No, it isn't. The media in America supports that duopoly and was vehemently anti-Trump. Democrats losing had nothing to do with the media or hostility of the apparatus to its candidate. It was just that people preferred Trump. It's not the same landscape. SF are left of center. They were massacred in the press for things that did deserve to be reported, of course, but the asymmetry is there for any with eyes and ears.
You're saying SF supporters are throwing their toys out of the pram. My position is that they have won the election (in terms of largest party) once again. That's twice in a row against all odds.
There is a media effect though. The constant haranguing does land, especially with people who don't fully engage, and that's most people. And that's not an attack on them, it's natural for so many reasons.
The way anyone on the left is spoken to in RTE especially is quite disgraceful and always has been.
SF and the left are being held to a higher standard in the discourse and that's fine to a degree as it's all quite new, but the idea that the left won't be attacked by the stakeholders in any country is just wrong. The commercial media will rarely back any sort of left wing shift, it's not in their owners interests. That's obvious surely?
The degree of the effect is the only thing up for debate or are we saying we suddenly have a media above reproach who are being impartial and just want what's best for everyone?
The comparison to the Dems is wrong on a few levels. History mainly. That and their media backing. Not many parties are formed and then form a government in established two party democracies within a handful of elections. I can't think of one example, so to say Sinn Fein collapsed, as others have, is quite disingenuous or poorly informed.
The word collapse is loaded as hell. It's not like they were cruising and imploded, (not only were Sinn Fein never in power, the Dems were literally in office). They are a party new to the political landscape and had one pretty much unexpected (even to them) spike of popularity, that is now used as a stick to beat them with.
The level of change required obviously takes a lot more, and think that onus is across society. Expecting SF or anyone to arrive as some Messiah and fix all of our ills with no risk or gamble just isn't going to happen, ever.
So we trundle on with worsening health and housing.
Sorry to both of you - I shouldnt have posted in current events, its something I actively try to avoid and want to keep football and engagement with it as a sporting outlet, so I'm not going to stay in Current Events any longer - that's not a reflection on either poster, I just shouldnt have entered at all.
My best summation on points here, this being my opinion only:
Media- A huge percentage of the electorate seem to believe the media is biased against them. All the further-right lunatics think RTE is some sort of extreme left flag waving cess pit. And then the further left seem to see it as some sort of cynical men in suits brigade. There is huge amounts of confirmation bias involved, you need only see peoples thoughts during a TV debate - Sinn Fein supporters actively believing moderators are being harder and interrupting Mary Lou, non sinn-feiners believing the exact opposite. In a 100 year history, Im sure the 2 largest parties are in some way better connected, but I really do think one has to be living in a world of real confirmation bias to think there is any notable, active bias. It is in danger of becoming active delusion, where we all end up like the far-right, shouting about paedophiles in a Dail basement.
Sinn Fein 'collapse' - this word seems to have irritated. At almost any point in the course of the last Dail, had the election been held, Sinn Fein wouldnt just have been the 'biggest party' (0.5% lead in an exit poll), they would have comfortably been the biggest party. Their polling numbers at one point not long ago were huge. And in that time, the government has hardly rallied - you each point out enormous failures. If we're not going to turn around and say that there has been an enormous lost opportunity for Sinn Fein, then thats where we're actually being disingenous. How they have managed to go from such resounding polling, against the likes of McEntee and some of the most unpopular individuals to occupy high positions, and still not be close to forming a government, needs to be looked at. My own opinion is that they sacrificed their opportunity in the name of one, single issue. A final point on the 'largest party' thing. On the one hand Sinn Fein seem to want to say that FFFG are just an interchangable cosy cabal - if that's the case, then this FFFG single party is by far and away the largest party. Sinn Fein cant just lump them together as one when its convenient, then split them when it comes to polls. The sitting government has likely got about 44% of first preference votes.
The Left - Ireland is a left wing country. To look at things that have occurred under current government, and come to any conclusion other than them being left wing would be bizarre. We are generally a progressive country, and the 2 largest parties hold left or left-leaning stances on almost every issue. What you seem to want (or some people rather than you specifically) is a more-left government. Okay, that's a fair desire. So then we turn and look at who is there. Sinn Fein - getting a sizable number of votes. And who? Boyd Barrett? Paul Murphy? Bacik and Labour? What the further left never seems to recognise is that they live in an echo chamber as much as they far right lunatics do. Go to most of rural Ireland and it doesn't take long to see how hopelessly out of touch the alternative left are. For the overwhelming majority of this country, these characters are just as unvotable as the right wing nuts. But the left never seem to want to engage with this idea - they seem to project that they know best and if only the stupid electorate would give them a chance they'd prove them right. There is a delusion among the alternative left about what's important to people, and I don't expect they will ever ever have the humility to take stock of why they are unpopular.
Lastly on the left - one success has been the seemingly good return from SD. But like the Greens, I suspect that should Cairns see it as a chance to implement any bit of influence, rather than stay on the sidelines, they will be committing political suicide by forming a government with FFFG, because deep down the alternative left are professional, masters of victimhood. They sustain themselves on the idea of being oppressed and would rather stay there, cheering on Boyd Barrets deranged howling, than see incremental growth. The reason FFFG are still comfrtable despite underperforming, is because the left will continue to eat itself.
In any case, that really is just the opinion of one fool on the internet. Should we be in a social setting or pub, Id happily get into it all and I bet we actually agree on about 95% of things. But as I said, Im going to tap out of current events, Ive written this as I didnt want to be dismissive of your posts.
