Today I met an election canvasser in O'Connell Street Dublin. Her candidate for Europe turned out to be Mary Fitzpatrick, a Fianna Fáil Dublin City Councillor, to whom she introduced me.
Because the current Fine Gael/Labour Coalition has reneged on its promises to us the electorate, Fianna Fáil as the main Opposition party may feel they have a chance to curry favour with us again.
I couldn't resist reminding Ms Fitzpatrick, (a pleasant woman whom I had never met before) that the party for which she is standing ruined our country.
It forced us to pay the Bank debt that was not our debt. It gave away our natural resources for nothing. It was afraid to stand up to Europe. I didn't mention their catalogue of corruption, cronyism and political patronage at local and national level, their ceding of an Irish civilian airport to the US military for war purposes in Iraq and Afghanistan, their legacy to the present government, etc.
Were you ever in Fianna Fáil, she asked. Where are you from, she asked. What part of that county, she asked. What politicians did you support, she asked.
When I answered "the United Left Alliance" (which includes TDs Clare Daly, Mick Wallace, Luke Ming Flanagan, Joan Collins, Richard Boyd Barrett among others) the FF candidate told me that their economic policies would be a disaster.
.
"I agree with you" she said on the question of ordinary Irish people having to pay the banks' debts. Why then was she on a Fianna Fáil ticket, I asked. You had to be realistic, the ULA would never have power, she said. They would refuse to pay the Bankers. That economic policy would be a disaster.
So, it was back to the beginning. Idealism has no place in politics. It's practical. We should forget past misdeeds and have a hope (however faint) that the same party Fianna Fáil will not misbehave again. Just give them our support. They will never cause an economic disaster again. Only the bravest and most outspoken and most idealistic members of the Dáil will do that.
By having the courage to say No to Europe. No to militarism. No to judicial and Garda wrongdoing. No to the sell-off of State assets. No to political corruption.
We will never forget you, Fianna Fáil
Because the current Fine Gael/Labour Coalition has reneged on its promises to us the electorate, Fianna Fáil as the main Opposition party may feel they have a chance to curry favour with us again.
I couldn't resist reminding Ms Fitzpatrick, (a pleasant woman whom I had never met before) that the party for which she is standing ruined our country.
It forced us to pay the Bank debt that was not our debt. It gave away our natural resources for nothing. It was afraid to stand up to Europe. I didn't mention their catalogue of corruption, cronyism and political patronage at local and national level, their ceding of an Irish civilian airport to the US military for war purposes in Iraq and Afghanistan, their legacy to the present government, etc.
Were you ever in Fianna Fáil, she asked. Where are you from, she asked. What part of that county, she asked. What politicians did you support, she asked.
When I answered "the United Left Alliance" (which includes TDs Clare Daly, Mick Wallace, Luke Ming Flanagan, Joan Collins, Richard Boyd Barrett among others) the FF candidate told me that their economic policies would be a disaster.
.
"I agree with you" she said on the question of ordinary Irish people having to pay the banks' debts. Why then was she on a Fianna Fáil ticket, I asked. You had to be realistic, the ULA would never have power, she said. They would refuse to pay the Bankers. That economic policy would be a disaster.
So, it was back to the beginning. Idealism has no place in politics. It's practical. We should forget past misdeeds and have a hope (however faint) that the same party Fianna Fáil will not misbehave again. Just give them our support. They will never cause an economic disaster again. Only the bravest and most outspoken and most idealistic members of the Dáil will do that.
By having the courage to say No to Europe. No to militarism. No to judicial and Garda wrongdoing. No to the sell-off of State assets. No to political corruption.
We will never forget you, Fianna Fáil
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