Most of us have heard Mr. McCann’s recent James Deane-level car-crash interview by now. Without focusing too heavily on what was a really rather risible performance, it’s clear that Eamonn has not the look nor sound of a man with fire in his belly politically. Like his colleague Mr. Carroll, the two men share the trait of being either cavalier with specifics or seemingly unknowing of them at times. In terms of financial acumen, you wouldn’t really rely on either to organise your stag night let alone the economic destiny of you and your fellow countrymen.
For most of his life, McCann has been confined to the political wilderness – advocating extreme stances like a “Politburo Maverick”. Always one to portray himself as the ripe old Bolshevik in a Tsarist state, he is a “class warrior” of battlefields gone-by. I wouldn’t doubt that he is knowledgeable in ways, but one can always hope that with further age would come greater wisdom in applying it.
Many people would speak fondly of Eamonn McCann in some ways. I suppose he has remained on the obscurantist, Trotskyite far-left for most of his life, but undoubtedly conscious of the reality that Marxist-Leninism failed. Undoubtedly conscious also that no country in Western Europe has ever successfully applied his economic ideas through to fruition. A real rogue, in a rogue’s gallery of Trotskyist Apparatchiks.
But the real question remains – what is his goal and overarching ambition in politics? It’s certainly not to provide fact-based answers to specific points, as we witnessed just days ago. But rather, I suspect, to revive an expired corpse of political chorus which knows the limitations of everything and the benefits of nothing that can be regarded as realistic or achievable. Proverbially, he appears to enjoy the sound of his own voice.
For let’s get one thing straight, Eamonn McCann and Mr. Carroll both owe their election to the Conservative Party, for if they had not enacted their monetarist cutbacks then neither of these two opportunists would have seen the political light of day. So the party/ideology they rant and rave about so much did in fact sign their electoral birth certificates. They depend on that as their raison d’etre! It delivered them, with the misfortune of no anaesthetic, kicking and screaming into political office.
But talk is cheap, dear boy! And rhetoric, like the weather, changes with the seasons. The economy is growing, unemployment is very much decreasing, and people are starting to recognise that things are gradually getting better. The public are spending money again, interest rates are low, inflation is diminished, house prices are recovering and we are seeing the emergence of another Celtic Tiger growth era. The Irish people in both regions will soon enjoy a boom for another decade or more; For the business of the Irish people is business.
What this means of course is an inevitable rejection of the sort of things which McCann and Carroll live off the backs of propagating. As I stated previously, they offer a mixture of sound and original ideas – but none of the sound ideas are original and none of the original ideas are sound. In every deck of cards you are confounded with Jokers. And they know, despite all the vernacular, their cards are electorally marked.
I wish I could spend this article writing about the achievements of People Before Profit, but in that respect they definitely run a deficit. However, I do know that their preoccupation in life is with all these massive “cuts” and public spending savings. So what I would ultimately hope for, after some reflection and good reasoning, is for Mr. McCann to save the hard-pressed taxpayers scores of thousands of pounds each year by considering early retirement.
Sticking to your principles whilst retaining your individuality is quite a feat – and not one any members of the ‘big’ 2 parties can claim to have done – all having (understandably)abandoned positions that either led to or sustained the ‘war’.
i think the boul Eamonn who I really hope gets elected – is one such. His entertaining intelligent(if misguided in my view) voice is very badly needed in the very grey predictable Stormo.
Gwan ye boy ye Eamonn.
speaking of car crashes…theres one on nolan now.
Who would have thought that one man would invoke such worry amongst the Sinn Fein support? How many articles is this now? I would think Eamonn McCann would be very pleased with the free publicity he’s receiving from you Donal.
The Tories have a Twitter duty roster at HQ. The job is simply to rubbish any tweet which is critical of party policy. Facts and logic are not required – just a kick in the cohones. Donal has been appointed or possibly volunteered for this task on behalf of SF. And so like a latter day Don Quixote he flails about at whatever quasi-leftish mutterings he detects. In doing so, he alienates many potential young SF supporters by making the party appear rather old and rickety. The 73 year old McCann and PBP must salivate at Donal’s interventions which arrive with the sophisticated subtly of a JCB.
Maybe,Domhnall, you hadn’t noticed that inflation is rising rapidly and who wins if house prices rise?
In a comment on a previous blog by Donal on Gerry Carroll,I somewhat jokingly mused that Eamon Mc Cann would be next on the list!Suprise,surprise,it has come to pass!It’s hard to know whether all these blogs on Sinn Feins electoral opponents are solo runs by Donal and facilitated by Jude or are they approved by Connolly House.Presumably the reason behind it all is to steady any S F doubters who were thinking of defecting to PbP.Ironically it may have the completely opposite effect!!
