Earlier in this blog I mentioned that great quote from Cicero ‘Cui Bono?’ (Who benefits?) when analysing the decisions and initiatives of governments. It has been an accurate guide to a party’s real agenda ever since the Roman Empire and hasn't failed to reveal the truth about politicians ever since. However, ‘Cui bono?’ is not near robust enough a test for selecting a party to vote for as it only offers a guide to what has already happened in the past and it cannot present a sure picture of what may happen in the future. Obviously a voting record in the Dáil is a good guide to a TD’s personal agenda but Civil War parties operate under a whip system thus your kindly and attentive local TD may be forced by the party whip to vote against your interests and there’s nothing he or she can do about it other than resign from their party and fund their political career from their own resources and efforts (not an attractive option when one considers the enormous sums – in the millions - presented to political parties from the exchequer simply for occupying Dáil seats). It is very easy to fall into the trap of assuming ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ (They’re all like that) when it comes to candidates and parties who come knocking at your door.
The citizen voter needs to ask a farther reaching question to make an informed decision on who to vote for and who to not vote for. Voting against is not an option under Proportional Representation and, tactical voting is about as easy to master as spread betting on the horses. So here today, I would like to present my personal system of analysis: TWEE
TWEE is an acronym which stands for ‘To What Economic End?’ Here’s how it works:
Take a party, any party or even an independent candidate and ask yourself what is in their manifesto when it comes to the overall societal and economic vision they hold. What steps do they advocate taking, what laws and white papers do they propose, what changes to the tax and subsidy regime are they championing and what functions do they see being critical to the State. Most political manifestos are compromised of initiatives and promises to deal with the current areas of displeasure in the society and rarely offer a clear picture of the party’s or the individual’s long term strategy.
Let’s take the current ruling manifesto of FG and the ‘new politics’ - “The best little country to do business” – Now ask the TWEE question: To what economic end?
There are other little countries out there even in the Eurozone looking for inward investment from multinational corporations and investment funds. These little countries do not enjoy the same quality of life or the same level of service provision and thus, their people will work for less than Irish people can afford to work for. Other countries of equivalent size enjoy superior infrastructure and logistical access to mainland Europe than little old island of Ireland. Some countries are so little they have enjoyed ‘Tax haven’ Status for centuries – our current European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker hails from one of the most venerable of these patchwork states, Luxembourg. So the ‘double-Irish’ for instance is nothing new to European business we’re just not established enough with the traditional banking clans to be allowed to compete on the same footing as Luxembourg, Lichtenstein, Andorra, San Marino and Monaco. We’re just not in with the ‘in-crowd’.
This soundbyte (a mere soundbyte!) that has been the guiding principle for this country since 2011, is inherently stupid and self-defeating because to achieve the goal of being the ‘best little country to do business’ we would have to wave bye bye to all of our state services such as health, education, transport, energy, water and natural resources just to compete with the likes of the billionaire’s playgrounds of Europe whatever about the developing countries to the east. Clearly this was never going to work to our benefit even in the short term.
The Economic End of our previous seven governments has been to divest the state of all investment that does not directly benefit the International Financial Services Industry and to bring the workforce of Ireland into harmony with a smaller mix of industries and sectors than it could have otherwise enjoyed. We put all our eggs into one basket and that basket toppled in 2007. The Economic End was to move as many young people off state subsidy (unemployment benefit, third level subsidised education and housing allowance) as possible to ensure that a better subsidy could be offered to the international investors. This has had the knock on effect of Ireland ‘voluntarily’ (Deliberately) exporting two generations of Irish people to work and live (and invest and pay tax) abroad.
