Interesting times ahead?

Today may well prove to be a very important day in the history of Fine Gael. Enda Kenny’s initiative to create policy groups of members of the parliamentary party, the front-bench and experts from the wider party to look at four key areas is a very brave and interesting step

As Enda Kenny rightly highlighted in his speech, the politics of Ireland will remain centrist. The challenge we face in FG is to provide clearly Fine Gael solutions within that context to the problems facing the country, and this is centrally a useful way to come up with radical proposals in that regard. As Enda further pointed out in his speech “we came close to Government. It would be easy for us to think that a little bit more of the same will get us over the line the next time. It won’t.” We need to remember that over the coming months, and vigorously embrace initiatives such as this.

Such an approach requires an honest engagement from the upper echelons of the party to  the outside ideas and influences, and in particular to the many people within the party who are have first hand expertise in the areas under scrutiny. And in return, the membership should actively engage in the debate. If not directly involved, party members should look to foster their own debate on the issues, and promote their own thinking. This blog will look to help in that regard by inviting people to contribute their views on the 4 areas over the coming weeks.

This is an opportunity for a fresh approach to be taken to many of the issues which despite our recent prosperity have not been tackled.  It is an opportunity which the party should vigorously engage with after this week, and it is an opportunity to which all party members and supporters should take.

The four areas highlighted by Enda Kenny for discussion:

1. A Competitive and Green Economy – Achieving Strong and Sustainable Growth in Employment and Living Standards Across the Country

2. Public Services – Delivering Quality Public Services like Education and Health

3. Trust in Politics – Empowering Citizens and Restoring Political Accountability

4. Families and Communities – Balancing the Needs of Family, Community and the Economy and tackling long term issues like poverty and deprived communities .   

Beal na Bláth

This Sunday will see David Puttnam give the oration at the annual Beal na Bláth commeration in west Cork. For those who have forgotten their history, it was at Beal Bláth that Michael Collins was ambushed and killed on the 22nd of August 1922, and in memory of his massive contribution to Irish history, an annual commeration and oration takes places there every year.

Michael Collins

In recent years, those who have made the oration have included Dr. Pat Wallace, Enda Kenny and Michael Noonan, with the Collins 22 Society maintaining transcripts of their orations which make for interesting reading. According to a 2006 Independent article, he lives primarily in Cork, but to be honest, I wouldn’t particularly know much about the man. However, some scouting about the net suggests he should be good.

He is currently Labour Lord in the House of Lords, and has a history in advertising before moving onto the film industry where he was involved as a Director-Producer in a number of quite successful productions such as Chariots of Fire and The Killing Fields and of course the The War of the Buttons. He is currently a Deputy Director of Channel 4, and was one of the main figures involved in drafting UK legislation on broadcasting, particularly as it related to public service broadcasting. At the end of last year, he gave a speech on this area to a BCI conference, which seems to have provoked an interesting debate.

Possibly more interesting however is his current role in the UK with regard to climate change, where he is chairman of a joint committee on Climate Change. Indeed, that committee under Puttnam came out strongly in the past week criticised a government proposed Climate Change bill as not going far enough. In addition, he also addressed the issue of the digital divide, and the resulting implications for equal opportunity for all in society.

There are a large number of issues which he may well address, and it looks like it should be a very interesting event. Unfortunately I won’t be able to make it along myself, but if anyone out there can make it down for the 3pm oration and would be willing to write up a report on it, and take a few photos to let us know what went on, please drop us a line.

Aer Lingus, Shannon and the Heathrow Slots

As has been fairly well shown in the Shannon-Heathrow debacle, the 25% stake the government continues to hold in Aer Lingus is valueless to the population at large. The government either cannot, or doesn’t wish to use it to influence their strategic policy – so, bar comforting the Aer Lingus unions there, why should we keep it?

Rather, what has been shown is that the real issue is not the airline, but rather the slots. While I appreciate there are difficulties with the ownership of slots, and potential changes in Heathrow, what I would propose is that the Irish government seeks to sell its 25% stake in the company back to Aer Lingus – in return for some form of deal which would include ownership of a number of their strategic slots i.e. those at Heathrow. These slots could be continued to be used by Aer Lingus for routes from Ireland, but if they closed down a route those slots could then be rented to other airlines for services from Ireland.

