Frank Sinatra was once a staunch Liberal Democrat who fundraised and backed the Democratic Party to the hilt. That is, until he was shunned by the Kennedy White House at the direction of the President’s brother (the best President America never had) and closest adviser, due to Sinatra’s ties to shady organised crime. “Old Blue Eyes” as he was known, then went on to energetically front the election of the right- wing Ronald Reagan – a man he used to absolutely detest when living in California. It reaffirmed that old Sicilian adage that “my enemy’s enemy is my friend”, via high political intrigue and vested interests putting their differences aside by coming together against a common foe.
The reason I mention this is because as you know there was an election recently in the 26-county state. The result of that election remains inconclusive – no party won an outright majority or anything approaching one. But there was a huge dash for change in the vote share of left-oriented parties and a party which until recent years had been demonised and shunned by the entire Free State apparatus. It was Albert Reynolds as Taoiseach, God bless him, who began the process of changing that and giving nationalist people North of the “border” a voice through the Irish government. And of course, the Southern establishment in their Dublin 4 palaces derided him as being some sort of “rural idiot” unfit to be Taoiseach, when he had risen up impressively from more humble roots than any of them and started the process of peace and reconciliation in Ireland. The current leader of his former party couldn’t lace his boots.
Oddly, in a way I kind of have a respect for Mr Varadkar in his transparency as the outgoing Taoiseach in saying his party could not go into coalition with Sinn Fein. Fine Gael is the successor to the founding party of a British-designed Free State; back in time they waged war against their own population and shot unarmed people who once fought beside them, historically. At least Mr Varadkar is open about the ideological incompatibility of Fine Gael and Irish republicanism. Such a government would fall shortly after being sworn in, even if it could be agreed to on paper.
Mr Martin, however, is (at least in my opinion) the biggest proverbial “snake in the grass”. The man who never misses an opportunity to try to put the “boot in” with his bitter ramblings, ear shattering mumbling and sheer desperation for high office. He is the Fianna Fáil leader who has presided over the party’s two worst electoral results since it was founded, but believes he should be Taoiseach and sees himself capable of addressing deep social divisions caused by decisions made around a cabinet table he once sat at. He leads a party calling itself “republican”, that was evidently born out of IRA violence and joined the very same parliament they currently reside in with guns in their very pockets.
Who is he to lecture anyone on standards in democracy when it was his government that signed the IMF bailout without a mandate to do so from the electorate? Who is he to talk about “shadowy” forces when he served in a succession of governments where cabinet ministers were jailed for dodgy dealings and the Taoiseach investigated by a state tribunal for corruption? Who is he to lecture people on IRA violence when his party tried to arm the IRA in the 70s during the Arms Crisis? Would he have opted to come and live in the nationalist areas of the North under massive British Army siege and facing the tender mercies of Latin American-style death squads made up of Loyalist proxies? I think not, Mr Martin!
The intervention by Drew Harris, and the alignment between Fianna Fáil and the SDLP recently, confirms my point that all the reactionary forces of the status quo are coming together to block the formation of a government that could command overwhelming popularity and support, if given a chance, to properly tackle the issues facing this island. The decision will lie with the Green Party, the Social Democrats and various Independents – if they throw their lot in with Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael minus Sinn Fein, they won’t exist come the next election. Martin seems, in my eyes anyway, to be aiming desperately for a Fianna Fáil coalition with the Greens propped up by Fine Gael via ‘confidence and supply’.
If such a scenario occurs then Sinn Fein will have to take up the role of official opposition against a motley stitch up of a government and seek to collapse it at any given juncture, to force an early election – after all, a little democracy never hurt nobody. If a government cannot be formed because of Mr Martin’s obstinate approach then either he will have to go or another election will have to happen anyway and on his head be it, for he will have to stand over leaving the state without an elected government during much of the Brexit trade talks and he knows there won’t be any further attempts at becoming Taoiseach following same. He will go down in history as the only Fianna Fáil leader never to become Taoiseach if he sticks to his same song and dance that has produced these pathetic electoral outcomes for a party that once dominated the governance of the state. It should be noted that he may simply be playing ‘hardball’, in a sly move to get Sinn Fein to drop much of their policy platform, knowing all along he will need them to get into government. On this and without needing my prompting, Ms McDonald must stick to her guns!
The most obvious and compelling government that really ought to come out of all this is a National Unity administration of Sinn Fein – Fianna Fáil – the Green Party – and the Social Democrats; a multiparty coalition where the positions of Taoiseach and Finance Minister are rotated between the two largest groupings and large increases in public expenditure commence in a series of progressive budgets. It would not move Heaven and Earth, for all governments are subject to human fallibility. But it would edge things in the right direction and floor the accelerator on bringing this island together once and for all provided that a referendum on reunification is a red line for Sinn Fein at some point in the lifetime of the government.
I wish to conclude on a point that has been referenced in some media outlets, that sections within Fianna Fáil have expressed a desire to enter government with Sinn Fein regardless of their leader’s refusal, recognising the public appetite for genuine change. Remember something quite pertinent – for many years Fianna Fáil lamented and loathed the suggestion that they would ever even consider entering Dáil Éireann, and look dear boy how that one turned out! We are living in exciting times.
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