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SINN FÉIN HAS spent more than €6,000 in the last week on a strategic social media campaign that outlines the basics of its new housing policy plan.
The party has started 64 individual campaigns in Facebook and Instagram, which each targeting a separate demographic of voters so that it can advertise its ambitious new housing plan to as many people as possible.
The new housing plan, announced last week, was met with some criticism from figures in Government – including Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien – who said that its ambitious targets and claims are misleading to voters.
As part of the plan, Sinn Féin promises to build 300,000 homes over five years, decrease the price of an affordable home through building properties on State-owned land, abolish the Help-To-Buy scheme and introduce a three-year rent freeze.
Other aspects of the party’s plan include a plan to abolish stamp duty for first-time buyers up to €450,000, and a promise to end long-term homelessness by 2030.
The party has claimed that its housing policy, which it will enact if it is able to successfully get into Government following the next general election, is based on real data and engagement from stakeholders such as banks, construction companies and the CSO.
In an attempt to control the narrative over its housing policy plan, which Sinn Féin says will be the deciding factor for voters in the run up to the next general election, the party intends to spend thousands of Euro for targeted social media campaigns.
According to Dublin South Central TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh, TDs will also be sending out 10,000 leaflets that include an abridged version of the plan through An Post.
Meta’s Ad Library shows the party has already spent €6,117 in the last week on the strategic campaign. Eight different social media posts have been used as part of its detailed strategy.
Four videos have been created – one from party leader Mary Lou McDonald, another from finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty and two from housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin – outlining the broad notes of the plan.
Sinn Féin has launched our plan to make housing affordable and to bring homeownership back into reach for working people - https://t.co/2I5kqMyVIk
— Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) September 2, 2024
'A Home Of Your Own' is a comprehensive costed plan, the scale and ambition of which has never been set out by any other party. pic.twitter.com/v34SYJZlXu
Another video of a clip from a Prime Time segment about the plan, which aired on RTÉ last week, has also been used.
A collection of social media ‘stories’ and images with slick graphics have been designed. Each post includes links that direct users to read the party’s housing policy plan on the Sinn Féin website.
On every post, Sinn Féin has paid for at least seven and up to 16 ‘filters’. Each filter targets between 100,000 to 1 million people from a specific age group and gender.
For example, some filters directly target posts to up to 100,000 younger, male voters (aged 18-35 years old) on Instagram, while other filters seek to reach 1 million older, female voters (35-65+ years old) on Facebook.
As of this week, one video of Ó Broin describing the plan has managed to reach up to 100,000 impressions on Facebook.
On the same platform, the clip from the RTÉ Prime Time segment has been seen by almost 20,000 users, all female 18-to-54-year-olds. It has since been edited to fit landscape and portrait screens and is one of the more successful videos in this campaign.
The clip includes comments made by Dr Lorcan Sirr, who is described as a “senior lecturer in housing” at TU Dublin. The comments give a review of Sinn Féin’s plan, with Sirr claiming it was “evident” that the party had done its research.
Listen to what the experts are saying about our plan to make housing affordable and to bring homeownership within reach for working people 🏠#AHomeofYourOwn #rtept pic.twitter.com/KqdJwYq5eD
— Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) September 5, 2024
Yesterday The Sunday Times reported that Fianna Fáil took issue of this segment, and accused RTÉ of “bias” when it first aired on Tuesday night before a debate between the housing minister and the Sinn Féin housing spokesman.
Information from Meta’s open-source Ad Library also shows how the majority of users who have seen the promotional posts are based in Dublin, where house prices are the highest in the country.
A carousel of images, posted to Instagram and Facebook, has 16 different filters targeting a different age group and gender each.
The cost of most of these individual ads, a figure based on the number of people the advertiser intends to target, was less than €100 each.
This post has had the most success with young, female voters on Instagram aged between 18-54 years old, reaching well over 100,000 users and more than 100,000 impressions. The same post has been less successful with male voters from this age bracket.