Now the European Union (Not the Troika) has asserted that exporting entire generations and playing silly buggers with tax instruments when it comes to large corporations is not the behaviour of an active and respectable member of the EU. They’re perfectly right because the Economic End of Europe and the Eurozone nations is to have a base-line quality of life and investment into its citizenry. However, the bailout and how it has placed an unwarranted and unwieldy yoke around the necks of Ireland’s population smacks of the highest hypocrisy. If Ireland has given unfair subsidy to Apple Inc. and other US international corporations, shouldn’t we also include Deutsche Bank, Société Générale, Crédit Suisse and BNP in the mix of corporations who have had their businesses subsidised by the Irish people to a ridiculous degree thanks to the tinkering of Herr Juncker and his ilk?
Questioning the Economic End directly impacts upon each citizen voter because handing a mandate to a political party to do as they wish creates situations which last decades. The strokes and secret deals Charles J Haughey first introduced in the late 80’s are only now being dealt with in the chamber because of the hard work and relentless questioning of Mick Wallace, Ruth Coppinger, Clare Daly and the Social Democrats; there hasn’t been a peep from the so-called opposition, even Sinn Féin and the so called ‘hard left’. There have been gestures, protests and rallies but there hasn’t been any homework and forensic challenging of government policy offered by these parties.
Shakespeare wrote in Julius Caesar : “The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones” – and thus it has been proven to be true with Charles J Haughey. Charlie’s posthumous reputation is somewhat less fractious than his living notoriety but let us look at the good that has been interred with his bones.
Free travel for the elderly.
In the mid to late 70’s Ireland experienced a gravely upsetting bloom in isolated and depressed elderly people as their families had been forced abroad by Ireland’s economic policies. A fireman called Willie Birmingham started a charity to help the elderly achieve a modicum of independence and comfort called ALONE. I have had dealings with his charity and I can attest to the fact that they are among the most diligent and caring people I have had the pleasure to meet but they would have been simply overran had free travel not been offered to our seniors to encourage them to get out from their homes and mix in the community more. The result has been in a more vibrant and sociable population mix with our seniors wielding both purchasing and political clout. Without the support of extended family to rely upon, our seniors have made good use of their free passes and ensured an internal market along Ireland’s rail and bus networks.
The Irish Financial Services Centre.
This couldn’t have been worse managed had Charlie decreed that he wanted to create an open wound in Ireland’s economy – which is the opposite of the truth – Charlie Haughey founded and successfully populated a financial zone in Ireland which handles up to €1.5 trillion per annum – that’s one thousand billion of euros sloshing through that half kilometre of Dublin’s docklands creating the ‘leprechaun economics’ situation where Ireland’s GDP (Ireland’s turnover) bears no relation to its GNP (Ireland’s profit). This facility, paid for, built to the highest standard, and serviced by the Irish state should have provided Ireland with the billions in taxes after ten years of operation as agreed with the tenant clients at the time, however, it wasn’t Charlie who was in power when the rent fell due. Albert Reynolds, Bertie Ahern, and Brian Cowan all shied away from closing the deal and Ireland continued to go without billions of tax income which it rightfully deserved for decades. After the decade of Fianna Fáil strokes and feints, Fine Gael swept into power buoyed up by Labour and then, more recently, a patchwork of opportunists, ex-PD hacks, and FG members in mufti. Have they cracked the whip on getting some of that GDP money into the GNP coffers? Have they shite!!!
Temple Bar Properties
Yes, nowadays it has the reputation of a tacky, vomit filled, alcoholic’s destination – but look at the tourism figures into Dublin and Ireland before the founding of Dublin’s cultural quarter and after and you will see a boost to the exchequer and to Ireland’s tourism offering that fuelled the mini boom of the Celtic Tiger years. How many UK and European hen and stag parties chose Dublin and Ireland as a destination before Temple Bar? Where did one go in Dublin city as a tourist looking for a good time before Temple Bar? How many guided walking and bus tours did Dublin offer – Galway, Limerick and Cork for that matter – before Temple Bar established Irish tourism as a reliable cash cow? Fine Gael’s and current Fianna Fáil’s contribution to Irish tourism has been….? Attempting to demolish Moore Street, emptying Dublin City’s O’Connell Street of all people to ensure one VIP tourist wasn’t offended by floating black balloons, and again, closing off O’Connell Street to the citizens of Ireland as a junket for visiting dignitaries happened on the centenary Easter Sunday commemoration. That’s why I didn’t blame the LUAS drivers for going on strike – cui bono?
