Wales rocked the power of neoliberalism yesterday.
Ireland might also do so today. As the FT has noted:
Ireland looks set to elect a hard-left independent as president on Friday, dealing a blow to the two parties that have dominated Irish politics for a century after their own campaigns for the figurehead role backfired.
Catherine Connolly, a 68-year-old independent legislator and vocal defender of Irish neutrality, has a commanding lead in the race.
The former barrister and clinical psychologist has blasted the EU's military build-up in response to Russia's war in Ukraine, saying the bloc “has lost its moral compass” and that German rearmament spending was reminiscent of the 1930s.
The message, if it is fulfilled, will be somewhat like that from Caerphilly. The two major Irish political parties that have dominated its politics since 1922 have become profoundly neoliberal, intensely conservative and anti-democratic in their desire to hold anyone but themselves out of power so that the status quo in the country might be maintained for the Irish elite, which most definitely exists.
Past Presidents have rocked the boat - usually very successfully in recent years - albeit in a role that is more symbolic than official, but this move may be significant. The Irish electorate might be saying they are fed up with being taken for granted. In particular, they may well be expressing their annoyance that the largest party in the country - Sinn Féin - is now perpetually held out of power by coalitions between the traditional parties, and that they will no longer tolerate this.
However it is looked at, the demise of neoliberal thinking appears to be on the horizon. We can live in hope.
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99% of those voting in these elections have never heard of neoliberalism. You are deluded but i suppose delusion keeps you going.
They might not have heard of it – but they have seen its destructive consequnces. You are the one suffering the delusions.
I’m sure the abuse you receive is probably much worse than the above comment, but do your best to ignore such people, and please keep informing us as your blog is invaluable.
I trash most of it instantly the moment I realise that its intention is to abuse.
You’re absolutely right Richard.
One doesn’t need to know what it’s called to recognise exactly what Neo-liberalism is.
Small state light touch government means no rules for the Rich so the less well off lose.
The markets will decide means the little people lose as prices rise.
Less regulation in banking and investments means the less well off live with government imposed austerity.
The name isn’t well known but the ideology is well understood because the 99% suffer.
If you accuse someone of delusion, you presumably have some verifiable data to back up your claim that 99% of the voterss have never heard of neoliberalism?
Which poll or research were you referring to?
Very good news from Ireland and Wales. Let’s hope that the rest of the British Isles familiarise themselves with the delusions of neoliberalim and vote for parties and candidates who can offer a better alternative especially now that Thatcherism has become completely discredited with the disastrous privatisation of water, gas,electricity,raill and Royal Mail.
Fraya makes a point. I was in Ireland (County Tipperary) at the time of the riots in Dublin last year and previously and had to deal with family members who were wound up by the immigration issue there – it was far from pleasant and it is dragging on.
However, there was also frustration with how Sinn Fein was being held back present too – that there was political manoeuvring to keep them out and don’t think that that was far wrong. So many people will not be able to name Neo-liberalism Fraya, but they will know how it is hurting them. But that source of pain must be given a name.
There are a lot of angry pissed off people in Ireland – a country much smaller than mainland UK. I will keep my fingers crossed – I was mightily impressed by how Ireland dealt with Catholicism’s child abuse and Gaza.
Speaking as an English working class person, it was always a point of pride that we knew who it was who was shafting us. In an age of disinformation at scale through internet platforms and exploitation by capital through dodging funding all that awareness seems to have gone out the window. Pissed off people are now just manipulated and have their ire directed towards immigrants, teachers – whoever fits the bill at the time.
So, fingers crossed for Ireland, as I said.
I’ll join you, doing that
I wonder if this is a fore taste for things to come & the election of a SF government. I do hope so. That said, if it happens they will face a pile of problems.
Oh & I do like the combo: “former barrister and clinical psychologist” – I’d pay good money to see her forensically cross-examining e.g. Starmer – I don’t think there would be much left by the time she finished (or indeed her fellow countryman: McSweeney)
I agree, Mike, it would certainly be a wonderful to behold!
We must remember that the genius behind Labour ‘s current situation, Morgan McSweeney is from a family with very strong Fine Gael connections. Due to the state of the Irish “Uni-party” he is effectively an Irish Tory.
Although Ireland uses the single transferable vote system, I’ve come to realise that this is little, if any, better than first past the post. In the end the “main” parties bubble to the top and one of them gets elected. I was disappointed when we did not chose STV in the referendum here in the UK. But I was wrong. I’m glad that option was defeated. Both Ireland and the UK need a better system of PR.
