Sean Defoe

If you look at where the voters have turned out, and we know that decisions are made by people who turn up on the day, perhaps Janice is the slight edge going on those turnout numbers.

Well, what about that?

Do you think that, Lynne, the sort of

The left wing of Sinn Féin is maybe eking out, because the general criticism of Sinn Féin lately has been, and really since we came down from the highs of the polls of in the 30s, has been over the issue of immigration.

You lost some of your left voters.

You had some people who were maybe a broad church and were more on the right who are now leaking out to the likes of Independent Ireland.

And Sinn Féin is just leaky, I suppose, on both sides.

But there's real fissures beginning to emerge though.

So Sean, you mentioned immigration, but also I think abortion then will be quite a divisive issue because, you know, obviously Sinn Féin voted against Social Democrats.

It'll be the last day on legislation.

And I just, I'm struggling to see how that cohesion can be maintained on the left.

It's going to show there's other options as well.

And I think you're going to see that in both constituencies.

So it's not really a discussion.

I think we're going to see Social Democrats perform strongly.

I think we're going to see more and more voters looking at other options and other alternatives to Fianna Fáil and Fianna Gael.

I think that's part of the story of the election rather than simply a focus on...

what Sinn Féin are doing or not doing.

This is the problem for Sinn Féin is that, you know, now there is suddenly more of an option on the left that wasn't really there in such strength previously.

And I think if I was a Sinn Féin strategist, I'd be thinking we also have to counteract that as well.