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LAST UPDATE | 10 Jun 2024
THIS WEEKEND I was taken back to sitting in Fr. Murray’s history class at St. Mel’s College in Longford.
I always recalled him suggesting that while Irish political parties certainly flirted with some dubious ideas and people and had periods of silliness, they had one advantage from the civil war. They tended to avoid huge extremism. While Europe ripped itself apart with extreme left and right, Ireland just plodded along, slowly charting a course toward progress.
This weekend, Europe seemed again in the clutches of lurching to the extremes. It has been that way since the financial crisis. But in Ireland, the electorate decided yet again that extremism was not for it. Irish voters have a simple view, hard left or hard right equates to hard times. A lot of the stories people want us to believe are major issues are not that big at all on the ground. We should be thankful for that.
That said, the election is giving everybody food for thought. Independents seemed to be winners here. But the Irish electorate turns to independents, not for what they believe they will do, but because the electorate feels indecisive.
When you don’t know what party to trust it’s much easier to believe in one person.
However, the new hybrid Independent Ireland party is sure to cause raised eyebrows when it starts to tackle issues. An independent of vast experience, Luke Ming Flanagan pointed out that there will be a lot of inexperienced voices heading to Europe and he is not wrong.
Many don’t even know what group they will sit in. Flanagan also pointed out his own evolution and how it became more than posting a video and making a loud speech — instead, it’s about negotiating deals and working with people to advance the cause.
Some of the independent councillors and MEPs will no doubt learn quickly and do well. Some others will find that there is a lot more to politics than shouting off the back of a trailer.
What the election does tell us is that a large proportion of the electorate is still looking for a home. That means all parties can plan for a general election with this in mind. For Sinn Féin, this was a sobering election.
This was their first poll setback and during the campaign, they failed to arrest it. They looked a little like Fianna Fáil in the 2020 campaign. No new ideas, no real energy, no vigour… instead just waiting for votes to land with them. They got the same response as Fianna Fáil in 2020. If you are uninspiring, then we easily move on. Sinn Féin must now adapt.
Fine Gael will be very happy even though their vote is not massively improving. It’s all about the energy, though. Since Simon Harris arrived in the leader’s chair, he has been pushing the tempo button like a kid on a video game, trying to make the characters run faster and faster.
But Harris knows well this mood can be fleeting. He cannot afford to get bogged down. If he waits until next year for an election, then that may very well happen. If on the other hand, Sinn Féin does not recover in the polls, he can again show urgency by calling an election after the budget and seeking to burn off tired other parties.
Fianna Fáil holds its own but will be in danger of getting squeezed in a general election if they don’t find their mojo. The campaign on the ground shows they still have a base, but it is personality-driven. The locals in Dublin were a struggle, but Europe was better. They need and have always thrived on personalities and must figure out how to get that back.
The Greens were not wiped out and they are proving that there is a base of people in Ireland sufficiently concerned about the climate crisis to stand by difficult policy decisions. The Labour Party will feel energised too. They bounced back and got their council seats well ahead of the Social Democrats, who ran a smooth campaign and almost doubled their seats, but lacked grit in the fight.
Labour’s Aodhán O’Ríordáin carries the fight now for a seat in Dublin for Europe but whatever happens has established Labour as a bulwark and leading voice against sensationalism, and an anti-liberal agenda that was all more narrative than substance.
So where do we stand? ‘Don’t get carried away’ is the message. The electorate is poised to give a fair hearing and judgment on all sides. They want and need a bit of passion and care from their politicians, and most of all some creative policies and daring.
It really is all to play for now and any party can still win big. That in turn reminded me of my youth again, too. When you get rejected at the first slow set, it’s fine, you can dust yourself off and have another chance to woo at the next one. The panic only sets in on the last dance.
Johnny Fallon is a political commentator, author and voice of ‘The Johnny Fallon Podcast’. He is a former member of the Fianna Fáil National Executive.
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It’s a disgrace.
@Seamus Gallen: Norway and Iceland are also not in IWC.
@Seamus Gallen: we should start Harpooin the People involved in the murder of these great Wales.
If Japan does this, the rest of the World should boycott every Japanese product.
@Brendan: Norway and Iceland do not abide (opting out) by the IWC rules around commercial whaling, so are we boycotting them too?
It makes no sense. Japan has been propping up the whale industry by $400m a year in subsidies in recent years. Nobody eats whale meat. They would be better off turning to whale tourism.
@Sean: Thanks for the very interesting article.
@Sean: was the industry hurt by the IWC rules though?
I’m just speculating, but if the caps are removed would it increase supply, meaning prices of whale meat goes down and thus more people can afford it leading to greater consumption and no need for Government subsidies.
@Hellenize Dublin: I really hope they don’t end up fishing for €400m worth of Whale meat. There aren’t that many of them left.
Sounds like one of those areas that has a strong lobby group that puts pressure on the government but doesn’t have a whole lot of actual support across a society – that’s my guess why they are restricting the hunting to their territorial zone. Widespread mass whale hunting would probably be unjustifiable for the population in general. Still rubbish though – some traditions should be let die.
