Winston Churchill said “Never let a good crisis go to waste”. Jo Moore, a Labour party aide, sent an email around the time of 9/11, reminding colleagues that this would be “a good day to bury bad news.” Is something similar – or more fundamental – happening in the south of Ireland right now?
In a recent editorial, The Irish Times declared that “Both parties (Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil) have, for valid reasons, ruled out a deal with Sinn Féin”. Responding, I sent a letter to the Irish Times :
Sir,
Your editorial Tuesday 31 March (“The Irish Times view on government formation: the crisis must force a deal soon”) urges Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to form a government and adds “Both parties have, for valid reasons, ruled out a deal with Sinn Féin”. Given that Sinn Féin was joint top party in number of seats won at the recent general election and won more first preference votes than any other party, what are these “reasons ” and what makes them “valid”? Your readers and the voting public deserve to know.
Yours, etc,
Predictably, the letter wasn’t published.
Today, the Irish Times carries a report headed ‘FF-FG government would look to avoid return to austerity.” In other words, last time out we made buying a home and saving money an impossibility for thousands of people, who struggled from day to day to keep their head above water. But that was yesterday. Tomorrow, we’ll be nice when we form a government. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are now casting around for independent TDs to act as mud-guard in a new government.
Will they get away with it? Of course they will. We’re involved in a life-and-death struggle to cope with the coronavirus. Who’s going to start a political argument at such a time? By the time we get out of this – June? August? – the government will have been formed and will hope, as Leo Varadkar has said, to last for four or five years.
And so the clear wish of the electorate who voted for Sinn Féin in astonishing numbers will be set aside, diluted, and finally forgotten.
Remember the troika? Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Irish Times could give them a lesson on how to use power brutally at a time when resistance is impossible.
Maybe some day Leo and Micheál will publish a reminiscence: How to Subvert Democracy and Still Be Nice.
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