The power of the few

national | politics / elections | opinion/analysis

Thursday March 29, 2007 12:31

by Johnny Finn

jjfinn at eircom dot net

A commentary on the power held by the PDs in Ireland

10 years ago if the public were polled and asked ''which group of extremists are unrepresentative of the will of the majority of people yet remain as a dominant force in shaping political policies'', the public at large would have probably replied, ''The provisional I.R.A?'' If the same question was asked today, a large proportion may well answer........ ''The PDs''.

One poll published last month showed that support for the Progressive Democrats was as low as 1% of the electorate. In spite of this it's elected few continue to hold some of the highest positions of government in this land. Over the last ten years that the PDs have been forcing their Right wing, Neo-liberal agenda upon an unsupportive public, I can not recall their support in the polls ever hitting 10%.
We need to take a serious look at the way power is divided in government. Surely a party that hold only 8 seats of the 166 in the Dáil should not have a dominant role in shaping policies in the most important departments of government; Justice and health.
I remember back in 2000 when the western world scoffed at the American electoral system that allowed a presidential candidate to win the election with an overall minority of the public vote. Our system of coalitions and voting pacts has surely yielded a far more dispropotionate delegation of power.
The Irish people did not vote for dissolution of our public services and the impoverishment of an ever-increasing lower class yet if people looked around them they would see these social fall-outs with the PDs stamp on them.
If it is the will of the people that Fianna Fáil be the dominant party, then the Taoiseach's Thatcherite croneys should not be invited along for the ride.
We should get the government we vote for.

Johnny Finn
Tralee
Co. Kerry

P.S
This letter of my own composition was published in the Irish examiner(edited p.18) on the 29th march 2007.

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Comments (4 of 4)

Idiotic

by righteous pragmatist

Thu Mar 29, 2007 17:12

Sinn Fein, Greens, Independents and even Joe Higgins would like to be coalition partners in a government where they would have disproportionate control too.

Meanwhile the Army Council of the Irish Republican Army according to its green book considers itself the sovereign government of the 32 county republic irrespective of Dail Eireann.
Bizarre but true.

The PD's are not terrorists.
The IRA were and are.

The PD's have 1% of the vote...................

by fiddly dee

Thu Mar 29, 2007 19:52

an inordinate dominance over the media, wherin the ordinary joe soap thinks
"that minister mc dowell is a lovely young man who gets so much done"

Yep- the country is for sale.

The prisons and hospitals are in shit, the pensioners homes and pension books are
in shit. Bertie's election posters are up all over bus-stops in dublin.

(love the deep green, he is posing with two healthy looking pensioners)

Most of the cabinet have not read the legislation and most of the motions are
passed introduced or blocked by the PD's.

What a lot of shite got from 1$% of the vote- and more to do-

The judges and barristers are up in arms and it won't be long before
we have prison riots and gangland killing will be endemic.

"Politics is Perception"

sixty to one?

by Captain Willard

Sat Mar 31, 2007 19:34

In forwarding the Criminal Justice Bill Minister McDowell invoked the image of his profound grief as he stood at the foot of a hospital bed wherein a victim of gun violence was dying. He states that he would never like to face that trauma again. But why is it necessary to pass the Bill with haste to avoid a repeat of that dilemma? Like all politicians he needs to put his trust in the voters.

To the Righteous Pragmatist PD

by Kevin T. Walsh - Social Justice and Ethics

Sun Apr 01, 2007 17:46

You self righteous PD bastard......lets get some clarification here. You would not know an IRA green book from the Beano - you also would have no idea if or what it stands for. But let me tell you what the PD's stand for:

P. for Privatisation. The gentleman you wrote back to was correct in saying that you cannot have a democracy run on a 1% mandate.

You mentioned the IRA as terrorists. How can you be a terrorist on your own land? Fighting for Equality for all people. As Martin McGuinness stated in his book - the same education for all children, both protestants and catholics.

Strange that the Mad Mullah, last year, said that Inequality is good for a thriving economy. He later, as usual, withdrew the remark.

Now Mr. Righteous idiot - lets go on McDowells CV from his days as a Junior Couynsel for Michael MacArthur and also believe it or not he was Counsel for Owen O'Callaghan who is up to his neck the Quarryvale Inquiry. As Attorney General he tried to block the Morris Tribunal and the rogue gardai (numbering now we believe over 40 in Donegal).

Frank Shortt - this week, a Gentleman, 27 weeks in prison, under this regime is still waiting for an apology from McDowell - even the President Mary McAleese phoned the family on Friday night and gave them her warmest wishes for the future.

When his spoilt brat of son was attacked near his home in Ranelagh - McDowell to me psychotically, on the Bill on information Act trying to close down the press from Freedom of Expression.

McDowell was not long pulling back from his Cafe Bar Bills when the Fianna Fail backbenchers pulled the plug.

I agree with the above letter. 2% of the mandate have destroyed this country, health and Gangland. It is only 15 monnths ago when the Mad Mullagh spoke of the last sting of the dying wasp - now there are 64 murders more.

The PD's have no ID. Dessie O'Malley who founded the PDs had the anti-Haughey view. As this has changed over the years.....the PD mindset is out-of-date. Yet with 2% they have, look at our hospitals, look at people suffer. As Michael O'Leary, Ryanair put it, when people take it off the gobshites they deserve all they get.

There will be a change in May and McDowell will go into pasture. He has caused some damage to Civil Liberties in Ireland but hopefully some courageous Minister for Justice will change that over time.

I live in D4 and rumours often pervade that maybe he needs psychiatric help - his ego is so exceptional.

I will close by saying when McDowell appointed Mr. Justice Kinlan to investigate the inhumane conditions of Irish prisons - Judge Kinlan came back with a damning and blunt report. McDowell's answer was this man is out to get me.

One more point. Bertie has a lot to worry about re. Quarryvale and the Mahon Tribunal but Tom Gilmartin said, he will get his chance to tell the truth and McDowell (former legal advisor to Owen O'Callaghan) should worry also.

You have the right, in your opinion, to call the IRA terrorists but seeing you call yourself self righteous - maybe you will give me an insigth into Opus Dei secret meetings in the Navan and Tara area.

I will close by saying - when you judge, make sure your balance is right otherise as Carl Jung said you could be wrong in your own self beliefs.

Quotation
In the seventies Maynooth was very kind to me - I jumped on the free education priesthood scheme got my BA and left to make my own hay...........

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The power of the few

Comments (4 of 4)