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AN ENGINEER FROM Australia living in Co Clare says he wants to create Ireland’s newest political party because the “extremes” are influencing Irish politics.
David Barrett sent out a notice to Irish newsrooms this week to say that he would launch The Moderate Party next week, with a view to contesting elections at all levels.
The missive said the party’s policies “could be best described as socially responsible capitalism” and set out a list of what Barrett said were the party’s aims.
Among the aims were to “promote moderate capitalism while being socially responsible” and to “provide social protections for those in need, through limited welfare”.
Another aim was to:
Provide a secular government that serves for the betterment of its citizens and the planet, and that promotes world peace.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Barrett said he has been in Ireland for five years and “never thought” he would get involved in politics but that “the extremes of capitalism and socialism on the other side are causing a lot of problems and friction worldwide”, leading to problems here in Ireland.
Asked what these problems were, Barrett pointed to the current medical card system as an example. He said that the system is causing Ireland to lose GPs and that it needs to be reformed to give holders discounts rather than free medicines or hospital care.
“They’re trying to become socialist in giving everyone, everything for free but it’s causing social harm at the same time because we’re actually destroying the health service by trying to cater for everyone,” he said.
Asked about the The Moderate Party’s name, Barrett said he feels Ireland’s parties are getting too extreme “in certain ways” and that “the socialist voice is getting too loud”.
He also said he doesn’t feel enough contribution is coming from “the top end of town”.
Asked whether his party’s pitch for fiscal conservatism is similar to that made by Renua, Barrett said that his party is secular and not connected to any religious ethos.
He added that his party would be “neutral” on the issue of abortion and that, had it been around during last year’s referendum, it would have allowed members vote as per their conscience.
He adds that he personally supported the repeal of the Eighth Amendment.
Barrett says he has not yet applied to Sipo to register his political party but says that he “has the paperwork” ready. He also says that he “is not a rich person” and the party will be reliant on membership funding.
He says he has contacted a number of politicians to sound out their interest but that he also wants “moderate people” to express an interest in running for the party.
Asked about other nascent Irish political movements, and in particular Peter Casey’s claim that he wants to enter politics, Barrett says he thinks Casey was “given a rough ride by the media”.
“I think that he was sort of vilified as being a racist where I don’t think he was,” he adds.
Asked whether he would consider working with Casey, Barrett said he would be interested in hearing what he says but that he would first like to learn more about him.
“I would be interested to see if he had moderate views. I think his views, from what I could see, were more moderate than radical, because I do believe we do need to firm up on law and order.”
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Anything to unbalance the power of FFFG is welcomed.
@Bill Clay: If he gets peter casey on board he will have to do little advertising as the media will hang off every word casey says and give his party endless coverage.
@George Weener: you’re right. It’s rather amazing to hear anyone here in the public eye speak the truth ! Maybe that’s why !
@Shane Murphy: Peter Casey is popular because he is the first person to challenge the left wing, PC, free everything for everyone and if you disagree with us your a racist or bigot people
@Shane Murphy: Yes so bold of him to just parrot the same garbage people liken you have been saying since forever. You like him because he gives you an excuse to be a steaming pile of trash. Stop pretending like it’s more complex than that.
@Bryan Kelly: so is everyone that has a different view to yours a steaming pile of thrash Bryan?? Just curious about how big an a$$h0l€ your moral superiority makes you….
@George Weener except that Casey is as toxic as radioactive waste, other than to the usual shower of little irelanders and wannabe fascists.
Best of luck to him. We desperately need new politics in this country. FF and FG are a disaster.
@Adrian: be interesting to see if his policies actually differ
@Mushy Peas: More of the same in a slightly different package as far as I can see
Reasonable, sensible thought out policies…no place for that these days
@Kian: Its about taking responsibility not giving a blank 4 year check to every lying political party that cares to run stop voting left or right both are the same! start by looking at the the best alternative IMO its some form of direct democracy where we take collective responsibility in how we run our society/country, change the people you vote for, vote for the Irish Democratic Party at least if we make mistakes we as a people can change them
@George O Neill: yeah great group decisions don’t work .. eventually you will need an elected committee and a chair .. eg dail and taoiseach.. you’re talking a lot of unicorns there. Groups always need a leader…
Without getting into a debate about the rights and wrongs of the medical card system, isn’t a health service specifically supposes to cater for the needs of everyone ?
