Are Labour Prisoners in Government

The Labour party in Ireland has sold out-at least its parliamentary party has, they have been sucked in by the gaping mouth of neo-liberalism in all its guises. One has only to look at the recent decisions made by the coalition from the closure of army barracks to the proposed cuts in the public service and of course the forthcoming increase on vat rates by 2% -these actions and their complicit support in paying the unsecured bond holders have left them bereft of any credibility as a party of the left.
Their partners in crime the Fine Gael party who promised the Irish electorate that they would re-negotiate the dreadful bail-out deal imposed on there predecessors. As we know the re-negotiation amounts to more austerity and the unsecured bond holders are still being paid. One could argue that Labour are virtually prisoners within the confines of the financial mess this state finds in itself in, and others will claim that a Labour presence in Government stops the excesses of the neo-liberalist agenda. Of course this is all nonsense as in recent days it has been Labour spokespeople including Ruairi Quinn who are claiming that we have lost financial sovereignty and all cheques have to be countersigned.
The later claim in relation to the re-introduction of student fees is disingenuous to say the least as the Fianna Fail bail out fiasco was well and truly with us when he made his famous promise and nothing has changed fiscally since. So now Mr Gilmore is leading a frightened Labour party within a coalition made up of a majority of neo-liberals and the Labour party are hiding and covering their faces with masks. Of course their predicament is further troubled when faced with the stark truth about the European Union as it now exists.
The European Union is in the clutches of neo-liberal thinking and action and Ireland’s largest left wing party [I do Joke,] is expendable and ineffective against this might. Many wonder about the wisdom of the Labour leadership after the last general election-some see it is a pragmatic move by the party in that they were duty bound to represent those that elected them, within the new Government. Others argue that if the Labour party were ideologically to the left of centre-such a course of action should have been examined forensically before jumping in to the acid tank they now are dissolving in.
The Irish electorate in the main don’t go for ideology most people are media led and populist, and in television debates people look upon the panellists as one. Well sure they might be blowing their own trumpet but when the chips are down there isn’t that must separating them. This is not true anymore and it is now time for us all to mature ideologically.
Fine Gael minister Simon Coveney was asked recently on the Vincent Browne show as to why he was reluctant to tax the wealthy, he ranted on about how it would be madness to increase taxes on what he termed our brightest, by inference did Mr Coveney mean that the rest of the population were thick. It was also a stark reminder of the difference in ideology as the very wealthy pay very little income tax compared with the ordinary working person whether PAYE or self employed. The sheer fact that a government minister could make a statement of this nature on national television says so much for the culture within the Fine Gael party.

So what were Labours choices after the last election—obviously they chose to go into government thinking perhaps that on social issues they had much in common with the Fine Gael party. The other choice they had was to form the opposition in the Dail with possible support from Sinn Féin and some independents along with the United Left Alliance it is possible also that on some issues they may have sought and got Fianna Fail support. It could have been a staunch opposition opposing the terrible austerity that is lashing the citizens of this state. Perhaps this united left opposition would have supported the occupy movements and help form other means of protest.
What Labour has done instead is to betray the very people who elected them—is the Labour leadership aware of the hurt they are causing the citizens of this country? One wouldn’t hold out too much hope for them in the next election if they continue on the dangerous path they are following blindly. It is time for Mr Gilmore to re-think the countersigning of cheques spin and impose some left wing austerity on the neo-liberals surrounding them.