Right wing Catholics in Northern Ireland

futurehope

Hello boys and girls, I'm new to the forum and have a question. Who do 'right wing' Catholics in Northern Ireland vote for? I don't mean Nationalists or Republicans, this thread has nothing to do with the border issue. Oh, and I don't mean who would they support in The ROI.

For instance:

(i) If a Catholic wanted stronger law and order, longer prison sentences etc, who would they support?

(ii) If a Catholic opposed the promotion of homosexuality who would they support?

(iii) If a Catholic opposed abortion who would they support?

(iv) If a Catholic wanted a more restrictive immigration policy who would they support?

(v) If a Catholic supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who would they support?

(vi) If a Catholic supported selective education who would they support?

(vii) If a Catholic favoured lower taxation and lower benefits who would they support?

I think you get my drift and I look forward to reading any comments.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

futurehope

Thanks for that mate. It's strange that there's not a party for right wing Catholics, as across the world strong Catholics tend to support the right, in Europe and South America.

Perhaps The DUP should try and recruit Catholics, especially as Paisley seems to get on with some Catholic priests and Bishops these days.

Still, as you say, maybe the border matters more - same with left wing Unionists.

Permabear

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Steviemak

If you're a right wing Catholic I would imagine the DUP's attitude to the Pope would be off putting;)

Most right wing Catholic wouldn't consider the Pope the anti-christ ala Paisley!

Captain Ahab

Right wing = conservative = preserve the existing social order.

Left wing = greater equality & more social mobility.

It's easy to see why protestant parties are right wing & catholics left wing in the North.

Pandcoa

(i) If a Catholic wanted stronger law and order, longer prison sentences etc, who would they support?

I don't know, SDLP maybe - their support base is more middle and upper class

(ii) If a Catholic opposed the promotion of homosexuality who would they support?

I don't know any neutral party that does this

(iii) If a Catholic opposed abortion who would they support?

All the party's oppose the abortion from London, they all believe it is immoral, apart from Sinn Fein that is , they say they oppose telling a women what to do with their body but also say they disagree with how abortion is pushed onto people in Liberal Democracies.

(iv) If a Catholic wanted a more restrictive immigration policy who would they support?

That is not up to Stormont, even if they wanted to vote for a party in Britian they could not

(v) If a Catholic supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who would they support?

Don't know

(vi) If a Catholic supported selective education who would they support?

I don't think there is any party that has policies on this but I can say there are a few SDLP members who rigiously support academic selection

futurehope

donegalfella said:

I don't have facts and figures to support this, but I believe that right-wing Catholics would constitute a small minority in Northern Ireland.

I wonder about that mate. Sure, many of them vote for supposedly left of centre parties, but are they doing that out of some sort of tribal solidarity or in the hope of a United Ireland one day, rather than on a left/right basis?

Are you really saying that there aren't a substantial number of Catholics who would support longer prison sentences, oppose the promotion of homosexuality, oppose abortion, want a more restrictive immigration policy, support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, support selective education, favour lower taxation and lower benefits, or at least some of these?

Homosexuality and abortion are opposed by The RC church and The Pope himself for instance and real Catholics obey The teachings of The Church don't they?

Also, many Catholics in Northern Ireland have prospered extremely well over the last few decades - in fact the richest people in Northern Ireland are now Catholics, so might not these highly prosperous Catholics support lower taxes - if they're not tribalist or obsessed with a United Ireland I mean?

futurehope

Steviemak wrote: »

If you're a right wing Catholic I would imagine the DUP's attitude to the Pope would be off putting;)

Most right wing Catholic wouldn't consider the Pope the anti-christ ala Paisley!

I know what you're saying mate, though Paisley has mellowed over the years.

I guess both The RC church and The Free Presbyterians have the same problem, on the one side The FPs say The Pope's The Anti-Christ and on the other The RCs say Protestants are heretics destined for hell. Two sides of the same coin I guess, although I have to hand it to The RCs, they are much better at presenting their intolerance. Maybe because of their huge wealth and influence?

futurehope

Captain Ahab wrote: »

Right wing = conservative = preserve the existing social order.

Left wing = greater equality & more social mobility.

It's easy to see why protestant parties are right wing & catholics left wing in the North.

Yes, I've heard that theory before mate. But thinking about it, where does fascism fit into your theory? Don't fascists generally want radical change? I mean some people describe SF as a fundamentally fascist party, what with the violence The IRA indulged in, the claims on another country's territtory, and the brutalising of petty criminals by putting bullets in their hands, elbows, knees and sometimes their heads.

Perhaps right wing Catholics have been voting for SF all along?

Bob Z

I think the 2 side react against each other. So for example if one side is pro EU the other side is anti-EU.

junder

its pointless trying to rationlise Northern Irish voters into Left/Right since the majorty vote along trible lines, most catholics will vote sinn fein or sdlp not becasue of thier policy on the economy or whatever but because they are the nationalist/republican partys, the referverse is true in protestant areas. So in answer to your question right wing catholics will indeed vote for sinn fein or the SDLP

jimmmy

futurehope wrote: »

I guess both The RC church and The Free Presbyterians have the same problem, on the one side The FPs say The Pope's The Anti-Christ and on the other The RCs say Protestants are heretics destined for hell. Two sides of the same coin I guess, although I have to hand it to The RCs, they are much better at presenting their intolerance. Maybe because of their huge wealth and influence?

You have a point there. It was probably not just their huge wealth and influence though, it was also the RC church education system / propoganda machine which counted in making the RCs much better at presenting their intolerance. After all, who was painted as being the intolerant people in N.I. ... when RCs say Protestants are heretics destined for hell / there is only one true church etc

The extremists are two sides of the same coin as you say.

Can'tseeme

The sooner we take religion out of politics the better.

grumpytrousers

futurehope wrote: »

donegalfella said:



I wonder about that mate. Sure, many of them vote for supposedly left of centre parties, but are they doing that out of some sort of tribal solidarity or in the hope of a United Ireland one day, rather than on a left/right basis?

Are you really saying that there aren't a substantial number of Catholics who would support longer prison sentences, oppose the promotion of homosexuality, oppose abortion, want a more restrictive immigration policy, support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, support selective education, favour lower taxation and lower benefits, or at least some of these?

Homosexuality and abortion are opposed by The RC church and The Pope himself for instance and real Catholics obey The teachings of The Church don't they?

Also, many Catholics in Northern Ireland have prospered extremely well over the last few decades - in fact the richest people in Northern Ireland are now Catholics, so might not these highly prosperous Catholics support lower taxes - if they're not tribalist or obsessed with a United Ireland I mean?

You're effectively talking about a redux version of the US Republican Party, aren't you...

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irish_bob

junder wrote: »

its pointless trying to rationlise Northern Irish voters into Left/Right since the majorty vote along trible lines, most catholics will vote sinn fein or sdlp not becasue of thier policy on the economy or whatever but because they are the nationalist/republican partys, the referverse is true in protestant areas. So in answer to your question right wing catholics will indeed vote for sinn fein or the SDLP

this post sums the whole thing up in a nutshell

thier is only one issue for most people in the north when it comes to voting

the national question