Section 31 of the Finance Act – Tax free status for artists and creative works.
As of the time of writing – Ireland has three film studios which are fully booked and operational. Ireland has five of the top twenty movie stars in the world. Irish musicians, fine artists, sculptors, novelists and poets are world renowned. Irish culture is well understood and appreciated globally. An interval act of Irish dancing and contemporary Irish music called Riverdance has toured the world for the last twenty one years. All these things happened because of this one economic gesture towards nurturing Irish talent and creativity – not just leaving it to the professional gaelgóirí who wanted to preserve our Celtic Revival culture in amber. Again, what legislation or tax adjustments have been implemented by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, labour, or the current Independents since to encourage our culture to flower and pollinate the world? Zip!
The Fianna Fáil of Charles J Haughey had a definite and clear economic end. Charles J Haughey was determined that Ireland shook off – once and for all – the raggedy man reputation of the Republic’s early years and stepped with fresh confidence as an equal member onto the European Stage. It may have been ego but he was ultimately successful and we are more the richer for it. Now look at how the Celtic Tiger years are remembered by the current incumbents Fine Gael and the political pygmies of latter day Fianna Fáil – “We lost the run of ourselves” – Who is this ‘we’ they keep referring to?
I am dismissive of all Civil War parties – Labour and Sinn Féin are also civil war parties having been in existence at the time of the civil war and they share the same proprietorial attitude to Ireland’s people – because they cannot answer the TWEE question. If you apply this test to the parties’ general vision and founding principles you very quickly see that none of them offer a positive or beneficial economic end but are defined by their antipathy towards one another. Ireland’s people are like the unfortunate children of warring, drunken parents trapped in a chaotic and dysfunctional household in which they are being used as pawns and hostages by one parent against the other. Thank goodness we have divorce in Ireland – if only we could divorce from these self-obsessed parties and their gombeen cronies.
From Fianna Fáil’s own Website:
“Fianna Fáil represents the mainstream of Irish life. It is the only party which on several occasions has commanded overall majorities in Dáil Éireann. Since its foundation Fianna Fáil has been the single most coherent force in Irish politics, so much so indeed that alternative governments have been characterised by their opposition to Fianna Fáil as their only common bond. Electorally Fianna Fáil is second only to the Social Democrats in Sweden in its length of tenure in office.”
“Fianna Fáil adheres to the great democratic principle of government of the people, by the people and for the people. The party’s name incorporates the words ‘The Republican Party’ in its title. Republican here stands both for the unity of the island and a commitment to the historic principles of European republican philosophy, namely liberty, equality and fraternity.”
“Fianna Fáil has always had a ‘can do’ attitude. The Party has always been positive and never defeatist in its thinking. Fianna Fáil aims to unite all in a common identity of self-confident Irish men and women in a dynamic, vibrant, prosperous nation.”
To what Economic End?
Where in this mish-mash of self aggrandisement, borrowed ideals and usurpation of Ireland’s Republic is there a vision for how Ireland can plan in the long term? This non-statement makes absolutely no mention of Ireland’s current economic challenges, its selling out to vulture fund managers, and the shameful continuing abandonment of its young and old alike – the ‘can do’ attitude is clearly reserved for those prepared to stump up the cash to get a dodgy passport or rezoning scheme though. By their own words let them be damned; Fianna Fáil professes no economic end other than to continue to be dominant in Irish politics and to command overall majorities in Dáil Éireann. That’s it; just power for its own sake. That’s what you’re voting for.
From Fine Gael’s Website: (and I had to scroll waaaaaaay down to get to this link)
“Fine Gael is a party of the progressive centre. That means we act in a way that is right for Ireland, regardless of dogma or ideology. We base our policies and ideas on our core beliefs”
(Core Beliefs) Fine Gael stands for:
Investment in our public services
We want to create a fair and caring society where everybody is engaged in democracy, and where there are no barriers to equal opportunity. We see health and education as rights, not privileges.