Another post, titled ‘What The Papers Are Saying’, include excerpts from reports in The Irish Times and Irish Independent newspapers following last week’s announcement; snippets in those reports describe the party’s housing plan as “ambitious” and say it “significantly differs from the Coalition’s”.
A total of eight filters have been set up for this post, with two of them – both on Instagram – targeting young male and female voters. Across both posts, roughly 260,000 young people have been shown the material.
The Journal asked Sinn Féin how much money it intends to spend on this social media campaign, more detail about the leaflets that TDs will post to constituents and to confirm whether the figures on Meta’s Ad Library are correct.
The party have not responded by the time of publication.
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just under €94 per add !
So what ?
The govt spent €336,00 on a bike shed.
And €2 million on a printer!
and that was OUR MONEY
@Ger Whelan: they couldn’t get it in the door
@sean weir: well if you look at how much the govt is spending to buy votes in the upcoming budget, it’s not even a drop in the ocean, but at least it’s their own money
@Eddie Garvey: is it?
@Alan: yes
@Eddie Garvey:
Their own money, I don’t think so.
It was someone else’s money – like Northern Bank perhaps
@sean weir: New bike sheds will be lost in the noise if SF get going. It will rain money.
@sean weir: Throw in the children’s hopspital. €2.2bn, and still no opening on the horizon. It actually makes me sick to think how many bike shed style rip offs went on during that project.
@Derick R M: FF told us that we had to have electronic voting machines,turned out they didn’t work ,
In the end they sold the machines off for NINE EUROS PER UNIT .
Cost to the taxpayer for purchase and storage €54 MILLION.
now tell me about raining money
@sean weir: they would work but we didn’t want them.
@sean weir: Don’t forget the few billion from Apple that could solve a lot of problems, that the Irish government tried to tell the EU Courts that we don’t need/want! Squandering billions while turning down billions – gombeens of the highest order.
@sean weir: how much did the shinner o Snodaneck spend on free printing and how is it all the top shinners live in mansions and send their children to private schools
Only E6000…….a drop in the Ocean ..when one loks at E336,000 for a Bicycle Shelter!…..
@Bookworms Dublin: It is a small amount in the grander scheme of political parties. The bigger story, for me at least, is that this year SF have spent more on social media than all political parties combined. They are still losing support. No amount of money will convince people that a party that would say anything for vote are worth much.
@honey badger: it’s because they are soft on immigration. We should never have left the ukranians withiut restrictions and without proper services.
@honey badger: ‘say anything’ lol. Unlike the FFGG shower running the show.. who will do anything to stay in power. Throwing money around left right and centre to secure another term. Unfortunately the right amount sweeteners in a budget pre election seems to cause temporary amnesia for a lot of the electorate. Speaking of amnesia..seem to remember you saying that ‘ shouty Doherty couldn’t run a bath ‘ when SF proposed the 17 per cent on the vulture funds .. and here we are .. the government doing what they proposed in Jan. And of course its not a U turn.. lol. You’re some man for the auld laughs in fairness to ya.
@Brian: If elections could be won by virtue of online supporters simping for their beloveds, you can be sure you’d have put Mary Lou into the taoiseachs office! Alas, Brian, they aren’t. Sinn Fein are in steady decline. Second least popular party leader which is really something. Anyway, enjoy the lolz!
@Brian: The “run a bath” comment was on the article about their laughable 300k homes claim. You have a woeful memory, Brian!
You probably don’t recall SF promised to build 100k homes in the North either. They’ve delivered less than 3000.
@honey badger: sinn fein are living I’m you head rent free
@brian madden: Is this some class of Yoda speak, Brian? If it isn’t, it’s just gibberish. Try again.
@Bookworms Dublin: How much Did SF get from wils
@honey badger: I said sinn fein are living rent free in your head. Prefer you would prefer it in russian since you are a fan of putin.
@brian madden: You didn’t say anything, Brian. You typed: “sinn fein are living I’m you head rent free”
Are you drunk, Brian? Can you clarify what’s happening with “Prefer you would prefer it in russian since you are a fan of putin.”?
Gibberish.
@brian madden:
Ukrainians came from every country in Europe, when they saw what dopes we are.