In both Ireland and the UK the main parties have become progressively more neoliberal, more right wing. Often there is no viable alternative to these parties. But in Ireland they can express their disapproval of both neoliberal main parties in a presidential election. This is something denied to UK voters. Furthermore having an elected head of state provides democratic justification should they decide to veto legislation (Irish presidential powers are somewhat constrained), which I think is ultimately the primary function of a head of state (our monarchs never veto, though they should, and don’t have a democratic mandate if they did). In these respects Ireland is lucky to have an elected head of state.
I think there are positive signs in the UK too. In both Scotland and now Wales (Caerphilly byelection) voters are rejecting the main parties. I some what disagree that this a wholly positive vote for the SNP (who have made plenty of mistakes) or for Plaid Cymru, although there is undoubtedly a positive aspect. I think they also provide an alternative, just as the election for the Irish President does, to reject the main parties. In England a viable alternative has been missing. I hope this may now be provided by the Green Party.
It’s the impact it would have in N Ireland that particularly interests me. I’ve long thought of NI as the San Andreas Fault of the UK and, if Catherine Connolly gets elected, it could well shift the Overton Window towards reunification.
I would caution against interpreting this election beyond what it is – a choice between two poor candidates who have not excited the Irish electorate. Let’s see what the turnout is like!
As for Sinn Féin – nobody is holding anyone back – it is called democracy! Once they tell a compelling story to the Irish electorate and can make a case for a coalition with other parties, they will be in government and will have earned their place.
Sorry – but you really do sound like a supporter of the Tory Irish establishment to me.
Very funny!
You might need to get behind the Sinn Féin spin: https://www.independent.ie/business/technology/mary-lou-hitches-up-sinn-fein-partymobile-for-silicon-valley-drive-by/41975672.html
“But on corporate tax, the tech titans have little to worry about. Sinn Féin now resembles Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil far more closely than Irish left-wing parties. It is all but committed to existing headline tax rates for big multinationals, such as Facebook, Apple and Google.”
What is more concerning – to me at least – are Sinn Féin’s environmental policies – rated by FOE as being right along those Tory parties:
https://www.thejournal.ie/three-leading-parties-fail-climate-policy-test-6552300-Nov2024/
For reference, I am a long-suffering GP member.
I accept parties in power in Ireland cannot get over allowing large corporations to wipe their feet on the country as if it is the world’s universal doormat
I would be careful about over interpreting the result of today’s presidential election. Catherine Connolly will almost certainly win resoundingly, but Mary Robinson was from a similar part of the electorate in 1990 – all of 35 years ago – and Michael D Higgins, also a socialist, is coming to the end of 14 years as president this year and neither presidency led to any change at a party political level. From what I gather from speaking to a lot of friends and family at home, many people are treating their presidential election vote, if they do vote, that is, as a free kick, as they usually do, and it doesn’t mean anything about their general election voting intentions. That is, it doesn’t matter. Catherine Connolly will do her best to embarrass the government as much as possible. There will be a constitutional crisis or two when she refuses to sign legislation or stick to what the government has written for her, but that this will lose support for the left because voters won’t like Ireland being turned into what they will perceive to be a laughing stock. I don’t live there full-time anymore. This is what people tell me about how they see things panning out.
But kicks matter…
And thanks, nonetheless
Be careful what you wish for. In a few years time Reform may become the largest party here, but without an overall majority.
Why?
And?
So?
A couple of corrections to the comments made:
Neo liberalism isn’t about small state; its about monopolising the state for its own benefit. There was nothing small about the great bail out of the banks with our money. Short of the state declaring and mobilising for war on Russia, that is probably the biggest state intervention we are ever likely to see.
Our Monarchy never vetoing? The election of Gough Whitlam in Australia was cancelled by John Kerr, Governor General, acting on behalf of the monarch (ER).
Austerity is about a small state for those who matter most to me. I stand by my position.
I think we could fine-tune this to say that neoliberalism is about a small state as far as society is concerned, with mass privatisations, wholesale outsourcing of state and local government to profit-seeking alternatives, and them massive reduction in civil and public servants who could oversee them, but no small state whatsoever with respect to the transfer of government funds to the private sector and an expansion of security state activity in the oversight of the population for a variety of “reasons”, particularly when society itself objects to the excessive “profit-taking” going on in return for inefficient, wasteful, even parasitic private provision.
Fair
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