Lots of whining and soul-searching because Bertie the Cunning was once again a winner. Twenty thinks that the 41% that voted him back in have no right to complain for the next 5 years but that still leaves a massive number who’ll still whine and do absolutely nothing but blame everything on those that did vote for Bertie while sitting on their asses pontificating and not actually doing anything tangible or constructive.
There’s more to do now than ever before and 5 years of Fianna Fail means even more to do. How many of those that whine and moan will actually do anything apart from hope that someone else will do something on their behalf in 5 years time? Self-serving people may have voted Bertie in, but a whole load of self-serving people wanted Pat and Enda and Trevor to get in too.
You are right with this one Damien – and one of the reasons I have not blogged on this. Either I get up off my arse and help the Green Party (my political home of choice) or I shut up.
Damn it to hell 🙂
keith
Great point Damien. I was kind of a fence sitter in this election but your point reflects the same situation that we find in most walks of life, about 20% of the people doing 80% of the work… or perhaps even a more extreme share in this case.
I never blog about politics myself because I find it hard to get interested in it (shame on me I know) but fair play to all those who tried to make a difference….. all those who actually did something.
Good point.
I think we could all remember that political activism can consist of a lot more than putting a piece of paper in a box once every 5 years…
Word of warning, Damien, you’re post could be misconstrued as a call for violent revolution.. :O
Roosta, are you saying then that some might think I wasn’t talking about an armed rebellion?
[…] Via Damien I happened on this from twentymajor. The general gist – if you can’t be bothered to decipher it – is that if you voted for Fianna Fáil you have no right to complain about any of the hazards of living in Ireland for the next five years. […]
Ah…..now the John Rambo trailer makes alot more sense….
So you’ll be running next time then? I’m game if you are.
JH, I’m just wondering how useful it is being in Government with a worsening civil service compared to running a voluntary organisation or a business which could have a greater impact. Why not circumvent the Government and make them have to go along with you. I mean this in a legal, non-coup way.
WHy do you say the civil service is worsening?
Watch what happens in the next five years. You’ve never seen political favouritism like you’re going to witness under the next government. The snouts will stay in the trough until every last bit of swill is gone.
The party’s over, guys
Hmm.
If we take something that’s historically been close to your heart like — oo, what to pick? — the domestic broadband market, then you’re pretty much stuck with fixing the government rather than routing around it. The market’s been rigged with bad legislation, and that includes the legislation which dictates the total theoretical bandwidth capacity of a 3G phone operator’s license.
You’ve got politicians (who are for the time being bent as nine pound notes), civil servants who advise them (but the service seems to actively oppose the notion that they should become expert enough to have a clue about their department’s area of responsibility) and the non-civil-servants who work for the Quangos charged with a) regulation of communications and b) preventing illegal market abuse. Two of those three groups can theoretically step up to the plate (the civil servants can’t even if the will existed). Either one would be enough. Neither can be fixed without direct political intervention from somewhere.
[Market-wise, if the regulator’s employees aren’t doing their jobs, sack the fuckers as far as I’m concerned.]
Don’t get me wrong: I agree enough with your main point of not waiting for the political class to save us that I’ve spent more than half my adult life so far actually doing it. Ireland’s way overdue for a non-governmental political sector. And if some people can make businesses out of it, good for them.
But aren’t we also overdue for a more technoratic, results-oriented group of TDs?
Quite valid points JH, it’s just I’m wondering if you are time constrained, which is the best route? Can an independent really make an impact or even a small party compared to a mouthy lobby group with worthy aims?
Damien, Interesting points. I agree that we all need to dust ourselves down and get back on track. It seems once again that a party with two deputies are to be handed a key role in government. As far as I am concerned the next campaign begins tomorrow!!
It was good to talk to you Friday Seamus!
It’s very hard to do something when the leader of FF is slippier than a lubed up love-length! Bar shooting the fucker, I see very little in the way of effective character assassination.
I’ve lost all hope in changing peoples minds after witnessing the amount of votes Willie O’Dea got. I ask you, Willie O’ fucking Dea? Local politics suck donkey balls!
“Can an independent really make an impact or even a small party compared to a mouthy lobby group with worthy aims?”
Colm O’Gorman of One in Four made a huge impact as a lobbyist in his particular field – then decided to run as a PD. Not smart, in my opinion.
Outside the tent, pissing in, is a position of greater strength, IMHO.
You just have to be brave enough to risk getting your shlong caught in the zipper.
No revolution yet, lads. Let’s wait and see the make up of the new regime first.
If Bertie goes with the Greens, they might function as excellent watchdogs, willing to nip his heels when they sniff brown envelopes.
If he goes with the PDs and Indies, then we oil up our firearms. By joining with the PDs he would be blatantly ignoring the will of the people who made it very clear they do not want them.
Since you’re all going to be very active, I’ll stick to the sitting down whinging and complaining about the lot of it. It’s a tough job, but some lazy gits got to do it.
I have blogged on the political subjects, just no one listens, probably because of my accent. 😉
The outcome of the tribunals is not yet fixed, we may see some of the charges stick to the Teflon man yet. And then the 41% can complain about how unfair the truth is.
I have blogged on the political subjects, just no one listens, probably because of my accent.
I listen to you 🙂
You can be Castro if I can be Che… and I want EVERYONE to wear an image of me on a t-shirt. That will be our first mandate…
Thanks, Simon.
Only just saw this. Well put, Damien. Still, I am depressed. Good luck ROI, I’m outta here. I’ll still be hoping against hope I can look in and see some changes for the better… but please forgive me, under FF I am not optimistic.
[…] in May, just after this year’s election, a post by Damien Mulley really hit home (Probably because I was doing a fair bit of moaning about the […]