@Doug Leddin: fully agree! Itd be a waste of time. Another election is coming…!
On a side note, did anybody see the RTE clip of Leo’s fella at the vote count two nights back speaking as gaeilge….completely off his bin? Face contorting like he’d just sniffed pablo escobar up his nose! How has there been nothing said about it?

@Daimhín De Naois: what do you think should be said about it?

@Bernard Sweeney: perhaps highlight it to Varadkar and the question asked??simple, no? the partner of the ex taioseach is at the counting station off his face and considering there was a young lad chopped up not so long ago due to drugs and gangland criminality do you think its a positive element?

@Doug Leddin: FF and SF got the same number of TD’s elected, But SF had a larger popular 1st preference vote. FF had a free seat for the Ceann Comhairle but can he vote for Taoiseach? Based on that, the people have decided Mary Lou should be Taoiseach and Micky Martin knows it!

@Daimhín De Naois: so because you think he looked like he was on drugs then he must have been?

@John Meade: have you seen the clip John?

@Angela McCarthy:
Martin is desperate to be Taoiseach. He doesn’t want to be the only FF leader, who didn’t get to sit on the throne. If he doesn’t go into coalition with FG, he knows he will have to step down, without a Taoiseachs pension. He needs that pension to scrape by on in his old age.
But let FFGL go into coalition together and watch the government fail. And when that happens, we WILL have a majority one party government. See how they like them apples

@Angela McCarthy: SF won the most votes, yes, but three-quarters of those who voted didn’t vote for SF, and more than one in three didn’t vote at all. So in fact, SF got votes from about one in six of the electorate – better than they ever did before, better than any of the other parties, but not exactly an overwhelming mandate for Mary Lou to be taoiseach!

@Doug Leddin: Previous ones rotating on a spit…. the shower of greedy b@stards.

@Lesidees: 88% of SFs candidates got elected whereas 45% of FF’s candidates got elected and 43% of FGs candidates got elected!

@Angela McCarthy: ah, Sinn Fein supporters need elementary lessons in politics

Number of seats returned : FF 38 , SF 37 . Everyone knew that the Ceann Comhairle gets back in . FF have more seats. There are no special prizes for how you get into the Dáil ,whether it’s first count or 9th and fail to meet the quota . SF vote won’t mean any added extra during a voting session because they got a nice vote share, which goes up and down each month

1st preference vote is irrelevant . No body remembers it .it only returned 1 TD .ask Willie O’Dea, king of 1st preference votes at every election, now was ,some how chasing a SF he was in court against a few years ago. Who’s likely to have a seat in government ? Willie or Maurice (if both are to form a coalition

Joan Collins got a pathetic 2,000 first preferences. FF girl had 4,500. Yet thanks to PR ,Joan got a seat and Ardagh did not .

Stupid girl . Go back to school

Mary can not form a government with her preferred choices. Banks won’t work with SF led government . Justice and Defence won’t tolerate a SF minister at either .

Martin will be Taoiseach . They might even commit treason and form an official coalition with FG and kick SF into the opposition benches

@helen walsh: And the inept Leo should lead the country and put Harris back in charge of the health system, Murphy to continue as Minister for Sleep Bags and Tents For All. I have also no doubt that he’d put that yoke Doherty back in her role, as Minister for fk the OAP’s and their massive €5 rise every year, that is bankrupting this country. I don’t think so, and if that does happen, there will be hordes of hard pressed people banging on the gates of the Dáil, demanding their heads on a plate. It will make a difference, to the citizens of this country, being served up on a platter for big business and bankers….no thanks.

@Ann Reddin: He would have a job and a half putting Doherty back in due to the fact she lost her seat.

@The Risen: SF don’t have a magic money tree. They won’t be able to do much for this people.
On top of this all the signs are showing that house building is already ramping up so if they mess with that they could cause a bigger problem!

@Brian Dunne: Its worse than strange,its nasty and infantile.

