> IIf the aforementioned problems manage to cause
> the current government to fall then we're looking at a very good possibility
> of, what I would consider a reasonably honest social-democratic party being
> elected as the majority shareholder of power in Ireland.
Labour are currently on 20 seats (out of 166), with FG on 51 and FF on 77. That would be some swing and I can't see them pulling it off. There are too many areas (especially rural and border) where they're simply too weak and that anger will benefit FG, SF or some independent instead. Plus, I don't think FF are going to do quite as badly at the next election as most people think. They'll take a hit, of course, but clientelism and fear of Taoiseach Kenny will keep them afloat just as it did last time.
Labour are benefitting right now from very strong Dáil performances (albeit some weakness on detail), a huge media infatuation with Eamon Gilmore and - of course - a lot of very pissed off public sector workers but I'd be extremely doubtful they can build that into winning enough seats to be the majority shareholder of power ... more likely another term as junior partner in another centre-right coalition, just where they've always been in government.