I don’t like to write about party politics.
I don’t know enough about it, and tis hard to get get a feel for a system you’ve been away from for ages. 30 years abroad have rendered me prone to simple thinking, and proportional representation has too many syllables for my taste.
But, as the minutes ticked away to one oclock, and the release of the document from the negotiations became immanent, I felt for the Greens.
A connection I made…
What happens when captives get close to their captors? The "Stockholm Syndrome" remember that one?
Fianna Fail used to be the devil, used to be the mother of all corruption, used to be the other side…
Then the election, and it looked to me as if FF had captured the heart of the Greens and taken them into a closed room, isolated them and talked to them. The next thing I noticed was that Green man (Dan & John) came out and said ‘they listened to us… they respected us… they gave us time… they let us put our points to them…’
By implication ‘they’re not as bad as we thought they were… reasonable men… thoughtful men… we-could-work-with-them men…‘
And ‘they let us come back for more…‘
I wouldn’t be in Green shoes this afternoon.
Between a rock and a hard place.
I feel FF will eat them alive. I feel FF will become more Green than the Greens themselves, will take Green ideas and blend them in with sustainable politics. There will be no more need for a Green Party.
And maybe some of the Greens will say ‘that was our historical destiny‘.
Meanwhile, I’ll go back to re-cycling thoughts.
I feel FF will become more Green than the Greens themselves, will take Green ideas and blend them in with sustainable politics.
This is precisely why the Greens SHOULD go into government IMHO. I reckon FF will implement their policies either way - at least if they’re at the cabinet table they can claim to have had an influence. If in Opposition, they can truly be considered unnecessary.
Comment by JL Pagano — June 13, 2007 @ 6:28 pm
Yes, I see your point and I feel you are absolutely right. But the role of opposition is a noble one and from the position of opposition, it is possible to develop ideas freely, without being constrained by the need to support government. What does it matter whose idea it is, so long as the conservation perspective and long term sustainability is moved forward? I wish them well and wish I knew more about the road they have travelled to reach this point.
As a political machine, and as an organisation committed to doing whatever it takes to remain in power, I admire FF. They are a decent target, a worthy opponent. How silent FG have been recently. Certainly they seem to have given in already. They’ve behaved as if they have been defeated. FF have behaved as if they’ve won a huge victory. Labour are lost. Thanks again JL P. I love it when I hear from you because you don’t mince your words and give us judgments we can relate to.
Comment by omaniblog — June 13, 2007 @ 7:44 pm
I feel FF will become more Green than the Greens themselves, will take Green ideas and blend them in with sustainable politics.
This would be a good thing, if FF truly believed in the ideas and didn’t just think “sure we might as well”
Afterall, it’d mean that the environment is important enough to be a “proper” issue.
Comment by Fence — June 14, 2007 @ 1:03 pm
I do agree with you Omani - but on balance I think it will also help the profile of the Greens and their aims, albeit with much more robust debate. The old adages like no such thing as bad publicity and ends justifying means should apply.
Comment by John of Dublin — June 14, 2007 @ 6:15 pm
Thanks Fence. Thanks John of Dublin. So long as we get better consideration of the environment and its sustainability, I won’t mind. But it must be hard for the activists who struggle with the concept of compromise. I’d say the last two weeks have been a crash course in power politics.
I guess it’s time I got out my bicycle and put my pedals where my mouth is, eh?
Comment by omaniblog — June 15, 2007 @ 9:21 am