What is he advocating here, an American style system where the more money you have the better the care you get, a Nordic model, pay as you go, I’d like to know what exactly he would like to see happen, medical cards are given to OAP’s without means testing, people with lifelong illnesses or people disabilities. For everyone else it’s means tested there is a system in place so what does he propose to change?
@Simon Carroll: hmm yea agree & abit ironic of him as everybody living in Australia has virtually free medicare
@Simon Carroll: Everyone should pay something for medications/GP visits/hospital care. At present, half pay nothing and the other half pay extortionate prices. You mention the Nordic model, if you attend a GP in Sweden you pay a subsidized fee per visit, same for medications, same for a hospital stay. In Sweden everyone is expected to contribute and everyone benefits equally. In Ireland, some people pay very high taxes and then have to pay out of pocket for things like health, education etc while other people contribute nothing but get everything free.
@Damon16: agreed. There is a clogging of the system in health. My paramedic friend said he usually gets 6-8 calls on a shift. With the strike-none. My aul lad does an out of gp hours ambulance service. Medical card holders worried about little Timmy’s baby toenail. Bring in supplemental paying visits and our budget goes way down and is more efficient. There’s be war trying to bring that in now though. The bed is made.
@Bruce van der Gutschmitzer: You point out medical card holders, Yet you fail to mention the billions of taxpayers money that was used to bail out the banks and repay for their gangsterism. That’s billions taken from services for Irish citizens. You attack the vulnerable, not attack on the banks or the politicians who facilitated in their gangsterism.
@Damon16: people with medical cards DO pay towards the cost of their medication — e2.00 per item since the last budget .. most people on a medical need multiple medications – medical cards are not just handed out anymore -havn’t been for a long time – they are means tested except for pensioners , people with recognised disabilities and long term sick .
If Peter Casey gets involved, then they should change the name to the PPP,
The
Pavee
Pointless
Party.
He had me at socially responsible capitalism
@Bruce van der Gutschmitzer: had me with his haircut! Maybe spend a few more quid next time sport.
@silentbob2012: reminds of that 80s/90s show. That alien character with the weird tuft of hair on the top of his head. A beady eyed weird lookin teddy alien….yoke.
@Bruce van der Gutschmitzer: you mean ALF.
Omg not more capitalism get a grip we have far to much already
Shocking stuff
Is this real?? The Moderate Party, “In All Fairness” This surely cant be real. And “the socialist voice is getting too loud” not loud enough if you ask me. Look up Richard Wolff on youtube, an economist from the Marxist camp, he talks a lot of truths. “Destroying the health service by trying to cater for everyone,” that doesn’t sound very moderate to me, surely a health care system should cater for everyone no matter ability to pay, I honestly believe the genuine cases far out way the “chanchers” and health care is a basic human right. I presume during the appeal referendum his poster would of read “vote any way you want”, surely the fence is gonna break if any other people decide to sit on it. Politics is about giving your own opinion and if people agree they vote for you, no place for any more fence sitters.
I thought it was Stephen Donnelly in a wig for a minute.
Who’s Justin Barrett then?
@Neil Murray: Does it matter? His policies sound reasonable.
@Neil Murray: I’d really like to understand his opinion towards dishwasher tablets and making them more affordable.
@Neil Murray: its a mix up Justin Barret is leader of the fringe far right National Party former campaigner with youth defence
A libertarian in hiding I think. Give him time and taxes will be a bad thing.
@Carlin Ite: Taxation means the state taking, by force, a portion of the products of your own labour (i.e income, savings, earnings etc.). Taxes are absolutely necessary, however there is a very definite balance to be struck between the right to the products of your own labour and the right of the state to appropriate it. The balance must be struck in favour of people keeping keeping their own money. That’s not the case in Ireland in 2019, tot up all the money the average middle income earner hands over in income taxes, VAT, fuel taxes, sin taxes, motor tax, capital gains tax, property tax etc. It comes out at more than 50% of peoples income. Taxes are certainly not a good thing, the only people who think so, at least in Ireland, are those who don’t pay any.
@Damon16: I pay a lot of tax and have no problem doing so.
It makes sense that as a society we pool our resources to provide the type of services required for the country to run.
