Shane Ross to start a new political party if elected

Brussels Sprout

SENATOR Shane Ross has vowed to establish a new political party if he gets elected to the Dáil. Mr Ross, who is running in Dublin South, suggested a new party is required to fight the “sort of oligarchy” that Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour constitute.

“I have made a decision about this,” he said. “If I am elected, I will form a new political party. But I will not do that until I get elected.”

Speaking in an interview with Hot Press magazine, he said time did not allow to establish a new party prior to the election.

“There are approximately 150 independents running in the election. It is too difficult, in the time available, to see how many are sufficiently close to work with. The formation of the party will be on the basis of agreed principles to which everyone will have to sign up.

“I think a name like ‘New Democrats’ would be appropriate.”

He also confirmed in the interview that he had declined an approach to run for Fine Gael.

“I don’t think Fine Gael can be reformed,” he said. “I think the political parties — Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour — are all very much embedded in the kind of establishment mentality, which is exactly that sort of oligarchy which I’ve been fighting against for the last 10 or 15 years.

“In other words, when Fine Gael was in power — for instance, in 1994-97 — they were almost a mirror image of Fianna Fáil.

“They stuffed semi-states with their pals, those who’d done fundraising for them, those who were their trustees. They have similar policies.”

Mr Ross insisted that cronyism is the biggest issue in the election, claiming that the Government had been appointing its own “cronies” to the boards of the banks since stepping in to rescue the institutions.

“How do you change it? They do it quite effectively in America. You make sure that all appointments to state agencies and state boards — and banks are included in that now — are made by an independent commission.”

source

I wonder where on the political spectrum this new party would lie and would sitting TDs leave their current parties to join it like when the PDs were formed in the 80's.

I think it sounds very promising anyway. Maybe we will get some real reform after all.

Pete_Cavan

Sounds promising, except for the name. New Democrats sounds like born again Progressive Democrats which, although I would have supported the PDs had I been old enough to vote when they were around, wouldnt go down well with the electorate in general.

bleg

He should call the party "Fiscal Conservative Social Liberal"

PeterIanStaker

Ross is a sharp guy, but would getting various Inds together be a bit like herding cats?

mike65

Hmm The Progressive Dessiecrats started out by seeking to break down Civil War politics and FF cronyism, for a while it worked a treat but then they went in to power once too often with FF and ended up an irrelevance.

That said I wish him well as this should be a broader based undertaking.

Blowfish

“How do you change it? They do it quite effectively in America. You make sure that all appointments to state agencies and state boards — and banks are included in that now — are made by an independent commission.”

I'd imagine that would be difficult enough to do here as the 'independent commision' would be likely to be stuffed full of cronies already.

johngalway

Blowfish wrote: »

I'd imagine that would be difficult enough to do here as the 'independent commision' would be likely to be stuffed full of cronies already.

I was just thinking the same thing, independent of what, independent of who, Ireland is too small. It's easy to be anonymous in America, or so distant from place to be independent, not so easy here.

peasant

johngalway wrote: »

I was just thinking the same thing, independent of what, independent of who, Ireland is too small. It's easy to be anonymous in America, or so distant from place to be independent, not so easy here.

You needn't worry about that too much really. For the foreseeable future all really important appointments will have to be run by the EU anyway

On topic ...I wish him the best of luck, sincerely.
He could just be the focal point to gather right minded, independent and upstanding citizens around him.