Fianna Fail have been very vociferous in recent times about things North of the border. Most of it revolves around criticism of Sinn Fein and the governance of the Stormont regime in general. They have been organising Cumman, notably in QUB and Derry. Micheál Martin, the Party Leader, seems to be rediscovering the party’s Republican roots and testing the water for a move into party politics up North.
Or is he?
So I decided to delve a little deeper into the recent Fianna Fail commitment to the North, actual commitment that is, not rhetoric. I had a good read of their current Policy Document here. Fascinating document to be honest. There’s 30 pages of policies ! Great stuff. Except the first 8 are all about telling us how wonderful they were until they lost power in the last election. On the North? Well we have ONE paragraph in those eight pages.
” Achieved Peace in Northern Ireland
“Overseen”. Quite. “Achieved Peace”. Right so.
On I read, twice, in case I missed something. Guess what?
Precisely nothing. Zilch. Nada. Zero.
So we have a “Republican” party organising on an All Ireland basis with absolutely no policies for six of the counties it aspires to govern.
Two words Micheál Martin: “Wise up”.
"We in coming days may be" 
Fianna Fail’s “patriotism” is always the keenest felt and expressed when in opposition.
Wrap the Green Flag around me, boys! (But not TOO tightly!)
It’s become such a cliché of Irish politics one would imagine that even they would be embarrassed by it. But then if they feel no embarrassment for a decade of venality and corruption, not to mention reducing our nation-state to the status of an EU protectorate…
Back in power FF will make sure that Éamon Ó Cúiv scurries back across the border.
Unless, of course, they become convinced that elected councillors and MLAs in the north will help in the process of restoring their credibility and electoral prospects down south. Unlikely, though.
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Séamus,
I agree. I think there is something on their agenda but no mention of North-South co-operation or economic convergence or resource sharing which are all common sense and vote winning strategies both sides of the border. My point is that rhetoric is meaningless unless backed up by practical proposals. The nonsense in the document regarding the Irish language is also notable. It is exclusively ring fenced around Gaeltacht areas but, and here is an idea, the Irish Government has a unique opportunity to sponsor the West Belfast Gaeltacht for instance, or Feile an Phobal (Wonderfully promoted by NITB)? I believe in broadening the use, access to, and exposure to Irish for all Irish citizens. The long
battle to make TG4 widely available and the lack of action on that front by successive Irish Governments is shameful.
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Very true. As far as I remember most political parties in the old West Germany had fairly comprehensive policies in the area of reunification despite the Cold War and the seeming eternal division of Germany. And cross-border co-operation (where or when possible) was always considered a government priority regardless of what party was in power in Bonn.
I can’t imagine a Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael leader making a statement like the one made by Helmut Kohl in 1989 (a Ten-Point Plan for German Unity). Even Enda Kenny ‘s recent off the cuff comment in the US about a united Ireland being inevitable was quickly smothered in caveats.
Ah, the Irish language and Irish political parties. Don’t even go there! 😉
Good idea though in relation to the Féile. I wonder would the Belfast Gaeltacht be eligible for a “Network Irish” status under the new Gaeltacht Bill, considering Foras na Gaeilge’s All-Ireland remit? There is an argument to be had 😀
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Perhaps you could draft a letter to Foras na Gaeilge, as Gaeilge, to that effect? the reply may be interesting?
Don’t get me started on Enda Kenny……..
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Quite how the boy Micheál has survived his association with the regime that has laid waste to the country and may well have dealt a fatal blow to any chance of Irish Unification is beyond me. FF have some cheek to talk of their achievments on the North with that legacy.
This is simply an embarassing noise coming from an empty political vessel trying to find some relevance for itself as it rolls into the political wilderness – surely, surely the Plain People of Ireland are not stupid enough to let them near power again?
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I would have to see Fianna Fáil being reborn in the sense that in Britain and Ireland over last five years EVERYTHING has been reborn……..Banks, Catholic Church, Newspapers, Westminster Expenses, Dáil Golden Circles………and now the BBC.
Everything has failed us.
Short of a dictatorship……short of new political parties forming from scratch……then Fianna Fáil has at least the nucleus of a political party. Certainly ayear ago Sinn Féin could have done better than its 14/15 seats but increasingly it looks like they have probably peaked (at FFs expense but some Labour ground might be vulnerable) and next time around FF is likely to recover some lost ground.
The North is a diversionary tactic to keep SF on defensive but notwithstanding QUB, Derry and (I think) Crossmaglen there is no hope for FF north of the border.
Essentially that was tried before with Irish Indepence Party (in 1970s).
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Very doubtful about SF having peaked – just yet 😉
Political Reform gives a Dáil seats’ projection based on the latest IT/Ipsos MRBI poll:
Fine Gael 63
Fianna Fáil 37
Sinn Féin 25
Labour 17
Independents and Others 16
Green Party 0
In terms of seats I’d place the SF ceiling in the mid 20s. We’re very unlikely to see them exceed that in the foreseeable future.
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Far too early to say.
The likelihood is that FG will lose seats.
Labour will lose seats.
FF will gain seats.
And Sinn Féin….yes there is a limit they cant go beyond (low to mid 20s) ..more than 14 certainly but not the heady heights they may have had this time last year.
Far too soon to say.
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It’s the usual southern tactic of paying lipservice to Irish unity; in government it just isn’t on the radar but in opposition it gives them something to do. Unfortunately for RoI, FF will be back in power within the next decade. There hasn’t been a major political collapse in the British Isles since the Liberals (don’t count the UUP, that’s been a slow and painful death) in the period after WW1 and there’s no RoI party ready to “do a Labour” and replace FF as the major alternative option.
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There is also the Canadian Conservative Party who came back.
There is of course unionist lip service to loyalty to Britain.
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carrickally,
re.”There hasn’t been a major political collapse in the British Isles since the Liberals (don’t count the UUP, that’s been a slow and painful death)”
I think there are some comaprisons with the UUP at least the conservative rural vote. Unforutnately for the UUP (and unlike FF) they arguably they acted in Unionism’s best interest and were brilliantly outflanked by the DUP who moved into the newly kitted out Stormo after the the heavy lifiting was done by Trimble & Sons furniture movers.
The UUP will not be forgiven for forcing Unionists to confront the reality of the British attitude to Ulster, but FF who have wrecked the Southern economy have at least some hope of getting back in. This I find extraordinary – and the blame will lie at the door of Southern electorate – and be partly explained by the decision of Labour to join FG in (the necessary) austerity and SF’s inability to graps their opportunity.
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