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Carpe Bertio
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Richard Waghorne inadvertently points out why McDowell and the PDs will always struggle in their present guises to win over the electorate. And indeed this goes for Labour and the Greens as well.
McDowell may have indulged himself in a little Latin yesterday, quoting Virgil to declare that ‘fortune favours the brave’,
Now picture this, could you ever ever I mean seriously ever see Bertie Ahern quoting Latin? Now I am sure he knows a bit but would he ever do it? Even quoting Carpe Diem or some other well known saying from a movie? Of course not. He is far too clever for that. Now I know it might seem to some people an oxymoron that not using Latin makes you clever. But Bertie knows the electorate.
Irish people distrust anything that smells of intellectualism. Garret Fitzgerald got away with it some what because he had the dotty professor vibe going. But when it is rolled into a politician with determination like McDowell, or when it is delivered in a ’see I am just right, you are wrong’ type way like the Greens or Pat Rabbitte, people rail against it. That is not to say that what they are saying is wrong, it is the delivery that is all wrong.
Now back to McDowell and his Latin. It is not that we don’t appreciate intellect, it is because we distrust people who use big words and often with good cause. For instance ask two physicist a question, the one that gives the most complex answer knows the least about the answer. The world is really quiet simple; certainly simple enough not to resort to numerous large words. If you can’t simplify it, if you have to use big words, you don’t quite get it. You are hiding your lack of knowledge in a mist of words and people pick up on this and distrust it.
We in Ireland do not have much of a class society. I never really realised this until I moved to Belfast and saw it. Even among equals class was still there. You come from a place where you are not sure what peoples background it to a place where you know exactly where they come from. We simply do not have class to that extent. But the downside of that is that in Ireland we have begrudgery and dislike of pretensions. Anyone that tries to do something above the norm people begrudge, i.e., Michael O’Leary. And anyone that starts quoting Latin, however apt, is instantly seen as being pretentious.
So what is the end result we have 50% of the electorate wanting Bertie in power and far fewer wanting McDowell. Is it wrong for me to think that some of McDowell disdain is because of where he is from and how he speaks? If the PDs want to dump their D4 image, they need to dump the Latin. For all my talk about class and hiding knowledge, by far the biggest reason why quoting Latin is in many ways electoral suicide is this: politicians need to come like the man in the pub, not because of anti-intellectualism but because people trust the man in the pub.
If it were anybody but the PDs I’d probably agree, but it is the PDs, so I’ll have to disagree. The Progressive Democrats aren’t aiming to form a government themselves, as Richard highlights, they don’t even field candidates in most constituencies. They are a niche party, appealing to the often-snooty middle-classes and, despite what Richard might say about their actually being better for the poorer, I expect they are intent on remaining as such.
i am bearing in mind that the PDs have been in power longer than they have been out of it – i think they will do well in the next election – one of the first things mcdowell said as leader was he wanted to double the no. of seats they had – it’ll be interesting how they try to achieve it
We in Ireland do not have much of a class society
Are you kidding me? Three points –
Look at the Dublin riot. Look at how weblogs reported on it.
Head into the inner city and take a look around.
Examine how travellers are treated in Ireland.
We definitely have a class society – in a different way to NI, but it’s there all the same.
Kevin has been very perceptive in his comments.
Bertie Ahern is very sure of himself in his latest manifestation – currently the advocate of a strong economy. He never tries to be all things to all men, just to the men in the pub, as Simon so aptly quoted.
His biggest fear will be the situation when the Celtic Tiger begins to lose its growl and the Housing Market no longer offers the type of security for today’s enormous borrowing, now nudging €300 billion.
When the omelette hits the fan, probably early in 2008, and unemployment begins to increase, we will see class warfare on a scale unprecedented in Ireland.
Bertie is all too aware of the type of backlash that is going to take place and Sinn Fein/IRA will be there to rub it in. “I told you so”, as they canvass unemployed FF voters with the promise of a Marxist Utopia, Cuban style.
The first reaction will be against the immigrants, the new “invaders” who will be accused of taking the bread out of the mouths of innocent Irish infants.
CORI will say “I told you so”.
And Bertie, the “Born Again Socialist”, will have to move away from his present platform – “It’s the Economy (2007) Stupid ” and revert to sackcloth.
The second reaction will be against the Banks; they whose profligate lending has been the cause of the collapse.
Then the Developers/Builders. Who will, in all probability have moved to …. Monte Carlo… the Netherlands….. Barbados….
Well away from the tattered omelettes on the walls.
Meanwhile, back home, the masses of Mercedes-Benz; BMWs; Range Rovers & Rolls/Bentleys will be on offer at 5%/10% of what the temporary Owners borrowed.
Carpe Diem.
We definitely have a class society – in a different way to NI, but it’s there all the same.
Well I did say “to the same extent”. I was more talking about the attitude rather then the finacial situation. It is far less then in NI and Britain. There you have your place and you know it. Here you can leave your place. If someone comes successful in ireland from ballymun they come successful. In Britian and NI they are always be from ballymun.