At any given time in history it is never difficult to find people extolling the past, decrying the present and fearing the future. Twenty-five years ago, the Fine Gael-Labour coalition government raised prices in an eve-of-bank holiday statement and Det Garda Frank Hand was shot dead while escorting a delivery of social welfare payments to a post office in Co Meath. Veteran Fine Gael backbencher and one-time defence minister Oliver J. Flanagan feared the worst:
The end of democracy as we have come to know it, and a takeover of the country “military or otherwise”, were predicted last night by Mr Oliver J. Flanagan, the Fine Gael TD and the longest serving member of Dáil Éireann.
Mr Flanagan said the quality of Irish life was steadily decaying, along with the institution of parliamentary democracy, and he urged that if the leaders of the political parties would not take note of this, that the backbench TDs who shared his worries should come together to discuss them. “Why not a meeting of all deputies who see the writing on the wall?” he suggested.
In a lengthy supplied script, Mr Flanagan also criticised the recent mini-budget as “a sad experience” and said the manner of its announcement was impossible to defend.
“For any Government to send a civil servant to announce such severe increases on all who eat bread and butter – 100 per cent of our people – was an act of disrespect for the Dáil and an abuse of the present dying democratic system,” he said.
Mr Flanagan said Ireland was speedily becoming ungovernable, and that he felt a takeover would be welcomed by many who are disillusioned by the state of Irish politics and by the victims of unrest and economic depression.
“I am not saying that the Army, who has always been loyal to the Government, would ever take over, but the possibility exists in every democracy, as history has taught us. The location of the defence forces in this country make it an easy task,” he said, and he suggested that “an easy and well organised takeover without the firing of one single shot and without loss of even one life” would be possible.
“We never think it can come and happen to us in our time. I am convinced it is on the way and every day that parliament fails is a day nearer to the end of democratic rule as we now know it.” . . . While Mr Flanagan said that “the disrespect for the Dáil has been brought about by the members themselves, whose actions leave much to be desired”, he said that many journalists belittle, run down and make comedy of parliamentary proceedings. This is very evident. As a result, the public has lost all confidence and respect for the work of the Dáil and its members.
The only way to avoid disaster, he said, was to restore public confidence in the Dáil and in Irish politicians, and his recommendations included reforming Dáil procedures, providing a clear choice in politics for people, whether they wanted right or left, examining how the electoral system could be changed to eliminate the “politics of the clinic, circular and wild promises” and restoring power to local government.
“We must protect our heritage and our true Christian values, and restore our way of life. We must not allow the pressure groups who are in a minority to force their will on the silent majority. The time is now here for the silent majority to stand up and be counted, loudly and with courage – otherwise they may soon become the slaves and subjects of that tiny, well financed, but very powerful minority who may enjoy media support and unlimited funds in their efforts to destroy democracy and to destroy the family as the fundamental unit of Irish society.”
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