Tag: Populism
Damage Control: Varadkar’s Dabbling with Rightist Populism
Last week, Leo Varadkar did something a little unexpected. He published a tweet seemingly bemoaning Sinn Féin’s new disdain for white middle class men. I say a little, because, when considering the context, Varadkar’s new found desire to stand up...
The Terrible Beauty of Pop Culture
The very first RTE television broadcast was transmitted on New Year's Eve 1961, and the first speaker was President Eamon De Valera. He expressed considerable foreboding regarding the new medium: "I must admit that sometimes when I think of television...
Paddy Holohan and the Shape of Sinn Féin to Come
It would appear the more centrist elements of the Irish establishment have yet to learn its lesson with regards what to do with an electorally insoluble Sinn Féin. Aiming to test the old proverb, our media is attempting to flog...
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...
Elections, Europe, and Irish Freedom: A Talk With Hermann Kelly
The European Union is not the immutable behemoth it once was. The political bloc, although once appearing to be seemingly invincible, is starting to show its cracks. Largely as a result of the 2015 migrant crisis, as well as the...
Populism in Our Local and European Elections
A populist is defined as “a member or adherent of a political party seeking to represent the interests of the ordinary people.” This may be one of the most abused terms in the history of politics. We in Ireland suffer...
Democracy isn’t All it’s Cracked Up to Be
Professor David Thunder is a researcher and lecturer at the University of Navarra’s Institute for Culture and Society in Pamplona, Spain. He is author of Citizenship and the Pursuit of the Worthy Life (Cambridge University Press, 2014). Twitter: @davidjthunder As Europe, the United...
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...
Populism Is Not Destroying Democracy – It Is Democracy
Populism. If you listen to the mainstream media, you’ll know two things about populism. One, it’s on the rise after sweeping through the United States and making its way to Europe. Two, it’s evil and is single-handedly destroying democracy as...
Kevin Sharkey: An Ireland-First President?
Ultimately however, Kevin Sharkey is at the mercy of mainstream politics for the time being.