Tomás Ó Flatharta

Looking at Things from the Left

Archive for the ‘Fianna Fáil’ Category

Resistance to the Cuts : News from the Irish Times and RTÉ’s Liveline Radio Show

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The Irish Times of Wednesday June 15 was very unusual  –

it carried two useful news reports about campaigns against Government-inspired cutbacks.

Dublin Bus is cutting services.

While the newspaper story headline is a bland

Dublin Bus plans further route changes

the story offers a different perspective from :

Save Our Bus Services, which says the changes are in fact cuts to services, which will hurt the old, the disabled and schoolchildren most. Read the rest of this entry »

Written by tomasoflatharta

Jun 17, 2011 at 8:26 am

Posted in Fianna Fáil, Financial Crisis (September 2008 onwards), General Election 2011, Ireland, United Left Alliance

United Left Alliance “A Work in Progress” – Steps Towards a New Party

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The Irish election returned five TDs for the United Left Alliance, with 2.8 per cent of the first preference votes. But this victory for the Left is only part of a bigger picture of political change, writes Brendan Young, in an article commissioned by Scottish Left Review. Republished here with kind permission of the author and SLR.

This article is also published on the Irish Left Review Site  :

United Left Alliance A Work In Progress – Steps Towards a New Party

Joe Higgins TD - Socialist Party and the United Left Alliance

Described as a sea change by commentators, the biggest shock of Ireland’s recent general election was the collapse of the vote of Fianna Fáil (FF), the State’s largest party; from 41.5 per cent in 2007 to just 17.4 per cent this time. FF has governed in Ireland for 61 out of the 79 years since it was formed in 1932 and has won 14 out of the 19 general elections. Yet it now has only one TD (member of parliament) in Dublin – down from 13. Its first preference vote in Dublin was only 12.5 per cent, whereas the United Left Alliance, on its first outing, got 7.1 per cent. What stands out is the loss of support for FF among working class voters – confirming what has already been happening in local elections. Read the rest of this entry »

Written by tomasoflatharta

May 20, 2011 at 6:26 pm

Posted in Fianna Fáil, Financial Crisis (September 2008 onwards), Fine Gael, General Election 2011, Green Party, Ireland, Labour Party (Ireland), People Before Profit, Sinn Féin, Socialist Party, Trade Unions, United Left Alliance

Garret FitzGerald – “a Politician Often Judged on his Intentions Rather than his Actions”

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The former Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Garret FitzGerald has died aged 85 years of age – a very sad event for people who were close to him.    Many credible testimonies are recorded showing he was a kind and courteous man in his personal relations.  His public political career stretched from 1965, when he was elected to the Seanad (Senate) on the Fine Gael ticket up to a couple of weeks ago – he wrote a regular Saturday column in the Irish Times which was often interesting.

Many media professionals liked FitzGerald (no harm in that), but very few were willing to face him down on key issues of public policy (dangerously harmful).

Most of today’s broadcasters fall into that trap, with one small telling exception : Vincent Browne, presenter of TV3’s late night week day current affairs programme :

Tonight With Vincent Browne – TV3 Read the rest of this entry »

Written by tomasoflatharta

May 19, 2011 at 11:16 pm

Posted in Abortion, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Labour Party (Ireland)

Labour Voters – How Cool Are They About Coalition With the Right?

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John Meehan has put together a statistical analysis of Labour Party lower preferences, where no other Labour candidate is in the contest (these are known as terminal transfers), and candidates from both the left and right are still in the race.

The table is at the end of this article.

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Healthy debate is developing on this blog and other Irish sites on the composition of the Labour Party’s electoral base.  The February 2011 General Election broke new ground in many ways, and we can learn a lot from detailed study of the numbers.

An interesting question is : how keen are Labour voters on coalition with the right?  How sympathetic are they to the arguments of left rivals that helping to elect Enda Kenny as taoiseach is a very bad idea? Read the rest of this entry »

Written by tomasoflatharta

Mar 15, 2011 at 10:18 pm

Posted in Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, General Election 2011, Green Party, Ireland, Labour Party (Ireland), People Before Profit, Sinn Féin, Socialist Party, United Left Alliance

The February 25 General Election changed something in Ireland

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The article below  – by John Meehan –

has been  published in the British Magazine Socialist Resistance :

http://socialistresistance.org/1775/70-votes-for-socialism

 

Writing in the North American online magazine Counterpunch Harry Browne zoned in on two key features on the Irish February 25 2011 General Election Result

 

 

Same Old at the Top – but Irish Election Makes Room for the Left

Same Old, Same Old at the Top, But – Irish Election Makes Room for the Left

The same old :

A Fine Gael / Labour coalition takes over the government after 14 years of Fianna Fáil rule. Since 1932, Fianna Fáil have been the governing party for 61 out of 79 years.  They have won 19 out of 25 General Elections. On the rare occasions Fine Gael dominated coalitions have come to power the smaller right-wing party never held on longer than one term in office.

That said, the scale of the 2011 Fianna Fáil defeat is without precedent Read the rest of this entry »

Written by tomasoflatharta

Mar 10, 2011 at 7:30 pm

Posted in Fianna Fáil, Financial Crisis (September 2008 onwards), Fine Gael, General Election 2011, Green Party, Ireland, Labour Party (Ireland), Opinion Polls, People Before Profit, Sinn Féin, Socialist Party, United Left Alliance

Why is Fianna Fáil Losing?