What puts this issue into further light was that on the radio the other Jeffrey Donaldson suggested that the competitor with Belfast for the Aer Lingus hub was Birmingham. Whatever about giving business north, moving it truly abroad is a different matter. Certainly, something worth considering, and possible a damn sight more useful than having a minority share in the company.

Further research obviously would be needed, particularly with regard to issues relating to the true ownership of the Heathrow slots and also Brussels competition law, but it is definitely something worth looking at.

Edit: One of our own, Dan O’Sullivan proposed something similar a year ago. Pity event proven him right. Indeed, Olivia Mitchell was raising concerns about the Heathrow slots and possibly retaining them going back to 2005.

They’ve accepted their own hypocrisy, so why not accept them?

Given the value that the Greens attach to principle, it was no surprise to hear Trevor Sargent a few weeks ago stating in the Dáil that Fine Gael should have done a deal with Sinn Féin in order to get into government. To have gone down that course would have represented a complete insult to the electorate, as throughout the election and for the course of his leadership Enda Kenny had quite clearly and categorically stated his opposition to such a course of action.

Are Sinn Féin still to be frozen in the Coyctus?

But as one government has been formed, we should look forward to the next – and in that context, Fine Gael should be prepared to look at coalition with Sinn Féin if the numbers stake up. Such a course of action is something which cannot be undertaken lightly and there would need to be an open and vigorous debate on this within the part, but the events leading up to this election and subsequent too it suggest that we should no longer consider Sinn Féin as utterly beyond the Pale.

While the events in the North had over the past decade seen a softening of attitudes towards Sinn Féin, a number of factors militated against their participation in the Republic’s government. They still appeared to refuse to accept the common political narrative of this state, their position within that and all that implies; their political strength had the appearance of ever increasing momentum; and all the while the continued to adopt economic policies which were far beyond which could be incorporated in a workable government.

Most publicly through their acceptance of the PSNI, and previously through acts such as the PIRA’s decommissioning, the so-called ‘Republican Movement’ were increasingly adopting the accepted political narrative of this state – that whereas armed rebellion was acceptable in times past, it cannot be repeated again. The continued rhetoric from all levels of Sinn Féin in condemning militant activities and encouraging co-operation with authorities on both sides of the borders confirms this complete about their on their previous past. Indeed, in tandem with the above, their attempts to recast the narrative of the PIRA’s terror campaign as a human rights issue, rather than a war of attempted national re-unification is similarly encouraging.

They have now accepted that what was acceptable to them in the recent past, in circumstances not today dissimilar is no longer acceptable today. They have, liked most of the other political players did seventy/eighty years ago accepted their own hypocrisy, and lacerate those who did what they once did. Their armed revolutionary output is now purely of an historical variety, with no real implications for the future.

While the above has only really settled down in the past year, the potential rapid advance of Sinn Féin electorally in the absence of such settling was worrisome. Now, it is fairly clear that their electoral advance has been stymied, with the threat that they could possess to the general political order clearly limited. While the prospect of having Sinn Féin in a government when they were ever increasing in size and gaining further momentum wouldn’t be stomachable for many, most particularly those in the Labour party – after the most recent election, Sinn Féin as very much a junior partner are a different and more bearable proposition.

Finally, the almost complete abandonment by Sinn Féin of any form of strongly left-wing economic policies – most exemplified by their complete u-turn on corporation tax – show that on the economic front, they offer little that wouldn’t be compatible with a FG/Labour government. Indeed, on the policy front more generally their main issues would be covered by such a government in the main, beyond possibly on a number of issues relating to promoting a United Ireland.

These would appear to be namely a Green Paper on National Unity; speaking rights for Northern Ireland MPs in the Oireachtas and allowing voters in the North to vote for the President. While allowing Northern Irish MPs speaking in the Oireachtas may yet be a step too far – after all, if they aren’t going to be affected by the parliaments decisions, why should they be allowed speak there – the other two areas should present little enough difficulty. A Green Paper on National Unity is something which, as a United Ireland party, we should not be afraid to promote ourselves – indeed, it is something which if promoted by ourselves could be quite a useful mechanism for engaging the Unionist community. Expanding the vote for the President to all citizens would allow Northern nationalists vote, and is something which is largely important only in a symbolic way.