A driven, vibrant, and competitive economy
Our Party encourages initiative, innovation, investment and self-reliance. We also believe in preserving, enhancing and sharing prosperity. To that end, we believe Government policy should encourage initiative and reward hard work, thus driving economic activity and creating jobs.
law and order, and protection of families and communities.
We want to build a safe society in Ireland by protecting citizens and enforcing the law. Our Party believes in tough sentences for criminals and more Gardaí on the beat while also tackling the root causes of crime like poverty and educational disadvantage. We also believe in strengthening families, in all their modern forms, and in fostering communities.
integrity in public life
Fine Gael believes in being truthful and courageous in what we do, and in promoting and upholding both the rights and the responsibilities of people. This means ensuring all of us live up to our responsibilities as well as enjoying our rights as Irish men and women.
a confident and sustainable future for Ireland.
Fine Gael wants to build an Ireland of excellence and ambition. To achieve this, we believe in enhancing Ireland's international reputation through our support for the European Union, protecting communities through balanced regional development, and safeguarding our children's future through protection of the environment.
In fairness to Fine Gael they do offer a lot of words to build an analysis with but let’s just apply the TWEE test again. To What Economic End?
Fine Gael defines themselves on their website as a party of the progressive centre. In what direction is this progress? If the party is in the centre then it must progress either left or right, no? Is this technological progress? Financial progress? Social progress? Where is the social progress core principle on their website? They also say that they are free from dogma and ideology, basing their policies and ideas on their core beliefs (which would constitute an ideology, by the way)
Now ask what Fine Gael has done ever since 2011 to ‘progress’ these core beliefs.
What have Fine Gael done to promote a fair and caring society – given the Land and Conveyancing Reform Act 2013 has brought about more evictions and destroyed more families than the Penal Laws and the genocidal state neglect after the potato famine?
What supports to innovators, hard workers and shared prosperity initiatives have happened over the last five years except for a €300 million write down of Dennis O’Brien’s overdue debts?
Where are these extra Gardaí on the beat to be stationed or are they flying columns on bicycles?
We’re still waiting for truth and courage in public life from Fine Gael’s decisions when it comes to tertiary unsecured bond holders as well as several tax avoiding private interests like NAMA & NTMA.
So how has Ireland’s International reputation been enhanced, outside of giving the Greeks a gratuitous kicking when they were down, engaging in Leprechaun Economics and allaying with hard right nationalist European partners – is that reputation or notoriety they’re thinking of?
Is this all Fianna Fáil’s fault?
The Economic End that is already apparent is that Fine Gael promotes tax avoidance and private interests even more shamelessly than Fianna Fáil rather than the social contract of a Republic – which would GUARANTEE all their core beliefs by law. A vote for Fine Gael is a vote for a tax farm in which everyone is hard working, driven to improve the economy and well policed. Nein Danke!
Let’s move on to Labour, let’s just do that….and I notice that up until recently they resided in the unfortunately but ironically named Bloodstone Building (just sayin’, the hint is in the name, lads). Labour’s website very wisely eschews any core principles or self description and just goes straight into ‘rebuilding’ the Labour brand (shouldn’t that read ‘salvaging’?) and highlighting their current manifesto. So let’s get into this year’s manifesto and see what new delights await us.
You can click on some headings and the manifesto points shuffle about the page like one of those picture puzzles we used to play with before the Rubik’s Cube arrived and they don’t always make a lot of sense in relation to their headings: ‘Strong Economy, Decent Society’, ‘Working People’, ‘Jobs and Opportunities’, ‘Families’ and ‘Modern Ireland’. Anyhow, here’s Labour’s Manifesto (2016).
