Government formation, the upper hand and FG ineptitude April 8, 2016
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Uncategorized.trackback
For a moment yesterday I thought FG would restrain themselves in relation to getting the digs into FF. But of course, this is FG, and as with their approach to SF, they can’t quite do that. So rather than letting FF stew a little, some days, and taking the opportunity to put out stuff ‘more in sorrow than in anger… a big decision… poor FF they need time to reflect’ thereby increasing the pressure on FF across the next days or week it has been straight on to the recriminations phase.
Acting Taoiseach Enda Kenny and a number of his senior Ministers accused Fianna Fáil and its leader Micheál Martin of putting party before country following the emphatic rejection of a partnership government by the main Opposition party. “I believe that this decision is a serious mistake and one which was driven by narrow party interests rather than the national interest,” said Mr Kenny.
He expressed regret that Fianna Fáil had refused to serve in a partnership government including Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Independents.
Which is odd. Anyway what happens next? As the IT notes this morning:
Another election in the coming months is now a distinct possibility following a bitter breakdown in relations between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil over the shape of the next government.
Sometimes I think (and again as noted yesterday I doubt many of us here have a horse in this particular race and are looking on purely as spectators) FG aren’t very good at politics.
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 
For many backbenchers – and frontbenchers who should know better – it’s a punch-and-Judy pantomime. Until they eventually get battered by the electorate in the constituencies.
LikeLike
The election result was a major rejection of the FG/Labour government
and FF did well. It would appear they are convinced that if there was another election this trend will continue and they will replace FG as the largest party in a FF/FG government. My money is another general election.
LikeLike
Word is that the FF parliamentary party meeting was a lot closer on possible coalition talks with Fine Gael than is being made out.
Martin met Kenny on Wednesday Evening. Word of an offer spread….
Now it was both sides fault in that there should have been a media blackout with party TD’s instructed not to comment on any negotiations/offers until at least after the Parliamentary Parties met. Instead details of the ‘Historic’ offer from Fine Gael to Fianna Fail were instantly blurted out.
FG people were on the airwaves congratulating themselves at making such an amazing offer……. At the same time some FF hardliners Thomas Byrne, Willie O’Dea and Niall Collins were out on the airwaves rejecting the deal offhand . So by the time the FF Parliamentary met many were cock a hoop at the prospect of rejecting the old enemy.
However there does seem to have been a good number of TDs in favour of negotiating. Among those in favour of negotiating with FG were (allegedly) Billy Kelleher, Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher , Michael McGrath, John McGuinness, Fiona O’Loughlin, Jim O’Callaghan, Brendan Smith, Darragh O’Brien and Marc MacSharry. I’d imagine too that some of the first time TD’s weren’t too keen on a quick election either. However the fact that the hardliners had already dismissed it meant the meeting turned into something less than constructive and the FG offer was rejected without further exploration.
Now it has been put to me that all of this was a sign of weak leadership from Martin.
LikeLike
I thought they may wrangle the timing to have a re-run conflict with the Stormont elections. But now maybe they’ll hold it during the summer with the students away, like they did in the early 90s.
LikeLike
“Fianna Fail TDs and Fine Gael TDs since the foundation of the State have quite distinct patterns of surnames.
Your surname is a good genetic marker for your migration heritage…
Fianna Fail is more Gaelic and Fine Gael has far more Anglo-Norman and New English names than we would expect if they were randomly assigned.
This gets to the differences between the modern parties.”
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/eoin-omalley-this-fffg-divide-runs-much-deeper-than-a-mere-civil-war-34613885.html
Two tribes united by a common ideology, but divided by genetics?
LikeLike
Has he actually tested that? The more than if they were randomly assigned bit? Because it sounds suspiciously like it was plucked from that tendentious vacancy, his hole.
And the five FGers in the picture illustrating the article all have pretty damn Gaelic names
LikeLike
“We suggest that surnames could be an objective way of studying migration patterns and ethnic heritage which may be important in explaining party systems.”
http://ppq.sagepub.com/content/19/6/985
‘suggest’, ‘could be’ ‘may be’
LikeLike
Click to access ByrneOMalley2012.pdf
LikeLike
What do they mean by “ethnic heritage”, also?
LikeLike
“Here’s one difference between a Fine Gael minister and a Fianna Fáil minister. The Fianna Fáiler generally sat in the front seat of the State car beside the driver – the Fine Gaeler more usually sat behind the chauffeur.”
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/john-downing/maybe-its-time-for-fine-fil-or-fianna-gael-34612527.html
The persistence of caste….
LikeLike
FFS! They’ll be doing blood-tests and measuring craniums next!
LikeLike
What have you got against phrenology? Next you’ll be hating on homeopathy :p
LikeLike
One problem for Byrne and O’Malley is that the civil war does not appear to have occurred along strictly ethnic lines (of course, one major leader had Spanish heritage).
If people’s political affiliations are determined by their family’s “ethnic heritage”, how was it that people born within the same family, and thus sharing the same “heritage” could choose radically different options when the split came and the guns were brought out again?
Families like this, for example:
http://www.herald.ie/news/mcdowell-tells-how-civil-war-split-family-28961748.html
Another problem is that paradigms of “blood” rarely are either politically positive, or founded in empirical reality. . .
LikeLike
“not very good at politics”
You’re telling me – awful timing and poor party discipline.
LikeLike
A family’s ethnic heritage has no bearing on modern SF. Up here think of Adams,Austin,Morrison,Gildernew,Maskey,Hazard,Milne,Carson,Groves,Millar or down South- Ellis,McDonald,Munster,Funcheon,Crowe,Stanley as a few examples.
LikeLike