Fine Gael, parliamentary democracy and the sub-American Irish media

[Allez les blues]

This weekend Fine Gael is leading Fianna Fail by seven percent according to polls of national opinion.

This poll-rating, notwithstanding the appalling incompetence of An Taoiseach Cowen, An Tanaiste Coughlan, and Minister Lenihan, demonstrates that the Fine Gael party is doing something that is making FG more appealing to the public than it has been at any other time in the last 25 years.

At the same time, this weekend there are calls in the media for Fine Gael to replace the leader who has led the party to this position. There is thus clearly a strong divergence of opinion between the Irish public and the Irish media.

The Irish media's view of politics is a sub-American view. For the past 18 months Irish newspapers subjected the Irish people to blanket coverage of the candidacy of Barack Obama for the American Presidency. During an 18-month period when Ireland's public finances were crumbling, the vast majority of political reporting and commentary in Irish newspapers focussed on the campaign of a man for the presidency of another country.

By their obsessive coverage of the USA Democratic Party general election campaign, and by their persistent calls for a change of FG leadership, the Irish media is demonstrating that it doesn't understand, and doesn't value, the qualities of the Irish political system.

America's is a presidential democracy, and consequently the most successful political campaigns in that country are ones that are spearheaded by a dominating figurehead.

Ireland's is a parliamentary democracy, and consequently the most successful political outfits in this country are ones that feature a wide range of leaders in specific policy areas.

The roles of an American political leader and an Irish political leader are thus fundamentally different. The American party leader's job is to set the agenda. The Irish party leader's job is to manage those who set the agenda.

Bertie Ahern succeeded as a party leader in Ireland. Liam Cosgrave succeeded in Ireland. Sean Lemass succeeded as a party leader in Ireland. Jack Lynch succeeded as a party leader in Ireland. Enda Kenny is succeeding as a party leader in Ireland. Dick Spring was a successful party leader in Ireland.

John Bruton failed as a party leader in Ireland. Charlie Haughey was an unsuccessful leader. Michael McDowell was an unsuccessful party leader in Ireland. James Dillon was an unsuccessful party leader in Ireland. Pat Rabbitte was an unsuccessful party leader in Ireland.

It is time for Ireland's unreflecting sub-American media to get back into synchrony with the Irish people. Instead of conducting market research on the voting habits of working class middle aged suburban white divorced women with three children in north-western Mississippi, it should concentrate on examining the habits and the beliefs of the people to whom they sell newspapers every day

[Big Bobo]

This weekend Fine Gael is leading Fianna Fail by seven percent according to polls of national opinion.

This poll-rating, notwithstanding the appalling incompetence of An Taoiseach Cowen, An Tanaiste Coughlan, and Minister Lenihan, demonstrates that the Fine Gael party is doing something that is making FG more appealing to the public than it has been at any other time in the last 25 years.

Believe me Fine Gael have not done anything correctly, this is simply a case of FF shooting themselves in the foot. FG have gained simply because they are not FF. Perhaps you could argue that they have succeeded in their opportunistic efforts by appearing at OAP rallies and teachers marches but it will soon become clear to the public FG are no alternative. All they offer is a slightly different capitalist aimed at business owners and the self employed. People are just so angry at the government they don't know where to turn right now and FG seem the logical place to the uninformed voter. Over time when people calm down and take a cooler and calmer assesment they will come to the conclusion that this is a crisis of capitalism and not a case of FF caused crisis of capitalism. No capitalist party especially a thatcherite one like FG can offer anything to the working class.

[joemomma]

There is a presidential element to Irish general elections though. Although local factors and party loyalty play a huge part in Irish elections, a lot of people vote for local candidates as a proxy for the respective candidates for Taoiseach. I think that both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael get a boost from this type of voter, as the realistic candidates for Taoiseach are always the leaders of these parties.

Although Enda may be a great chap altogether and a genius at sorting out FG internally, he lacks a certain something from the point of view of nailing this "presidential" portion of the vote. It's something that's hard for FGers to see, as he is very popular internally and succeeded admirably in rebuilding the party after a disastrous showing in 2002.

I'm afraid he'll never take you to the promised land. I say this not to do the man down, as on balance I'd prefer to see FG in government than FF, but I really do think he's holding them back.

[inspired]

Allez makes a fair point. The cult of the leader being like a president was fostered during Bertie's years, when FF found that the bumling Northside duck had blossomed into a celebrity swan, together with two celebrity daughter. Regular research shows that voters vote for the candidate first, party/policy second and leader third.

With the exit of our celebrity teflon taoiseach, we may now revert to electing the team that will best govern.

However, some-one needs to tell the editor of the Irish times that pointless polls asking about Bertie v Cowen and Bruton v Kenny contribute nothing to constructive political debate. If she and her south dublin chattering colleagues want rid of kenny at least have the liathroidi to say it openly.

[wombat]

If she and her south dublin chattering colleagues want rid of kenny at least have the liathroidi to say it openly.

You are probably closer to the truth than you realise. Both Cowen & Kenny have one great disadvantage as far as the IT are concerned, they don't live in Sth. Co. Dublin and can't be contacted when it suits the IT. As someone who lives in DL but works around the country, I have come to realise that as far as the Irish media is concerned, all that matters occurs in Donnybrook parish.

[FutureTaoiseach]

John Bruton failed as a party leader in Ireland.

In the final analysis I disagree. He increased FG's share of the vote and won approx 10 seats in 1997. Replacing him was a mistake. And they will make another if they ditch Kenny just when his success is becoming apparent. I have at times called for others to take on the mantle of FG leader, but that was when Bertie was Taoiseach. Cowen is now Taoiseach and is presiding over the collapse of our economy, and that changes everything.

[drbob1972]

the media don't like Kenny (or Cowen) for much the same reason, from a news media perspective they are both not terribly exicting, nor do they sell copy as well / easily as Ahern / Haughey / Rabbit / Adams do/did, the media want first and foremost someone that they can get column inches / airtime out of, and when the leaders fail to deliver same they tend to create / spin stories around them and those are almost exclusively negative.....

plain and simple, media is just sales and without a good product for them to sell they look elsewhere or seek to create product thats sensationalist to generate interest