Given that there’s an election coming up I’ve started to think about Irish politics again.
And as ever, my thoughts have returned to the same basic problem. There’s not much choice in the parties realy. I mean, the two ‘central’ (in a historic sense and in the way they will generally be the ‘centre’ of whatever government is formed) parties i.e. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are actually the same party.
Oh sure, I imagine that there will be some of you that disagree
However I challenge anyone to show where the two parties differ greatly on well, anything.
I remember interviewing Enda Kenny last year for either the Politics Society or the UCC paper – can’t remember which, but anyway, but when I asked him whether there was any difference between Fianna Fail and why I should vote Fine Gael rather than Fianna Fail his answer was along the lines that Fine Gael would ‘do things properly’. His basic point was that Fine Gael would not take the people for granted and that they would be, well, better.
Needless to say, I wasn’t overly impressed.
The thing is, can anyone realy say why we need both parties? Would we all not be better off if they formed a single party and left the (more extreme for them) left-wingers and right-wingers that inhabit both parties go to their natural homes in the other Irish parties?
I know i’m being overly hopeful with this idea, but it’s a nice thought….
Cian | 26-Aug-06 at 3:33 am | Permalink
While it would probably make ideological sense for them to merge, I can’t see it happening in the next few decades. I think both those parties are still very much run by dynasties whose allegiances stretch right back to the civil war, so that would be an immediate sticking point. I also think that, were they to combine, their collective vote would shrink, given that many constituencies would suddenly have, say, four candidates from one party seeking all four seats, and so massive vote-splitting would ensue.
What I think Ireland really needs is a Liberal party. Okay, we have the PDs, but for many they’re come to be seen as sour, withered old types and have attained a reputation for near authoritarianism thanks to largely unfair caricatures of McDowell in the media. If the Greens would just drop some of their Eurosceptism and socialist nonsense then I think they could really hoover up a lot more liberal votes.
Eugene | 26-Aug-06 at 1:41 pm | Permalink
who gives a fuck its politics same thing as always will happen, when fine gael win they fuck things up, so everybody votes for fianna fail granted it takes longer for fianna fail to completely fuck things up