@The Risen: there is a difference between wishing someone bad and having a realistic prediction of what is going to unfold. If sinn Fein achieve all they have promised they will have another vote come the next election from me and I’ll be delighted. Realistically though a lot of people (including myself) are very pessimistic that they can eliminate USC, lower taxes, build 100k homes in 5 years that doesn’t create another ballymun of the 60s, solve the housing crisis, solve homelessness, not alienate multi nationals and run them out of the country, increase enterprise and employment stay firm on crime and not embarrass us on the world stage .

Lads aspirations are great but that’s about it. As I said, get SF into government and prove me wrong. Id be delighted to be wrong but they’ll sink the country by implementing their ‘one for everyone in the audience’ manifesto. Far more economically competent minds than mine have warned they’ll do great damage.

@Sim0n: “Id be delighted to be wrong”

Course you would. We’ve seen the anti SF venom you’ve been spitting here non stop.

@Sim0n: You lot couldn’t predict the election result with the nation roaring in your face.
Still haven’t a bulls notion.

I cant understand your pessimism. In 2006, there were over 93,000 homes built in that year alone. USC can be eliminated at the stroke of a pen. Homelessness can be resolved in 5 years. Please read SF fully costed manifesto. This is costed by the same Department of Finance that costs FG and FF. Remember, it was FF who humiliated Ireland in the global stage, never forget that.

@Sim0n: simple simon

@Sim0n: Sim0n would rather see children eating pasta off paper plates in O’Connell street, and old women eating a luke warm meal on that is perched on a shop front window sill than see the “Shinners” succeed,… something sociopathic about that….No wonder he is a good fit for Fine Gael…

@Joe: no magic money tree…All proposals costed and seemed doable by the dept of finance…but you already knew this, didn’t you?

@The Risen: I admire your dedication to protecting Sinn Féin at all costs. I also admire my own dedication to calling out their hyperpopulism. I imagine “we” will see plenty more of both.

@Noely Kelly: *deemed doable

@Ian Breathnach: Absolutely, let SF in to deliver. As I said Monday on this site, no if’s but’s or why’s!

@Noely Kelly: that’s a lie about the dept of finance, even Mary Lou didnt claim that

@The Risen: It’s almost like Brexit in the UK, we’re not fkin British I wish they’d all just go take a few Valium or something.

@Sim0n: Simon you’re a sick pr*ck

@Sim0n: oh really? Who. I’d love to read these economically competent minds. Please post links to them. I’d be delighted to read their opinions.

@Sim0n: still a Dick in defeat

@The Risen: and we’ve all seen the insidious brainwashed utopia propaganda b o l l o c k s you and all the other sf social media lynch mobs have been spouting on here for years, rev_irl, blaming people non-stop without being able to offer any viable and sustainable solutions and hiding behind the usual crap that Denis O’Brien controls everything and RTE won’t give sf a voice and when they do they dismiss it. Well, of course they do, because it’s all rhetoric that can and should be ignored. We’d all be delighted if your lot could deliver on their promises, but they won’t, they’ll fall victim to big business like you claim everyone else did, or if they don’t, there will be no business left with meaningful presences in this country and you’ll be up the creek without any paddle. Even then you still won’t accept that the sun doesn’t shine out of the backside of sf after all. Don’t come crying on here in 6months time blaming FF/FG when sf discover that they can’t actually deliver on their promise.

You might be tired of the “anti SF venom” but believe me, there’s many, many more of us tired of your and your gang’s bull s h i t.

Go on, have a go, form a ‘left’ government and make it last for more than 18 months. If you do we’ll all be very happy because it’ll either be all unicorns and happy times or you’ll have proved everyone right and you’ll end up with 15 seats in the next Dail.

@Noely Kelly: actually, genius, don’t hang your hat on that “fooley” costed rubbish, the actual letter from the dept in return to that magic manifesto and the alternative budget heavily caveat-ed them. But, you knew that as well, didn’t you.

In short, dept said all elements basically needed tweaking and even then not all would be “doable”.

