Ireland must be the only country in Europe where we don’t even have an option of a nominally right wing party to vote for. Every one of FG, FF, SF, SDs, PbP, Greens, Labour and yes even Aontú, represent left wing social and economic policies, ranging from left of centre to left of Stalin.
An almost total media blackout of anyone trying to offer a conservative or right wing option just helps perpetuate this status quo and the disconnect between voters and the politicians and NGOs running the country.
I just hope a good Trump presidency moves the Overton window back slightly towards some sanity.
The jury’s out. My own suspicion is that both Farage and Tice would happily sell us all out for a knighthood. But I’d be happy to be proven wrong.
UnHerd Reader
13 days ago
Ireland fought over 900 years to win freedom. Less than 100 years later the Irish government has enslaved the Irish to whatever the woke lunacy of the day may be.
The Irish elites have always hid behind something bigger as an excuse to impose their way on the people, be it Britain, the Catholic Church or the EU. The fatal relationship between most of the Irish parties and the US Democrats is something frequently ignored too.
The blame lies with our establishment/ruling class and the foolish ideas they believe
Daniel Lee
12 days ago
“somewhere like Dundrum: those 277 migrants are set to be introduced into a community of just 221”
Outnumbered in your own community by government out-placed strangers with completely different cultural standards and practices. What kind of government does this to its own people?
RR RR
12 days ago
Same old same old. Anywhere in the Western World.
Everyone who in any way wants to see lower migration is:
a) A White Supremacist.
b) A White Supremacist Apologist.
c) A White Supremacist Acceptable Face – Badenoch as an example.
d) All of the above.
Sinn Fein are sell outs, in the most ironic way ever. They totally bought into the Crap Woke Bollocks. Shown to be not at all bothered about Irish folk.
This election is one too early for the Centrists to be decimated. The next one won’t be.
Peadar Laighléis
12 days ago
I think this Irish election is not going to be an important one, but the next very well might be. This one comes before the Trump administration takes office – and I believe this is deliberately was the case as I think there would have been altogether a different campaign in the event of a Harris victory. Speaking of Harris, I believe the inadequacies of the home grown Simon Harris is showing up on the campaign. The poll results show Fine Gael on 19% which is a lot worse when you consider the party is in the unenviable position of making up the gaps where 18 of their sitting deputies are stepping down. Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil have some attrition too but not on that scale, and the young inexperienced and uneducated Taoiseach has had a few weeks which were, to put it charitably, lacklustre. Oh, and there was that incident in Kanturk, Co Cork over the weekend with a carer which I am sure had a lot of Fine Gael candidates in marginal seats throw their hats at the screens. Apologies that Simon was ‘tired’ made their election posters with the words “A New Energy” appear very hollow.
What is the case is that populist independents will make gains, but the test is whether they can mount a coherent opposition. Sinn Féin’s failure to do so has been their downfall. The Irish media want to deny the existence of Independent Ireland (not The Independent Party as referred to in the article) even exists, but I suspect they will have to look at a different reality after the election as the new party will outperform some and perhaps all of the various left wing groups and could be the fourth party after Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and Fine Gael (and if Fine Gael does end up third after the other two, it will be so much the worst for their leader). Aontú (which could be seen as an Irish nationalist “Blue Labour”) are doing well in the polls, but they need to concentrate that in areas where they are in with a shot at a seat. I can name two constituencies where they have the advantage of name recognition and a couple of additional TDs will help. The other independents would best consolidate in a grouping involving these two.
The growing wave of populism in both the United States and continental Europe will further fuel the flames. If Trump delivers on his economic commitments, Ireland will feel the adverse effects (and I think this is why this has been such a low key campaign). If the US Democrats haven’t learnt their lesson and the possibility of Vance ’28 looms, I think that the Irish political landscape could look very different. Or let me be mischievous and ask if any British readers believe that the Irish elites will look to London and draw heart from the Right Hon Sir Keir Strarmer? Answers on a post card.
Looking forward to coverage of Ireland in the New York Times, Manchester Guardian et al. over the next few years.
Starmer is low energy politician, a copper bottomed paid up member of the North London Liberal Elite.
However he as steered Labour (because Tories vacated the ground) back towards having a semblance of civic and cultural pride in Britain, well England because we weren’t allowed to have such in recent decades.
