"Sinn Fein-Who are they" TV3 Tonight (26)

Did anyone watch the 1st part of a 2 part series on Sinn Fein this evening? As usual Adams denied ever been in the IRA, it seems to me that while Adams remains SF leader they will remain toxic amongst large sections of the Irish electorate (especially Middle class voters)

Mary Lou McDonald said that she would be interested in becoming SF leader in the long term but not in the short term.

What did people think of tonight's programme on Sinn Fein?

As usual it was the same old tried and tested hatchet job on Sinn Fein..So what if Adams keeps denying he was an I.R.A. member..Look at his record in the peace process..The prog wheeled out the usual suspects to condemn him..I laughed when up popped Sean Garland to have a go at Adams.The cheek of him..He and his comrades in the Stickies done more to try and destablise this country than the Provo's...He was whole heartly assisted by his then comrades Gilmore , Rabbitt, and De Rossa..The truth is , and this is what the like's of you cannot stomach , Sinn Fein are on the rise and will soon be a major power in this country and they have a huge support in the Middle Classes..!!! So get used to it coz the days of cozy politic's are soon coming to an end..!!

Sinn Fein will never be big down south..their base is in Northern Ireland..they are small fish down here..they haven't enough seats to make any real difference..all they will ever be down here is a thorn in the side of the government

That's the truth. Gilmore and Dedededede de Rossa were a bunch of young firebrand revolutionaries. That Gilmore surely was in the OIRA in his youth. And look at him now?

Obvisously you haven't looked at the poll's...At 20 to 25% they can become the 2nd largest party in the country..If they had suitable canditates to run in every constituancy they would really shake up the cozy political scene here..They are far from being small fish down here..They are major player's in every Town council , County Council throughout the country..So if they are small fish why then are F.F and Labour always having a go at them all the time , it's because they are afraid of their rise to the detriment of their own parties..!

Obvisously you haven't looked at the poll's...At 20 to 25% they can become the 2nd largest party in the country..If they had suitable canditates to run in every constituancy they would really shake up the cozy political scene here..They are far from being small fish down here..They are major player's in every Town council , County Council throughout the country..So if they are small fish why then are F.F and Labour always having a go at them all the time , it's because they are afraid of their rise to the detriment of their own parties..!

They don't have suitable candidates. And until they change their paradigm a LOT they won't. It took what was to become FF, ten years to be sanitized enough to be elected in 32.

The thing is, that the councillors don't have to carry through with the ideologues at the top of Sinn Fein. As long as they get stuff done for the people, they'll do. At local level, Sinn Fein's ideology does not matter. But on a State wide scenario it's a different ball game. And their views are NOT popular with the greater populace of Middle Ireland.

SF won't get 20% in a general election especially if Adams is still SF leader, anyway a REDC opinion poll last weekend had SF at 15% with a very unpopular government and FF at 22% that is a very disappointing result.

SF's populist policies may go down well in many Council estates amongst the unemployed and some of the working poor but in Middle Ireland SF are still toxic especially amongst middle aged and older voters who can remember most of the troubles or in the case of pensioners, the troubles in their entireity.

Of course there are exceptions as regards SF getting middle class support eg Donegal, Louth, Cavan-monaghan etc but amongst most Middle Class voters SF's economic policies lack credibility and plus the Middle Classes for the most part absolutely despise Adams, McGuinness and the likes of Ferris.

Finally who are most likely to vote in Ireland It's middle class voters and older voters. That will prevent SF from getting anywhere near 20% in an election. Lets also not forget the hiding SF will get in the Media in an election campaign eg look at McGuinness's 2011 presidential election Campaign where he started at 20% in the polls byt fell to 13.7% by election day.

I wouldn't have the time or day for those former Communists Rabbitte, Gilmore and De Rossa who shamefully supported barbaric Communist dictatorships in the 70's and 80's, your right that there should be a good few investigative programmes done on the Stickies activities in the 70's and 80's. The Official IRA murdered 52 people during the troubles, the Provo scum murdered nearly 1,700 people and as long as the likes of Adams, McGuinness, Ferris etc are still at the top of the SF leadership that it will limit their support in the South.

Perhaps under a younger leadership who have no links to the troubles SF would gain significant support in the South by appealing to Middle class voters eg Mary Lou McDonald who comes from a middle class Background.