Why don’t you do a blog – pick your target, Argie – and I’ll facilitate you too…?
As I have said before,During the troubles McCann and SF often sang from the same hymn sheet ,shared platforms at demos and campaigned together on many issues.For that reason I tend to give him some credit and actually agree with a lot of his “left wing” ideology.However in recent years he has resorted to distortions and spin to pursue his agenda and also is given a platform by the right wing O’Brien press as long as he is attacking SF. Pre the peace process INM would’nt have pissed on him if he was on fire,indeed they would have labelled him a “provo trot”.
I think Domhnall’s analysis of the two gentlemen is spot on . Perhaps wishful thinking on Argentas part ….people are not that easily swayed in politics and a blog that may lean towards Sinn Féin will hardly influence anyone. Where I do disagree is the emergence of another Celtic Tiger….I don’t even see a Celtic lamb…..I do study financial trends etc and unfortunately I see another financial collapse on the not too distant horizon….not a blip but a major ,major recession…..beginning shortly in the US……BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES !!
Eolach – what makes you think there will be another “financial collapse”? What are the “financial trends” showing?
Eamonn and Gerry must be very happy with Donal’s free publicity for them individually and for PBP.
There is an old publicity adage: Say anything you like about me as long as you spell my name right!
Yeah. James Dean is most upset.
The tone of this piece is very strident. What did he actually say? I watched a little bit but Nolan is too stupid to listen to. He should spend some time explaining that unionists who defend ‘our veterans’ who have committed murder are complicit in those murders. It’s by no means controversial to say that there are rules of engagement for members of the military. Blackman is getting a lot of support from many idiots. Justice for Blackman would involve dropping him fatally wounded into a field and having guys with guns hunt him down. He’s the only British soldier convicted of murder for many years, but we all know he isn’t the only one to commit murder.
This paranoid attack on Eamonn is so silly. Twenty years ago SF would have been trying to outflank Eamonn on the left; now they are concerned to present as “responsible”, conforming to the prevalent nei-liberal agenda. If Eamonn McCann and Gerry Carroll did not exist it would be necessary to invent them. Wise up young man.
Progress and maturity Brian.
The worst thing could have happened to Eamon was getting himself elected.
Now his economic claptrap and the peoples revolution nonsense will be the fire held to his feet and he will find it just as difficult as trying to prove the earth is flat.
Only the backward thinkers will buy into it.
Does this ‘boul’ Eamon post his ideals on a blog somewhere and allow public comment?
The reason the far left has been such a global failure, is because they are the biggest liars of the lot.
They ignore the economic reality and base their plans on fantasy revenue streams which simply don’t work.
It is the workers who pay for the state, not the other way around.
I am still waiting to hear about all those state subsidies that you claim private enterprises are so heavily reliant on by the way.
It would be nice if instead of billions being thrown at big business and multi nationals in particular (which is waste in my view) that more assistance was not given to small business who keep the economy going and to help self employed become domestic incorporations and small business employers which would increase the tax revenue further without hurting the little guy.
The earnings of working people is not money belonging to the state, taxing the working to pay for the non working is not a god given right, it is by the good graces of the working people to contribute a fair tax for the state to manage public services on our behalf and for all which is human decency which we should all be grateful for.
It is not only right wing governments who squander this money, steal it or abuse the trust given to them to manage it.
It is time far left socialists were made honest and to acknowledge the truth rather than attack 99% of private business over the greedy 1% of big business (who get unfair advantage for political headlines) while spouting shite about how great it would be if the state controlled all businesses in some sort of communist junta.
Not only have Sinn Fein absolutely nothing to fear from the far left, but more importantly, neither do Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. The fact the Dails two largest parties are both pursuing right wing conservatism should be sufficient for even the most politically naïve to understand, the further to the left Sinn Fein go, the less of a threat they will be, the closer to centre left they go, the more they will attract Fianna Fail voters in particular and move from opposition to the party leading the Irish nation and ending the farce which is Stormont and the failure of this shit hole northern state.
Jeremy Corbyn has great policies and ideas which would work and what I aspire to, yet they were not far left socialist but based on keynesian economics and support for private business through state investment. He was brought down by a biased media who held him up as a far left socialist turning the majority of people against him which in turn, turned his own party against him.
Eamon is a mouth piece and a cage rattler, he cannot do this by getting himself elected as his own cage can be rattled back. Things are never as easy when you have responsibilities.