Pathways to work, Growing the rural economy, An Gaeilge, Doing ourselves justice, Better functioning hospitals, Supporting our defence forces, Action on child poverty, Constitutional reform, Full Equality for LGBT+ people, Security in retirement, New deal on Income tax, Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Traveller recognition, Finance and Banking, Better for Sport, Water and Flooding, Dignity in Disability, Drugs and harm reduction, Reproductive health, Regional development, Better for Dublin, Making work pay, A better future for young people, Investing in skills, Primary and community care, Improving Health promotion, Mental Health, An Age-Friendly Society, A strong green economy, Quality of life in our communities, Integration and new communities, The digital economy, True equality for women, A social Europe, Making homes affordable, Equality in education, Open Government, An active role in the world, Political and electoral reform, investing in infrastructure, Affordable quality childcare, Homes for the most vulnerable, Schools fit for the digital age, Dignity at work
……aaaand whatever you’re having yourself.
Are you seeing what I’m seeing? Even if we got that €13bn owed by Apple inc. into the bank tomorrow, we couldn’t afford Labour even for two years. This collection of issues-in-search-of-a-portfolio is just blatant vote-bait headlines. Once I click on them, which I have, I am led to a one-line ‘things is bad’ statement and then (where relevant) what labour did to alleviate the problem and a short bullet point list of what Labour’s five year plan is involving words like ‘Implement’, ‘Ensure (including Continue to ensure)’, ‘Work closely with…’, ‘Invest in’, ‘Promote’, ‘Provide’….etc.
I checked out the ‘Finance and Banking’ and the ‘New deal on Income tax’ to see where the money was going to come from…..nope. Nowhere was there a transaction tax, a charging of rent or tax on Financial Services in the IFSC, an economic virtuous circle in which people can earn more money through participation, a straight up tax reform on the double Irish or a proposal for inward investment into the country from any industry whatever about the FinTech gazillions flushing around our shores as it stands.
To be fair, none of these ideas are wrong-headed or ideologically ignorant of people’s real needs but the entire mix is cluttered and not structured into an overall programme. Where are the priorities? Where are the aspirations? Where are the mere negotiating tokens? What’s a firm commitment and what’s just ‘The things you say at election time?”
To what Economic End, Labour? Bankruptcy, obviously, if they’re serious about what they say.
I have to hand it to Sinn Féin, they have a separate page with detailed principles and key policies all listed together. If only every party were so…..dare I say it….forthcoming with information?
Sinn Féin is a 32-County party striving for an end to partition on the island of Ireland and the establishment of a democratic socialist republic. The achievement of a United Ireland is within our reach and unity offers the best future for all the people of Ireland. In these harsh economic times, it is also the best way forward from a financial and social perspective.
90 years after partition, as communities divided by the border become increasingly reintegrated, there is a growing pull towards reunification. As old allegiances change and people from loyalist backgrounds consider voting for a republican party because it best represents their social and economic interests, the potential for dialogue with those from the unionist community about their place in a united Ireland becomes possible.
Sinn Féin’s Economic Policy
Sinn Féin believes people should be put at the heart of an economy. An economy should serve society, not the other way round. We believe a successful economy redistributes wealth via the tax and welfare systems. It sees employment, education and training as a right. And it takes into account all the activity that is not currently measured by modern economies, such as housework, child rearing, caring and volunteering.
Detailed, intensive economic policy is available on the Sinn Féin website in various pre-budget submissions, alternative economic papers and job creation documents. Our position on bank bondholders (restructure banking debts) are reiterated across the Sinn Féin website.
Now there are also policies on Education, Agriculture and Fisheries, Accountability and Governance, Health and Local communities made safe but for the purposes of my TWEE test I only need to look at core guiding principle or raison d’etre and how this is to be paid for. I am going to push my innate cynicism about Sinn Féin’s relationship with truth and fact to one side and apply TWEE to the words they present on their website.