@Sim0n: Well done Simple Simon, I hope you are going to stick to that battle cry and tell all your party TD’s in FG to vote for Mary Lou for that top spot!

@The Risen:
The campaign is over you can relax now… This about governing.
You can’t blame anybody who wished them bad luck if SF can’t deliver. This isn’t a football match and the crowd is against you

@The Risen: SF told a pack of lies to get votes. They fooled working class who spend more time drinking and shouting up the ra than actually doing something constructive like work or keep their family off the welfare . Talk is cheap when it ain’t their money .

Now they want to come and try to destroy all the hard work the middle class have put in to get the country on its feet again, with their comic book theories .

Any luck, when they do fail, and they get Disciplined , it will be with a bullet ,just like how they dealt with their Enemies

@Noely Kelly: Simon made his comment with the full knowledge that SF won’t succeed. Time you stop listening to fairy stories . Santa is not real

@DK Innovation: lol. Govern what ? No one won ! No one has the power to govern without being imposed with heavy restrictions . This is half time, another election will be held within 2 years

@Joe: there’s the northern Bank money

@Noely Kelly: Mary Lou commemorated a Nazi collaborator with a convicted murderer in Fairview Park. Pearce Doherty reacted to the killing of Lyra McKee by opining that the latest version of the IRA might “besmirch” the name of the Provisional IRA. So to answer your question of how far back, its all quite recent. That’s why you have Cullinane shouting “up the ra” and Mary Lou already talking about border polls.

@Noely Kelly: at the 2004 Ard Fheis, following on from a concerted campaign by SF to have them released, a standing ovation was accorded to the killers of Garda Gerry McCabe.
Eoin O Broin, David Cullinanne, Brian Stanley Paul Donnelly Pauline Tully and Mary Lou, all recently elected for Sinn Fein were senior members of the party at that time were presumably at that Ard Fheis and applauding with the rest. It’s not the past.

@Sim0n: you.hear ” up the Ra” at football matches….it was said I’m a pub late at night, OF COURSE Mary Lou is talking about a United Ireland, it has been the ambition of the party since it’s inception!?
And is catered for in the GFA agreement, especially with the chit show that is Brexit,
The EU have ALREADY stated that a United Ireland would be.welcome into the EU.
As for Nazi’s,….Fine Gael actually SENT men to figtt for the fascists in the Spanish civil war,
Do your research , know your history

@Sim0n: Can’t help yourself, can you?

@The Risen: Pesky facts, eh Risen?

@Sim0n: I note they dont refute these facts any more, they just shoot the messenger.

@Noely Kelly: I mentioned yesterday that “up the ra” and border polls wasn’t the reason Sinn Féin received a jump in support. I’m well known ( to SF supporters here at least) for being critical of SF. It received over 1000 up votes. In my opinion if SF mistake peoples demands for ‘change’ with tacit approval of their foundational goals they’ll lose support. They have over promised big time.
As for “Fine Gael” sending men to fight for the fascists, you evidently haven’t done any research yourself. They were anti communist and pro church. The only fighting they did was against their ‘own sides’ soldiers. They were a drunken joke and were withdrawn and disbanded..

@Connoroconner: That’s standard procedure here lately. Naturally, I only redouble my efforts as a result!

@Sim0n: you and me both.

@Sim0n: If this is what your redoubled effort looks like, you shouild probably take up some other pastime. All you do is repeat the same hackneyed soundbites that has seen SF become the most popular party in the state.

@Reg: Overlooked that attrocity myself Reg! I’ll continue listing these details (including then one you highlight) at every opportunity on the Journal, Twitter etc.

If some people have forgotten or overlooked the recent past, they need to be reminded, cintinously if need be…

@Sim0n: your efforts to do what exactly Simon? What is it you hope to achieve?

It seems reasonably obvious you’re not at work all day. So what is the goal here? Redouble you’re efforts to what?

