I don’t know what you mean. Of course there are different emphases across different nations, but the concerns of most modern developed nation states are very similar with economics being the primary concern right now. In other European countries xenophobic, right-wing parties seem to be gaining some traction, fueled partially by Islamophobia. You hear a bit of “took our jobs!” grumbling, but that dissatisfaction hasn’t (as yet) coalesced into a mainstream political issue here. Most of the world is just trying to get out of the recession one way or another.
I’ll be really surprised if they get anything like the feting that Ervine, in particular, got on his death. Maybe if they die decades from now and the conflict is really a forgotten memory (in the same way that the violent acts committed during the civil war and war of independence are now). But if McGuinness was currently in the news for dying instead of running for President, I really really doubt he’d be uncritically gushed over the way Ervine was. And Adams even less so.
Working in LH I’ve seen firsthand how certain mainstream politicians - Labour in particular - are more comfortable with loyalism than republicanism. Labour were all over the McCartney sisters when they came to meet with southern politicians, whereas only a few months earlier the families of collusion victims visited and Labour snubbed them completely, not a single Labour TD or Senator agreeing to meet with them. And the other big parties didn’t do much better.
Well, for centuries before independence, and for decades after independence, it seemed like the most salient and distinguishing issue in Irish politics was always Ireland’s relationship with the UK (and/or/including NI); but it seems that’s all just irrelevant now, you don’t even mention it. Ireland’s relationship with the UK (including even the Republic’s relationship with NI, I presume) is, now, no more politically important than Ireland’s relationship with any other EU country. Nor do you mention cultural issues I know have played a role in Irish (Republic) politics in the past, like just how Catholic the country should be (abortion, divorce, etc.); you seem to be past all that, too. Interesting and positive developments, I say.
That’s not entirely true, but it is true that the relationship isn’t really a political issue anymore per se.
The divorce issue is settled, certainly. But abortion is still an issue, particularly in light of a recent European Court of Human Rights decision which effectively ordered Ireland to legislate for those cases that fall within what the Supreme Court has decided is an exception to our abortion ban (where the woman’s life is genuinely in danger). The government is under a lot of pressure from the looney-lifer contingent to ignore the ruling, and so far they’re doing a very good job of doing just that.
Catholic control of the schools is a major issue, with an increasing number of non-Catholic immigrants, as well as native Irish who have turned their back on the Church. The current Minister for Education wants to take at least 50% of the schools from the Church, but the Church itself is resisting. This is going to be a long drawn-out battle.
Certainly, these are not pressing issues on most people’s minds (apart, of course, from the thousands of Irish women who travel abroad or order pills in for abortions every year, and the parents who can’t get their kids into their local school because of its Catholics First policy). But there’s allegedly supposed to be a constitutional convention at some point in the next couple years, with the aim of updating and modernising the text, and you can bet these issues will all come to the fore at that point. I’m looking forward to it 
Looks like lucky #7 is doing well.
That should be fun to watch. I remember, the first time I saw The Commitments – at the end, when the band gets into a big fight and breaks up, I was thinking, “You know, this explains a lot about Irish history.” 
For me, that’s just full of WTF. I mean, I would never ever vote for Danarosemaryscallon unless the only other person on the ballot paper was Bertie Ahern, but I can see exactly why someone (someone very different from me) would: if you were a devout fundamentalist Catholic, she could look pretty good. Same for Martin McGuinness: I can see reasons why someone would vote for him, whether I agree with those reasons or not. But Gallagher and Davis…I cannot figure out one earthly reason why anyone would vote for either of them.
I had a taxi driver the other day who said he was voting for Davis. I asked him why and he said because he thinks women are less likely to be corrupt than men.
Laudenum, you said you were planning to vote for Gallagher. Can I ask why?
I think she probably isn’t corrupt but she certainly has made a tidy sum from getting other people to give their time for free. I find that really distasteful, which is why she’s getting my next-lowest preference after Mitchell and Dana.
As for Gallagher, I think there are a few reasons why he’s doing so well:
- He comes across as personable and likable, which is not the case for a lot of his opponents.
- He’s steered clear of the negative campaigning which I think has really damaged Mitchell.
- He’s FF without being obviously FF, which means that FFers have one of their own to vote for while non-FFers don’t necessarily see him as being quite so tainted by that brand (although that might change as I suspect his FF links will be highlighted by his opponents from now on).
- For FGers that can’t stand Mitchell (which judging by recent polls is most of them), he’s a politically better option than Higgins, McGuinness or Norris, more likable than Davis (who is also linked to FF) and not obviously batshit crazy like Dana.
I thought we in America have it bad, usually having to choose between the lesser of two evils. But that’s a picnic compared to choosing among the least of seven evils.
Several sites are calling it for Michael D. numero uno in the OP. He was the least worst candidate without a doubt so I hope he’s got it.
Michael D was my number 2 choice. It doesn’t look like my number 1 has a chance but I’m happy for Michael D to get in. He seems like a decent man. The worst thing you can say about him is that he’s old and a bit of a windbag. But in comparison to the rest of them he is head and shoulders above them.
I think the debate on Monday night will be remembered for a long time. It will be one of those moments that appears on ‘Reeling in the Years’ Gallagher going from not knowing anything about the accusations against him to suddently remembering everything, to then mentioning that he accepted an envelope. The audience gasping was gas, I was dying for a lone Father Ted-esque “fuckin’ hell” from someone.
More than anything I’m just glad its nearly over. It seems to have been going on forever. And it was such a horrible negative campaign overall.
ooh I LIKE him!
transfers?
WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Sweet Jesus, for a while there I actually thought we were going to get stuck with Gallagher. I couldn’t believe it. I was so brain-burstingly *ashamed *of 40% of this country, I could’ve howled.
Sitnam, transfers are because in the Irish elections, you don’t just tick one box. Like in this one, there were seven candidates, so you could list your preferences in order from 1 through 7. Then, if your #1 preference gets eliminated in the first round, your vote goes to your #2 preference, and so on.
Happy with Micky D.
The idea of a fuck like Gallagher being the head of state of my country depressed me no end.
T’was great to watch. From the leader in the polls and a almost certain lock to win to being an also ran within a few minutes. The crazy things was that the only thing he did wrong was lie about it. Fund raising etc is fine. Just didn’t want to be linked to closely to the FF brand.
Phew! I couldn’t believe Gallagher was doing so well. I gave McGuinness my 2nd preference just for showing him for the Fianna Fail stereotype he was on Monday night.
Gallagher’s conceded already, but is it definitely a cert that Higgins is in?
Not a definite cert, but it’s not looking like there’s any way it could change. Touch wood.
I’m waiting for Sean Gallagher to throw a bitchy little tantrum about how this is all the meeja’s fault. I give it two days.
I gave Higgins a No 3 but realistically my first two preferences never had a chance so I’m happy enough with the outcome.
Although, it’s sobering that FF did as well as they did - both in terms of the presidential election and the Dublin West by-election.