Sinn Féin is pitching a 32 county Ireland as an economic inevitability once Ireland’s finances are stabilised and secured. I am inclined to agree that it would certainly be a negotiating option but I very much doubt that the Republic of Ireland’s economy could sustain the inward investment to Northern Ireland that they currently enjoy from the UK. I recall how Germany was plunged into a decade’s worth of recession after their reunification and Germany’s tax and industrial base dwarfs that of Ireland by a factor of hundreds. Ultimately, taxes will have to rise across the board or quality of life will have to suffer. They aren’t exactly throwing money at problems like Labour promises to but a United Ireland is something only attainable I believe, as co-members of the same wider regional economy such as the Baltic States incorporating Ireland and Scotland. Given the Social Democratic bent of the Scandinavians this would be more likely in a Sinn Féin-led administration than the Neo Liberal mittel Europe of the EU.
Brexit has really thrown a spanner in their works, hasn't it?
Furthermore, their political and economic vision of a United Ireland appears not to take into account that the current models need to drastically change. I cannot envision even Republican communities in the north accepting control from Dáil Éireann over their lives and destinies when every part of Irish life is currently predicated on who is in the cabinet when we all look like yahoos to them. This wouldn’t fly even among their own heartlands. Given that an economically United Ireland is more possible than a political one it would be smart of Sinn Féin to work out how power and budget is divvied out as opposed to assuming that Dáil Éireann is going to accommodate sitting Westminster MPs as sitting Leinster House TDs. That’s not going to happen. Just. Not. Ever.
Economically Democratic Socialist Republics are possible and they do exist: Bangladesh, India, North Korea, Portugal, Sri Lanka and Tanzania. With the exception of perhaps the resource rich India and sunny Portugal I can’t see many people seeking out economic or political links with the other countries, just sayin’.
Sinn Féin’s economic statement seems at first glance to be fine and dandy even though it puts Ireland at loggerheads against the entire European project – we’re there anyway so we may as well argue for the best possible outcome for our people. By placing people at the centre of their long-term economic planning, Sinn Féin runs the risk of wandering into Lala-Labourland but they cite very firmly that they deem their budgets will come from internal investment, taxation and enterprise.
To what Economic End, Sinn Féin?
An indebted and increasingly isolated state-controlled economy of five million people each enjoying higher than average wages and state provided services as long as the money can be efficiently extracted from those economic actors who have avoided taxation to date (If only Apple could be coerced into handing over €13bn every five years! – Did I say coerced? I take that back! I didn’t meat THAT!). This would be an interesting experiment but ultimately Ireland’s offering to inward foreign investment would suffer (there IS generous wriggle room as the current scandals attest). Ultimately, even without tax harmonisation and central budgeting (neeever gonna happen, lads), Ireland would need some kind of high value resource to fund the initial ten years of intense cash injection needed to provide such a plethora of State functions and services- many of which would have to be accounted for as state subsidy to the international lenders which every state still needs to access. Perhaps a renationalisation of Ireland’s oil and gas reserves sold to actors in Norway and Holland, maybe? They’d just need to change the constitution, repeal legislation voted through by both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and prosecute all the ex-taoisigh from Bertie Ahern to Enda Kenny.
So no pressure there, then, The core ideals are not really credible or doable in our lifetimes but “♪Don’t stop believein’♬”
As for the others….
Socialist and Communists of the world…. there is no Global Workers Revolution going on anymore and, even if there were, Ireland doesn’t have the necessary proletariat and burgeois populations necessary to invoke a revolution or uprising….you just come across as immature and envious.
Nationalists of the world….unless you’re prepared to wipe your granny’s bottom for a pittance, stop being so racist.
Conservatives and Christian Democrats of the world…admit it….you’re unemployable without all those privileges and insider contacts scattered throughout your life…yes, you are.
Anarchists of the world….personal hygiene is not a system of control.
Religious fundamentalists….we’re not going back to sacrificing children and shagging goats, thanks anyway.
Finally, in the interest of fairness, I will be applying the TWEE test to my own party’s policies and vision with much more detail and rigour as I have with the other parties websites on my next post.
