Fine Gael and FF can’t be surprised
Unless they have had their heads buried in the sand for some time and political parties often have, opinion polls showing a wipe out for Fine Gael and a far from ringing endorsement of Fianna Fáil as a viable alternative are no surprise.
The fact is, the general public, those working and on the breadline have had enough and are seeking answers from parties they wouldn’t normally vote for. Nine years of government under Fine Gael and three terms of Fianna Fáil power before that has meant very little change in the daily lives of many people.
Twelve years ago there was the economic crash which we are all very familiar with. The banks almost collapsed and dozens of developers certainly did. The banks were bailed out and are profitable again while the developers have been looked after through NAMA or have had millions of debt written off.
The ordinary working person was made foot the bill. The USC, a temporary tax, is still with us and has hit everyone hard.
There has been no break for the person struggling to get back on their feet after helping the country once again out of a recession. Those who didn’t emigrate stayed on believing in this country but they got no reward or break. Fine Gael promised a phasing out of USC - no such chance. The health service is creaking under enormous pressure and there’s a homelessness crisis that is quite frightening.
There’s been no house building of note and there are thousands who simple cannot afford rent let alone get a mortgage for their own place.
Despite the cheerleading by some sections of the media, the country is far from booming. Who really believes the economy is back at Celtic Tiger levels or that we are at full employment? Those in Dublin maybe but take a look at the rest of the country, still struggling with lack of jobs and investment.
Thanks to JobBridge and other schemes, the unemployment figures look rosy but no one should be fooled. What has happened in Ireland over the past 20 years or so is that Dublin has gotten bigger. Two and three hour daily commutes are becoming the norm.
It has been a lopsided development of our country which successive governments have failed to address. No surprise to see last week in a national report reported on elsewhere in this week’s issue that there is a two speed economy in Ireland.
None of us are economists but we could see it with our own two eyes. Sligo has one of the biggest rates of commercial vacancy in the country. Since Christmas alone, I know of four businesses which have closed within a half mile of each other. Access to basic health care is a worry for so many. You can see the move towards private Emergency Departments around the country. Those who can pay will face no queues we are told. It’ ll be the same when you want to see a consultant. Who can afford the €200 to €250 fee for an appointment?
Ireland has become a very unequal society. There’s no one actually looking out to help the ordinary working families of this country. We have the fifth-largest number of billionaires per capita in the world, according to a recent Oxfam report. There is wealth in this country but is everyone paying their fair share of tax? Since the crash local communities have seen their post offices, Garda Stations and banks close.
Crime, fuelled by drug wars has a grip in all major cities and towns with no great belief that the Gardaí have the resources or manpower to get on top of it.
Those living in rural Ireland are becoming increasingly isolated. People fear a raft of new stealth taxes. We are being told to buy electric cars and retro fit our homes but who has the spare cash to afford that?
Carbon taxes are on the way we are told. Again, these will fall on the people who can afford it least. So, can Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil be that surprised as we head into the election if we see a seismic shift in Irish politics? It has been nothing but austerity and the raising of the pension age to 68 has been the final straw. The public have had enough. They can only take so much on the chin in the name of putting the country first and they want a break. It didn’t come in the so-called ‘Brexit-proof ’ Budget last October. The two parties in power the most since the foundation of the State need to start extending a genuine helping hand.