When is Gender Steretyping Allowed?
Progressive media like the Irish Times routinely attack tabloid publications and politicians for taking too much of an interest in the appearance of attractive female candidates. However, the progressive forces sometimes choose this focus themselves, when it is convenient to infer that conservative politicians lack substance. Thus, today’s Irish Times reports on the election of glamorous French and Romanian MEPs, more noted for their fashion or partying than intellect. Needless to say, they are both candidates of the hated neoliberal right!
Ganley: In a democracy, NO means NO
Declan Ganley of Libertas says he will not lead the campaign against the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland’s referendum re-run. In a pointed barb at politicians who effectively dismissed last year’s public verdict on the EU constitution by insisting on a repeat vote, he said he accepted the democratic will of the people. His decision means there will be no center-right leadership for the 2009 campaign. It will be dominated instead by the far left, which is still rejected by the majority of Irish voters anyway.
The old Irish progressive media (RTE, the Irish Times and the Irish Examiner) are gleefully reporting the Libertas failure. In some extremist articles, Libertas East European alignments are even being equated with support for fascism, a point not made about the Irish left in its support for the Cuban dictatorship, nor about Spanish Civil War veterans who may have been sympathetic to Stalin in their day. Meanwhile, the political genealogy of Labour leader, Eamon Gilmore, is dismissed as either “irrelevant” or “propaganda.” Gilmore originated in the Workers’ Party, aka Democratic Left, a Party linked with the official IRA only a few decades ago. The party was rather muted in its criticism of Communist rule in Poland, Czechoslovakia and East Germany, even in the 1980s.
Center-Right Wins in Poland
Poland’s party system is maturing around a set of political cleavages not unlike those in Ireland in recent decades. Rather than a left-right polarization, as in West European countries, it is shaped by rivalry between two center-right parties. One is liberal and free market, the other more conservative, religious and nationalist. Similarly, Ireland’s Fianna Fail, despite recent liberalization, is more likely to have supporters of a nationalist and religious outlook, while Fine Gael is more socially liberal. While the more nationalist party has traditionally predominated in Ireland, Donald Tusk’s liberals have a solid lead in Poland. In last week’s EP and local elections, however, the Irish parties reversed roles in terms of numerical strenghth, with Fine Gael outpolling FF for the first time since the 1920s. There is also a stronger left profile in Ireland than in Poland, especially in Dublin.
While European leftists and Dublin media correspondents lament the lack of “left-right” politics, the alteration between free enterprise parties has allowed for a certain degree of confidence in economic stability and predictability most of the time.
In the Polish EP elections, Tusk’s party scored very well, but Law and Justice also secured a respectable vote. Contrary to what commentators in the old Irish progressive media have to say, both parties have constructive contributions to make, Tusk on the economy, and the Brothers on some aspects of foreign policy and social policy.
Ganley Vote Cut
After demanding a recheck of votes on the basis that Libertas’ strength might have been under-estimated, it has emerged that the party had too many votes! This embarrassing outcome adds insult to injury after Libertas’ failed campaign. We have no reason to doubt the story, even though its source, the Irish Times, has been venomously hostile to Libertas from the outset.
Apart from de Villiers, Libertas Fails in Europe
A pan-European political party challenging the power, arrogance and centralization of the European Union and its social democratic ethos? It will happen, at least not this time. Declan Ganley has failed to create the momentum for such a development, even in Poland and the Czech Republic.
So, what went wrong? And what can be done about it?
Read EWE posts on the EP election fallout in the coming week.
Ireland: First Hard Results Suggest Libertas Will Fail in Northwest
The first rounds of results in the Northwest EP constituency suggest that Declan Ganley of Libertas will not win a European Parliament seat. He came behind Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and leftist independents. Furthermore, the pro-Lisbon parties directed supporters not to transfer 2 and 3rd preference votes to Ganley. Most of the eliminated candidates and those with a surplus are likely to be hostile to Libertas.
Conservative Parties Do Well in EP Poll
Conservative parties have been more successful so far as Europe counts votes for its European Parliament (per BBC).
President, Greens Do Well in France
Libertas is forecast to get 5% in France, per France-Inter. But President Sarkozy and his supporters are pleased: they lead in many areas, the first time this has happened to a governing bloc in EP elections for many years (and a contrast with Fianna Fail in Ireland). The Greens have done relatively well. The main losers are the libereal cenjtrists and the left, especially the Socialists.
Latest: Poll Forecasts Ganley Defeat?
Updating an earlier post suggesting Ganley prospects of success, another RTE/Independent exit poll now suggests he will fail to take a seat in the Northwest. More in the afternoon ….