He does at least acknowledge mass scale immigration is no longer a good thing and rowed back on the woke crap. Many of his party members disagree though.
The proof will be if he delivers on improving people’s lives. One thing I am certain of is Reform are going to start taking chunks out of Labour away from their Urban Castles, which themselves ae under attack from the Green Gazans River to the Sea folk.
Ireland need both a Farage and a Tony Benn type to bury the FF/FG/SF centrist crap
Simon Harris deliberately held off announcing the date of the election until after Trump’s victory. In October, he told everybody it would happen before the New Year but waited until post-November 5th.
John Tyler
12 days ago
Why is unhappiness at uncontrolled immigration labelled as “populist”? Such nonsense!
Alex Lekas
12 days ago
keen to distinguish anti-migrant fears from straightforward racism.
Is it about race or is it about a culture that is completely alien to Western ways? By the way, Middle Eastern is NOT a race, and if the US Census Bureau is to be trusted, neither is North African. People from both areas are lumped into the bucket of “white.” So come up with a better argument.
Importing people who do not speak your language, know or care about your customs, and have no desire to assimilate will end badly. And when the immigrants outnumber the locals, it’s even worse. One might think that point – the math – would have merited more attention.
Indeed, 277 Poles might be almost as disruptive. The only essential difference is that 277 Poles would be less likely to style themselves Victims of Oppression and thus feel entitled to burn the place down if one of them got in trouble with the cops. This kind of thing is surely more than stupidity, there are forces at work that really do want to destroy white civilization.
Ray Andrews
12 days ago
> Perhaps unsurprisingly for a people who long suffered racism from the British, many would-be Irish populists are eager to reject accusations of discrimination themselves.
But the Irish were persecuted for being Irish … in Ireland. That is not remotely comparable to the Irish preferring not to be colonized by Negroes and Muslims. It is not discrimination to want to remain at home in your own homeland. I have Irish roots but I’ve never been. I hope I can get there before it becomes an Islamic republic.
UnHerd Reader
12 days ago
Its real best of a bad lot time. Every party pays lip service to the climate nonsense and pushes vaguely socialist policies. Fg ( so called conservative promise free child care and 1000 euro for every baby born ). Every politician absolves themselves of responsibility for migrant centers ( blaming it on civil service/ un responsibility for example ), no party wants to come out and talk about the damage of lockdowns and yes vax cine injuries ( ff leader still boasring about vax cine roll out in true craven globalist fashion ).
Id vote for anyone who wants to abandon climate nonsense and bring electricity price down via fossil fuels/ free market, lower taxes all round ( especially vat and council tax which criple small business ) and health freedoms ( i couldnt go to pub or gym during this dail as didnt want an experimentsl jab ). I will vote though and encourage others who can to vote for indepenend ireland and/or aontu who could steer the fg/ff ship towards a more sensible policy as they would have a mandate to reduce at least carbon taxes . Vote anyway even if thete is no good option
I sympathise completely, but I’m not sure how remaining in the EU can help to make progress in any of these areas. Would you vote for a party committed to Leave ?
Well they would have to explain how weeave the euro in a way that guarantees good relations with all our neighbours. The only way to do this I can think of would be to move to bitcoin as a currency. That really is the other side of a massive and inevitable soverign debt crises i think. For now id settle for less tax and a bit more freedom.
Mr Swift, you are what would be termed a chancer in Ireland. The slogan “Be a good Yank and go home” has nothing to do with the Great Famine. It refers to John B. Keane’s play, _The Field_ where the lead character warns off an American buyer of the Bull McCabe’s field. The hotelier in Dundrum is American. That explains why the line from _The Field_ is borrowed, nothing else.
mike flynn
11 days ago
Contraception and abortion and elitist big govt bring new “troubles ” to Eire. Ironic.
Buck Rodgers
11 days ago
Some thoughts:
1. Economy growing at 2%. Why did they massively increase immigration? The U.K. government has claimed that immigration will boost growth; it won’t, but at least they can point to a real problem that needs a solution. Sounds to me like everything was going well in Ireland.
2. Ireland has shown the benefits of low corporation tax. Why raise it?
3. If the Irish cling to grievance narratives about colonialism etc, they’ll hamstring their own efforts to defend their borders.
