This week on the Irish Election Literature Blog… March 5, 2010
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Irish Politics, The Left.trackback
…as AK says, he reckons we are getting a few beauts this week and I think he’s right. As ever many thanks…
In 1951 John B Keane set up a fictitious political party, the Independent Coulogeous Party, complete with a fictitious candidate, Tom Doodle…. [This is stunning stuff, brilliant find AK – wbs]
In 1981 Christopher Fettes wrote a letter to the Irish Times which led to The Inaugural Gathering of the Ecology Party of Ireland.
From 1998 Joe Holohan running for the Democratic Left in the Dublin North by-election.(The Christian Solidarity Party polled over twice his vote). Turned out to be the last day Democratic Left appeared on a ballot paper.
Another Kerry item, but this time about issues all too real, a recent flyer from The Kerry Public Service Workers Alliance.
A rarity from the mid 70s, a leaflet entitled …‘What is The Independent Socialist Party?’
From 2004 and Killian Forde in a ‘Donaghmede Sinn Fein Special Bulletin’ exposes all sorts of goings on about Donaghmede Probation Office.
and last but not least….
From the 1997 General Election. Fianna Fails ‘New Kid on the block’ , the now media pundit Noel Whelan, notes that ‘Many young people are also deeply concerned about escalating house costs and the current over heating of the Dublin property market….’.
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 
Yes, we should remember the great John B Keane, a man “with a respect for strong liquor and a repertoire of stirring ballads.” See:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKIqNTJ-yus
Also dead and gone from our 21st-century lives is the Green Party, apart from a few final twitchings and twitterings.
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Keanes “Letters of an Irish TD” are so close to the truth, I guess that Jackie Healy_Rae is modelled on him. Waht did Wilde say about life mitating art.
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[…] – The Independent Hat-tip to the Great Cedar Lounge Revolution and Irish Election Literature Blog: This week on the Irish Election Literature Blog… The Cedar Lounge Revolution I hope posters will join with me in offering meaningless promises of support to any potential Tom […]
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Fair play to the Kerry Public Service Workers Alliance. Have a look at their website kpswa.wordpress.com.
Their demands are moderate: “It was made clear that the plan of the KPSWA is to ensure that the entire national trade union network is used to change the face of Irish politics to break the stranglehold of the elite on power and place it in the hands of those who truly represent the interests of the vast majority of the citizens of Ireland.”
I like it. I like it a lot.
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What makes a political party fictional? I ask, because one of the more interesting aspects of the news from the Dutch elections is that the Geert Wilders right-wing populist party has NO members. It simply doesn’t accept any. In which case, how is it any more a “party” than John B.’s?
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You’d think warning bells would go off in the minds of the electorate there – no?
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The Kerry Alliance have picketed local TDs, including Healy-Rae and made their presence felt down there big time.
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Fianna Fail’s ‘new kid on the block’ had a bit of a gut on him for a 28-year old. He’s very objective now of course isn’t he? The prick.
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He’s 41 now? My God, I thought he was ten years older.
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Look at the pictures of him, though. He’s obviously been 41 since 1997, at least.
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Yeah… but… that’s just wrong… Man, is this what being an FF candidate does to someone? A healthy vibrant young feller and now look at him. On Frontline he sported a silvery suede head.
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