Pooling of resources is a far fairer way of funding services than profiting from them.
@john doe: I have no problem paying tax either but our taxes bail out the banks and pay useless politicians huge salaries instead of being invested in healthcare, education and housing
Would it not be taking a bit more serious if he got elected first. Our politicians are centrist .a bit of extremism you may find in the healy-rea’s .but the rest are like sheep . No danger of a revolution as long as you hang a brown envelope in front of them. April 1st is not too far away.
@DavidOReilly: I disagree. They are centre left in my opinion. Including fg and fg. They stand over an insane welfare state. Fifty percent marginal tax rate on low income workers! A new party needs to emerge that drags this country to the right in a sense and put things in the centre or thereabouts…
@Shane Murphy: Ireland is one of the few countries in the world without a single right wing political party. A centre right party would be very welcome.
@Shane Murphy: was getting diesel in my local station today and I asked the owner how much tax is on diesel he said out of every €100 of diesel he sells revenue get €69, I nearly passed out.
I live in Clare and I’d definitely vote no. 1 for this lad.
“Barrett says he has not yet applied to Sipo to register his political party but says that he “has the paperwork” ready“
Come on then – get the finger out- we need more options than left, left or left. Its getting boring.
@Anthony Clark: FFG are far from left
@Anthony Clark: ‘paperwork ready’ – that’s the problem, man. Danny Healy-Ray will tell you that the only real work nowadays is digging with a shovel.
Do these people wake up one morning and say right I am going to set up my own party lols
Seeking to be a “moderator” and to be the decider of what’s “moderate” and what isn’t, is seeking to be a controller.
Should go down well with those who want to control what we farm, what we eat, what we drive, where we live and how many children we can have.
The “Ho Hum” Party…
The mods, huh, does that mean parka jackets, lambrettas and all that mod music is making a comeback. Can’t wait to see their Ard Feis on Tramore , getting it on with the FF rockers.
Have a go at Travellers and he’s all set
Keep voting for the same morons we always have and you know what we are getting. They’ve had years to get issues resolved , the economy is booming and still things are getting worse. Clowns !
Sounds interesting.
The “moderate” party? With Peter Casey on the wish list? Is this Waterford Whispers?
Another RENUA light!!
Democracy and Capitalism are incompatible so just stop with the bull…t
@Chris OB: I don’t see many people from capitalist countries fleeing to socialist ones – in fact its the opposite.
Other bylines for the party will be:
“Sure ‘twill be grand”
“Ah! G’wan so”
“I’d say that’s about the size of it…”
@Frank McGrath #SocDems: more like “No worries, mate”
In this first article about him he says he wants to do away with medical cards and punish travellers. That doesn’t sound very moderate to me. It sounds like more of the FFG policies which they are actively pursing already.
Justin can’t become politician cos he born in Australia
@Brian Flavin: He’s a Irish citizen though, probably through parents
@Brian Flavin: Sorry? What’s him being Australian got to do with anything?
@Simon Carroll: nah he got Irish citizen but he Australia-born can’t become politician. He won’t able
Tá failte romhat a chara, now thís is good news, where stands you on the Asian Wasp, where indeed, and what about unconfirmed sightings of a spaceman near Boora Bog? What is your policy on the survival of piebald ponies!! Many things to ponder,, yup,, many pressing issues
Another RENUA light!!
Christ above
So, an Irish version of the libertarian party? No thank you.
Five years in the country and he’s already trying to run the place. He talks about sounding out Irish politicians to find out their views, but who the hell is HE??? It’s a no from me.
Hee, hee, West Cork rises up to tackle global capitalism!
The unspoken driving motive for Brexit, which no one has either admitted, nor challenged, is that the EU is moving steadily to tax the global monsters, & secure a degree of social justice as between international finance ,multinational trade vis a vis the democratic states. Witness the Apple decision.
What we need to do in Ireland is to get fully on board with this EU policy, drop our rear guard foot dragging, & see Brexit as a disruptive process to break up European solidarity..
The Conservative ERG cabal are lobbyists for big money with just one objective, that is to escape from EU taxation in the interest of their paymasters.
The policies highlighted would make it the most Conservative party in Ireland by some margin. Best of luck with that platform.
The Moderate Party may win only moderate support from voters. How about forming a new party called The Center Cannot Hold?
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