I am not anti_small business Jessica. I derive much of my standard of living from one. But I recognise that they rely heavily on subsidies from the public purse. As you admit in your espousal of Keynesian economics. You ask what support the State gives then answer it yourself. “Support for private business through state investment”
Whatever your opinion on McC and Carroll they are a necessary voice on behalf of the dispossessed.
You do not define the far left but assert that they are ‘the biggest liars of the lot’. Bigger liars than Hitler, Salazar, Netanyahu, Trump, Farage, McCarthy? I think you know yourself that is not true. And sprinkling your often challenging and interesting pieces with four letter expletives really adds nothing to the debate.
I apologise for the expletives Brian, I just feel so frustrated and angry at the moment and probably shouldn’t be posting at all until I feel a little more stable.
I don’t see the far left in terms of personalities but more the political ideology that those seeking election choose to promote.
On the right you have people who would sell their grannies to make money and care little for the social consequences. They tell us these sweetheart deals are needed to keep jobs in Ireland, but when you look into it, and compare the absolutely HUGE sums of money given away to these companies who often take it out of the country in a short period and employ only a tiny percentage of the tax paying public while trying to take credit for knock on employment which is disingenuous in my view.
Investing in public housing and encouraging small business growth and enabling our people to fend for themselves while contributing to the public purse in huge numbers simply works. it is a symbiotic relationship between the people and the state. It should not be considered subsidies but fulfilment of responsibility. If the state needs to undertake programs of work, it needs to employ its own people to undertake it as much as possible, especially where there is the skillset in abundance.
The tax relief on the self employed has been a huge success. I guess this could be considered a subsidy, but hardly comparable to the amount of public money handed over to corporates simply to cave in to threats they will leave. I would let them leave.
You will find the majority will not leave, that it is not the subsidies that hold the greatest attraction to coming to Ireland but the people and our ability, our hard work ethos and a loyalty not available in most nations.
Encouraging self employed to become employers will bring in the full tax revenue as we pay the full rates. It would be money well spent which is rarely the case in too many big business subsidies.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are spineless worms who are failing to stand up for the people they represent.
Enda Kenny is particularly weak in and against the EU. He is no more than their puppet and he is being walked all over by Theresa May.
Ireland is not in the same place as Iceland and does not need to copy everything they did, but they told the bankers where to go.
(I reworded that – will try to keep expletives to a minimum :))
The threats made by the banks didn’t pan out, they caved in as there was more benefit working with Iceland.
I am not suggesting we burn the bond holders at this stage but damn, stand up for the people a bit. We are a proud nation with a lot to offer – act like it and be confident in that belief. I am, I see it every day.
Throwing billions at banks and even getting involved in financial abuse of others is not something I hold any respect for Ireland getting involved in no matter how lucrative. It is a cess pit I would rather leave to others more akin to Maggie Thatcher.
Renewable energy is a good industry for Ireland to invest in and technology driven services are our bread and butter.
I agree with the investment into helping find new export markets, but there needs to be better use of public money and to spread the wealth throughout Ireland.
I also object totally to Dublin treating the north like someone else’s problem. If Irish unity is on their agenda as they claim, they need to act like it. If they are not interested and want us to get lost, come out and say it. We are not second rate citizens and deserve to know where we stand.
I don’t really have any bad opinion of either Eamon McCann or Gerry OCarrol though they sound too communist too often for my liking.
I would love them to engage here the way Donal does.
I have been critical of some of Donals postings but he takes it on the chin and keeps up the engagement and puts his views out there.
That I have respect for.
I think more debate on economics is needed and would be a good thing.
Casting up the conflict to deflect from criticism for current events is not something Enda Kenny and others should be engaging in.
My own view on politics is it should never be too far to either the right or left, but within a sliding scale between left and centre left as social need dictates.
Too far to the left is no longer about the workers, and that is the big lie I referred to.
You don’t need to apologise to me J. I can be fairly foul-mouthed myself when appropriate but do not really feel it suitable on this blog. We largely agree on the national question and the cossetting of banks and corporations. I enjoy reading your comments even if I do not always agree with them. I think Donald’s attacks on Carroll and McCann are OTT and downright silly. Even if they never have the responsibility of power we need them to draw attention to the abuses of the powerful at home and abroad as well as defending the weak in society. And to keep SF on their toes reminding them of where their support comes from.
Nothing wrong with that at all Brian.
Nothing wrong with Donal trying to make the point that while they may be a protest vote, taking a seat from the ONLY party proactively seeking Irish unity and who are quite likely to be in government in Dublin later in the year, may not be worth it.
I would tend to agree, at least for the purpose of this election which is the most important since the GFA.