Today on RTÉ Willie O’Dea of Fianna Fail was asked a key question: “What’s taking you all so long?” Willie, in his inimitable way, replied that southern politicians find themselves in totally new political waters, so of course it’s going to take a lot of time and effort.
Well you’re right, Willie, if you’re talking about politicians looking after their own skin and the skin of their party. If on the other hand they had even the slightest concern about the welfare of the people who elected them, they would have taken about two days to put a government in place.
Here’s the thing: does Fine Gael have a monopoly of political wisdom? Clearly no. Then does Fianna Fail have a monopoly of political wisdom? Clearly no again. But given that they’re the two biggest parties, there’s a good chance that each has its share of very competent politicians. Wouldn’t it be of benefit to the people of the south if the very best politicians of Fine Gael were to get together with the very best politicians of Fianna Fail? Of course it would. And given that the general economic outlook is very choppy-looking, wouldn’t common sense tell you that the bright boys and girls in Fine Gael should team up with the bright boys and girls in Fianna Fail as quickly as possible and start doing a bit of that old-fashioned thing called governing?
Of course they should but they won’t. Instead Fianna Fail is making noises about ‘facilitating’ a minority government led by Fine Gael. Not supporting, note. Facilitating. That means Fianna Fail can pick a time over the coming months and years when an election would do Fianna Fail most good, and will bring the government down. So the FFers will have shown themselves responsible parliamentarians by ‘facilitating’ Fine Gael when it suited them to facilitate (i.e., not bring down the government) and will have shown themselves responsible opposition politicians by ending that facilitation at a point that will be advantageous to the Soldiers of Destiny and most crushing for the Blueshirts. And did I mention that the FFers’ cunning plan will also facilitate Fianna Fail in its tireless quest to prevent the Shinners taking the Opposition top seat?
There can rarely have been a period in which Irish politicians have shown themselves more self-regarding and venal. Enter a grand coalition? No chance – that could damage our party. Go into straight-forward opposition? No chance – that could damage our party.Call for a fresh election? You must be mad. Put Fine Gael in government and facilitate them until you feel like not facilitating them? You bet. It’s called having your political cake while simultaneously stuffing it down your neck.
“Wow” signals from aliens
On 15 August 1977, astronomer Jerry Ehman was observing the sky for possible signals from extraterrestrial civilisations. He observed a grouping of stars called Chi Sagittarii (a Bayer designation) and received a powerful blast of radio waves that lasted for 72 seconds. He circled it on the readout and wrote: “Wow!”
Ms Burton (14.4.16) was baying at Sinn Féin TDs in Dáil Éireann,
“Yeeee are all very clever…sitting on your hands…”
Without the aid of a Big Ear radio telescope, it was possible to observe some of the TDs waving at the acting Tánaiste.
Mr Kenny gained two extra votes yesterday, one from Michael Lowry and one from Katerine Zappone. Ms Zappone, ‘Independent’ elected on the 16th count, tweeted that she would abstain on a vote for Taoiseach in the morning and then voted for Mr Kenny in the afternoon. One woman, one vote, maybe one junior minister, maybe another election. Wow.
Fianna Fáil left the 26 counties in economic chaos. Fine Gael and the Irish Labour Party, with a strong electoral mandate made a choice to pursue austerity measures and paid the price at the ballot box. Fianna Fáil are now reluctant to support a minority Fine Gael administration based on a written agreement. There is an astronomic term, Blue Shift, that happens when an object is moving towards the observer. The larger the Blue Shift, the faster the object is moving. Could it be another election. Wow!
Parties that claim to be Left of centre, should not be calling for a Right wing coalition. To call for a Right wing coalition for party and personal reasons is nothing but opportunism.
Being absolutely fair to Willie, and his party, and others, they’re only dealing with the mess dealt them by the electorate, the vibe in working class Dublin, or what I’ve been listening to this week is, do not support, facilitate or permit Fine Gael into any power, now, if they don’t listen, expect Fianna Fáil to go the way of their former party colleagues in Progressive (ha, ha) Democrats, the Greens or, recently, Labour, all the blame and no responsibility.
Apologies Mark for being rude in my posting the other day, you were being supportive and it was uncalled for.
I am very sorry and hope I didn’t offend you.
Personally, I see no difference between FG and FF anymore or their voters.
It is actually funny that half of Fianna Fail still think there is a difference themselves.
Indecision spreads like cancer
Tranona duit Jessica, ná habair é.
I should disagree substantially with you on your view of Fianna Fáil in respect of policy differences with their civil war enemy. I myself feel they are, albeit perhaps not shown by our normal media, the Fianna Fáil, their ordinary members and many of their elected representatives are very very pro re-unification, one, Eamon O Cuiv did substantial work on behalf of Irish peolple imprisoned, in one case administrative internment, by the Brit’s quite recently, Eamon, and others from that party sought no publicity in this regard, frankly, they did a lot more than Gerry and the Connolly House cabinet to seek the ending of these imprisonments.
