Sunday, January 23, 2011

None Of The Above!

The running of this great little country of ours has now, quite simply, descended into farce.

I'm not going to enumerate the reasons - you as an intelligent reader are well able to list them all by yourself with no help from me I am quite sure. We have been bombarded by them over the last few hours, days, weeks, months and years....if not even longer.

What is really worrying though is that while the crew are squabbling on the poop-deck, the ship of state is rudderless and no-one even seems to be noticing the storm we're weathering.

Fianna Fáil are cathartic now in their scramble to try and have a new leader in time to mount some sort of challenge in the General Election in order to try and save some semblance of their existence.

The Greens are running to make sure that the back bench Fianna Fáil-ers weren't seen to bring down the government before them thereby making them look more loyal to FF than even their own disgruntled members.

Fine Gael will have a fight on their hands to try and erase from our memories the fact that most of the TD's have no faith in the abilities of their own leader - as expressed by themselves - as recently as last year.

The Labour Party are happy going around telling everyone what they want to hear and perpetuating the myth that we can continue to spend more than we earn.

Sinn Féin - even leaving aside their questionable principles - have their jaded ideology of the bad rich guy in a never-ending struggle with the good poor guy.

It has to be said that our political parties and Dáil Éireann have left us down very badly. I have no faith in any of them to save us. I have no faith in the systems we have here in Ireland which mean, effectively, that the majority of the people whom we elect to represent us can not do that simple job. Either they are stymied by party whips and so-called principles or they are stymied by the Dáil itself which has become a place where TD's effectively have no power.

Back bench TD's are nothing more than voting fodder, and opposition TD's are worse - mere vessels, echoing out their bleating in an empty, irrelevant chamber or in whatever newspaper will give them a few column inches. It is pathetic and sad and in no way serves the needs of a small, vibrant, open and innovative country.

That is the legacy that the parties have brought us here in Ireland. I for one cannot see that changing in the future - because its not in 'The Party Interest' to do so. (For Party you can insert the name of any political party that you like, the principle remains the same.)

I don't normally watch The Late Late Show but I caught Olivia O'Reilly on as a panel guest last Friday and she spoke with sense, passion - and more importantly - suggestions as to what we might actually do to improve the situation. While others simper on about 're-imagining ourselves' and such like, Olivia proffered a few, simple, effective ideas. None of them are rocket-science; none were even new. But none are done either. Lessen the number of TD's and make it so as they all have a real role to play; strengthen local government; balance to books.

Will any of the parties listen to Olivia's suggestions? Will they hell! Sure that wouldn't be in 'The Party Interest' at all at all!

I say shame on all the political parties in Ireland. A plague on all your houses. Who will I be voting for in the General Election? NONE OF THE ABOVE.

6 comments:

Andy Linton said...

Mary, I find myself in complete agreement with your post.

One thing that I don't quite understand - whereas local politicians generally seem to have altruistic intentions, what happens to them when they go national?

What is it about the system that seems to make them self-serving, blinkered, and possibly corrupt? Where do their ideals go?

Is there something about the Dail that suckes them in? "You'd better support this or it won't be good for you..." ?

Whatever it is, it needs to be identified and defeated.

I seriously think we need a new political party - one led by people who actually know their subject, have worked at the sharp end, have run successful businesses, and will be able to stand up to and put down the corrupting forces in government.

"The Party" is not the most important thing; "The Country" is.

We need people in government who appreciate this.

Andy Linton.

Cllr Mary Roche, Waterford said...

I think its simple enough Andy. Power currupts and absolute power corrupts absolutey. One you're earning 90K and collecting another 60K or so in expenses two things happen (a) you believe you're worth it and (b)it's not in your interest to change it.

Anonymous said...

Mary the Labour Party are absolutely not perpetuating the myth of spend more than you earn. Don't know how you came to that conclusion.

Also, it was Olivia O'Leary on the Late Late not Olivia O'Reilly!

Oisin O'Shea said...

Hi Mary, great post, enjoyed the read.
Will you not be running yourself as an Independant candidate?

Cllr Mary Roche, Waterford said...

Would dearly LOVE to Oisin, but circumstances and all that...blah blah blah.....sigh (lol)

Joyce Galgey said...

People need to vote and they must vote for someone or their vote will be spoiled. Mary I have to encourage you and every other voter in our county and our country to vote for at least one of the above.
It's a right that many men and women fought for - use it please.

Really liked Olivia O Leary's proposals, particularly the one regarding philosophy lessons in schools.

There is a real and desperate need for both adaults and children to be aware of their obligations as citizens of this country under the social contract. Perhaps they may even one day renegotiate the social contract allowing for more social inclusion and cohesion, more responsibility and accountibility for and from all the citizens.

Perhaps if we as children had learned these lessons in schools, we wouldn't have been so willing to allow our society to so easily be transformed into just an economy!