Sinn Féin have been playing a blinder the past while.

Firstly, they won their case to hold the Donegal by-election.  This was a massive win for them as it set them up to be able to be champions of democracy; another step further away from being primarily associated with IRA terrorism.

Secondly, they got out the protest vote and got their man, Pearse Doherty, elected.  Hats off to that also, though most would admit that the size of the vote was more a vote against Fianna Fáil and for the constitution’s right to representation rather than a forceful endorsement of all things Sinn Féin.

Thirdly, at the by-election celebrations the absence of tricolours was quite notable.  Could have been a fluke, but if it wasn’t then it was further evidence of an effort to move the subconscious instant view of the party from “crazy nationalist Shinners” to something else.

Fourthly, they immediately named Pearse Doherty as their finance spokesperson.  An obvious move, perhaps, and one which pandered shamelessly to the current public recognition of their man.  But they still had to make the move, and they did.

Lastly, they will have given many people what they wanted to hear in today’s Budget 2011 speeches.

The running order went thusly:

#1 Brian Lenihan – started off with a “we’re actually doing really, really well” bit, at which about 4.5m people probably felt their leg being pulled a little.  Off to a bad start, but apart from that he did reasonably well, especially given the task which lay before him.  He cleverly gave much more weight given to the various tax increases rather than the rounds of cuts which will form by far the largest part of the €6bn in savings.

#2 Michael Noonan – the former Fine Gael leader should have done better.  Noonan is a deft speaker and he performed as such, including some good points and witty snipes.  But it was done in the manner of a school’s debating final, which might have been an opportunity missed.  He seemed to spend most of his time being disappointed in the budget, akin to a teacher who found out that his star pupil hadn’t got a gold star for his homework.  Would Richard Bruton have put in a more stirring performance?

#3 Joan Burton – not her finest hour.  While there was much to commend in the content of her speech, it was not pulled together well.  Crucially, the finance spokesperson for Labour did not speak well and might have been perceived by some as having been quite boring in her delivery.

#4 Pearse Doherty – (self) righteous anger and indignation?  Check.  Some populist jabs mixed in with a bit of ranting?  Check. Vague proposals which would play well with large swathes of the electorate in traditional Sinn Féin hunting grounds?  Check.

Checkmate, even.

Fine Gael and Labour are guilty of missing a trick here.  Pearse Doherty will get press from this, as well as favourable reaction from many across the country who will not have seen the entire speech but will have seen one speaker stand up and vent.  And that’s all a lot of people will have wanted to see.

Noonan made some very good points; he’d probably have won if it was a scored debate. Burton, well, sometimes it’s probably nicer to say nothing at all.  But what they both missed was that this wasn’t purely about issues and facts, it was about large sections of the population wanting to see somebody stand up in the Dáil and have a good go at somebody.  Ideally they’d want to do it themselves, but if they aren’t able to then the next best option is to do it vicariously through some proxy.

Perception is everything, and today Pearse Doherty might well be perceived to be the big winner.

An impressive performance, no matter upon what side of the political divide one’s natural views might ordinarily reside.