As promised earlier in the week, I feel it is only right that if I am to blog about how Fianna Fáil needs to renew itself in policy terms, that I share with readers my own views on why I am in Fianna Fáil and the policy direction I would like to see the party take.
I joined Fianna Fáil because I identified with its roots as, as Lemass descibed it, the ‘real Labour party’, particularly in Dublin.
I am not ideological, in the sense that I can’t easily classify myself as being on the left or right. That isn’t a cop out, I genuinely believe that such tags are outdated and can’t fully explain the complexity or nuance of modern politics. I am far more interested in issues than in trying to pinpoint people on an imaginary political spectrum.
My basic political outlook is (in no particular order):
- I believe that the State should help those who can’t help themselves or those that fall on hard times, although I don’t believe that help should last indefinitely for those that are capable of providing for themselves.
- I believe that taxes, particularly personal taxes, should be kept at moderately low rates so that work is encouraged and enterprise rewarded. I believe that an environment that rewards and encourages those that provide employment is the best way to ensure a good standard of living for all.
- I believe that it is possible, through sensible regulation and oversight, for business to thrive and for workers to be respected and treated fairly. I don’t believe it is an either / or choice
- I believe that education is the silver bullet through which seemingly intractable cycles of disadvantage can be solved. However, I don’t believe that everyone has an automatic right to Third Level education. Ability to pay should not be a barrier, however academic ability should. Furthermore, students should have to contribute to the cost of Third Level education.
- I believe that Ireland is one country, one people and one nation and that, through peaceful debate and persuasion, the unity of our people can be achieved. I just haven’t figured out how we are going to pay for it.
I am, at heart, a republican. That doesn’t just mean that I desire to see a United Ireland, although that is part of it. It is much deeper than simple political unity. It means I believe in a republican form of government – one where there is equality for all citizens regardless of their means or circumstances. That means equality of opportunity for all, how one chooses to take advantage of those opportunities is ones own business. It also means equality in the law for all – man or woman, gay or straight, black or white, rich or poor.
Do other parties also espouse these principles? Absolutely, and Fianna Fáil certainly does not enjoy a monopoly on wisdom. However, I do believe that Fianna Fáil gets the balance right – it is not a servant of the unions or a slave to employers, it realises that a strong economy is the best way to provide the means to build a strong society. We have become far too closely associated with vested interests and that has to change. Being out of office will help in that process.
Do I agree with everything Fianna Fáil does or says? Of course not. Any member of a political party that tells you that they agree 100% with their party’s views is either a fool or a liar. For example, I believe the party to be too cautious and conservative on some social issues, although I believe that it is slowly starting to change in that regard.
As I wrote earlier in the week, it is essential that if Fianna Fáil is to renew itself that it clearly decides what it is it stands for and works hard on policy in opposition. That will include having to make choices that are not universally popular. With the old certainties gone in politics, and a younger, more issues-focused electorate, Fianna Fáil will have to fight for every vote – it can no longer rely on it’s traditional core to sustain it. That fight should be a battle of ideas. If it is, it will be good for Fianna Fáil and good for politics.