Main Edition
US
FR
Ireland must be the only country in Europe where we don’t even have an option of a nominally right wing party to vote for. Every one of FG, FF, SF, SDs, PbP, Greens, Labour and yes even Aontú, represent left wing social and economic policies, ranging from left of centre to left of Stalin.
An almost total media blackout of anyone trying to offer a conservative or right wing option just helps perpetuate this status quo and the disconnect between voters and the politicians and NGOs running the country.
I just hope a good Trump presidency moves the Overton window back slightly towards some sanity.
Ireland must be the only country in Europe where we don’t even have an option of a nominally right wing party
… apart from the UK?
Reform?
The jury’s out. My own suspicion is that both Farage and Tice would happily sell us all out for a knighthood. But I’d be happy to be proven wrong.
Ireland fought over 900 years to win freedom. Less than 100 years later the Irish government has enslaved the Irish to whatever the woke lunacy of the day may be.
Don’t forget the EU enslavement their governments seem to cherish on behalf of their citizens.
Tedious simplicity
The Irish elites have always hid behind something bigger as an excuse to impose their way on the people, be it Britain, the Catholic Church or the EU. The fatal relationship between most of the Irish parties and the US Democrats is something frequently ignored too.
None of Ireland’s problems are caused by the EU
The blame lies with our establishment/ruling class and the foolish ideas they believe
“somewhere like Dundrum: those 277 migrants are set to be introduced into a community of just 221”
Outnumbered in your own community by government out-placed strangers with completely different cultural standards and practices. What kind of government does this to its own people?
Same old same old. Anywhere in the Western World.
Everyone who in any way wants to see lower migration is:
a) A White Supremacist.
b) A White Supremacist Apologist.
c) A White Supremacist Acceptable Face – Badenoch as an example.
d) All of the above.
Sinn Fein are sell outs, in the most ironic way ever. They totally bought into the Crap Woke Bollocks. Shown to be not at all bothered about Irish folk.
This election is one too early for the Centrists to be decimated. The next one won’t be.
I think this Irish election is not going to be an important one, but the next very well might be. This one comes before the Trump administration takes office – and I believe this is deliberately was the case as I think there would have been altogether a different campaign in the event of a Harris victory. Speaking of Harris, I believe the inadequacies of the home grown Simon Harris is showing up on the campaign. The poll results show Fine Gael on 19% which is a lot worse when you consider the party is in the unenviable position of making up the gaps where 18 of their sitting deputies are stepping down. Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil have some attrition too but not on that scale, and the young inexperienced and uneducated Taoiseach has had a few weeks which were, to put it charitably, lacklustre. Oh, and there was that incident in Kanturk, Co Cork over the weekend with a carer which I am sure had a lot of Fine Gael candidates in marginal seats throw their hats at the screens. Apologies that Simon was ‘tired’ made their election posters with the words “A New Energy” appear very hollow.
What is the case is that populist independents will make gains, but the test is whether they can mount a coherent opposition. Sinn Féin’s failure to do so has been their downfall. The Irish media want to deny the existence of Independent Ireland (not The Independent Party as referred to in the article) even exists, but I suspect they will have to look at a different reality after the election as the new party will outperform some and perhaps all of the various left wing groups and could be the fourth party after Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and Fine Gael (and if Fine Gael does end up third after the other two, it will be so much the worst for their leader). Aontú (which could be seen as an Irish nationalist “Blue Labour”) are doing well in the polls, but they need to concentrate that in areas where they are in with a shot at a seat. I can name two constituencies where they have the advantage of name recognition and a couple of additional TDs will help. The other independents would best consolidate in a grouping involving these two.
The growing wave of populism in both the United States and continental Europe will further fuel the flames. If Trump delivers on his economic commitments, Ireland will feel the adverse effects (and I think this is why this has been such a low key campaign). If the US Democrats haven’t learnt their lesson and the possibility of Vance ’28 looms, I think that the Irish political landscape could look very different. Or let me be mischievous and ask if any British readers believe that the Irish elites will look to London and draw heart from the Right Hon Sir Keir Strarmer? Answers on a post card.
Looking forward to coverage of Ireland in the New York Times, Manchester Guardian et al. over the next few years.
Starmer is low energy politician, a copper bottomed paid up member of the North London Liberal Elite.
