Tag: Fianna Fáil
Ireland needs a Left Government for Populism to Rise
This Saturday marks a potential shuffle in the electoral deck of cards in the 26 county state, but not in the way one might think. Since the gunmen went away, Irish elections have never really mattered, and even less so...
Election 2020: A Vision For the Coming Decade
The general election is of both great importance and no importance at the same time. It is of no importance because the difference between the parties is very narrow, and virtually all have been rendered uniform by the State-NGO complex. Given...
The Post-National Fianna Fáil Politician
As the perennial chancers of Irish politics, Fianna Fáil have undergone multiple regenerations since the foundation of the state. The positioning of Fianna Fáil at any one time is a thermometer reading to the contemporary condition of Irish life. From...
Can Fianna Fáil be Co-opted
How does the right attain political power in Ireland? The options must be considered and the most efficient option adopted. There are small parties, which one could join and or vote for; or there are the established parties which could...
The Political Cudgel
In a recent political podcast, Radicalisation and the Amplification of Extremism Online, the Irish Times make clear that they have no intention of allowing “Gemma O’Doherty or any of her supporters” on their current affairs podcasts. One would presume that...
The 2019 Local Elections: A Recap
Polling day has come and gone, and the posters have come down, and with everything said and done, nothing much has changed. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael increased their seats, the Green ripple shocked our media to its erogenous core,...
Aontú: Friend or Foe?
The Potential of Tóibín-ism: Ten years since the economic crash, Irish politics is a graveyard of parties that have attempted to fill an imagined political vacuum. Reports of the death of our two (and a half) party state have been...
The Shadow of the Gunman and the Demise of Fianna Fáil
Whether it was Varadkar’s exchanges with Doherty in the Dáil or reading McCullough’s biography on De Valera, I decided to revisit my decision to leave Fianna Fáil some months ago. Having been a member of the party for several years,...
Does Peadar Tóibín’s New Movement Stand a Chance?
New parties have not fared well in Ireland historically. All of the leading parties were established by 1933, and the impact of newcomers has tended to be slight and short-lasting. Contrast this with France, where the En Marche movement captured...
Why Didn’t the Irish Rebel? Explaining Post-Crash Inertia
The question of how the Irish elite avoided being overthrown, if not publicly hanged, in the aftermath of the Great Recession must surreptitiously linger in the minds of those in the corridors of power to this day. Despite the recent...