Stephen Donnelly’s switch to Fianna Fáil this week drew angry reactions from many corners. Coming several months after he resigned as co-leader of the Social Democrats and reverted to an Independent stance, many dredged up examples of Donnelly deriding Fianna Fáil for their policies, people and actions of the past. After his extensive criticism of the party, it was abrupt and bizarre to see Donnelly align himself with them and take on the new role of the party’s spokesperson on Brexit.
Donnelly launched the Social Democrats with Catherine Murphy and Róisín Shortall as an alternative to the entrenched parties of the establishment, placing themselves as a fresh and exciting option for those disillusioned with politics as usual. Writing in this paper in advance of the General Election last year, Donnelly spoke specifically to students, illustrating his party’s emphasis on higher education and his personal belief that investment in young people would ultimately reward Ireland. The Social Democrats were to be an improvement on typical politics and, as suggested in his many derisory tweets and interviews, a significant improvement on Fianna Fáil.
To see Donnelly jump ship to the old order came as a shock to his fervent supporters – many of whom were young people, looking to invest in a fresh set of political ideals. Many of Fianna Fáil’s policies and priorities stand in stark contrast to Donnelly’s purported beliefs and the platform upon which he was initially elected. Though this is just another case of a politician letting us down, it seems to have shocked the country more, perhaps because his enthusiasm and passion for his cause had captured attention beyond his constituency. In criticising Fianna Fáil and the typical political processes, Donnelly had endeared himself to young people who wanted something new. Now that faith has been entirely ruined.
Young people are derided for not voting and yet events like Donnelly’s move to Fianna Fáil would not inspire anybody to invest in the political process. To encourage young people to engage with politics, it’s necessary first to have politicians that someone would bother engaging in. Donnelly had been one of those people. But his about-turn shows again how politics in Ireland remains a business-as-usual affair that will continue to fail to engage its people.