@honey badger: liar..
@Brian: https://www.thejournal.ie/sinn-fein-investment-funds-housing-6271849-Jan2024/
Over half way down.. care to review your initial response. Do a U turn .. like the Government. ?
@Brian: Go on.. give us the ‘ on mature reflection ‘ spiel ? Lol. Don’t worry I’ll remind you again of your ‘ woeful memory ‘ anon..
@honey badger: you mean like fffg?
14000 people homeless ,4000 of those are children,but sure get a fiver back on your tax and it’s feck them I’m alright.
The current govt is just throwing our money away and it is the citizens that are suffering.
@honey badger: Nina Carberry spend over €20,000 on social media in the election for MEP
@Brian: Not at all, Brian. Fair play. I’m impressed! I withdraw my “woeful memory” remark. I’m glad my comment from January 14th stayed with you. I stand over it, though. Shouty and the Spin Feigners couldn’t run a bath. Hence, what i was referring to…
https://www.thejournal.ie/sinn-fein-housing-policy-6477272-Sep2024/
Sep 2nd 2024, 2:24 PM
My new party ” the honeybadger federation of saying anything for a vote” promises to build 310,000 new homes over 4.5 years, with the help to buy grants phased out over 5.5 years.
This is how it’s done, right? These jokers couldn’t run a bath, never mind a country.
I see they also took another hefty donation from a will here in via their northern coffers, skillfully avoiding our party funding rules. Tiocfaigh ar lolly!
@honey badger: So you were refering to another issue altogether, without referencing said issue, when you commented on the Vulture Funds article..? Sound lad… FFG levels of spoofery there.
And off you goes again in the opposite direction to the point put to you.. You clearly don’t want to comment on the government adopting SFs policy towards Vulture funds that they and others, like yourself, shot down a few short months ago.. why so? Embarrassing isn’t it ..
And please don’t get me started on your spin about housing.. you’ll be buried under the dismal facts, figures, broken manifesto promises, spin, and outright lies, that this government and previous governments have engaged in with housing..and the totally dysfunctional state its in because of over a decade of failed policies.
Likewise you’d do well to remember, if one can, all the shenanigans FFG engaged in historically regarding their own funding.. and continue to do so.. In fact, FF were the ones who ‘skillfully avoided our party funding rules ‘ by declaring themselves a charity and pocketing 500k .. you reek of hypocrisy.
I don’t know if ‘these jokers’ can run the country competently. What i do know I do know is the jokers that are running it now certainly can’t.
@Brian: Nope. My original point was that despite Sinn Fein spending more than all other parties combined on social media, they are still losing support. This fact, despite whatever you’ve written above ( i stopped reading at “sound lad”), remains. I’m still pleased you remembered my comment from January, though!
I can’t remember a single thing you’ve ever contributed here, other than when you attacked me personally (at length), for pointing out that Clare Daly and Mick Wallace had voted against an EU parliamentary resolution critical of Iran executing children(!).
@honey badger: Liars and there selective memory huh… You’re raging you were caught and called out lol. Deflect.. evade.. lie. Thats the sum total of you and your contribution.. along with defending Isreali genocide .. which you’ve gone very quiet about. Now run along lad. You’re boring me now.. as usual .
@Brian: I’m genuinely not. As I said, my point was Sinn Fein has spent more on social media than all our political parties combined in the last year. Sinn Fein is still in freefall, with the second least popular party leader.
Your shouting and stamping won’t change this fact. The asinine clunky ad hominems won’t change this fact. You shoehorning in different arguments won’t alter this fact either.
Again, thanks for remembering my comment from January! It’s good to know that somewhere out there, you were thinking of me and went to such trouble to find my words. It means a lot, Brian. :)
I’m honestly trying to understand the purpose of this article.
A party spends some peanuts on an online campaign.
And…… where is the story?
Some TD’s monthly expenses are higher than that.
@Wolfgang Bonow: distraction from the bike shed
@Wolfgang Bonow: There was a story recently that even Enoch Burke’s family was spending €30k on facebook ads, it seems like a very small amount spent by a political party and can’t see why it’d be newsworthy.
@Wolfgang Bonow: wonder what the total spend on “this message is brought to you by the Government of Ireland” this month
never had a government that got such a free pass from our media as this one.
@Uí Braonáin: SF had a free pass for long enough with the liberal media and the whiff of cordite brigade. For a time I thought The Irish Times was SF pr wing. Good to see they have backed off now that SF are in decline
@Alan: Cordite hasn’t been produced since WW2, so I’m not sure where you’re picking up it’s scent. That won’t stop the Whiff of BS Brigade from using it to embellish their craft , I suppose.
The minute sinn fein do something straight up on the journal with comments open pathetic
@John Kenny: Oh, that’s the best laugh I had in weeks!!!!
@John Kenny: wrap an aul sheet of lead around you lol
@Fintan Pox: pox of a man
@John Kenny: It’s hard to trust Sinn fein with all that happened in the past and there links to terrorism and what about the whereabouts of the missing people like Capt Nairac and Joan McConville . There has to be people in Sinn fein who have blood on there hands and I would never vote for them over my conscience.Sinn fein/IRA also robbed Banks to fund there murderous campaign so Id be weary of were they get there funding also
@Conor O Keeffe: but you’d trust ffg with their past?
So what? Govt just spent 336K on a bike shed? Lot of riding to recover 336K
Comments are open. Says it all
To be fair to SF, they need to spend the money another someone willed to them recently. Thankfully, they were able to get around our party funding rules and take the cash in via their northern coffers. Fierce handy that. Tiocfaidh ár lolly! A bit partionist, but money is money.
@honey badger: they are a all Ireland party ,so sorry that you need to be reminded that we who were born in the north are Irish.
@sean weir: You need to have a word with your dear leader then, Sean. She says differently:
“Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald told the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) that it had no authority to scrutinise donations made to the party in Northern Ireland on the grounds that Sinn Féin operated on “a six and 26-county basis”.
Further, “Ms McDonald told SIPO: “The donation that you refer to was not offered to, or accepted by, the Sinn Féin party in the 26-county jurisdiction.”
The donation from Mr Hampton was received by “the Sinn Féin party, registered in the six counties, with the British Electoral Commission”.
However, she said Sinn Féin in the “26 counties” would continue to adhere to the regulations in the 1997 Electoral Act.”
All Ireland, you said?
Disclosure: I’ve never voted for SF and I don’t know if I would or wouldn’t in the future. So with that said and no actual skin in the game here or no loyalty to SF I have to ask, is 6k a lot to spend on an ad campaign? I believe this is a very minor amount to pay for a campaign. This seems to be a bit of a clickbait article.
@TheGood Feign: Riddled with biased language as well. It doesn’t take a genius to tell who the author (or the person paying their wages) is affiliated with…
Hey, it’s their business. Promote to get the vote.
Great article, now we know they are fiscal responsible! Thanks Journal
So bloody what!!. This FFG/g cabal wastes money like it was going out of fashion and people think it is funny. At least SF did a lot of research into this by a guy who knows what he is talking about. FF’s Darragh O’Brien just makes it up as he goes along.
@Gerry Lamont: Hilarious comment!!
Not €335,000 on a bike shed
The price of 4-5 bikes , not too bad…
This might seem like a silly question, how can they deliver that promise when we have an ever increasing deficit of houses currently? Think it’s 150000-200000 shortfall currently. “affordable housing for some” might be more realistic. Also all the migrants here now, and the 30k a year arriving will have to be given preference for the social housing due to their “dire situation” there is no way they can rent privately if they aren’t earning decent money, so yea it’s going to be interesting.
@Freda Peeple: how exactly will that work considering asylum seekers are not entitled to even apply for social housing? Il wait while you trawl through tiktok and twitter to find a misleading false story to answer with
@Freda Peeple: Threshold states it is illegal to house refugees or asylum seekers from local authorities housing list, IPAS must find accommodation for these people and if anyone see this happening it should be reported to their local councillors and td’s.
