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Why Fianna Fail are losing women voters
 national |
politics / elections |
opinion/analysis
 Monday October 03, 2005 17:19 by Annie Shipsea
Why Fine Gael will not gain any
Why the Labour Party will be ignored by them. Why Sinn Fein, Joe Higgins and Finian McGrath are our only hope. Take the average Fianna Fail politician and have a good look. Chances are you’ll see a fat, misshapen, be-suited and not especially attractive example of the male of the species. In fact, where most of them are concerned, the average gargoyle has more appeal. Photogenic they are not.
For women, though, the kind of scenery these guys make is a minor issue. The big problem is that unreconstructed male chauvinism of every stripe is rampant among Fianna Failers. The transformation in the lives and attitudes of the women around them has passed them by, unnoticed. Confronted by an averagely educated, articulate woman, these guys simply do not know what to do with themselves. Their embarrassment is acute and the look of bewildered contempt on their faces would almost be touching if it weren’t for the atrocious influence on the lives of Irish women that these cloth-heads continue to exert. Local and national politics is reduced by men like these to the grubby little world of expedited planning permissions, monumental favours for business people and destroying the community initiatives of any other politician who begins to look as though he or she is actually doing something constructive. Pettiness, spite and jealousy reign supreme. Much better to make the other guy look bad than do something worthwhile yourself. Women are sick and tired of this sort of thing.
Fianna Fail is the party of business interests alone. They have nothing to do with the rest of us other than to destroy any policy initiative that might bring a real benefit to the community - particularly if it isn’t about making a profit. However, it is at exactly this point that the main interface between government and women actually lies. Women are the people who interact most of all with the professions and public services – as parents, daughters, wives and most importantly, in their own right. Yet nowhere is the meanness, contempt and chauvinism of this government more evident than in its management of these issues. It patronises and lies its way through all debate and when it is exposed for what it is really doing, it responds not by admitting that it got it wrong and changing its ways but by a redoubling of the same vicious chauvinism. No, Fianna Fail is the party of the ugliest and most ignorant minds in the country. It is the party of obnoxious bullies everywhere.
To overcome the negligence of Fianna Fail where infrastructure and public administration are concerned, women all over the country have taken to trying to deal with the issues themselves. The local voluntary group has now become an automatic response to impatience and anger at government spite. The voluntary group is of course almost an exclusively female preserve – as if these things had nothing to do with men. Strange, that. The 'patient', lying condescension of politicians addressing such groups has to be seen to be believed. Increasingly though, women are not amused at all by this stuff. We are becoming more than a little fed up at being treated this way and of our interests being ignored. Women also generally have a long memory when it comes to broken promises and no other party is more vulnerable to that charge than FF.
When we look around us to see what the alternatives are, there isn’t a great deal to make us feel encouraged. Fine Gael is an identical party essentially, only it wears a slightly more expensive suit and has better grammar. It’s representatives have a wider vocabulary to rely on and can usually polish up a speech to a passable shine but sadly, the same obnoxious chauvinism lies barely disguised beneath these characteristics. Vanity and priggishness are frequently an additional problem with FG. Nothing there for women, certainly.
The Labour Party, meanwhile has become the Now-or-Never-for-Rabbitte party and considerations like social policy, community infrastructure and the position of women are not even up for discussion. No self-respecting woman will want to put her interests in this particular waste-paper bin. Seeing Rabbitte in government would not be sufficient compensation for us – and someone really ought to mention this to him, fast. It’s a sorry spectacle to see the Labour party so shamelessly abandoning its voter base in such a desperate attempt to get into power. What on earth can they possibly achieve for the issues that women are concerned about when they are tied so impotently to the dictates of the chauvinist Fine Gael party? This is a truly depressing moment in Irish politics.