On the substantive point, the policy difference on privatisation, dealing with key matters like hospital trolly waits, lists, staff pay, the issue of industrial relations (now in issue with ongoing Luas strikes) Garda resources, post office resources etc. the type of matters which impact directly on citizens lives are the key thing in difference, if they support, or ‘facilitate’ the blueshirts’ back into power, my thinking is, they’ll get hammered at the next election, whenever they seek to determine any government they permit.
“the Fianna Fáil, their ordinary members and many of their elected representatives are very very pro re-unification”
It is a pity they wouldn’t get their finger out and start standing and participating in the elections in the north and help make it a reality from within.
There is a growing number of non sinn fein supporting republicans in the north and if this is the case, it may give them another option and might help get people voting. With only one republican party there are no transfer options which is also holding us back.
James Joyce captured mercenary, unprincipled, nihilistic politics in “Ivy Day in the Committee
Room.”
When Hunger Strikers were dying in the H Blocks and a Coalition Government was being
cobbled together in Dublin, prospective Ministers were haggling about the Ministerial cars that
were on offer.
“Was it for this the Wild Geese ?”
There are many stories told about the man with the toothbrush tash whose snap adorns your bulletin today, Esteemed Blogmeister, some of which may even be apocryphal.
Like the one which goes that in a previous existence he was used by Shannonside farmers to drive rabbits out of burrows. That this tale may well have a basis in fact is believed by some detached observes who point to two factors:
Firstly, his addiction to the use of, erm, weasel words, the latest of which, of course, is ‘facilitator’.
Secondly, the departure in a scurrying hurry from the opposition burrows by the patronizing Pat Rabbit.
Despite the latter’s occasional tendency to drop the tone of debate in the d’Hondted House (to be) nevertheless only a true curmudgeon will not regret the absence of his rounded but hugely respected droppings which had a coarse texture.
Re-spect.
During his stint as Minister of Defence it was obvious that the bould Willie O’Dea (for it is he !) firmly believed in the old adage that ‘offence is the best form of defence’. He showed himself to be extremely defensive on one occasion at a media event in the Curragh Camp in 2005 when he pointed an automatic gun at a photographer. Game for a gaffe, or what.
Surprisingly, given the location that was in it, there wasn’t a mutiny by Oglaigh na hEireann against the, erm, gaffer..
If Fianna Facilitator is given to sucking weasel words, then the one which is indubitably top of the lollipops with them is the R-word. The very word, which as recently as today, was dropped by Czechia: Republic.
The latter decision was taken, not because it has ceased to be a republic but rather because the shorter, snappier name suits the local population better. Regardless of what the rest of the world might think or how they might raise a stink.
Much in the same way as India has re-asserted itself by insisting (much to the outraged misery of Myers, Pukka Sahib of the Press on Liffeyside) on Mumbai for Bombay, Chennai for Madras and Kolkata for Calcutta.
That the differences (alleged) between FF and FG have become so thin that one cannot now insert even a cardboard cutout of Ryan Tubridy between them, one has but to look at the unilateral shafting by the crafty IRFU of the National Anthem/ Amhran na bhFiann.
Crafty, because the oval-accented buffers have no worries but they will continue to bulge their pockets with moola from the public purse.
Their certainty is based on the certainty of neither of the F-parties , erm, calling their bluff.
To conclude with another apocryphal story of the poll-topper in the constituency of Limerick City. Which can only be done justice to in the form of a five line riff in verse, with a terse midriff.
Poll Topper once again !
If power is a drug then Limerick has a prob
Bigger than thought by lynch mob or snob
Voters once more O’Dea
On their very own Willie
Loyal to the ideals of Eamon de Thingamabob.
It doesn’t matter what term Fianna Fail wants to use, “facilitating”, “Shoring up”, etc they are still backing a Fine Gael Government. The issue is Fianna Fail is trying to ride two horses at once. They want to be both the Opposition and the Government. Obviously they want to keep the Shinners from being the official Opposition but they cant, they only have two options: back Fine Gael and allow Sinn Fein to become the Opposition or head towards another General Election, which will more likely just return the same result again anyway.
I think another General Election will happen sometime this year. The lack of progress in forming a Government isn’t due to “Civil War” politics, its all about FG/FF creating an environment where those pesky Shinners cant create a launch pad to become the next Irish Government and being the Official Opposition is all Sinn Fein needs now to achieve that.
“The issue is Fianna Fail is trying to ride two horses at once. They want to be both the Opposition and the Government.”
It is a bigger problem than that Ryan.
There are bound to be people in Fianna Fail questioning what the party has become, and more than a few were friends to the north once upon a time.
No more it seems, but is the party united in that regard?
There is potential for a split coming down the line and Sinn Fein are a threat as they could well offer a natural party for more of them to transfer into.
The bigger Sinn Fein become, the greater that threat will become.