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SINN FÉIN HAS launched a new campaign to recruit online activists in a bid to enhance its presence and spread its message on social media.
The party’s Sinn Féin Online Supporter page is asking users to join the campaign to “reshape politics in Ireland and in doing so usher in an era of radical change that puts the interest of our citizens at the heart of all we do”.
Sinn Féin acknowledges the transformative effect that the internet and sites like Facebook and Twitter have had on politics globally and in Ireland.
The page’s logo is particularly striking, encouraging users to ‘be part of the digital rising’:
“Never before has there been so many ways that you can help influence and make change happen through this global online community we live in. Thousands of people from every walk of life have already signed up from across Ireland and beyond to become Online Supporters for Sinn Féin,” the blurb says.
Those who sign-up are asked to provide an email and their constituency. They are able to link their Facebook and Twitter accounts with Sinn Féin’s and are also invited to share their age, address and other contact details.
They will receive email updates and be encouraged to share the party’s messages on their own social media pages.
A spokesperson explained that those who sign-up would not be full party members but would be classed as ‘online supporters’, saying:
We’re directing it at our support base, the idea is that they would take our social media stuff, our online message, and share it across their platforms and get our message out further and wider.
They added it would also focus on people who would support Sinn Féin but would not have the time to help out canvassing or distributing leaflets.
“They have young families and don’t want to canvass but maybe when they put the kids to bed, they open up their laptop and have a look online and get the message out as far as possible on social media,” the spokesperson added.
Sinn Féin already has a particularly strong presence on social media with its official account having more followers than any other party. Leading figures like Gerry Adams, Mary Lou McDonald and Martin McGuinness are prolific Twitter users.
Adams’s Twitter account, which has nearly three times as many followers as any other party leader, has become particularly famous in recent years.
Party supporters are also among the most active on social media.
Although a recent study found that its supporters are less likely to use Twitter than other party supporters.
But Sinn Féin has also faced criticism for having so-called ‘keyboard warriors’ who have attacked abuse victim Máiria Cahill online.
It’s also had a number of recent controversies on Facebook with one of its councillor’s complaining he was bullied by another member on Facebook. Another councillor was criticised this week for referring to the people who run Irish rugby as ‘West Brits’.
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Not to worry everyone, increased rents and increased house prices make for excellent share prices for global REITS and we know that’s all that matters.
@SkepticalHippoEyes: which REITs have performed well lately? You could make a fortune by investing if you are so sure of profits coming their way.
The July stimulus cost €7 billion and we can’t afford to protect tenants from losing their homes. Tax relief for tenants would have cost very little, and made a huge difference to most renters. Where are the priorities of this new government?
@Brendan Barr: where they always are, somewhere else
@Aindriú Purfield: They just shocked they managed to hold on to power
*They’re
Please, Journal, give us an ‘edit’ button, for the love of Jaysis
Elephant in room , the amount of foreigners taking up accommodation here in recent years. This is pricing young Irish off the market.people living at home in late 20s and 30s not conclusive to a healthy lifestyle. Watch populism grow, as birth rates fall.
@Ruairi O Gorman: sounds like you’re ready to join in on some populism yourself.
@Dave Thomas: Maybe so Dave, having a income over the industrial average and paying almost half my my weekly out goings in rent while trying to save for a mortgage has a tendency to do that.
@Ruairi O Gorman: well then blame the government and their housing strategy of keeping supply low and prices high so ivestors can keep profiteering.
@Dave Thomas: You’re missing the point, our economy is creating a lot of jobs due to FDI, this is great but a lot of the jobs are being filled by southern Europeans etc that are young are happy to have a job (unemployment in Spanish youth is over 30%) and happy to pay half their wages in rent.They aren’t saving much because this isn’t home. Most will leave and go home when they have enough for an apartment . All the while the Irish youth are dealing with spiraling rents and home costs created by the mass influx of people, you can’t build fast enough to mitigate this .
@Ruairi O Gorman: Ah the blame the foreigners schtick.
@D’oh: No that’s gaslighting on what i said , People will always go where the grass is greener nobody blames them. Its up to the government to protect the people it elected to serve.
@Ruairi O Gorman: nothing stopping you training to be able to do the jobs they come to do. You may notice how many Irish people went to other countries taking jobs the locals could have filled and living in places they could have lived in. To complain about them coming over here getting high salaries AND PAYING HIGH ICOME TAXES. They also add more again to the economy by paying the high rents as again that is again PAYING HIGH INCOME TAX. This money means we can afford social services and public amenities. If you wanted Ireland to remain in the past with poverty where nobody had anything then we could not entice foreign businesses or skilled labour. Not all boats rise with the tide but a lot more do and getting the balance right is tricky. But one vital thing is do not blame immigrants!!!
@Ruairi O Gorman: land of milk and honey come and get it ,those who can’t afford it you must of being born here.
And yet we can hand new houses to people who have never worked. Generous allowance to furnish it and school meals delivered to the door for their antisocial kids!
@Thomas Sheridan: Yea, and we get to go to work everyday to pay for them. Hurray!!!
Of course it will and the situation is not the fault nor responsibility of landlords. If you add punitive and more restrictive measures to landlords to force a situation where they take a financial hit for the government failures you will make it all worse. Landlords are leaving the market in droves, I think 6000 a year are being lost. Any other industry with a shortage would be trying to retain supplier not make more leave. That is what current policy is doing. People don’t care about landlords and I get that but if you don’t care about them and complaints the situations gets worse. For those that say the property doesn’t disappear the issue is occupancy drops so less to rent and more looking is the result when a property leaves the rental market.
According to property agents demand is still very high and people are willing to pay 2k for 2 bed apartments. I went for viewing last week 3-bed house 2350 per month few couples came mainly indian people. I asked agent if there is any price reduction on this house he says from 20 houses he has at the moment 16 are gone already so I am not sure if there is any affordability issues.
As the fella always says, and sure these are the good times. Just wait a year or two.
“As a young person on average income I can’t get a mortgage to buy my own affordable home but it’s ok for me to pay rent and pay some one else’s ….”
“All Irish citizens should be able to afford their own home, on average incomes, in their own country.”
https://www.change.org/p/irish-referendum-on-family-home-special-status
A neighbor of mine lost her job and got another with less hours,she ask the agents for a rent reduction the answer was no she recons they didn’t even ask the landlord…. because the agents would also have to take a reduction.
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