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Post by cato on May 23, 2019 20:30:01 GMT
I spotted my first (and only) Aontu poster in Balgriffin North County Dublin a few days ago. Unfortunately I am living in a ward further north with no pro life candidates.
Having a next to nothing profile is a big factor in the poor showing of new parties of the right. It is a vicious circle as media give most coverage to established parties who also get state funding based on their vote at the previous election. Any party trying to break through has an uphill struggle.
Last year the Repeal lobby created an overwhelming campaign which was visible everywhere from trendy badges to posters to practically every media debate. Visibility is important in claiming public space too. If your cause is invisible it must be unpopular and for losers. The creation of the impression you are serious , mean business and are a real alternative needs air time , news coverage , interviews etc.
This visibility and power struggle is an important factor in the traditional summer marking out of territory in Northern Ireland . The Irish far left are also adept in silencing and shutting down rivals from the right naturally branding them as fascist.
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Post by Maolsheachlann on May 28, 2019 16:16:25 GMT
Any views on the collapse of UKIP in the European elections? The party seems to have almost deliberately committed electoral suicide.
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Post by cato on May 29, 2019 23:04:20 GMT
Any views on the collapse of UKIP in the European elections? The party seems to have almost deliberately committed electoral suicide. In recent years the UKIP brand has been linked to the fortunes of Nigel Farage. I forget how many times he has resigned and then resumed leadership of UKIP. Recently the Nigelless UKIP has become madder and more extreme. The new Brexit party led by Farage stole their message and support more successfully. Brexit is bigger than Farage but he has managed to create one of the biggest constitutional crisises or democratic revolutions in recent UK history depending on your outlook. In Ireland the elections were a conservative disaster. Around a fifth of the electorate voted No to divorce liberalisation. It would be safe to say they are conservative leaning , maybe even hard core reactionaries! And where did that vote go to in the local and European elections? People went back by and large to the traditional left of centre consensus. Renua , Aontu and the National Party all failed to make a breakthrough. The first two may get state cash which will help their future campaigns. In Dublin Hermann Kelly and Gemma O Doherty polled poorly. I did note a large proportion of O Doherty's transfers went to far left Clare Daly. Peter Casey was a disappointment in the West, at one point saying he was proud to be an Irish racist. Sinn Fein had a bad election. It looks like they lost 2 out of their three European seats. Any setback for Sinn Fein is a good thing. So a little silver lining on a dark grey cloud. |
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Post by Stephen on May 30, 2019 9:13:17 GMT
Who else is enjoying British Politics at the moment? I know I am.
Unfortunately Irish politics is not like this!
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Post by Stephen on May 30, 2019 9:18:52 GMT
I myself voted
1) DUP
2) TUV
3) UKIP
4) SDLP
Unfortunately I could not vote the Brexit Party 😂
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Post by cato on May 30, 2019 9:52:15 GMT
On a European level Eurosceptics did well but not as well as predicted. Le Pen pushed Macrons governing party into second place in France and Eurosceptics did well in Poland ,Hungary and Italy too. Unlike the Brexit party they don't advocate leaving the EU but do want to reduce the power of Brussel's in favour of individual nation states.
Given our close economic ties with the Union and a strong level of public support for the EU I think a pure Irexit line is just not possible. Our current ruling class is so enthusiastic and craven about all things European that it wouldn't even know what to do with independence if it got it on a plate.
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Post by Stephen on May 30, 2019 10:25:54 GMT
On a European level Eurosceptics did well but not as well as predicted. Le Pen pushed Macrons governing party into second place in France and Eurosceptics did well in Poland ,Hungary and Italy too. Unlike the Brexit party they don't advocate leaving the EU but do want to reduce the power of Brussel's in favour of individual nation states. Given our close economic ties with the Union and a strong level of public support for the EU I think a pure Irexit line is just not possible. Our current ruling class is so enthusiastic and craven about all things European that it wouldn't even know what to do with independence if it got it on a plate. I would have to agree with you on the ROI point. I would love it if we had a Eurosceptic party similar to Poland ,Hungary or Italy. |
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Post by Maolsheachlann on May 30, 2019 10:38:47 GMT
I myself voted 1) DUP 2) TUV 3) UKIP 4) SDLP Unfortunately I could not vote the Brexit Party 😂 I would vote DUP if I was a Northern Ireland citizen, as well-- despite being an Irish nationalist! |
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Post by Maolsheachlann on May 30, 2019 10:41:15 GMT