When you hear someone like Dermot Ahern (Minister for Foreign Affairs) accusing Sinn Fein of being ‘marxists’ you begin to think that they must be getting something right. Nobody becomes that exercised by something which is not a threat. With the abandonment of their ‘do as I say or Ill kill you’ policy, the rest of the SF manifesto begins to make sense. FF have been inclined to throw some mighty tantrums about the gains being made by SF of late. Instead of pouting and sulking about it, though, they would be better advised to look at the things that SF are advocating because the fact is that many of us, women voters, like what we are hearing and seeing. Moreover, at local level SF have been seen to deliver on their promises - where they have not been prevented from doing so by the coalition of other councillors ranged against them. If SF keep this stuff up, they would be a very electable and attractive alternative to the three main parties. SF policies are about people and about community – things that FF don’t give a fig about. So, women everywhere do now have an alternative – as do men who are concerned about something other than the screwing of profit out every possible corner of our life. That is why SF would be advised to lay off the Private Finance and PPP stuff which they are flirting with in the North. We have all had a belly full of this stuff and, for once in our lives, can we not learn from the self-evident mistakes of other countries with these sorts of initiative? Dirty tricks abound against Sinn Fein where local politics is concerned – such is the fear now coldly playing in the hearts of FF and FG at the rise and rise of Sinn Fein. But voters always find out about these things and generally use the ballot box to let people know what they think of it.
The PDs are quite simply beneath contempt for many women voters.
The Green Party will have to stop coducting itself like some sort of shrinking violet. With the exception of one or two people, we almost never hear from them and it now seems that they too are going the way of Labour and eschewing policies that, while popular with voters, are less so with potential power sharers. Women like to know who stands for what, and why. The Greens are making themselves increasingly irrelevant to this constituency when there is now more public awareness of the significance of environment to every aspect of our lives than ever before. As carers we are concerned about the environmental legacy we are leaving for our children. We are generally more conscientious about these issues than the average man. Women also have the most powerful role to play in implementing environmentally friendly life-style changes. So where the hell are the Greens?
Top of the league for this woman voter are Joe Higgins and Finian McGrath. Any independent minded politicians thinking of putting up for the next election should make a close study of the careers of these two men and they’ll see the sorts of qualities that define a decent politician.
It is a great shame to have to acknowledge that there are at present no prominent national female politicians who have not styled themselves on the traditional FF/FG bully role-model. In a country that is still riddled with chauvinism, it can hardly be a surprise that there are few if any women who are prepared to weather the vitriol and contempt reserved for people like Kathy Sinnott and who have dared to stand up to the gargoyles. The media response to Sinnott as a prospective politician was often riddled with naked chauvinism. But we urgently need more women of this calibre to represent us - not the fluff balls who are now being mooted for a hasty career hike in order to act as window dressing for the female vote. This kind of stuff doesn’t fool anyone, either. It's up to women to support any strong-minded and focused woman who can articulate our concerns and not to let the FF and in their media supporters deflect us from achieving true representation.
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Comments (16 of 16)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16I'm afraid your correspondent ( Why Fianna Fail are losing women voter) lost me early on.
It's disappointing that the opening criticism of Fianna Fail
politicians is that, essentially, they are fat and ugly.
For that to be followed by calling THEM chauvinistic , well, sorry, I had hoped for a bit better.
There are many reasons why voters should turn their backs on Fianna Fail but not being "photogenic" surely should not be one.
Corruption, lying, pandering to the rich and more, yes.
But lets not be silly, they are no "ignorant", they are very very bright and what are "cloth-heads"
I log on to Indymedia hoping to get intelligent debate.
Any chance of some editorial standards.
but took it as read.
Many of our politicians have actually taken on the appearance of excessively indulged, corpulent, greedy bullies. They look like the thing they are: male chauvinist pigs.
There is nothing bright or intelligent about lying and corruption.
It is ignorant to make remarks about people being overweight. There is never a place for personal abuse.
This is easily the most pointless and badly written article I have ever read on this site
Fianna Fail are the party of the greedy and the corrupt - and that's exactly what a lot of them look like too. One former security guard responsible for the protection of an erstwhile Taoiseach has described how it was routine for him to be sent out to buy £300 bottles of wine to accompany lavish dinners with backers and business lobbyists. No group of Irish politicians has prostituted themselves so much to business interests as Fianna Fail and the PDs and this is exactly how it is done. The tell-tale signs are all over them. Have you seen Mary Harney recently? This is the lady who thinks that rich people deserve a bigger portion of democracy than less well off folk. The ugliness of the mindset is only too apparent. So, no, I dont feel any remorse at all about pointing to the evidence of this sort of excess, especially when it has been acquired at the expense of hardworking people all over Ireland. Those of us who care about holding the country together in some meaningful form of community are entitled to criticise the excess -particularly when we have the evidence of so much neglect elsewhere: the homeless, the elderly, people with disability, the failing school system, appalling infrastructure - and all the rest of it. It is our hard work that makes it possible for these fat cats to make the obscene profits they do. Women voters are leaving Fianna Fail in droves because they do not represent us in any way. We are far more concerned with our children's futures, for instance, and it is more than worth it to us to puncture the inflated vanity of these glutinous parasites if it will help to cut them down to normal size - literally or figuratively.
