Mayo Ass wins Donkey Derby

Not at the races....

Bookies’ favourite Enda Kenny romped home this weekend with the Blueshirts on track for their biggest General Election success since the early 80s.

The safe money therefore is on a FG/Labour coalition for the next government. Anything other than the spectacular implosion of Fenian Failure would have been a major surprise. The Greens, having had their mouths stuffed with FF gold down the years, were also soundly hockeyed.

And then of course there’s Sinn Féin. Having comfortably beaten their stated target of seven deputies, the Shinners look like they are finally starting to make the significant inroads south of the border that they have long threatened; even if in the case of many of their wins, only just south of the border.

With TDs elected in Louth, Sligo-North Leitrim, Donegal and Cavan-Monaghan, there’s a strong borderland vote for Sinn Féin out there and evidently getting stronger. Judging by Adams’ Louth performance, the Republicans might even be wondering whether they should have tried to sneak in another candidate in the wee county.

But that’s not the full story; not by a long way. There are also Sinn Féin TDs coming in from demographics as diverse and Meath and Dublin Central. Openly derided by the South’s media, the party has stuck to its guns (if you’ll pardon the pun) and in so doing, has well and truly arrived as a political force on both sides of our increasingly notional border.

This particular set of circumstances creates an interesting dynamic for the Republican party; in the North, their prestige can really only increase as a result of this southern success. Their newly enhanced ability to influence policy in the south is also likely to make them attractive to sections of Northern Irish society not traditionally seen as their heartland.

There is also the outside chance that opinion formers in the South might actually start to evaluate Sinn Féin, not just in terms of their roots in Republican conflict but also in terms of their pedigree as responsive local politicians on both sides of the border and in their clear ability to administer government in the North, even if it is on behalf of The Crown.

Perhaps more than any other emerging trend from this election, a strong Sinn Féin showing in this incoming Dáil has the potential to put the ‘National Question’ back on the political agenda in a new and more meaningful way than has happened for generations.

Comments

Down a Rabbit-Hole

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