However he as steered Labour (because Tories vacated the ground) back towards having a semblance of civic and cultural pride in Britain, well England because we weren’t allowed to have such in recent decades.
He does at least acknowledge mass scale immigration is no longer a good thing and rowed back on the woke crap. Many of his party members disagree though.
The proof will be if he delivers on improving people’s lives. One thing I am certain of is Reform are going to start taking chunks out of Labour away from their Urban Castles, which themselves ae under attack from the Green Gazans River to the Sea folk.
Ireland need both a Farage and a Tony Benn type to bury the FF/FG/SF centrist crap
Simon Harris deliberately held off announcing the date of the election until after Trump’s victory. In October, he told everybody it would happen before the New Year but waited until post-November 5th.
Why is unhappiness at uncontrolled immigration labelled as “populist”? Such nonsense!
keen to distinguish anti-migrant fears from straightforward racism.
Is it about race or is it about a culture that is completely alien to Western ways? By the way, Middle Eastern is NOT a race, and if the US Census Bureau is to be trusted, neither is North African. People from both areas are lumped into the bucket of “white.” So come up with a better argument.
Importing people who do not speak your language, know or care about your customs, and have no desire to assimilate will end badly. And when the immigrants outnumber the locals, it’s even worse. One might think that point – the math – would have merited more attention.
Indeed, 277 Poles might be almost as disruptive. The only essential difference is that 277 Poles would be less likely to style themselves Victims of Oppression and thus feel entitled to burn the place down if one of them got in trouble with the cops. This kind of thing is surely more than stupidity, there are forces at work that really do want to destroy white civilization.
> Perhaps unsurprisingly for a people who long suffered racism from the British, many would-be Irish populists are eager to reject accusations of discrimination themselves.
But the Irish were persecuted for being Irish … in Ireland. That is not remotely comparable to the Irish preferring not to be colonized by Negroes and Muslims. It is not discrimination to want to remain at home in your own homeland. I have Irish roots but I’ve never been. I hope I can get there before it becomes an Islamic republic.
Its real best of a bad lot time. Every party pays lip service to the climate nonsense and pushes vaguely socialist policies. Fg ( so called conservative promise free child care and 1000 euro for every baby born ). Every politician absolves themselves of responsibility for migrant centers ( blaming it on civil service/ un responsibility for example ), no party wants to come out and talk about the damage of lockdowns and yes vax cine injuries ( ff leader still boasring about vax cine roll out in true craven globalist fashion ).
Id vote for anyone who wants to abandon climate nonsense and bring electricity price down via fossil fuels/ free market, lower taxes all round ( especially vat and council tax which criple small business ) and health freedoms ( i couldnt go to pub or gym during this dail as didnt want an experimentsl jab ). I will vote though and encourage others who can to vote for indepenend ireland and/or aontu who could steer the fg/ff ship towards a more sensible policy as they would have a mandate to reduce at least carbon taxes . Vote anyway even if thete is no good option
I sympathise completely, but I’m not sure how remaining in the EU can help to make progress in any of these areas. Would you vote for a party committed to Leave ?
Well they would have to explain how weeave the euro in a way that guarantees good relations with all our neighbours. The only way to do this I can think of would be to move to bitcoin as a currency. That really is the other side of a massive and inevitable soverign debt crises i think. For now id settle for less tax and a bit more freedom.
https://x.com/WatchdogTh96012/status/1828731846634434657
Mr Swift, you are what would be termed a chancer in Ireland. The slogan “Be a good Yank and go home” has nothing to do with the Great Famine. It refers to John B. Keane’s play, _The Field_ where the lead character warns off an American buyer of the Bull McCabe’s field. The hotelier in Dundrum is American. That explains why the line from _The Field_ is borrowed, nothing else.
Contraception and abortion and elitist big govt bring new “troubles ” to Eire. Ironic.
Some thoughts:
1. Economy growing at 2%. Why did they massively increase immigration? The U.K. government has claimed that immigration will boost growth; it won’t, but at least they can point to a real problem that needs a solution. Sounds to me like everything was going well in Ireland.
2. Ireland has shown the benefits of low corporation tax. Why raise it?
3. If the Irish cling to grievance narratives about colonialism etc, they’ll hamstring their own efforts to defend their borders.