Opinion

Lucinda Creighton: Sinn Féin’s lead is clear, but make-up of next government is far from certain

Even on 65 seats, the party will be a long way short of a majority, so it will need friends

Micheál Martin, FF leader; Mary Lou McDonald, SF leader and Leo Varadkar, FG leader. The durability of Sinn Féin’s sizeable lead over the other parties cannot be dismissed or ignored by those following electoral politics in Ireland

As Sinn Féin consistently outpolls the government parties by a clear margin, members of those same parties lament what they regularly describe as the ‘coronation’ of Sinn Féin by the Irish media in advance of the next election.

They protest that while Sinn Féin is currently riding high in the polls, it is far too early to write off the traditional parties and their prospects of returning to office in 2025. Their protestations also hint ...