Sinn Féin needed an intervention, but it never came. Now it's too late to save them

The first door-knock of General Election 2024 came this week. The canvasser was Aisling Considine of Aontú, the party that wouldn’t exist if not for Sinn Féin.

Its leader Peadar Toibín was so frustrated with Sinn Féin's dogma and direction that he left and went off to start up his own small political outfit. The way things are looking for Sinn Féin now, Aontú could end up doing better than them in the upcoming election.

The timing could not be worse for Sinn Féin, a party imploding spectacularly before our eyes. Had someone gone out to actively destroy it, they couldn't have done a better job. A series of safeguarding scandals - of varying degrees of gravity - have been exposed week after week. There’s no point in rehearsing it all again. It boils down to this: Sinn Féin are done for.

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I haven’t seen such a certain demise since RTÉ revealed Ryan Tubridy had been paid more than publicly declared. There was no way back for Tubridy just as there is no clear pathway for Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald.

But the recent controversies alone didn’t do it. They’re just the final strike for a lot of their voters, who are sick of their wrong takes on every issue that presents itself. Show them two options and they’ll pick the wrong one - endless lockdowns, measured immigration, the twin referendums, the hate speech bill.

It indicates a lack of authenticity, a lazy intellect and a dismissive contempt for its core - and by extension, for itself. Those in Sinn Féin leadership would be shocked if they realised the full extent of its fall with loyal voters.

Those who were there for the bad times - as well as the good - are the ones most firmly turning their backs. They feel betrayed and ignored by a party who seem to care more now for people outside the country than those in the country itself. These voters are generally working class or self-made and they don’t want to hear about identity issues or victimhood or “privilege” or go on international marches.

They care about housing, the cost-of-living, street crime; they favour equality of opportunity over outcome; they’re patriotic. They support immigrants, once they’re working and contributing to the state and not costing the state; and otherwise, they support it to a reasonable point.

A lot of defectors - perhaps surprisingly - see an affinity of ideas in Fine Gael, the party originally called the United Ireland party. They’re wondering: how come Leo Varadkar is more republican than Mary Lou? How has Varadkar become the spokesperson for a united Ireland, yet Sinn Fein don’t talk about it at all these days?

The Shinners instead spend their time, energy and opportunity going on about Gaza, not our own occupied territory. I can’t recall the last time I heard them mention Irish unity.

Yet Varadkar is the one out there saying: “Every Irish party should make a united Ireland an objective.” Regarding the immigration issue, both he and Simon Harris made direct statements about the dangers of overdoing it on immigration, with Harris linking record numbers to homelessness, and Varadkar saying levels have risen too high too quickly.

They’re finally doing something about housing, even if it took a decade and action only happened when it started affecting their own, adult kids. The other alternatives to Sinn Féin is the aforementioned Aontú, who will sweep up a lot of their votes, as well as independents.

It’s too late, it seems, for Sinn Fein, at least this time around. Someone needed to stage an intervention. But the intervention never came, and they’re beyond saving now.

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