This has been a bad week for Ireland. Instead of earning the respect of the people, the leaders of the two large parties seem intent on courting their contempt. Their efforts to position themselves favourably in the public eye and to outflank each other are pitiful.
All the talk of 1916 and of patriotism, vision and self-sacrifice two weeks ago evaporated when Enda Kenny and Mícheál Martin showed themselves incapable and unwilling to stay in the same room for twenty minutes.
Pity the poor Independent TDs who have devoted 100 hours to talks with parties whose leaders could not spare each other a half hour without breaking off discussions accusing each other of acting in bad faith.
When you think about it, is it not very strange that both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael were quite willing to go into government with the Labour Party – a party well to the left of either of them – but are not being willing to govern with a party to which they are far closer in terms of ideology and history? Why?
The answer is simple – naked party self-interest.
But somewhat more complex are the factors which motivate that self-interest.
There are three elements at play here. The first is the “mythic imperative” that the contrived and easily reconciled differences between FF and FG – such as Irish Water – must be propagated to the public at all costs to justify their separate existences. Working together in government would blur the very narrow distinctions between the parties, and might suggest to voters that such differences were insignificant or irrelevant. That might, in turn, be an existential threat to the permanent hegemony of the two parties.
Secondly, there is each party’s self-image and cohesion. What has been referred to as the “narcissism of small differences” is an attitude of mind which over-plays insignificant, distinguishing characteristics to boost self-esteem – a means of collective self-assurance that there is a strong corporate value in separateness.
The third element is a straight-forward form of civic sectarianism or political bigotry. The collective psyche of each party creates contempt for or a sense of moral superiority over the other; the virtue of party loyalty and strong, visceral antipathy for identified rivals are two sides of the same coin.
These repugnant mind-sets are now being clothed in the garments of virtue – “We gave the electorate a commitment not to go into government with FG, and we are honour bound to abide by that commitment”.
Let’s get one thing straight; the electorate never, ever exacted any commitment from FF that it would cause another election if the only alternative was to agree that the country be governed by a combination of the parties. Any FF assurances on this topic were volunteered – not exacted by the people.
And speaking of commitments, Enda Kenny was the man who, as part of his desperate ploy to rule out reliance on Michael Lowry without actually naming him, ended up assuring us that he had no intention of forming any government based on the support of “any independents”. Yet his only support last Wednesday, after weeks of wooing and futile negotiating with the Independents, was the self-same Michael Lowry.
If there is another election, can Fianna Fáil really tell voters that they would still refuse to govern with Fine Gael if that was the only option after that election?
Such a stance would, I think, be suicidal – even if it pleased a small group of party die-hards and backwoodsmen.
If that stance is not adopted by FF during the course of a second election, why should it be adopted now?
Would another election produce a significantly different outcome anyway?
I don’t see a recovery for Labour within weeks. So unless there is a big swing, we are still a long way away from a government which does not require the support of both FG and FF.
Moreover, a big swing is extremely unlikely to go the way of FF if the public forms the impression that they are putting naked party interest before the public interest – and that is the impression that I, for one, am getting this week.
We might yet see a Citizens’ Movement run candidates in every constituency if there is a second election, in order to end the impasse and to force the two large parties to do business with each other. With Renua gone, there is a real “gap in the market” which could be filled far faster than FF might think by candidates poised to take FF seats since FF does not want to use them to govern.
And that scenario might be one in which Micheál Martin snatches defeat from the jaws of victory. Who knows?
Will FG TDs allow Enda Kenny to lead them into a second snap election. He has fallen in the public estimate. People want change. Perhaps FG should now think of the John A Costello precedent and offer a different nominee for Taoiseach when the Dáil reconvenes. Such a move might be a game-changer.
The President need not grant Kenny a dissolution of the Dáil without trying to use his other powers to resolve the present impasse. He has an absolute discretion to refuse to do so for a resigned Taoiseach in Kenny’s position.
I believe most readers want a solid, effective government with a five-year programme to offer the country leadership in challenging times. I hope there are real leaders, apart from titular leaders, in FF and FG who share that ambition.
All the antics and posturing of the last six weeks have shown us that 100 years after 1916, some of our leading politicians cannot distinguish between personal and party interests and the interests of the Republic. What a shame! What a disgrace!