@he didnt take the 120k because he already got it s: Ones that have been given “leave to remain” can apply for social housing and housing supports. We have already seen instances where people in direct provision won’t leave after their decision is made as they can’t get anywhere to rent (even though for years their support groups have said DP is inhumane).
So we will need to pay more taxes to house these or give them new social housing ahead of Irish citizens. The only other option is to continue repurposing hotels/warehouses for more DP centres.
@The next small thing: They all will require a home at some point, they can’t stay in tents and portacabins forever. I don’t think the government has any idea where this is headed, I’m seeing exponential increases in costs as time goes by, the numbers suggest we won’t be able to manage this at all but we won’t necessarily know that until it’s far too late. Those asylum seekers granted permission to stay are still under the legal protection of the state until they can support themselves. Our own, older, Direct Provision scheme was much smaller in scale and was an expensive shambles in many respects. This is much, much larger and far more complex. Do you really think our government is going to efficiently and economically deal with this potential crisis or will they just throw billions at it for decades to come?
@he didnt take the 120k because he already got it s: Obviously you missed the appealed High Court case that the State lost. It was brought by an Afghan national backed by a leading NGO. The Judge stated that the Govt MUST provide housing for all arrivals here & provide them with a level of income that helps them survive. So the State must now abide by that High Court decision or face being sued by thousands of people who have arrived here. There are a number of cases pending in relation to this matter. Secondly, once these new arrivals are granted Status they are entitled to Housing, obviously you missed the plethora of Helen Mc Entee’s Citizenship ceremonies. Also the recent legislation re work permits allowance being changed to allow Spouses & children come, entitled them also.
We spend €500 a month.
But we don’t make the news :)
Fair play to them!
Still no thing compared with 3 million a year for a state jet rent cost !
@sakk sa: Govt transport is needed, Spin Fein propaganda isn’t.
@Pat Hazzard: no proper pay for the defence forces is needed,
A top NCO on 42,000 a year is absolutely shameful.
Thank Christ things like Firefox and uBlock Origin exist.
Sinn Fein avoids the Standards in Public Office (SIPO) requirements by funnelling their funds through the North. Their use of social media for infotisements will increase, I expect.
A bit sinister if they are using gender / age algorithms but 6K isn’t much and they ain’t the first. Giving away 39 billion on cheap houses is still the real headline. It feels like two fingers up at anyone buying the more traditional way – hard work, savings, sacrifice, long commutes etc.
Unlike the Sinn Féin proposal for State owned Sites (Land), At least the SF “Publication” can be recycled. Who will own the Boundary Walls, the State ? ? or the Household ? ? One of many questions for clarification in the
“Little Green Book”
The man who announced a very bogus record commencements figure can’t really comment on unrealistic housing figures
This whole article reeks of bias.
€6000 to inform the public of a housing plan to end a 10+ year long crisis. I can get behind that more than I can get behind €360000 for a bike shed, by the party who caused aforementioned crisis.
LOL
Their new golden ticket.
Have they admitted that most of the houses will be for Irish people and zero for working Irish
Friends of Sinn Fein group fundraiser in America raised 2 million last year and where did it go ???? ????? ???????
@EIBHLIN DUBHAIN: probably to bring in the Ukranians
@EIBHLIN DUBHAIN: Probably One of the many skeletons in there blood soaked closet
@EIBHLIN DUBHAIN:
They are not to concerned about occupied land and the native American people when it comes to the cash.
@EIBHLIN DUBHAIN:
What would the disposed native Americans think of shin Fein running a fund riser on land taking from them in blood.
Then again when it comes to cash,
Shin Fein would hold a fund raiser in the state of Israel at a Jewish friends of Ireland dinner.
Russia, Russia, Russia, as DJT rants.
Give me strength.
That’s great.
Now how much are they not spending telling us why they want to flood the country with young male fugees
Trying to change the number one issue with the people from shin Fein wanting to flood Ireland with fugee males back to housing.
Mary lue will need to spend a lot more then 6000euro if she wants to fool the Irish.
have your say