I watched the Leaders Debate on RTE on Monday night.
I thought it was a good debate -handled well by the Up Front presenter Katie Hannon. The main issues facing the 26 county electorate quickly emerged -housing, health care, cost of living, immigration and climate change.
I thought the best performer, by far, was Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald. She showed her ability to express her party’s vision for the new Ireland with clarity and passion. She scored heavily when she referred to the leaders of FF and FG having a “sense of entitlement.” They had been in power for over 100 years and they felt entitled to always be in power. She definitely hit a sore spot there as could be seen in the faces of the FF/FG leaders.
Mary Lou is clearly up for the job of Taoiseach and all the responsibilities that go with that job in the years ahead. She has a strong team around her ready to take responsibility for creating justice and fairness in this society. She has become a strong leader in her time at the helm of SF. She is an articulate debater and excels under pressure.
Other speakers who performed well on the night were Richard Boyd Barrett, Peadar Toibin, Cian O’Callaghan and Joan Collins.
But Politics is not just about debating. There are policies to be implemented to make life that little bit easier and more enjoyable for those who belong to the underclass in society. There are big decisions to be made especially about Ireland’s neutrality and the holding of a Border referendum. I believe that Mary Lou is the only one of the leaders who has the political skills and the team to take this country forward, to bring about the Border referendum in accordance with the Good Friday Agreement and to assert Irish neutrality in accordance with Bunreacht na hÉireann.
Former Taoiseach Simon Harris of Fine Gael was tetchy and arrogant. He is, of course, a good actor and can try to switch on the charm with all kinds of promises and stunts. He has been involved in government for many years yet he has not delivered very much. The people will not be fooled by his plamás. The previous Taoiseach, Micheál Martin can also switch on the charm at times when he tries to show he is serious about the issues facing Ireland and the Irish people. Clearly, these two men are desperate to stay in power. The people who vote next week will have the real say in who will be in power in Dublin.
I think that many who already face hardship and who are facing difficult times ahead will move away from the tired politics of the past and vote to bring about a new political dispensation in Ireland. That needs to happen if this country is to be transformed -socially, politically, culturally.
I long for the day when there will be a serious debate on RTE about the urgent need for a border referendum which is the only way that this country will be transformed for the better especially for the poor and marginalised.
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