Cork: Fianna Fail Stonghold?

21st Nov 2010

"He killed my Ma. He killed my Pa. But I'll still vote for Charles Taylor."

These are the shocking lyrics of a song sung by Liberians during the 1997 Presidential elections to the perplexity of outside observers as the civil war tyrant strolled to a 75% majority victory in elections that were generally deemed to be fair by independent observers

Charles Taylor wreaked havoc on Liberia, killing, raping and looting but was still elected President in 1997 in elections (with 75% of the vote) that were generally considered free and fair.

Why would you vote for somebody who wreaked havoc on your country for seven years making life miserable and terrifying for the population of a country that was already the fifth poorest in the world?

Sociologists mesmerised by the infamous election result have made some eye opening conclusions that are not entirely irrelevant to the current state of Irish politics.

Liberians voted for Charles Taylor, a man now being accused of heinous genocide at the war tribunal in The Hague, simply because the electorate believed he was a powerful man.

Taylor, they premised, was a man who defeated his enemies with ease and if you were on his side then you tapped into some of that power too - you could take your neighbour's TV, loot a shop or kill somebody as long as you had his or his party's blessing.

The Irish experience, while thankfully far less murderous than that suffered by the misfortunate citizens of that west African state, is not dissimilar. Due to the highly localised nature of our electoral system, politicians who have been proven to be corrupt ironically have their re-election chances increased. Michael Lowry in Tipperary North being the pertinent and shameful example.

The dogs on the streets of Thurles know that if you need a bit of "pull" then Lowry is your man. On foot of his tax dodging status issued by the McCracken tribunal (and a £395,000 extension to his home paid for by Ben Dunne) Fine Gael refused to allow him run as a Fine Gael candidate. An act of integrity from then Taoiseach John Bruton it must be said.

The public reaction to the scandal? Lowry almost doubled his vote in Tipperary despite still being embroiled in a tribunal investigating his role in the awarding of a mobile phone license to ESAT digiphone. Can you blame political parties therefore for blurring the lines of acceptable moral standing within their own fold?

It could be argued that Tipperary people have always been lacking morality but, like Liberians and their powerful icon, they too believe Lowry is a powerful man that deserves their vote. He got a supermarket to pay for a big extension to his gaf - sure he has to be!

When Corkonians go to the polls next year they must carefully consider who they vote for.

Now that the Greens have laid their cards on the table the spin machines are cranking up loudly like jet engines as Fianna Failers desperately and quite pathetically try to distance themselves from the catastrophes of the last decade. The noise of this election will become ear bleedingly unbearable as government TDs spin like human merry-go-rounds as they face a heavy cut in pay if they lose their seat.

Dominque Strauss-Kahn has replaced the Irish government as leader

Rather than creating new political parties, as tempting as it might be, there's a far easier way to affect change on the political landscape. Turning Fianna Fail into a tiny irrelevant party is wishful thinking, especially in rural constituencies, but ensuring they get as little of the vote as possible in 2011 will be key to sending a message that inept politicians who end up giving away Irish sovereignty cannot be tolerated.

FIANNA FAIL STRONGHOLD
As embarrassing as it sounds, Cork is considered a Fianna Fáil stronghold. Michael Ahern and Ned O'Keeffe topped the poll in Cork East, Michael Martin and Michael McGrath in South Central, Billy Kelleher in Cork North Central and Christy O'Sullivan in Cork South West were all elected on the first count in 2007. That's before we touch on other comfortable victories by the likes of Batt O'Keeffe, Michael Moynihan and Noel O'Flynn. It's mortifying isn't it?

On Monday evening a group of about two hundred people marched through Cork city centre with candles shouting 'shame on fianna fáil' and with car horns blaring all around them. The other side of that coin is that Cork people can just as easily turn around and dump all nine Fianna Fail TDs in the next general election. That's democracy.

Even Liberians have learned their polling day lessons. The country turned a corner when Ellen Johnson Sirleaf took office in 2006 making every effort to reduce her county's huge debt and Liberia is slowly but surely pulling itself out of its perpetual self-harm.

Poignantly, one of Sirleaf's main credits is establishing a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to heal divisions created during years of civil war. She even publically apologised for the small part she played in initially supporting Charles Taylor - even our gombeens deny us the dignity of contrition.

Over 90 years after independence Ireland is still lumbered with the dead weight of two civil war parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. Even the different spelling of the first word in their names looks childish and dated not to mention their barely inseparable political positioning.

Some have been frustrated by the lack of Greek style riots in Ireland over austerity measures but this may have been a hidden positive. Deep down Irish people realise they all had a part to play in the county's downfall: primarily by electing gombeens. And now we have our chance to reverse our mistakes.

Cork must express its rage and riot where proper citizens of democracies should do it: at the ballot box.

2007 General Election results: