Does that mean that Mary Lou is a shoo-in for taoiseach? Nothing is inevitable in Irish politics. On the second last page of Saving the Nation by Ciara Meehan and Stephen Collins, a recently published history of Fine Gael, Leo Varadkar is quoted as fearing something re-emerging in the political space once occupied by the Progressive Democrats.
Middle Ireland may want such an alternative rather than have a choice between the current Coalition and Sinn Féin
Is McDowell flying kites to gauge public opinion or just looking for somebody to massage his ego?
Certainly would be a very interesting development if McDowell is thinking of putting together a party in quick time to mop up the votes hemorrhaging from FFG.
Would be this be the same Michael McDowell who claimed in 2004 that killings by gangs were "the last sting of a dying wasp".....I'd rather spoil my ballot than vote for any party set up by that fool. Chances are I'll have to do that anyway. Why the idiots in FF and FG can't see that it's long past time that they buried their nonsensical Civil War politics and merged to form a strong party to see off the fascist threat that looms large.
Mountain wrote: ↑Wed Oct 13, 2021 10:18 pm
Politics is polarising into FG and SF. I think FF could be annihilated next election so think FG will emerge as the clear party of the centre right. SF will face some fighting on the left with Labour, SDs, PBP etc taking votes but FG has a clear run at the right...so might be no bad thing to see the PDs emerge. Before they became FFs mudguard they were a relevant party with some good reps.
I tend to agree with this. I'd encourage a PD return, I think we need an alternative centre right option.
The next election will be won and lost on housing. If a party had the balls to actual tackle the problem head I think it could be sorted (or at the very least vastly improved) pretty quickly. Unfortunately that is none of the current parties. A well focussed single issue party on housing could pick up a lot of seats IMO.
Although I do agree with mountain about certain govt ministers being plonked on shows like 'This week' and 'Drivetime' simply to perform the unsavoury but required 'mudguard' role.
We don't really have a centre right party here in Ireland. We have two centerest parties and quite a few on the left.
There's plenty of room for a centre right party focused on tight economic management and a focus on tighter law and order.
We have SF and their ilk stoking populism saying that "they can't deliver, we will" without saying exactly how it's to be done and then not critically examining how it's to be paid for. They are also jumping on every bandwagon when it comes to populist causes.
I heard on the radio we have three quarters of a trillion in the national debt. That's €150,000 for every man, woman and child in the country. Any party that thinks we can borrow away is only making things a LOT harder for our children. We'll be lifetimes paying that back.
We have FF on their last legs. They were blamed for the crash after the Celtic Tiger (rightly) and now getting the blame for all the "problems". I think it was a mistake for FF to go into government after the last election.
FG should really think about having Leo as leader and either use him or loose him. He's being put up there as a focus of the attacks from the left I think because he says things a bit too straight and actually does at things the rest of us do (go to concerts, get funny socks, etc). I also think it was a mistake in going into gubberment at the last election.
SF would screw the country economically for years by borrowing more and piss off Europe over their complete focus on a United Ireland & their economics. I can see clashes between the European Central Bank & Commission over the SF budgets if they controlled the purse strings. The rest of the left are even more extreme....
The Greens are just plain daft and haven't a clue on what happens outside the M50. They would do 10 times better if they got rid of lettuce window box Ryan and came up with sensible green policies people could back. Labour are lost and seem meaningless. The SD would do better if they got rid of Shorthall and had a single leader. Also, Shorthall comes across as someone who is out of touch with ordinary people.
At the next election, I'm kinda stumped who I'm going to vote for. SF are definitely out as I'd be out of a job or have massive more taxes applied to pay for their social welfare giveaway. FF are out due to they ruining the country and their brand of "cute hoor-ism". Independent are out as they do nothing but provide comic relief or look after their own rather than the country. FG are on shaky ground, Labour have no candidate, SD are a possibility but they are a bit too left for my liking. Maybe a third or fourth preference. If there was a center right like the old PD's they' get a vote alright
Mountain wrote: ↑Thu Oct 14, 2021 1:46 pm
It was lunacy. And all down to Martin's desperate need to avoid being the FF leader who never became Taoiseach, and I've heard that from people high up in the party who I've known for decades. After reviving the party following the 2011 GE, he has now torched it. FF have no discernible policies or reason for existing at all.
Forgot about Martin not wanting to be the only FF leader not to be Taoiseach. Looks like he'll be the last FF Taoiseach.....
FF/FG/Greens are screwed we all know that, this is just an establishment attempt the take some reluctant votes away from SF, give them another option to vote for.
Sadly it will probably work and we will be stuck with a FF/FG/Green/PD government after the next election.
McDowell still hasn't come to terms with being a total political failure I see.
People are slow to recognize things in this country sometimes, but the political battles of the future will not be over economics, but over identity politics and wokeness/anti-wokeness.
On a more positive outlook, I would hope this would eventually manifest itself in a slug out, not over the peripheral symptoms, but on the core issue of how the universe, and the position of man within it, is understood.