Therefore, as we look forward, Fine Gael should be willing to contemplate co-operation with Sinn Féin in a future government. Labour’s deal with Sinn Féin in the Seanad has set the tone, and we should not be unwilling to co-operate increasingly in the Dáil, with a willingness to one-day potentially work in government with them. Such a course of action will provoke a strong debate in the party, and there will be an inevitable backlash from some members and supporters – this was clear from the last meeting of this forum, when this subject attracted strong opinions from all sides.

And in addition to the above, they present little electoral threat to Fine Gael, but have the potential to be represent to Fianna Fáil what the PDs have represented to us. As they settle further in main-stream centre-left constitutional politics, there should be little obstacles to do a deal with this party in three, four, five years time.

Why not Sir Tony?

Since I’ve heard of Eoghan Harris’s appointment to the Seanad, the question that has been bothering me is why not Sir Tony? After all, it was hardly as if the Sindo coming so strongly on-board the FF bandwagon was the result of independent thought by the likes of Harris and his ilk. Surely the reward should be for the master rather than the instrument?

Would membership of the Seanad be beneath a Knight of the Realm, or more likely will Sir Tony’s return for his consistent support for FF, be in a less public but far more rewarding sphere? Thankfully, we have a strong media in this country which will be sure to further examine the relationship between O’Reilly and Fianna Fáil.

A Great Election, Now for a Greater one – Project Overall Majority

So goes the (tad ambitious) title for this weekend’s YFG Summer School taking place in Doolin. In a break from previous YFG summer schools which generally tended to deal with policy issues and the like, this weekend’s get-together will be looking at how to build for the recent election. Not so much to review the last election in its minute, and relieve the things that went particularly well or badly, but more to get an idea where we want to the party to go, and how we are going to get there.

In the aftermath of the election there was a mixed mood amongst party members – we were disappointed not to get into government naturally enough, but at the same time there was great optimism that we had got so far. I suppose which view one tended toward depended very much on your background in the party – someone like myself, who was only involved since 2001 would naturally tend towards great enthusiasm with the result given how far we came.

Random Doolin picture

Anyway, irrespective of the initial reaction to the election, the only real way to look forward is with optimism. We have a greatly invigorated parliamentary party with a strong infusion of new, and quite diverse TDs – something which will hopefully be complemented with the outcome of the Seanad elections. Furthermore, with the shape of the current Dáil only ourselves and Labour have speaking rights from the opposition – something which may help solidify the idea in the public mind of a clear opposition.

So, we are in a reasonably strong position looking forward, but as to how are we going to achieve those extra 10 seats or so to enable us deliver government things are not quite as clear. I’m an optimist, so I would tend to the view that we are going to achieve great things, but we cannot presume that it is just a matter of time and things will fall into our laps – but as to what we need to do to achieve that, I don’t have any particuarly great ideas.

As such, it will be interesting to hear the views of YFGers down in Doolin. Naturally parts of this will inevitably revolve around the party’s public face and policy, an examination of the organisation itself, and the role of branches and members within the organisation would be very, very interesting. While we have had massive increases in membership over the past few years, a review of membership and branch activity would be telling as to whether the party gets full value for them. And equally pressingly, what the party wants from members and from branches. Do we need more members, where do we need them, and what do we need them doing?

While the Summer School will tackle the overall picture, there is also the challenge to deliver more from YFG . In particular is it possible to translate the vibrancy of the main college branches to the regional branches – and to ensure strong retention of members from YFG to FG. We need to define what we want to get out of YFG over the next 5 years, and then set out how we can achieve that.

All the above will get some sort of airing over the weekend, in what promises to be a different event to any of the YFG Summer School’s I have previously attended, which have focused in the main on policy issues and the like. But this debate as to how we can deliver more from FG needs to be carried outside of the Summer School, and on further – and it needs to involve all sections of the party to get the broadest possible viewpoints.

 In the aftermath of the 2002 election something similar occurred, but it was primarily a getting the party back up of the ground exercise. This time, we need to focus that energy clearly on what we need to do so that in 5 years time we are in government – and what we need every member, branch and unit of the party to do to achieve that . We have the time over the coming months for such a debate to occur, there will be no excuse if we don’t use it.

Welcome

Welcome to the Library Bar Forum blog. We are working to get this up and running over the coming days – for more details on what we are all about, check out the About Us page. The main we are looking for is Fine Gael people to contribute. If your interested in getting involved email the librarybarforum@gmail.com