We are on our way to national government the people have spoken,both Fianna Gael and Labour have a mandate to carry this little nation out of the mire and lead us on the road to recovery. Labour will posture and they will present whatever deal they negotiate to their party faithful and it will be ratified then they hope to secure some key cabinet positions in the next government and the job as they say is done.
Yet as I see it this is probably the greatest opportunity ever presented to the left in Ireland to once and for all establish itself as a serious player in future generations, and the labour party have now got the opportunity to change the course of Irish political history. I have no doubt they will fail miserably in this task as the lure of government offers its sticky hand, some will argue that their duty lies in calming the expected excesses of Fianna Gael and their new role is to protect from within.
Yet what if labour crosses the floor into oppositon, this will leave Fianna Gael courting some obscure and other popular independents, or will they end up relying on their true brothers the mighty Fianna Fail. Labour have it within their grasp to create an almost exclusively left wing opposition of considerable strength in both numbers and experience. Let the centre right lead the fight, let them find out the new untold secrets of the banking crisis, they can model and sell austerity to the middle classes who can afford to absorb these measures, reduce the public service and maybe even eliminate social welfare while there at it. Labour can fight against all of these measure in the knowledge of huge support on the opposite side of the house they can constantly challenge the excesses of the right and represent the poor, the disabled, the ordinary people.
If labour choose goverment which they will the stakes in the eternal game will be very high as austerity bites and a system which is by its nature flawed will crumble, and so possibly labours future support along with it.
No comments:
Post a Comment