Overcoming depression: A quote from John Steinbeck
Sent to me by my good friend Miriam this evening… "When I face the desolate impossibility of writing five hundred pages a sick sense of failure falls on me and I know I can never do it. This happens every time. Then gradually I write one page and then another. One day’s work is all I can permit myself to contemplate and I eliminate the possibility of never finishing." John Steinbeck, Travels with Charlie.
Fabulous tool for the undecided voter
Fabulous website here. From the author of the blog of Elly Parker
My special thanks to her for commenting on my issue.
It seems I support the Greens, Labour, Fianna Fail, Fine Gael & PDs. Always knew I was complex.
This next bit is for political nerds…
____________________________________________
“
Irish Elections 2007
Below are the results for each issue and, at the bottom of the page, are the overall results
Issue 1 Taxes and Spending (20= Cutting Spending to Cut Taxes)
Party Party’s Position How far parties are from your position
Fianna Fáil 13.8 4.8
Fine Gael 12.5 3.5
Labour Party 6.6 2.4
Progressive Democrats 17.4 8.4
Green Party 5.8 3.2
Sinn Féin 4.9 4.1
Your Position on this issue was: 9
The party closest to your choice is: Labour Party
Issue 2 Social Policy (20= Opposed to Liberal Policies on Abortion and Homosexuality)
Party Party’s Position How far parties are from your position
Fianna Fáil 14.8 13.8
Fine Gael 11.5 10.5
Labour Party 6 5.0
Progressive Democrats 7 6.0
Green Party 5.6 4.6
Sinn Féin 9.6 8.6
Your Position on this issue was: 1
The party closest to your choice is: Green Party
Issue 3 EU Enlargement (20= Opposed)
Party Party’s Position How far parties are from your position
Fianna Fáil 7 0.0
Fine Gael 5.2 1.8
Labour Party 5.6 1.4
Progressive Democrats 6.4 0.6
Green Party 9.8 2.8
Sinn Féin 12 5.0
Your Position on this issue was: 7
The party closest to your choice is: Fianna Fáil
Issue 4 EU Strenghtening (20= Opposed to more powerful EU)
Party Party’s Position How far parties are from your position
Fianna Fáil 12.7 6.7
Fine Gael 8.3 2.3
Labour Party 10.2 4.2
Progressive Democrats 13.2 7.2
Green Party 17.1 11.1
Sinn Féin 17 11.0
Your Position on this issue was: 6
The party closest to your choice is: Fine Gael
Issue 5 Environment (20= Economic growth at cost of Environment)
Party Party’s Position How far parties are from your position
Fianna Fáil 16 11.0
Fine Gael 13.8 8.8
Labour Party 9.5 4.5
Progressive Democrats 15.5 10.5
Green Party 2.3 2.7
Sinn Féin 10.1 5.1
Your Position on this issue was: 5
The party closest to your choice is: Green Party
Issue 6 Immigration (20= In favour of policies to help immigrants return to their countries)
Party Party’s Position How far parties are from your position
Fianna Fáil 14.7 10.7
Fine Gael 12.9 8.9
Labour Party 6.7 2.7
Progressive Democrats 14.1 10.1
Green Party 5.8 1.8
Sinn Féin 8.6 4.6
Your Position on this issue was: 4
The party closest to your choice is: Green Party
Issue 7 Northern Ireland (20= In favour of UK presence in NI)
Party Party’s Position How far parties are from your position
Fianna Fáil 6.4 13.6
Fine Gael 11 9.0
Labour Party 9.1 10.9
Progressive Democrats 11 9.0
Green Party 8.7 11.3
Sinn Féin 1.5 18.5
Your Position on this issue was: 20
The party closest to your choice is: Fine Gael or Progressive Democrats
Summary of your choices
The three most important issues for you were:
Social Policy
Environment
Immigration
Based ONLY on average distance of your position on the 3 most important issues to that of the parties, the party closest to you is
Green Party
Performing for Mike Hegarty & Aware
Tomorrow evening @ 2000 @ Cork Arts Theatre (CAT Club), a fundraising event of magical proportions… I’m going on the stage, across the river from the Opera House. Together with about 15 others, we are going to perform a show of work in honour of Mike, and as a record of Mike. We had a rehearsal yesterday afternoon. This is the programme: Two parts: first, performance of our own stuff, second half Mike’s stuff. - a short extract from a play by Edward Albee, by Nathan & Padraig - Pauline Jackson reciting Yeats - ‘Norwegian Wood’ sung by Gerry - Poems by Paul O’Mahony - Mary O’Connell reading her poems - a monologue from Midsummer Night’s Dream by Nathan - the Wall performed by Padraig - Antoinette the poet - Luvious (a theatre company) perform a 5 person monologue written by Mike Hegarty Interval, during which there will be a fundraising raffle Part 2: Poems, prose and reflections written by Mike, performed by the cast "Long long winding road" (one of Mike’s favourite’s sung by Gerry) Lighting by Garry Stage Management by John Kidney, who made this happen MC role by Don Daly
An undecided voter struggles to decide
I met Gerry Buttimer (FG condidate for Cork South Central) this morning.
In Douglas Shopping Centre, the Olive Tree cafe, where I was taking coffee with my good friend Garry after leaving Grace to her creche…
A be-suited man, in a power tie, flanked by a minder who wore a teeshirt urging “Vote Buttimer Number 1“, arrived for breakfast.
He was going off-duty. He looked tired (a good sign that he’s been working hard), so I called him over. He’s a lot shorter than I imagined. I probably think of politicians as colossi striding about on long legs (from which they often fall hard).
I told him we were both undecided.
He was up-front about looking for both our votes. And it turned out Garry has a gra for the Green guy, which I didn’t know about (so that was good to find out). I remained unprepared to commit myself.
I showed him the photo of his leader, Enda, on The Irish Times today. I contrasted it with the rather triumphalism photo (the out-stretched arms one) that appeared a few days ago - the one that reminded me of Neil Kinnock’s disastrous pre-mature celebratory photo. Gerry Buttimer had no interest in his leader. He was after our votes, and not after a waffling discussion about how political leaders project themselves. I admired his focus. I had something he wanted and I intended to make him work for it.
“So what do you think of that John McCarthy guy (who is standing in Cork North Central)?
“Ah, he’s a good guy. Good ideas and articulate. I think we need to improve mental health services. Especially for young people, young men… I think this is an important area…”
The politician had no clue what I thought of John McCarthy’s independent campaign for better mental health services. For all he know, I might have detested McCarthy, an auctioneer. I might have had no time for mentally ill people… But he said what he thought, and didn’t check out what I thought first. I admired that. He felt a bit more real than a normal politician (who first finds out what you think and then panders to it - that’s what Deirdre Clune, FG, did when she came to my house ages ago.).
I still don’t know who I’ll vote for. There is time yet for me to be persuaded.
Now, if FF are reading their Cork Blogs, and pick this up, I’d welcome a visit from your most hungry candidate.
