A very interesting report. The echo chamber problem is becoming universal to all western countries. A very depressing future in which debate cannot be civil, taunting, humorous, or provocative. We cling to an ever shifting conformity which has dumbed down all of society.
The way this probably goes is not that it attracts an electoral outlet to develop but rather the sentiment will not be responded to in any way that gets at the root of the problem. The FG reaction is entirely one so far of a party of governance trying to remove the visual contradictions that enflame public sentiment, not of meaningful policy reversal. It would be somewhat akin to the CDU in Germany's activities in 2017 - making the migration problem go away in terms of public disorder but not addressing the asylum issue.
Blaming the "far right" is as you said a time worn IT/RTE classic, but I would suggest, speaking even as someone whose politics are quite a bit right of centre, that the lack of electoral outlet will cause some of the sentiment on display to get, if not hijacked, than at least combined in some cases, into the sub political "far right" stew of issues which more often than not just devolves into conspiracism. It will then become low status, even moreso than now, to publicly oppose existing policy, but the political market will not have been met, and it will turn into cynicism over time. The same thing happened in France, for example.
As you note, there's no one to vote FOR. So there's no incentive really to change tack, as long as no one breaks ranks. Bit of rhetoric at local level should do the trick.
Weren’t the Shinners always a bunch of Marxists? At least from the ’70s. I don’t follow politics from the auld sod but I never would have expected anything from them. And almost all of my neighbors and friends are SF voters. They even brow beat me into voting for them once - told me they’d vote for me if I didn’t. Lol.
It’s terrible that I grew learning about an Ireland that couldn’t support it’s own people yet here we are still.
Cormac Lucey was on Brendan O'Connor's radio show last weekend. He's the only media personality I've heard to question this constant "invocation of the far right". I wonder will he be invited back.
A very interesting report. The echo chamber problem is becoming universal to all western countries. A very depressing future in which debate cannot be civil, taunting, humorous, or provocative. We cling to an ever shifting conformity which has dumbed down all of society.
The way this probably goes is not that it attracts an electoral outlet to develop but rather the sentiment will not be responded to in any way that gets at the root of the problem. The FG reaction is entirely one so far of a party of governance trying to remove the visual contradictions that enflame public sentiment, not of meaningful policy reversal. It would be somewhat akin to the CDU in Germany's activities in 2017 - making the migration problem go away in terms of public disorder but not addressing the asylum issue.
Blaming the "far right" is as you said a time worn IT/RTE classic, but I would suggest, speaking even as someone whose politics are quite a bit right of centre, that the lack of electoral outlet will cause some of the sentiment on display to get, if not hijacked, than at least combined in some cases, into the sub political "far right" stew of issues which more often than not just devolves into conspiracism. It will then become low status, even moreso than now, to publicly oppose existing policy, but the political market will not have been met, and it will turn into cynicism over time. The same thing happened in France, for example.
As you note, there's no one to vote FOR. So there's no incentive really to change tack, as long as no one breaks ranks. Bit of rhetoric at local level should do the trick.
Weren’t the Shinners always a bunch of Marxists? At least from the ’70s. I don’t follow politics from the auld sod but I never would have expected anything from them. And almost all of my neighbors and friends are SF voters. They even brow beat me into voting for them once - told me they’d vote for me if I didn’t. Lol.
It’s terrible that I grew learning about an Ireland that couldn’t support it’s own people yet here we are still.
Cormac Lucey was on Brendan O'Connor's radio show last weekend. He's the only media personality I've heard to question this constant "invocation of the far right". I wonder will he be invited back.