After fifteen years in power, Fine Gael have decided that the time is finally ripe to decide what the hell it is they’re all about. Traditionally, parties knew what they represented BEFORE running for office, but the stagnation of Ireland’s political culture has done away with such silly conventions. Fine Gael simply like being in charge and are quite happy to stand for anything at all, so long as it keeps people voting – and they’re far from alone. Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin have been doing the same thing for years. What a moody and introspective political culture we have…
Conversation amongst members at Fine Gael’s Ard Fheis in Cork City last weekend centred on a singular issue. According to their Commission for Renewal, most people ‘do not have a clear idea’ of ‘why (Fine Gael) exists, and what it seeks to achieve’. Indeed, there were rumours that some party members simply woke up in the Mardyke with no memory of where they’d been, who they were, or why they’d ever joined Fine Gael! Party leader Simon Harris’ objective, then, was clarity.
In his speech, the Tánaiste reasserted his party’s belief in fiscal responsibility and stable governance. ‘We are the party’, he stated, ‘that represents the person who gets up early in the morning and does a good, decent day’s work’. One might question the logic of responding to an identity crisis by reiterating the same exact line that’s been touted for well over ten years, but not stable Simon! Faced with an issue, the Tánaiste has no problem going back to the well (it’s far easier than coming up with anything new).
Full column in this week’s Print & Digital Edition.
