Chrysalis

You would be forgiven for thinking we have been transported back in time to the Fianna Fail/Green Party coalition, we have tough decisions being made in relation to spending cuts and you have the moral compass of the junior partner piping up. This time it’s Colm Keavney who is playing the Dan Boyle role.
This strategy eventually lead to the annihilation of the Greens as a political entity of note, and if Labour is not careful it will have the same result for them. Pat Rabbitte, a seasoned media performer, then followed up with the use of the ‘if’ word in relation to the governments prospects of survival post the December budget. For a senior politician let alone a senior sitting cabinet Minister to be so open about the possibility of a government crash just shows that Labour have not learned the lessons of the Green, maybe a trip to Waterstone’s to pick up a copy of Dan’s book is in order.
Add to this the resignation of the Ennis Cllr. Who is now holding a public meeting on the cuts this week and you have the beginnings of the end for Labour. We have the Local and European elections next (possibly of course) and we will see a lot of positioning between now and they by sitting and hopeful candidates. Labour is likely to get it in the ballot box in 2014, they could lose ground in Dublin which will affect their chances of retaining those vital seats.
If the pressure does come on seats like Ciarán Lynch’s in Cork South Central, who will be one of five TD’s fighting for four seats, will also be in trouble. Labour has one chance of keeping their heads above water and minimising those potential losses and that is to stick with it, keep their ducks in a row and get on with the work.
There is another reason they should stick to it, the good of the country. We need now more than ever a government in office without fear of petty party political, and worse constituency based decisions. 166 TD’s all looking for policy decisions to be made based on how they will play in Borris, Turners Cross and Lucan has in the past and would be now a recipe for disaster. I fear we have not learned these lessons however and we will see some undignified scrambling from unhappy backbenchers and hopeful Cllr.’s.
The lack of a cohesive alternative to replace this government makes it hard to call for an election, however it is incumbent on us the citizens to step up and maybe put an alternative in place. Maybe it is time for a real shift in Irish politics, time for a party to enter the fray that will be committed to political reforms and not personal gains. Maybe it is time to open a debate on term limits, Dail size and electoral systems.
I wait as always in hope…