The wonderfully opportunistic and hypocritical mindset of the Shinners has been brought into sharp focus (again) by a statement on the Lisbon “guaranatees” by chief political opportunist and Gerry Adams doughnut, Mary Lou McDonald.Sinn Fein, who campaigned for a “no” vote on Lisbon so that Ireland could “get a better deal”, still aren’t happy, even though the EU has been forced into offering the Irish “guarantees” on their imaginary concerns (see Lisbon Two addresses imaginary concerns). McDonald now wants the “guarantees” on “taxation, neutrality and abortion” published by the EU, with an explanation of how they will be made legally binding.
The Shinners are such shysters they put Fianna Fail into the shade. They are “nationalist and internationalist” according to their website. They claim to be “left-wing” (so presumably care about women’s rights), yet they want the EU to copperfasten domestic laws that deny women the right to choose in Ireland. They are against low corporate tax rates in the Republic (but have called for them in the North), yet they want legal guarantees that the EU don't get rid of them - even if every other member state were in favour. They decided their bin-tax policies at a local level, so that in some areas they were in favour, and in others they were against.
I think Danny Morrison once referred to the phenonomon of “lumpen nationalists” in the Republican movement. Well, that’s all the Shinners are, depite their proclaimed political progression – supposedly personified in the shape of McDonald, with her squeaky clean middle-class background.
But whatever the veneer, all they and their supporters will ever be is a nationalist rump of opportunists, with a bit of populist rhetoric thrown in now and again among all the Brit-hating bile.
I’d rather vote for Fianna Fail – and that’s saying something.
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6 comments:
...I’d rather vote for Fianna Fail – and that’s saying something. ...
Vote for Fianna Fault? Hope you're kidding ;-)
Ah I am Harald. Just being a bit dramatic there!
Puh... Now my heartbeat slows down again ;-)
The Gombeen Nation - Finally something hopeful from Ireland.
I left the country in 1986 for as far away as I could get. My first visit back was in 1997 andI've have been back a few times since to see the mammy. Invariably I end up annoyed when I'm there - low level annoyance like you feel when someone takes your parking space. Discovering the GN has been great and has given me the name and address of the bastard who's parked there! Please keep it up
A few of my Irish experiences below...
Religion - 1972 the sermon of the post Easter Mass in my Irish market town consisted of a roll call of all the inhabitants, house by house, street by street detailing exactly how much each one had given in the Easter collection. I realised that this was a business and not a religion and pulled the plug.
Tolerance 1975 - girlfriend pregnant and we didn't want to "take the boat". The family priest even took me aside and hinted at the "options" on account of the upset it would surely cause if "it" went ahead
Ireland of the welcomes 1978 - our baby was born and the Nigerian midwife told us she had never been invited out for as much as a cup of tea or sent a bunch of flowers in the year she'd been delivering the townspeople's babies.
The country Irish wave -you've seen it a million times- it's the index finger arced slowly up to a point six inches off the point of the nose and it guarantees the perpetrator the right to have a good look at ya and ask aloud "Who's that fella now?" before taking your registration as you drive by remarking to your passenger how genuinely friendly these Irish people really are.
Finally the Gombeen of the Burren 2005. a Burren gift shop with a Yank just arrived from Shannon. He's telling the owner about how excited he is to have finally returned to Ireland and to the county where his grandfather had come from. It's his first time in Ireland and he is struck by the beauty of the landscape and how friendly everyone is. He told her all of this and was waiting for her to have one of those chats that the Irish are so famous for. She was standing behind the till looking at a price list. He hadn't bought anything yet. I had. "That's nice" she said "...next please"
2008 (hopefully my last visit) Ireland remembers the Discrimination - yeah right. I remember being afraid to open my mouth in London in the mid 70's. I remember the endless stream of Irish jokes from Punch to the tabloids across a century of Navvydom. The Poles deserved better than they got. I was sad to hear someone say "If it's a shit job get a Pole in to do it"
Beir Bua and keep going strong and if you ever come to Australia's deep south I'll shout you a few schooners of Cascade Draught - I mean it
Ponyboy
Hi GM, Anonymous, between the pair of you, you really have managed to capture the true meaning of being Irish and the whole Irish experience. LOL here, I mean what can you do, no point in crying is there.
I'm a city slicker myself, and can assure you it was no different in the big smoke as regards church donations. I went to an all girls catholic school, (non catholic schools being all too rare). This was a "free" state school. However, parents/guardians were expected to cough up a minimum donation of £10 per year. It was noted that the girls whose parents paid the £10 or more were treated more favourably by the nuns. I remember the entire class getting detention one day, except anyone who had helped with the flowers at mass on Sunday didn't need to do the detention. Too true anonymous religion is a business that seeks to control your life and help itself to your hard earned dosh.
As to the Ireland of the welcomes, yeah right! Now that's a slick marketing strategy by Bord Failte if ever there was one.
Thanks Anon, Ella.
A few schooners of Cascade Draught in Aussie sounds very nice indeed. I've never drank it before, but I'm sure it's lovely, Anon. My old man had the opportunity to move to Aussie as a young man (before he was my old man) but didn't take it :-( But then again, what would would I have done for a blog had he had the sense to take up the offer?
Thanks both for relating your experiences. When I see that there are other people who have made/are making the same observations as me, it warms the cockles of my little heart.
Cheers.
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