Shinners are like the Fianna Fáil of old

THERE’S a big hole out there where establishment parties used to be, and there will be some fun in filling it.

Last Sunday, a speculative punt in a newspaper suggested that Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein were gearing up to get into bed together after the next general election.

The two parties would join to launch a new “democratic ‘this time it’s for real’ revolution”. What was interesting was not the reaction, but where it came from. Both parties have ‘toxicity’ issues. Fianna Fail ran the ship of State onto the rocks, got pally with developers, and used appointments as goody bags for friends and acquaintances. Pretty shabby stuff.