their views. This is exacerbated by the far-left and far-right musings on social media, suggesting that there is little or no middle-ground in this debate. Whatever side of the tracks you are on, or whether you have made ...

Lyric Hits the Right Note

Why does every radio station play the same music?   Given my occupation, I'm regularly asked naive questions about radio from lay people:  Has anyone ever overheard you in conversation and interjected 'I recognise your voice'?  and Can you get me free tickets to X gig/festival?  are classics. The respective answers are 'No... don't be ridiculous'; and 'No... don't be ridiculous'. There is one question however which comes up regularly enough and I think it's important that it is being asked. Why does every station seem to play music from the likes of Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Adele and Pink? Have they found the golden formula for pop music? Perhaps they have, but here's the thing. Most music radio stations in Ireland have what's known as an Adult Contemporary format . This was imported from America in the 1980s when aggressive heavy metal and crude rap were emerging as genres, but the soccer moms and 9-5 office workers wanted a more pre...