Eoin O'Malley: If Micheal Martin started his career today, he would probably join Sinn Fein, but what about other party leaders?

"Current political landscape would push elected officials in new directions Politics both determines a time and is determined by what happens in that time. The same goes for people. Where a person stands might depend on what the politics of the country was when he or she came of age. Very few young people today vote for Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael."

"Politics both determines a time and is determined by what happens in that time. The same goes for people. Where a person stands might depend on what the politics of the country was when he or she came of age. Very few young people today vote for Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. So where would our leading politicians be if they came of age now? Or for the younger ones, where might they be had they been born decades earlier?"

Politics both determines an era and is shaped by events occurring within that era. Personal political positions often reflect the political environment experienced when individuals come of age. Shifts in party support among younger voters alter the incentives and potential trajectories for public figures. Very few young people presently vote for Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael, creating a generational realignment. Current elected officials face pressures to adjust policies and rhetoric to appeal to younger cohorts. Conversely, younger politicians born earlier would likely have different party affiliations and policy priorities if their formative years had occurred under today’s political landscape.

Read at Independent