From: RBYAML@rohvm1.rohmhaas.com (Aengus Lawlor)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.celtic
Subject: Re: ANOTHER ELECTION (Rec.humor.Irish-politicians)
Date: 10 Nov 92 13:42:35 GMT
Organization: Rohm and Haas Company

In article <1992Nov10.112443.4106@rdg.dec.com>, spain@galvia.enet.dec.com ()
says:
>
>Albert has got rid of his temporary little arrangement.  I can't see the
>electorate giving Fianna Fail an overall majority.  The prospects are
>unthinkable.  The strokes and underhand deeds would increase tenfold without
>somebody to keep an eye on them.
Unfortunately, a significant proportion of the electorate don't consider
that prospect unthinkable. (That statement contains a huge amount of bias,
but it is also a recognition that, in the present times, FF is the only
party that can realistically expect to get a "mandate" from the people, but
the whole ethos of the FF leadership is venial in the extreme, parish-pump
politics taken to an extreme. FF are much more prone to play to sectional
interests, and so reinforce divisions in society, than the other parties in
the Da/il have shown thhemselves to be. To be fair to FF, it has been an
extremely favourable tactic, electorally speaking). Maybe if people realize
that the "Haughey" factor wasn't actually about the man, it was about the
ethos of the party, they will realize that FF needs reform, (and Ireland
probably needs a reformed FF).

>
>Fine Gael have nothing to offer except more credible people implementing
>the same policies.  The only way they can get into government is by a
>FG, Labour and PD coalition.
>
>I can see Fianna Fail staying much the same.  Fine Gael will be lucky to
>hold 55 seats and will probably end up closer to 50.  Labour should benefit
>and increase seats and votes.  The Workers Party are showing up 3% above the
>Democratic Left but I presume most people don't realise that most of the
>TDs are in DL.  There should be an increase there despite the Moscow letter.
>
>There should also be a few independents elected. Surely Cavan-Monaghan will
>elect a roads candidate.  Their roads are the worst in Ireland and have
>been allowed to get worse.  Traditionally they vote along Civil War lines
>amd elect 3 FF and 2 FG but it should be different this time.  Having seen
>what Tony Gregory and Tom Foxe have got as indepents more are likely
>to follow.  This does make a mockery out of government.
Here I disagree with Gary. The current practice of 95% of legislation coming
from the government side of the house, because the government defeats
opposition legislation solely because it impinges on "the governments right
to govern", and not because the legislation is flawed, is what makes a
mockery out of government. With the marginalisation of the PDs in the
government, this became even more marked, as 60% of the legislators in the
house were not in a position to influence government legislation.

The real waste in this system, is that some of the most able minds in the
legislature are locked out of the system, and are forced to resort to
the day to day minutiae of pot-holes and street-lights to maintain a profile,
so that they might be in the running the next time round.

(This thread started with praise of Mary Robinson. Anyone remember why she
left the political process?)

(For all the flaws of the American political system, bipartisan legislation
is a regular, and healthy feature of the system).
>
>       Gary Spain, DEC, Galway, Ireland   - spain@galvia.enet.dec.com
>
Aengus
--
RBYAML@ROHMHAAS.COM                    Aengus Lawlor
RBYAML@ROHVM1.BITNET                   (who used to be ALAWLOR@DIT.IE)
"How about some of that famous Dublin wit, Barman?"
"Certainly, sir. Would that be Dry or Sparkling?"
Newsgroups: soc.culture.celtic