A chara, – It must be more than 25 years since I first wrote to the Editor on the subject of how party cadres in the Labour Party (and more recently also in the Green Party) have assigned to themselves a superior role in determining how Ireland is governed after a general election. Yet, this decidedly undemocratic practice continues.
Bunreacht na hÉireann sets out quite clearly and simply how governments are selected in this State. The people, by universal suffrage (that’s one vote per citizen over 18), elect 166 TDs. Those TDs in turn, by majority vote at a sitting of the Dáil elect a taoiseach, who forms a government of up to 15 ministers in cabinet, appointed by the president.
Nowhere in the Irish Constitution is provision made that elected TDs must submit themselves to a meeting of party activists, whose views outrank the citizens of this State. – Is mise,
PETER O’DWYER,
Pembroke Street Upper,
Dublin 2.
Madam, – Colm Lawless of Labour Youth tells us that “in the interests of democracy it is appropriate that the Labour Party provide a robust opposition” (March 3rd) as opposed to coalescing with Fine Gael. He is not the only Labour Party member to have suggested this in recent days.
However, could Mr Lawless, and those others, please then explain the following statements issued by their leader, Éamon Gilmore, which come from the Labour Party website:
1. “The tasks ahead are difficult – too difficult for any of us to tackle on our own. For any one party, any one interest group, or any one section of our society. But we can tackle them together.” (Ireland needs a fair and balanced government – February 23rd) 2. “As we face the difficult tasks ahead, we need a government that reflects the broad range of opinion in our country. I do not believe it is wise to grant a monopoly of power to any one party. Instead, we need a fair and balanced government, that brings people together . . . To get that fair and balanced government, I am asking voters to give your Number 1 vote to Labour candidates tomorrow” (Eve of poll statement from Eamon Gilmore – February 24th). The meaning of these statements seems fairly clear as far as I can see. Mr Gilmore is calling for more than one party to be in government and he is asking for support to ensure that the Labour Party is one of those parties.
I would imagine most people reading those statements would have drawn the same conclusions and therefore given support to the Labour Party knowing full well what that vote would most likely mean. Yet now Mr Lawless is telling us that the Labour Party should hand Fine Gael the monopoly of power that his leader has campaigned so vigorously against.
Have I simply misunderstood these statements? Or is Mr Lawless, and his fellow travellers, suggesting that Labour should say one thing during a campaign in order to get support and then do something completely different afterwards? Finally, dare I ask, is Mr Lawless perhaps attempting to put his party’s interests before that of the country during the worst financial crisis that our nation has ever faced?
Personally I would have thought that was something only Fianna Fáil did. It would seem from letters like his that I have been completely mistaken. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The only logical coalition, in pure political terms, is Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. This would also allow Fine Gael to do to Fianna Fáil what Fianna Fáil did to the PDs and, more recently, the Greens. That is, make them disappear! – Yours, etc,
Madam, – If Labour coalesces with Fine Gael, the inevitable consequences are that when the people tire of the Fine Gael/Labour government in about four years (as things are liable to get worse rather than better in that timescale) they will be turned out of office and Labour will be routed. Who, then, will the people have to turn to but Fianna Fáil and maybe Sinn Féin?
Some in Labour argue that going into government now is in the national interest. That might be so in the very short term. In the longer term, Labour’s duty in the national interest is to think strategically and help bring about a logical and fundamental division in Irish politics.
Labour is in the position, for the very first time, to compel an alliance of Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael. We could then begin to have a proper left/right division of the Dáil for the first time in our history, a final end to Civil war politics.
Please can it save us from the absurdity of Tweedledum Tweedledee politics where the ship of State constantly sails in much the same course – usually in the direction of the rocks; where at every election, our only choice is whether or not we change the crew. History will judge Labour very harshly if it takes a decision now based on short-term gain. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Three failed Marys indeed (Ronnie Persse, March 2nd). Then an act of coalition? – Yours, etc,