@Connoroconner: They are indeed vile Gardai killers And many FF rural TDs will resign from the party if they go into coalition with SinnFein IRA. People should not insult these garda memories, murdered by treacherous traitors and cowards..

@Lar: LMFAO!! yeah, your Twitter account is really blazing a trail there mate, same Tripe regurgitated daily…not one interaction with anyone… and not even one like in the last 4 days…you’re like stale bread at this stage

@Noely Kelly: they were roaring up the ra less than a week ago
Celebrating murdering terrorists is not cool.

@Noely Kelly: When the Historical Sexual Abuse inquiry was on going did people say “Why are you digging this up? It’s in the past!”
If a murderer is convicted of a killing they committed 20 years ago, would people say “Sure that was in the past why are the Gardai bothering with this now!”
So should the Widows and families of Garda Gerry McCabe and Prison Officer Brian Stack and every other Garda and Civilian victim of the IRA terrorist campaign in the Republic, just say “It’s in the past so let just forget about it!”
But tell us what was “Political” about Armed Robbery, Extortion, Smuggling, Kidnapping, Money Laundering etc? We rightly call people who do these things today “Criminals”, “Thugs”, “Gangsters”. And they will be remembered as such long after they are gone. So what is the difference between what they are doing now and what the IRA and now members of Sinn Fein did in the past?

@Lar:

I could care less about their history, it does not affect my well being.. They could go poo in the middle of the street for all I care.. As long as we starting to have a fair deal for everyone, not just the privaleged

@Sim0n: under the last government how many women died and are dying from the cervical check scandal? How many patients have died on the trolley’s around the country? How many cancer patients are neglected everyday? How many very sick children are on trolleys in CHC? How many disabled people can’t get service while the FAI get 20 million? How much is the new hospital, with the cost of this and the bankers bailout every person in the Country could have had a couple of million each but NO instead we the people have to pay for it. I wouldn’t have been a SF supported in the past I did vote for them and what they did give me during the election campaign was HOPE something I have not felt in many a year. As a survivor of religious/industrial abuse and the full time family carer of a special needs child all I have ever gotten from them was depression and no hope of anything. I wish them well and if they have to come back to the people because certain parties won’t talk to them the electriate will be very angry and I hope they will make them pay at the next election.

@Lar: And FFGL were complicit in allowing the RAPE, MURDER, AND TRAFFICKING
of innocent children, by the “church” FFGL are irreversibly drenched in blood. So before you start throwing stones at other peoples glass houses, I suggest you start with your own.

@Ann Reddin: Ahh sure that’s all in the past!! Why are you digging that up! Time to move on!
Isn’t that the SF mantra? Or is that only for SF?

@Lar: Read my comment above. FFGL are even worse, for turning a blind eye. The “church” murdered thousands of babies and they knew it, but kept feeding that particular machine. Blood, blood and more blood, for DECADES.

@Noely Kelly: They refuse to condemn them and they STILL HIRE MANY OF THESE MURDEROUS swine as party workers

@Ann Reddin: ask Gerry Adams what was he doing when his brother was under suspicion of the exact same thing ? Ask him how did he react when people from his own family came to him about that

The scandals are abuse are cross party ,cross society ! What did YOU do about the rumours you most certainly would have heard in your youth. ? You kept your head down and said nothing just like many others in society .

@Joe: oh look, it’s a brand new skummer account. Dirtbag.

@Joe: Martin McGuinness shook hands with the Queen and was lauded worldwide for it….and it didn’t put them back one step …in fact it moved Sinn Féin forward by a thousand steps, opened a lot of people’s eyes to the fact that Peace was arriving in the island of Ireland ……explain that to me, …
Your blind hatred for anything remotely to do with Sinn Féin is stunting your growth..let go of the hate , you probably weren’t even born when the trouble’s were ongoing , you are just jumping on the bandwagon

@Cowboy Paddy: Did I mention people dying on trollies, because they couldn’t get the care they needed, thanks to FFGL policies? And, did I mention the thousands of suicides, thanks to FFGL policies.?