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FORMER FIANNA FÁIL deputy leader Éamon Ó Cuív has suggested that Sinn Féin have won voters by taking over the traditional values of his party.
Ó Cuív, who clashed with party leadership over his opposition to the Fiscal Treaty, suggested that Fianna Fáil had abandoned their roots before the 2011 general election and been punished by voters as a consequence.
But he said part of their historical support has simply been taken over by Sinn Féin. Ó Cuív said there was a “continuity” in the electorate between the two parties.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Miriam Meets, Ó Cuív said that if you examine opinion polls over the past several decades Fianna Fáil’s support was consistently around 40 per cent until the last election. He continued:
Now what you’re finding is that Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin are around the 40 together [...] If you dig down you can trace the continuity of the electorate. I think you will see that the idea or the position that Fianna Fáil held is still held by 40 per cent of the people; in other words they’re looking for a party that is holding Fianna Fáil values.
Ó Cuív drew similarities between the parties in their support for a united Ireland, the Irish language and social equality. However, he stressed that he was not calling for a merger and said: “I wouldn’t join Sinn Féin.”
He added: “I believe in what Fianna Fáil has traditionally stood for and I believe there is a market for that.”
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Seeing as fianna fail decided to change their values I wouldnt consider them their values anymore.
As the old proverb goes…Empty vessels make the most noise!
Any statistical analysis of the last election will show that Fianna Fáil lost most of their support to Fine Gael and Labour, not Sinn Féin.
Although Ó’Cuív is correct that Sinn Féin have inherited Fianna Fáil’s core value.
Populism.
5 point plan, not another red cent… theyre full of substance arent they? Labours way or Frankfurts way? Now try to tell me FG/Lab werent populist. All parties need to tell us the truth not what they think we want to hear
While Fine Gael continue on with their core value of elitism.
Any analysis of the last election showed FG lied and broke promised and lied
Any analysis of last election shows FG Lied and Broke all there Populist Propaganda
LOL @ Fine Gael’s Journal spokesman calling any party populist. Your party was full of populist rhetoric in the election campaign, and failed to live up to any expectations.
any what makes people think Sinn Féin will be any different…..
Deluded little boy .
Different because they will put Ireland and the people first !!!! Not bondholders and European banks .
@David Higgins – you’re the Fine Gael equivalent of an Apple fanboy.
So you’re now accepting Fine Gael was full of populist rhetoric David? Now we’re getting somewhere.
That’s right. And the next election will show FG and Labor losing most of their support to … ?
Can anybody tell me why FF and FG don’t just merge so we can have something approaching a left/right divide instead of the usual populist nonsense? Ideological differences?
“Different because they will put Ireland and the people first !!!! Not bondholders and European banks .”
So many people said this about the Labour Party before the last election.
Why will Sinn Féin be any different in government…..
For the love of god, Eamo, could you not just hand your CV to Gerry or Mary Lou and be done with it?
@ Chris .. Well said!! I think that’s what he’s hoping for in the long run! To join SF.. I hope they wouldn’t stoop low enough to have him in the party.. He’s only thinking of his legacy cos he knows FF fecked it all up while he sat idly by and did sweet FA! He deserves to go nose into the mud with the rest of them when the time comes!
No. Sinn Fein have converted voters because SF are all that’s left. We’ve tried everything else and it hasn’t worked, so SF are currently looking like the best of a bad bunch.
I hate FF and FG but I hate SF even more, I’m disillusioned with Lab, and think Higgins and his mates are crazy, so I think it’s sad when not one party in a country is worth a vote.
@Jay Funk
“Ditto”! Being an independent, I used to look for some good in one group. Never found a lot, but the bit there was, I decided on that, or of course a very independent. Sadly, there’s not even a good independent in the House at the moment.
Next election I might find myself for the first time since I was allowed to vote, 1978, not voting at all which is a pretty sad time to think that there is absolutely nobody I trust in there.
don’t not vote, spoil it!
Eamon. You and your opinions are totally irrelevant! You talk about values! You haven’t got a clue. Hell, you don’t even know what you represent!! You’ve been hedging your bets for over a year now!
I said it before and I’ll say it again after the next election there will be a coalition government made up of Fianna Fail and Fianna Gael I see no difference between the two parties now you will have Enda desperately clinging to Taoiseach and Martin as taneste !
Unfortunatly I think you right, Mick Wallace has really dashed the Independents cause,
What a scary thought
Eamon O’Cuiv trying to keep the 2 party civil war politics of old instead of a proper Right/Left? I think so.
It’s a good analysis. What that type of voter thought they were getting with FF, they are now actually getting with Sinn Féin – Republican, representing the working people.
Éamon is just looking for notice and trying to get into the media. Sinn Féin are not anything like FF, SF just have a popular ‘working’ vote at the moment but they are not a realistic alternative. They live in the past and are a classic left wing party.
Why do they keep asking this aged, failed political figure for his opinion? RTE need to change the record and stop shamelessly trying to make Fianna Fail part of the national discussion. They are yesterday’s news…
“they’re looking for a party that is holding Fianna Fáil values”… No Eamon.. they’re looking for a party that’s not Fianna Fail.
Fianna Fail has values? Or does he mean a price list?
lol. Nicely put! I still suspect they’re going to be part of the next government. At which point my head will explode.
Ah, here we go. The fianna fail strategy for the next election to attempt to drag themselves back to relevance: “Ah sure we’re the same as sinn fein so you may as well vot for us rather than the terrorists”.
Fianna fail had every opportunity to liken themselves to sinn finn by means of the referendum, but took the polar opposite position, so………….similar values? Pull the other one eamonn.
Waffel waffel waffel
Eamon O Cuiv speaks and looks like he has just come from the 1930s. The rest of Ireland has moved on from the bullshit O cuiv peddles. he should feck off
Could someone explain to me what those core values are? I’m completely at a loss?
Republicanism, Nationalism, restoration of Irish as a living language of the people and the unity of the island through agreement.
Really??? not corruption, dishonesty, gluttony and bribery???
I’m a s/f voter all my family are grass roots f/f always were and I have to say I think I Eamonn is talking a lot of Sense …… 4 once
Fianna Fáil haemorrhaged support to Fine Gael, Labour and independents, as well as Sinn Féin. The majority of Sinn Féin poll support is coming from the Labour base.
Well one things for certain I will never vote for Labour, Fianna Fail or Fine Gael ever again.
I consider them traitors and no better than commor thieves living off public money.
Considering how Sinn Fein have sold out their own people up North and the utter silence that surrounds the party regarding other ongoing issues and people that they should be supporting I don’t believe it would take them too long to revert to type in the Republic either, infant we can already see it happening. We’re stuck in a position were no party we vote for is in a capable position of making a positive change that can benefit us.
GO ON!!!!
Sein Fein.
At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter because Frau Merkel is the Taoiseach anyway. …So Enda ….as a person who robs other peoples speeches. maybe you should practice this one ….. Ich bin ein Berliner !
I’m guessing wee Eamon doesn’t get much news from Stormont. SF has at every opportunity supported the DUP and agreed to such measures as increasing student university fees.
The people were left behind once they had a sniff of power so maybe he does have a point just the wrong evidence to back it up.
Values?
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