The Irish government folds
David Blackburn 5:17pmYesterday, Brian Cowen resigned; today his government has imploded. The Green Party, which was bolstering Cowen’s ruling coalition (if such a phrase is applicable in this instance), have left the government. The Fianna Fail-led coalition is now two votes short of a majority, and therefore the finance bill may not pass in its current form. If that is so, Ireland may return to the precipice on which it found itself a couple of months ago, and its principal creditors and trading partners with it.
But there is more to this than balance sheets. In his statement, the leader of the Greens said that the people had lost confidence in the political process. It’s hard to demur. Politicians have been at their most desperate and devious in recent weeks, trying to cleanse themselves of Cowen’s tarnish ahead of March’s elections. Cowen’s opportunistic resignation as the leader of Fianna Fail has been eviscerated and I imagine the Greens will receive similar opprobrium in the coming weeks, for it is easy to perceive cynicism in their withdrawal.
Ireland froze before Christmas and it has been benighted by floods thereafter. In the past, the awful weather would have been declared a divine judgement on the government's manifold sins. Figuratively, Ireland's voters may arrive at a similar conclusion.
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yank
January 23rd, 2011 5:55pm Report this commentYou know, the only real problem I have with the Irish is that they're not Scots. ;-)
Now, if this were the Scots, we'da stolen and borrowed our way through this and loaded into the bar long ago.
Austin Barry
January 23rd, 2011 6:01pm Report this commentWe in Ireland are completely banjaxed.
We've been literally buggered by our Church, monumentally fecked by our politicians and hog-tied, whipped and plundered by our EU slave masters.
James Joyce observed that an Irishman's home is his coffin and, certainly, after all this turmoil it does represent, as one your poets noted, a fine and private place - so there will be personal respite sooner or later.
Still, while we have Guinness and the opportunity for oblivion drinking we will cling to the wreckage....
2trueblue
January 23rd, 2011 6:34pm Report this commentWatch the markets tomorrow. What an irresponsible lot the Greens are, when the going gets tough they wilt. Lets hope that our lot can hold it together.
Adrian J. Hardiman
January 23rd, 2011 6:47pm Report this commentWhatever about the news from Ireland, why does the previous poster insist on reproducing the stage Irish cliches of yesteryear to embellish his rather obvious point.
wrinkled weasel
January 23rd, 2011 6:54pm Report this commentFecked. Serves the government right for fecking the Irish over the EU.
Fianna FAIL
David Lindsay
January 23rd, 2011 7:17pm Report this commentÉamon de Valera, Seán Lemass, Jack Lynch, Charles Haughey, Albert Reynolds, Bertie Ahern, Brian Cowen, and now whoever comes next: whatever else Leaders of Fianna Fáil might have been, they have certainly never been dull.
Serious talk that collapsing Fianna Fáil, the British-sponsored secession from Sinn Féin (as Sinn Féin have always been the first to point out) in order to hang the IRA, might merge with Fine Gael, the British-sponsored merger of anti-Republican forces. More than a third of people in the Irish Republic want to revert to sterling, with support highest among the young and rising to 43 per cent among Sinn Féin supporters.
Seize the opportunity. Make the 26 Counties what they always should have been: the powerful witness to Catholic morality and to Catholic Social Teaching (itself expressed as the British social democracy from which they have hitherto been unable to benefit) within the single economic, strategic and cultural entity that this archipelago has never ceased to be, nor can it ever cease to be.
POSullivan
January 23rd, 2011 8:27pm Report this commentHow can Ireland have a general election? each of the political parties there are GUILTY of offences agaisnt the state by action and by inaction which allowed the IMF in. Would you be hapy to elect/re-elect any of those involved? Yes? Fine - Be guilty also!
Dennis Churchill
January 23rd, 2011 8:36pm Report this commentYank
“You know, the only real problem I have with the Irish is that they're not Scots. ;-)”
But the Scots were Irish—as in Scotti: the Dal Riata of county Antrim. At least some of them. The others, the Picts ,were North Britons.
Noa.
January 23rd, 2011 8:48pm Report this commentDavid Lindsay
Are you seriously arguing that Eire should re-unite with the UK?
Are you proposing to consult with the English about whether they wish to assume full responsibility for this Celtic basket case?
tim foley
January 23rd, 2011 9:04pm Report this commentwhat a shower of gobshites
Dennis Churchill
January 23rd, 2011 10:00pm Report this commentNoa.
January 23rd, 2011 8:48pm
When are the English ever consulted about anything? Do we want our parliament? Do we want Independance? Do we want to leave the EU?
Boudicca
January 23rd, 2011 11:00pm Report this commentWell I for one would welcome the Irish back into the Union. It might be the catalyst we need to turn the current UK and Ireland into a properly federal United British Isles; with devolved Parliaments in each country (even England!) and a Federal Government to deal with matters common to us all ie defence; foreign relations etc.
We would be stronger together; especially if we withdraw from the EU and turned our face towards the open seas, the Commonwealth and the rest of the world as we have in the past.
Cameron was right when he said the Irish are our friends. Well friends stick together. If the Irish want to revert to Sterling to avoid debt servitude to the EU, they should and we should welcome them.
Vulture
January 24th, 2011 9:04am Report this commentIt is the supreme irony of Irish history that after spending 600 odd years fighting, being hanged, shot, and bitching against British rule - the Irish handed over their preciously won independence to the unelected EU Behemoth in a couple of years.
And the EU have comprehensively fecked them over in a way that no British oppressor ever dreamed of doing.
It is quite laughable if it wasn't so sad.
FF aka the 'Soldiers of Destiny' (ha! ha!) will suffer a Canadian-style wipeout at the election, and Sinn Fein, if they are smart enough to run on a 'Let's leave the EU' ticket against the other EU-loving parties will clean up.
davidk
January 24th, 2011 9:48am Report this comment@ Adrian J. Hardiman 6.47pm:
I completely agree with you. Austin sounds like a self-hating Irishman.
Nick
January 24th, 2011 10:45am Report this commentThe problem is that the electorate will never be asked directly, are you willing to put for the bail out?
Time to give the electorate control, after all, that is democracy.
yank
January 24th, 2011 2:25pm Report this comment"...Sinn Fein, if they are smart enough to run on a 'Let's leave the EU' ticket against the other EU-loving parties will clean up."
.
Never thought I'd be rooting for Sinn Fein, but give it to 'er, biys!
And watch close, because Dave and Osborne were backing this current Irish bailout. If it goes down, the rest of their EU plots may go down with it.
Austin Barry
January 24th, 2011 3:27pm Report this commentVulture:
"Sinn Fein, if they are smart enough to run on a 'Let's leave the EU' ticket against the other EU-loving parties will clean up."
It would make a change. Usually the rest of us are cleaning-up after Sinn Fein. You know, the blood, the shredded flesh, the dismembered arms and legs, the shattered glass and lives.
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