Ireland leads the developed world in instances of obesity in both adults and children and also boasts one of the highest figures in the EU for food poverty. The inequality at heart of society does not seem to be reflected in the appearance of the ruling elite. Traditionally only our president typifies the slender irish build designed for stamina and running. The cabinet to a one all seem well fed, morose, and often inarticulate in the most ingratiating way. This suggests to me the leadership qualities they are supposed to communicate in the modern age of soundbyte, image politics etc., have been shaped by the zeitgeist of Ireland's emergent nouveau riche. They are the generation who for the first time since the long fellah Dev have not only afforded to live off the fat of the land, but aren't ashamed to carry the paunch. This occured in the political ideological home of the USA decades gone by.
They are not the generation of healty eating, exercise & sensible lifestyle choices, they do not "connect" in any way with the frivolous concepts of "metro-sexuality". I don't think its true that poor people would always vote for those of a lean and hungry look, in the distant past they were mobilised to vote for whomever could shout loudest at them and often more importantly at the strike breakers.
But I do think business interests gravitate psychologically to others of the same girth, fashion and lack of attention to physical condition. I for one would delight to see the run-up to the next general election abound with competing images of governmental wannabees on the exercise bike, skateboard, in the gym or swimming pool. It would add so much more spice to count the heart attacks of the lardy crew. So.., hmmmmmm lets push them all on the real issues of frivolous froth.
Sex it up please!
Earn your favourable poll rewards.
There's no point in being proud of giving the people condoms if you can't see if you've got one on, Bertie.
Your claims on obesity are a complete fabrication. The International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) web site gives figures for obesity in all developed countries. These are just some of the countries for which the IOTF gives obesity rates higher than Ireland: Australia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, England, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Malta, Scotland, United States. Please check your facts in future.
The central point is that there are lots of bloated, self-indulgent government politicians around whose twisted morality is writ large on their policies as much as on their persons. Garda corruption, environmental degredation are just a couple of other things left out of the list above. Women voters are sick and tired of the boyo culture that pervades the political establishment. These people have shown they are not to be trusted with minding the country. They take our taxes and instead of investing them properly in our communities they offer them as concessions to foreign corporations and the like. Billions are spent on the salaries of public adminsitrators whose main purpose in life seems to be ensuring that nothing works like it should. Obstruction and delay are the guiding principles of every public service. Women, as primary carers, are forced to spend more time than men neogtiating these badly run services. We want responsible and above all accountable government. We want to know that our families, our homes, our livelihoods, our children, our neighbours, our communities and the vulnerable in society will be decently cared for. As things stand, we meet with nothing but contempt and failure at virtually every point of contact with the state. Give us an efficient group of politicians with enough humility and respect to listen to people and to do the job of work that we employ them to do. Fianna Fail or the PDs need not apply.
politicians around....twisted morality.....Fianna Fail or the PDs need not apply.
But Sinn Fein can?????
Let's get one thing straight here. Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein all have the same history when it comes to 'armed struggle'. In fact, Fianna Fail behaved like a bunch of facist thugs (much as they do now) around the time of the civil war. The only thing that separates them are a matter of a few decades. Sinn Fein became the spokes people for a certain section of the population that continued under sectarian, apartheid British rule. The problem wasnt over for them, was it? So dont be pretending that Fianna Fail occupies any sort of moral high ground where this issue is concerned. Like Fianna Fail and Fine Gael before them, now that certain assurances have been given as to the nature of democracy in the North, Sinn Fein too have put their guns down. Frankly, and I suspect this is true for many women voters, all the boys and their dangerous toys have been a crashing, if murderous, bore for us down all these years. My childhood was scarred from being force fed scenes of remembrance about 1916 and various other terrorist outrages. (If you can call Sinn Fein terrorists then so can you Fianna Fail). Its no use you Fianna Failers trying to pretend you can make retrospective political capital out of this situation any more. Your hypocrisy is sickening.
Having got used to her writing, I think I can tell when she's joking, when she's being totally on editorial guidlines "passionate" and almost always (which means I can't remember an ocassion) is truthful.
I'm not sure if the areas of Irish social and political interest she has touched upon in comments or written about in articles, are particularly reserved to one gender. I would hope not.