@John McSweeney: it’s a criminal organisation that supports the trade. The meat is useless as its toxic. Whales are an essential species in all our oceans. For the Japanese to unilaterally take s decision like this is a flagrant disregard of international law and there should be consequences. #boycottjapan.
@Pat O’Brien: Norway and Iceland are not abiding members of the IWC either, are we boycotting them too?
I do believe in Whale conservation, so to address the original commentators point – the action of restricting lobbying groups should be the goal of most democracies. I’d like to see an outright ban on lobbying in Ireland or for it to be done in a public setting (town hall meeting format for instance).
@Hellenize Dublin: the town hall idea is a very good one.
It’s our culture boss!!!
@Doz: Just because something was ok years ago doest not mean its ok now the ocean have enough problem as it is without this too
@ross guilfoyle: faux outrage
@Doz: Brilliant lol!
600 under the guise of scientific research. How many from open hunting? Dreadful practice.
Think twice about buying another Toyota
If anyone thinks that the Japanese will limit Whale hunting to Japanese territorial waters then they believe in the fairies too!
The Japanese will hunt whales across any open seas over 1000’s of KM. They will not restrict themselves during a hunt at all!
They won’t be happy until Whales are extinct!
Anyone who gets in there way will bfind there boats rammed by the Japanese whaling fleet who are almost military in there organization.
Needs to be nipped in the bud
Why not start with the Rugby World Cup and the Olympics (and I’m a rugby fan).
Sounds like the whaling industry has a strong lobby group that puts pressure on the government but doesn’t actually have much support across the general Japanese society (perhaps most people are opposed or indifferent to it) – hence why they are self- restricting their hunting zones. Hopefully it’s one of those things where the market will eventually kill it as people decide not to eat it. A lot of whales will be hunted in the interim though which is BS – some traditions should be forced to die out.
Toyota, Nissan , Sony three brands to boycott. If you can think of anymore please add them. This is a despicable.
D!ckhe@ds
If only Whales had nuclear weapons!
The whalewars lads will be busy again.
@All A Big JOKE: They won’t be chasing them around Japanese waters
Often it feels like our government sells conservation and saving the planet as an Irish responsibility. Meanwhile the rest of the planet doesn’t give a hoot. Anything Ireland does isn’t going to make a difference other than restricting and taxing us into oblivion while other countries carry on regardless.
And when there’s nothing to kill,will we again turn on ourselves…
Some Japanese see it as part of their culture, and place great emphasis on this pathetic excuse when challenged about the ethics of the practice.
So these magnificent creatures will continue to be hunted down by human predators even as their numbers dwindle in the oceans of the world.
It’s about time culture was rejected internationally as an excuse to engage in the tormenting or senseless killing of animals.
Bull fighting continues in Spain and a few other countries under the same pretext.
The deliberate torturing to death of an animal is deemed a “heritage gem” and endorsed by successive Spanish governments despite all the evidence of extreme cruelty and suffering.
Hare coursing clubs in Ireland also claim their fun and games at the expense of an endangered mammal must be allowed because it’s part of a cultural asset without which Ireland would a mere shadow of itself.
Burning people alive as sacrifices and throwing virgins into volcanoes in homage to assorted gods and goddesses were once deemed cultural activities too. We have dispensed with these traditions. We should also consign attacks on endangered species and deliberate cruelty to animals masquerading as “culture” to the dustbin of history.
Trump hates sharks and is about to introduce seismic blasting in the ocean, producing noise the sound of a rocket launcher that will torture and kill many marine species, Humans kill over 100 million sharks a year – at that rate they will disappear and become extinct in the very near future. Boycott Japan for what they are going to do.
@GO GREEN: Seismic blasting in Arctic already happening – every 10 seconds, every hour every day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK4O8FLv8dY&feature=youtu.be
They should grow whale meat at this stage… I’m joining Sea Shepherd :P
Not all cultural persuits are worth keeping, head-hunting and female genital mutilation spring to mind as well as whale-hunting.
No! No! No! It’s has got to be stopped!!!!!
Absolutely disgusting!! Killing these majestic animals for human commercial use is totally wrong and unethical!! The Japanese in general should feel so ashamed by this activity.
Whale meat is so laced with heavy metals that it’s virtually toxic. This is purely being forced by elitists whitin Japan as the average Joe has never even tasted it. At least there’s a likelyhood that the big knobs pushing for this poison themselves through consumption.
Boycott Japanese goods like their cars for starters? But aren’t the whales full of Fukushima cancer causing radiation as is much of the Pacific ocean. So the Japanese wants to get radioactive plutonium into their diet now? Sounds like those in the government there are doing a sideline in that toxic mammal meat now?
Any thing they produce and sell should shunned by the world
Their tourism sector should be boycotted
Money’s talks, wake up call needed, time to stop districting every thing around us
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