{"id":7197,"date":"2020-02-04T16:45:02","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T16:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cassandravoices.com\/?p=7197"},"modified":"2020-02-04T16:45:02","modified_gmt":"2020-02-04T16:45:02","slug":"the-long-view-on-the-irish-general-election-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/casswp.eutonom.eu\/index.php\/2020\/02\/04\/the-long-view-on-the-irish-general-election-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"The Long View on the Irish General Election 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

Out of Ireland have we come.
\nGreat hatred, little room,
\nMaimed us at the start.
\nI carry from my mother’s womb
\nA fanatic heart.<\/em>
\nW.B. Yeats, \u2018Remorse for Intemperate Speech\u2019<\/a><\/span> (1931)<\/p>\n

With proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies, Irish elections tend to be colourful affairs. Debate rarely rises above the clamour of claim and counter-claim as candidates seemingly festoon every available lamppost the length and breadth of the country with posters. In rural constituencies especially, local causes tend to trump national concerns, while questions of global import rarely register.<\/p>\n

But times are changing as cosmopolitan younger voters gravitate towards parties from beyond the political establishment. Until the 1990s Fianna F\u00e1il (\u2018soldiers of destiny\u2019), Fine Gael (\u2018family of the Irish\u2019), and Labour \u2013 which historically assumed the role of minor coalition partner to Fine Gael \u2013 enjoyed near total domination of D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann, the national parliament. Today no single party expects to command an overall majority, and coalitions are the norm.<\/p>\n

The ruling Fine Gael party, having spent four years in an unprecedented \u2018confidence and supply\u2019 agreement with its old foe Fianna F\u00e1il, called a snap election on January 14th<\/sup>, seemingly hoping to be rewarded for its competent handling of Brexit negotiations, and to avoid losing a no confidence motion<\/a><\/span> over the performance of the Minister for Health Simon Harris.[i]<\/a><\/p>\n

Unexpectedly, however, a political earthquake is on the cards as an array of left-leaning parties, especially the increasingly popular Sinn F\u00e9in (\u2018ourselves\u2019), the Green Party, Labour, People Before Profit, the Social Democrats, and even an unheralded socially conservative newcomer Aont\u00fa (\u2018consent\u2019), have made social justice the central issue of the campaign.<\/p>\n

For the moment opposition to the centre-right mainstream of Fine Gael and Fianna F\u00e1il is coming from the left, responding in particular to an ongoing Housing Crisis. But Ireland is not immune from the wave of identity politics sweeping far-right Populists into power elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Another recession might easily trigger far-right Populism within the existing framework, bringing together an unholy trinity, seen elsewhere, of xenophobia \u2013 including opposition to E.U. membership \u2013 climate change denial and opposition to abortion services.<\/p>\n

Who me?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Identities are hotly contested on the island of Ireland. Thus the Fine Gael-led government\u2019s recent proposal to rehabilitate the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) \u2013 the British Crown\u2019s police force prior to independence in 1921 \u2013 brought a veritable Twitter storm of anger and bewilderment.<\/p>\n

In its wake, the rousing Wolf Tone 1972 rebel song \u2018Come out ye Black and Tans\u2019 topped the iTunes charts in Ireland, and the U.K.<\/span><\/a>,[ii]<\/a> before being ripped off by Kerry independent candidate Michael Healy-Rae for his election campaign song.<\/p>\n