But for the moment, Shipsea is not looking for help paying the deposit on the next general election.
Others casually be they boyo or career woman
in the Dail admit to spending errors of nearly 150 million the same day they happily announce an extra billion in tax income. I don't care if they're ugly or can't check their own feet for verucas, I just care about the brazen cheek of Irish public life since the formation of the state i sadly read about in books my parents worked hard to pay for. And the blind ignorant theft of national wealth and government tenders and contracts, from my birth in the the 1970s to this date. I say it is blind ignorance for if they had sight their lack of shame could only mean true psychosis and sociopathy.
We have always been ruled by those who appear as if they'd have no problem using guns on tough rivals.
So, in the vain hope, that a first time voter or long term voter might read this and take some message to heart I'll ask you this-
*Don't vote for someone who is wider, bigger, taller, heavier than you.
*Don't vote for someone you've seen on tv during at least two months before polling day.
*Don't vote for someone who you know what they look like, or how to pronounce their name properly.
*Don't vote for anyone with less of a tan than you.
*Don't vote for anyone whose tie is worth your shoes.
*Don't vote for any leader of a political party (this won't apply to all constituencies, but you'll be influential on neighbours & get a day out : if you take that to heart ;-)
*Don't vote for anyone if you can imagine them holding a gun.
*Don't vote for anyone who you couldn't be left in a darkened room with after being arrested and saying they were "physically incapable of checking their own verucas". (((unless of course they represent a particular national and international interest which is mentioned in UN documents and gets its own logo)))
*Don't vote for anyone who didn't directly ask you for help`through a non-heirarchial open source news organisation without particular bias for help with their deposit.
_______________________________________
Shipsea, i'm intrigued, I wonder - why would fianna fail / fine gael / progressive democrats / sinn fein / &c.., ever have gained female voters.
Thak God for someone with a sense of humour! OK guys, hands up, it was intended as deliberately provocative polemic. Did nobody else get this? (Aside from the chap with the hilarious advice for Bertie and his difficulty about seeing whether his condom fitted!). What interests me about the responses is the focus on the minimal, passing refernce I made to physical appearance in the original article in comparison to the rest of what was said.
There is so much SEXISM in the responses Ive had!
Could I persuade my critics to read it again and to see whether there werent just a few other points made besides those that have clearly trespassed on the nerves/flab of sensitive male readers!!!!!
Joking aside, I was genuinely making some serious points about the political apporach to women in Ireland. FF should be booted out for their failures on this point alone.
Here we have news today of of a government overspend of 220 million euro on a payroll system - of which 70 million was paid to 'consultants'
And on page 3 of the same paper we discover that 8,000 calls to the Women's Aid Helpline went unanswered for want of a lousy £70K to fund some personnel to answer the phones. Many of these unanswered calls will have related to the abuse of children. Charities all over the country have to go crawling and begging to people like Harney for basic humanitarian services. But what do they get in response?
In the area of the country in which I live the local service provider for the hundreds of people with intellectual disability and for whom it provides therapeutic and other vital services was awarded a derisory 150K euro against a bid for 4 million for the next year of its operation. The indignities inflicted on many people by decisions like these are dowright criminal.
The contempt for women, children and the vulnerable in our society is vicious.
Who exactly are the people to whom this 240 million was paid? Where has the money gone?
Ironic you talking about contempt for children let alone anyone else!!You have to be one of the most fervount proponents of abortion for any reason on this newswire.So maybe eugenics will be able to tell us whther or not a child will be a bit heavy in teen years and thats another reason to abort????No to war,abortion,animal exploitation,capital punishment and eugenics!!,and hypocrisy!!Stop the war on the unborn,animals,the queer community and on people evrywer
Peace and love
Homo paddy!!
This sort of shrieking gets us nowhere. I don't promote abortion - it's not my business to impose that sort of moral decision on other people. This is not a debate about abortion, in any case. It's about the record of this government as it relates to women. Why did you never post your objection on the relevant thread? Or do you just want to disrupt a critical account of Fianna Fail's appalling record? 'Trolling' like this does your cause (whatever it really is) no favours.
shipsea,im well aware of fianna fails rank history ,they are scum of the earth,i grew up in a part of dublin where they didnt give a fuck about the people starving and dying from gear(heroin)!!im with you on that one dear,but the trolling word has become so common on this newsweb,lets think of something different to cut people down with.