IT’s BEEN A great couple of days for Sinn Féin and independent candidates and not so much for the two government parties.

Politicians from Fine Gael and Labour have admitted they took a battering in the election – something that represents the public’s frustration with their policies – and opposition parties have been there to back them up on this.

With everyone basically saying the same thing, it was all about who could express how much the government got a kicking by the electorate in the most colourful language.

Joan Burton

Source: Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

…using Barack Obama’s phrase, the Labour Party has taken a shellacking from citizens.

Joe Higgins

Source: Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland

We could predict that people are just thoroughly fed up of an intensification of austerity.

Pat Rabbitte

Source: Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland

If John The Baptist was leading Labour, we wouldn’t have done any better.

Brendan Howlin

Source: Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland

Labour has been “given a good smacking” by the electorate.

Enda Kenny

Source: Photocall Ireland

We’ve been very clear with the people that there is no pot of gold, but that any flexibility or resources available to the Minister for Finance in preparation not only for this forthcoming Budget but the one after that, we’ll be giving back to people and families and people who need that.

Gerry Adams

Source: Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland

If we had been able to run more – and we knew this – we would have got more votes. But it’s a building process.

Luke Ming Flanagan

We’ve been waiting for 100 years for someone to come along and save us. I think we’ve worked out that no one is going to come along and save us. We’ve got to do it ourselves. We’ve got to put our name on the ballot paper and we’ve got to try and change things.

Leo Varadkar

Source: Sam Boal

You know, this was an opportunity I think for the electorate to send the government a message. They’ve sent the message that they’re hurting and that they’re not happy with a lot of the things the government has done.

Micheál Martin

Source: graph: Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

Meanwhile, for Micheál Martin, an internal party dispute was the main topic of the day yesterday…

I was told a long time ago that a good row in politics can do wondrous things in the next election.

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