Many odious election leaflets dropped through my door this week which made me wonder if certain candidates have any interest in Ireland.
I would like politics in Ireland to be about what’s happening in Ireland.
Several candidates looking for our votes on Friday don’t offer that. Their message is a regurgitated one, part of a generic brand, imported from America, repackaged with a cartoonishly Irish stamp on top.
Many odious leaflets dropped through my door this week. One of the first was Michael Leahy’s leaflet. A founder member of the Irish Freedom Party, he is vying for a European seat with the declared aim of de-stabilising Europe. His party pamphlet is green. It has a harp on it. He looks a bit like my father — an ageing man in a suit, a congenial half-smile, wisdom across the eyes.
But we are known by the company we keep. Last week, he appeared as a most eager guest on Steve Bannon’s podcast ‘The War Room’. Steve Bannon deserves our attention today because he is a significant figure in any not so magical, de-mystifying tour of far-right agitators. If you want to avoid the far-right, you avoid Steve Bannon.
Several candidates looking for our votes on Friday don’t offer that. Their message is a regurgitated one, part of a generic brand, imported from America, repackaged with a cartoonishly Irish stamp on top.
Many odious leaflets dropped through my door this week. One of the first was Michael Leahy’s leaflet. A founder member of the Irish Freedom Party, he is vying for a European seat with the declared aim of de-stabilising Europe. His party pamphlet is green. It has a harp on it. He looks a bit like my father — an ageing man in a suit, a congenial half-smile, wisdom across the eyes.
But we are known by the company we keep. Last week, he appeared as a most eager guest on Steve Bannon’s podcast ‘The War Room’. Steve Bannon deserves our attention today because he is a significant figure in any not so magical, de-mystifying tour of far-right agitators. If you want to avoid the far-right, you avoid Steve Bannon.
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Christopher Owens Comments
ReplyDeleteAs one commentator has written:
"Looks like the early indication is as I predicted with the main parties doing the best out of the local elections in the absence of any serious opposition. I don't think it was ever in doubt but I'd have hoped for more independents to put manners on the govt before the general election. Ah well, no point people complaining about getting poorer when they keep going for more of the same.
Old money is who votes FF/FG.
The SF vote has been splintered due to their pro immigration and pro Europe stance rendering them indistinguishable from the current crowd in the eyes of many and will have been split between independents and absolute fruitcakes.
It was fairly obvious to me due to the fractured nature of the opposition in general with no particular group able to capture the imagination of the undecided in meaningful numbers.
Then you have the fact that a large portion of young people don't vote at all or have emigrated so you're left with young party supporters, bus loads of asylum seekers and the aforementioned old money to make up the turnout for this election.
As I was saying I'd have hoped the level of anti government feeling would have translated into more seats for independents all over but it seems there'll only have been minor gains, and in some constituencies, even losses on the independent front.
This minute it seems we're condemned to the same old same old for the foreseeable future unless someone very charismatic comes out of the left field to unite the opposition voters behind a single banner, and I just don't see that happening at all."