Any views on the collapse of UKIP in the European elections? The party seems to have almost deliberately committed electoral suicide. In recent years the UKIP brand has been linked to the fortunes of Nigel Farage. I forget how many times he has resigned and then resumed leadership of UKIP. Recently the Nigelless UKIP has become madder and more extreme. The new Brexit party led by Farage stole their message and support more successfully. Brexit is bigger than Farage but he has managed to create one of the biggest constitutional crisises or democratic revolutions in recent UK history depending on your outlook. In Ireland the elections were a conservative disaster. Around a fifth of the electorate voted No to divorce liberalisation. It would be safe to say they are conservative leaning , maybe even hard core reactionaries! And where did that vote go to in the local and European elections? People went back by and large to the traditional left of centre consensus. Renua , Aontu and the National Party all failed to make a breakthrough. The first two may get state cash which will help their future campaigns. In Dublin Hermann Kelly and Gemma O Doherty polled poorly. I did note a large proportion of O Doherty's transfers went to far left Clare Daly. Peter Casey was a disappointment in the West, at one point saying he was proud to be an Irish racist. Sinn Fein had a bad election. It looks like they lost 2 out of their three European seats. Any setback for Sinn Fein is a good thing. So a little silver lining on a dark grey cloud. Indeed, that is a silver lining, and something to be grateful for. I haven't even heard any results for Gemma O'Doherty and Hermann Kelly mentioned, it must have been negligible indeed. I don't think the National Party ran any candidates in this election, though. Justin Barrett says they will only run for the Dáil itself. |
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Post by Stephen on May 30, 2019 10:46:58 GMT
I myself voted 1) DUP 2) TUV 3) UKIP 4) SDLP Unfortunately I could not vote the Brexit Party 😂 I would vote DUP if I was a Northern Ireland citizen, as well-- despite being an Irish nationalist! I am a Subject, not a citizen.  I think any practicing catholic would be morally advised to vote DUP or TUV (even if they are anti Catholic). Maybe Aontu now (Pro-life sinn Fein). I am also a Nationalist. But would vote no on a border poll if the option is to join the current free state (same sex marriage, Abortion, etc). |
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Post by Tomas on Jun 1, 2019 15:05:48 GMT
This article on the change in Italy has some summaries towards the end. I don´t think it spoils anything to quote a few of those lines. It begins with a Bishop in Trieste and goes at arguments for and against different types of migration. I especially noted the warning on advocating strategic mass-migration not for refugees but for better economy etc. However intended PLANNED emigration can never be a proper flight from war conditions. "Crepaldi said that people should be able to leave intolerable situations like war, endemic poverty “or conditions of disproportionate suffering”. In such cases, “everyone has the duty to love their country, but no one has the obligation to become a slave to it. Expatriation is therefore a right that must be recognized.” However, “emigration must not be forced, coerced or even planned.” He recalled there is a “duty of the international community to intervene on the causes rather than on the consequences, to face the problems that push or force people and families to leave in emigration countries.” This is the line recently echoed by some bishops in Africa who called on young Africans to stay and “make your own country better.” In a pastoral statement following a meeting last week, the Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops of the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa, warned young people of the danger of “migration that especially affects young Africans attracted by the thirst for a better life but who suddenly stop in the waves of the Mediterranean or in the Libyan desert.” remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/fetzen-fliegen/item/4482-why-does-the-pope-hate-the-deputy-prime-minister-of-italy-mainly-because-he-s-winning?fbclid=IwAR0thkXJ8o-2dpcyU90CVI54C23lOGhGv1YtM1C2ME_5F3AC_wFX6mGCOc8In Swedish elections relatively the "right" won, the greens and the liberals lost, the left had status quo, so just slightly opposite to the total results. It was a bit funny to find a note in the news a few days after, stating that the Polish Conservatives had won more seats than the whole of Sweden had seats in the parliament! So much for the extremist political tom foolery in the Secular Paradise. |
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Post by cato on Jun 3, 2019 19:31:39 GMT
I was listening to a panel discussion on RTE at the weekend where the panel discussed the tens of thousands of spoiled votes in the recent elections. Lisa Hand of the Irish Times claimed it was because there was no choice on the left! Sinn Fein , Social Democrats , People before Profit, Solidarity and the various other left leaning Independents aren't enough options for your average left winger? Sorry I forgot Labour -(The middle class socialists )and Fianna Fail and Fine Gael who will embrace any leftist cause if they deem it to be of electoral benefit.
A Fine Gael TD I never heard of said he didn't know why anyone would spoil his vote but felt the state needed to educate people. So most spoiled votes were from stupid people! This is a familiar refrain that we heard post Brexit and post Trump; only stupid people could vote this way.
I spoiled my local authority ballot for the first time ever in my life. I wrote "No real choice". If no candidate reflects my views in any way then I am effectively disenfranchised. That's what a lot of those spoiled votes mean I suspect but mainstream experts are too intelligent to grasp this.
The candidates I voted for weren't campaigning as conservatives . One was an anti corruption campaigner who at times veered towards conspiracy theories and the other advocated Irexit and defending our non existent military "Neutrality", two causes I think are profoundly problematic. I voted for them in the absence of anything better. This is the lot of an Irish conservative in 2019.
The National Party which seems to be to the right of conservatism didn't run local candidates. Getting local reps is how you establish a power base in Ireland. To deliberately not run were you can gain a niche most easily is madness.
I know of 3 or 4 places were Renua and Aontu ran candidates against each other attempting to capture a pro life vote only for both to fail.
Renua reflect most of my beliefs apart from their Euro enthusiasm but alas they lost all their TDs at the last general election.
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Post by cato on Sept 15, 2019 18:00:52 GMT
In addition to losing 2 out 3 Euro seats Sinn Fein lost half of their local seats. This drubbing is hardly a ringing endorsement of Mary Lou and her brand of socially liberal left wing Republicanism. No one seemed to benefited on the right from these serious losses though.
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