When it comes to politics, we’re quite
an opinionated, argumentative bunch us Irish, eh? Pop into a public house any
night of the week and you’re sure to find at least two lads having a heated
debate about the latest political crisis afflicting our country — and we’ve had
plenty of those to get our teeth into over the last few weeks, never mind
months.
It could be argued that we’re the most politically astute nation in
Europe, if not the globe. Bearing that in mind, together with all the strife we
poor citizens have had to suffer over the last few years, you think we would have
taken to the streets en masse, attacking the very heart of our incompetent
political establishment. But no, we haven’t.
Apart from a few, by international
standards, very tame student protests, oh, and yes the ‘grey vote’ movement a
few years back — now it’s not right that a millionaire pensioner should have
his/her entitlements means tested, is it? — we as a nation have been pretty
reticent when it comes to rocking the system.
Now, you can cast an eye to
Greece and ask do mass protests make any real difference — the evidence would
suggest they don't.
So maybe it’s just about letting your frustrations out — good for
the body and mind, that. And the Irish have found less taxing ways to do that other than violent protests.
There’s the aforementioned pub rant, a moan to the
sadistic Joe Duffy, emigration and, of course, the good old letters page of our
daily and Sunday newspapers.
It’s the latter two that I’ve found solace in over the last few years — the odd printed letter the last resort for a
struggling journeyman journalist.
So as politics — along with religion — is
always a good topic to discuss during the festive period, here’s a selection of
some of those published letters for you to mull over.
A sort of ‘Reeling in the
Year 2011’ in words, if you will.
On
the Irish General Election:
“So after all the subterfuge we finally
have a date for the long overdue General Election. The attention now turns to
every Irish citizen with the right to vote to have their say. With every right, though, as we all should know, comes responsibility.
This is not, to spell out
the obvious, a local council election but a national one. More so now than ever
the government returned on 11 March will be our chief negotiators
on the international stage, people we must entrust to get the best deals for
this beleaguered nation. The candidate who can get your local road tarmacadamed
has a forum, this election, however, is not it.
It may be the case that our
electoral system prevents us from returning true national politicians — that is
something that needs to be urgently addressed.
For now, though, it is incumbent
on every franchised Irish citizen to shun parish-pump politics. There may be a
dearth of candidates with the national interest at heart, but where they exist
we need them returned. Not to do so would be criminal.”
On Ireland’s financial woes — they’re considerable, so here are two letters:
“So
the Republic of Ireland, given the extraordinary financial crisis it finds itself
in, would not exist as a functioning entity if it were not for our
European colleagues together with the IMF bailing the state out.
One
thus has to ask, if the Republic never joined the EMU, would the mess be as big?
One would have to strongly think not.
Yes, the entry into the EU and
then the EMU provided us with enormous benefits — financial,
infrastructural and even social. But we are now seeing the true price of
joining the EU 'party'. Was the 'high' worth it? If only we had been as wise as
some of the Nordic countries or, whisper it, our nearest neighbour to the east.”
“On a recent sojourn to Europe, I had the
dubious pleasure of debating about Ireland’s severe financial woes with the
numerous Germans I met. After initial coldness to my point that Ireland’s
economic problems were not all of the state’s own making – namely that those
bondholders who gambled on our prosperity must share the burden — my German
friends began to see things differently.
There was further convergence of
opinion when I compared the Irish Republic’s situation now to that of the
Weimar Republic in the 1920s and 30s, stressing the point that if outside
‘assistance’ is seen as punitive, who knows what that could lead to.
Now, maybe
these Germans I met were that rare kind — malleable — or maybe they just didn’t
care. In any case, is the AWOL Taoiseach or his fiery finance minister stating
such facts to their masters in continental Europe?
After all, the power rests
with the politicians elected by the people of Europe, not with the financial
markets, doesn’t it?”
 |
| The Queen goes green. |
“I find it absurd, given the perilous state of our
economy, that there should be such vociferous opposition in some quarters to
the proposed visit here of one of the richest people in the world. Surely it is
in our financial interest to ensure Queen Elizabeth II visits these shores?
If
we show her a good time maybe she’ll consider popping over on a more regular
basis, thus providing a much-needed boost to our economy. And with a number of
high-profile royal weddings on the horizon, we should be pitching ourselves as
the ‘ideal’ honeymoon destination for the newlyweds.
Considering that most of
those opposed to the royal visit vigorously support British soccer teams, it is
only fair that the Queen is seen to acknowledge such support by calling in
person to see her loyal subjects.
In any case, the British Royals regularly
visit the north-east of this island with very little opposition from those who supposedly don’t recognize the border. So whether ‘Lizzie’ visits subordinate
administrations in Belfast or Dublin, does it really make any difference?”
On
the aftermath of President Obama’s visit:
“After the impressive, yet intangible, rhetoric of President Obama it seems our Taoiseach is keen to continue the
‘more talk, less action’ road to recovery.
As a recently departed resident of
the United Kingdom and now briefly back in my native west of Ireland before I
leave for South America in the coming days, I found Enda Kenny’s pep talk to
Ireland’s ambassadors laughable.
While I would love to be able to spread a
positive message about the Republic on my travels, the reality on the ground, unfortunately, dictates otherwise.
For instance, we continue to have a bloated,
overpaid public sector — including politicians — a social welfare system that
promotes unemployment, a ridiculously high cost of living and a seemingly
spineless Government unable to stand up to the unions, the EU and other
numerous groups that continue to cripple the country. I could go on, but you get
the point.
South America is rife with examples of men of Irish descent who played a part in overthrowing Spanish rule. Maybe I can draw inspiration and
bring back that revolutionary zeal to these shores.” (I’m failing on that front
thus far!)
On
the Presidential Election result:
“So, finally, it seems, the Irish
electorate has made a wise decision. Not only was Michael D. Higgins the least-bad option of the seven candidates, but he should also prove to be the least
financial burden on the state as President in the years to come.
Considering
the exorbitant pensions our heads of state are entitled to on retirement, at 70 years of age, President-Elect Higgins should not cost us too much whenever he
calls it a day. And when that time comes, maybe we will finally get rid of this
surplus-to-requirements office.”
And
finally, on overhauling the Junior Cert:
“Further to the Government’s plans to
‘improve’ the education system by abolishing the junior cert, a far more
practical move would be the introduction of compulsory French and German in our
primary schools. That way our future generations should be better placed to
converse with and understand those now running our occupied little state.”
*****
So there you have it. Just to note that
while all opinions expressed are Wrong Way’s, they are time/context-dependent
and therefore are subject to constant review and possible change!
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