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Vincent Browne – played by the inimitable Mario Rosenstock – tries to get answers from Willie O’Dea and Micheál Martin – essential viewing! :

http://www.tv3.ie/videos.php?video=32673&locID=1.65.596&date=2011-02-19&date_mode&page=1&show_cal&newspanel&showspanel&web_only&full_episodes

And then go mad as hell :

http://www.tv3.ie/shows.php?request=tonightwithvincentbrowne&tv3_preview=&video=32827

 

 

Written by tomasoflatharta

Feb 24, 2011 at 7:39 am

Posted in Fianna Fáil, Humour

Why Does The Irish Labour Party Seek Fine Gael’s Kiss-of-Death?

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In the last days of the 2011 Irish General Election Campaign Labour Party leaders and spinners are warning that the voters might choose a Fine Gael single party government. Their alternative? : Coalition – Fine Gael’s Enda Kenny for Taoiseach, Labour’s Eamon Gilmore the Tánaiste – that’s the message.

SIPTU leader Jack O’Connor, for example, claims “that a coalition government would be far preferable as the country imposes spending cuts as part of its EU and IMF bailout.

“If you look at the lessons of history, they (Fine Gael) haven’t been in government on their own since 1927 when their predecessor Cumann na nGaedheal was in government,”….

“They pursued policy which resulted in economic stagnation for 60 years. And that’s the kind of policy that’s being advocated by both of the centre-right parties at the present time.”

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/02/15/ireland-politics-union-idUKLDE71E2C620

First – is a single-party Fine Gael government possible or likely?

We will know for sure on Saturday February 26 – at the time of writing, if the polls are right, a single party Fine Gael government is possible but unlikely.

http://politicalreform.ie/2011/02/22/seat-estimates-for-irish-independent-millward-brown-lansdowne-opinion-poll-23rd-february/#more-2337

A second factor is political – many Fine Gael backers, for example the former party leader Garret FitzGerald, argue that coalition with Labour is a better tactical option for this right-wing party. Read the rest of this entry »

Written by tomasoflatharta

Feb 23, 2011 at 12:32 pm

Posted in Fianna Fáil, Financial Crisis (September 2008 onwards), Fine Gael, General Election 2011, Green Party, Ireland, Labour Party (Ireland), Opinion Polls, People Before Profit, Sinn Féin, SIPTU, Socialist Party, Trade Unions, UNITE, United Left Alliance

Joan Collins to Offer Radical Alternative – RTE’s Frontline Programme, Monday February 21

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Message from the Joan Collins Site :

“I have agreed to go on panel on Frontline on Monday evening. It’s on after the  9pm news. Also last Friday I had a BBC Panorama crew with me for the afternoon in Drimnagh. They are doing an election special on Ireland, also on Monday evening.”

http://joan-collins.org/2011/02/19/appearing-on-panel-on-frontlines-rte-monday-night/

Joan’s campaign was featured in the Irish Times, Thursday February 17 :

Collins aims to offer radical alternative

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0217/1224290025041.html

Joan Collins Flyer :

http://irishelectionliterature.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/flyer-from-joan-collins-people-before-profit-united-left-alliance-dublin-south-central/

500 Words from Joan Collins :

http://www.drimnaghisgood.com/2011/02/16/500-words-from-joan-collins-people-before-profit-canidate-for-dublin-south-central/

United Left Alliance Prospects? Read the rest of this entry »

Written by tomasoflatharta

Feb 20, 2011 at 3:42 pm

Posted in European Union, Fianna Fáil, Financial Crisis (September 2008 onwards), Fine Gael, General Election 2011, Green Party, Ireland, Labour Party (Ireland), Opinion Polls, People Before Profit, Sinn Féin, Socialist Party, United Left Alliance

Joan Collins – Campaigning in Meath Street (Videos)

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Joan Collins first won a seat on Dublin City Council in 2004, and was re-elected in 2009 with an increased share of the vote in the Crumlin-Kimmage ward. In 2011 she is a People Before Profit / United Left Alliance candidate in Dublin South-Central. Joan doorstepped ex-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern at the gates of Leinster House this week, asking why he had no “shame” about the state of the country, ruined by the collapse of the Celtic Tiger. Have a look at Joan’s campaign in the Meath Street area on Saturday January 29 2011 – it looks like she has struck a chord with many working class people.

The reaction to Joan’s handbagging of Bertie Ahern was very positive and good-humoured – take a look at these short videos made by John Meehan :

Meath Street Butchers discuss ex-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s retirement regrets with Dublin South-Central United Left Alliance General Election candidate Joan Collins and Dermot Connolly.

http://www.facebook.com/v/1730560898133 Read the rest of this entry »

Written by tomasoflatharta

Feb 1, 2011 at 12:31 pm

Posted in Fianna Fáil, Financial Crisis (September 2008 onwards), Fine Gael, General Election 2011, Humour, Ireland, People Before Profit, Socialist Party, United Left Alliance

Labour Leadership Offensive to the Left, Offensive Against the Left

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Thanks to Des Derwin for this article, also published here :

http://www.irishleftreview.org/2011/01/25/godsend-sinn-fin-left/

The Finance Bill stroke is the latest, but greatest, in a line of indications that Labour in government will be on the good ship Austerity.

Until fairly recently I would have counselled my friends on the left against rejecting calls for an all-left alliance out of hand and, instead, for saying to Labour and Sinn Féin, ‘reject coalition and austerity and we can all ally’. The clarity of Labour’s intentions makes this position redundant. More, the Labour leadership has now gone on the offensive against the ULA and Sinn Féin, against the rest of an all-left alliance.

http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/talk-away-mister-higgins/

Read the rest of this entry »

Written by tomasoflatharta

Jan 25, 2011 at 6:57 pm

Posted in Abortion, Feminism, Fianna Fáil, Financial Crisis (September 2008 onwards), Fine Gael, General Election 2011, Ireland, Labour Party (Ireland), People Before Profit, Sinn Féin, Socialist Party, Trade Unions, UNITE, United Left Alliance

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