Too right wing for some FG voters? August 13, 2012
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Economy, Irish Politics, Social Policy, The Left.trackback
The latest edition of the Phoenix in the piece on Rónán Mullen and where he might go were he to join a political party notes that ‘Fine Gael’s arch conservative younger generation appear more compatible bed fellows [than Fianna Fáil]’.
Perhaps so. Perhaps so.
There’s little question that there are some FG TDs who are vociferously right wing. In the past five years or so this was most evident on economic issues, but one curiosity of the present government is the way in which on social issues this is coming more to the fore. This may well be a function of coalition and the ‘lock’ on economic policy which has somewhat constrained FG (but let’s not overstate it – it’s not quite their way or the highway, but it’s certainly a lot more their way than that of the LP).
This raises the thought is, for example, Lucinda Creighton too right wing for some Fine Gael voters? I only ask on foot of the thoughts of someone I was talking to last week who noted that given the make up of Dublin South-East in the past her interesting thoughts on issues social – gay marriage being an example, might not necessarily be vote winners there amongst the more socially liberal. Now granted she is a two time winner in the constituency, and now twice second to romp home. But it’s a puzzling trajectory she appears to be following, is it not?
Indeed the comments of others in FG who paint the party as ‘Christian Democrat’ and with much that that implies brings with it problems with sections of its support.
And the thought then strikes is there a deeper strategy on the part of the LP to try to accentuate such differences over the next while precisely to point up the distinctiveness between the two parties [FG and the LP], again given that both are locked into essentially the same economic approach where there is unlikely to be any great difference? For both parties while the outcome may be different the need is there.
On the other hand does Creighton hope to appeal to ex FF voters to take up the slack if there is a drift on the part of more socially liberal voters to the LP?
I’ve no conclusions at all about this, but just see this as yet another element of the chaos that makes up contemporary Irish politics.
There is certainly a “Tory Boy” wing of the FG parliamentary party, mostly Dublin based and including such loveable figures as Creighton, Hayes, Donohoe and Varadkar, many of whom have known each other since they were youth wing young fogies. It seems to me that they are more uniform in their attachment to semi-understood right wing economics than in their throwback social views however.
Yeah, I’d completely agree. Definitely true of Hayes and Varadkar and perhaps Donohoe. What I’m wondering is there a different right wing developing, of which Creighton is more typical of which is as right wing on economic issues but also socially right wing. It’s just I find it hard to believe that Hayes has any problem with gay marriage etc.
There is certainly a “Tory Boy” wing of the FG parliamentary party, mostly Dublin based and including such loveable figures as Creighton, Hayes, Donohoe and Varadkar, many of whom have known each other since they were youth wing young fogies.
Hayes ran with an entirely different crowd as a youngster – IIRC he was a member of Democratic Left.
I doubt Hayes is in the same area regarding social issues as Creighton etc. As far as I know one of his parents was COI and he wouldn’t be against Gay Marriage or the like.
Isn’t there a long history of social Conservatism and liberalism co existing in FG. Cosgrave famously voted against his own government about contraceptives.
For years In Dublin SE you had arch Liberal Garret Fitzgerald on the same ticket as Joe Doyle who advertised being clerk of Donnybrook church in his election leaflets.
Thats before you get to Oliver J, Alice Glenn and co
In fairness to Joe Doyle, he was one of the key votes when the 1982-1987 coalition government got through their Family Planning Bill, probably the first time a government had faced down the Church. His background and his undoubted personal conservatism meant that he was subjected to an enormous amount of pressure and there was a widespread expectation that he’d crack. He didn’t.
I think Lucinda Creighton’s right wing social thing is because she sees herself as doing a cover version of American right wing thinking. It’s as much an affectation as anything else. Expect a few articles from our home grown right wingers over the next weeks on the wonderfulness on Paul Ryan, purely because they think it will annoy ‘the liberals.’
There is a strand in FG that do believe that FG have returned to their natural place as the centre-right/right wing party. The Fitzgerald years, to them, are an aberration. This is a strand that also believe there are more votes in social conservatism (‘silent majority’ stuff from the USA). Creighton is a perfect example: pro-choice in 2002, now seemingly a rabid lifer. I doubt it was the voice of God who prompted so thorough a conversion.
“Hayes ran with an entirely different crowd as a youngster – IIRC he was a member of Democratic Left.”
Really?
Wasn’t he briefly a paper member, mostly due to their policy on the North?
I’d agree with IELB, on social issues he seems sound.
I would contend that more than some “are vociferously right wing” and the rest are just “right wing” No doubt Varadker, considering the training he got from the republicans in the USA, would probably see himself as the “Paul Ryan” heir elect to the throne. However there is more than a rump of cabinet FG’er’s that would on economic issues at least, feel at home in the libertarian/neo-liberal camp e.g Bruton, Hogan, Shatter, O Reilly, and Coveney. There is no doubt that many ex PD’S have found a new home in FG, Ciaran Cannon is proof of that and the clamour for a ‘new party’ of the right to replace the PD’s seems to have abated, as FG seem to be covering most of the right wing policy aspirations. The absence of the usual right wing s**t stirrers from the public and media domain is also a good indicator that the ‘right’ is happy with the way things are going, when last have we seen More (for the 1%) McDowell, IBEC’s McCoy and Fielding from ISME yelling fire and brimestone on our tv screens? FG I believe reckon they are a shoe in after the next election and perhaps even the one after that, it is the LP that will suffer any backlash and therefore FG probably think they have plenty of time to ‘chip away’ at welfare, workers rights and the public sector
Fair point re the distinction between these groups of FG TDs.