O’Donoghue Gagfest Splits Sides At Ógra FF

David McSavage watch out! Arts Minister John O’Donoghue wants your job.

I’m always very reluctant to talk about philosophy because it seems to me that most of the great philosophers are dead - I mean Aristotle is dead, Plato is dead, Sartre is dead, Camus is dead and to tell the truth I’m not feeling very well myself this evening.

But let’s pause for a moment and reflect on the Opposition.

We live in a democracy. Anybody can grow up and become the leader of Fine Gael. It’s just one of the risks with democracy. Enda Kenny is an idealist, that is to say he’s the kind of man who, on discovering that a rose smells more sweetly than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup!

With the confidence of a man who has just invented a small revolver for killing wasps, Enda Kenny lurches from interview to press release and back again, essentially calling for an end to prosperity.

This is the party that not too long ago had more TD’s than voters and was facing extinction.

Fine Gael is back and back with a purpose. To secure an unprecedented third consecutive term in opposition!

In every facet of modern Irish life, Fine Gael has attempted to turn the clock back to the glory days of the rainbow coalition in the hope of recapturing the triumphant sense of failure, which pervaded the country under that administration.

“If it moves tax it; if its not moving fine it for loitering, and if its dead at least it can’t express dissatisfaction”. This has been the subtext to the policies of FG since long before deputies Bruton and Noonan managed to disaffect most of their supporters in advance of the rise to power of Deputy Kenny.

In the context of Fine Gael, it is surely true that Martyrdom is the only way in which a man without ability can become famous.

If we look at the polices stated by Fine Gael in the last few years in opposition we can see that they are against Irish, The Smoking Ban and Economic Progress.

The attitude seems to be that dope can see you through times of no money much better than money can see you through times of no dope. ‘

and

‘Arrayed against us as well is the Party of Taxes – The Labour Party. In the Labour Party they have freedom of speech too; you can say anything you want; but only once!

In elections they have two boxes, you put “yes” in one or they put you in the other!

Any real Labour Party - with a hunger for change and the drive to improve the lot of Irish workers and families - would have been proud to produce the progressive budget which Fianna Fáil in Government delivered last December.

But the Irish Labour Party - who, under current leadership, has abdicated its social conscience to become the bland appendage of Fine Gael - has come out railing against it.

Against the EUR1,000 a year Childcare Supplement

Against 50,000 new childcare places.

Against the policies of social inclusion and full employment.

Pat the Bleater goes around bleating on the need for an alternative Government.

But Pat the Bleater has consistently failed to spell out what that alternative is.

Will the Labour Party abandon neutrality like Fine Gael. What taxes will the Labour party seek to put up.

Their misguided policy of increasing Capital Gains Tax and introducing a Wealth Tax would damage our economy,

It would drive out jobs.

It would cut back on economic activity.

It would hurt those Labour once professed to represent.

Would you put Pat the Bleater in charge of the economy? Some people say he can’t even count. Frank Dunlop says he gave him three and only got back two. ‘