New political group targets 'failed voters'

Scofflaw

Just to clarify, they're targeting voters who have been failed, not voters who are in some way deficient. Probably, anyway.

A new political alliance targeting voters who have been “failed” by the system will be launched in two weeks, the Irish Mirror can reveal.

The group will include Independents Shane Ross and John Halligan and former Labour TD Roisin Shortall.

The move follows a meeting on Wednesday night in Agriculture House in Dublin where deputies outlined their plans.

Mr Ross, Mr Halligan, Catherine Murphy and Thomas Pringle met with Ms Shortall, Tommy Broughan and Patrick Nulty to discuss the alliance.

Finian McGrath, Maureen O’Sullivan and potentially Stephen Donnelly are also set to join the group which is currently being referred to as the Independent Community Network.

The alliance also looks set to recruit two senators – Jillian Van Turnhout and Professor John Crown – and possibly MEP Nessa Childers. It is aiming to run at least 30 to 40 councillors in the local elections in May.

Members of the group, which they are insisting is not a political party, will be asked to sign up to a document outlining their strategy on human rights, political reform and equality.

There is no official name for the alliance yet but members are considering Independent New Vision and its website will be launched in two weeks.

http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/politics/new-political-group-targets-failed-3143456

That's actually not necessarily a bad lineup. It's certainly somewhat more credible than "Reform Alliance". Fairly left of centre.

Is it of interest?

cordially,
Scofflaw

MouseTail

Why an alliance and not a Party? It all seems a bit non commital.

enricoh

Sounds a bit high tax, high spend for my liking except for ross.
I woulda thought the market was fairly saturated for left wing parties but if u promise the sun moon n stars in Ireland yer onto a winner!

raymon

This looks very promising indeed !

Finally a lineup that looks somewhat credible. I note the absence of Mattie, Ming , Wallace, Healy Rae, Healy Eames, etc.

This part is great news : "It is aiming to run at least 30 to 40 councillors in the local elections in May."

There are a lot of people who will never vote for FF again , but are not aligned with FG Lab or SF either.

Will they be able to define a common purpose and core values ?

johnnyskeleton

They're a day late and a dollar short in many ways, but id still vote for them.

Manach

Will be interesting to see their mission statement/manifesto so as to distinguish between the aspirational goals to those goals which can be measured and judged in the real world.

Annasopra

Scofflaw wrote: »

Just to clarify, they're targeting voters who have been failed, not voters who are in some way deficient. Probably, anyway.



http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/politics/new-political-group-targets-failed-3143456

That's actually not necessarily a bad lineup. It's certainly somewhat more credible than "Reform Alliance". Fairly left of centre.

Is it of interest?

cordially,
Scofflaw

Seems bizarre to me to see Patrick Nulty and Shane Ross cosying together.

Manach

mango salsa wrote: »

Seems bizarre to me to see Patrick Nulty and Shane Ross cosying together.

... the love that dare not speak its name ...

Annasopra

Manach wrote: »

... the love that dare not speak its name ...

I get why Patrick Nulty, Roisin Shortall, Thomas Pringle, John Halligan, Catherine Murphy, Nessa Childers and Councillors such as Dermot Looney, Cian O'Callaghan and others would be in a political grouping togethet. I don't get why people on the opposite end of the political spectrum such as Ross (and to some extent Donnelly) would be included.

To me such a political grouping would be left of the Labour Party but not as dogmatically left as the party socialist or people before profit and it is hard to understand the inclusion of Shane Ross

expectationlost

Jillian Van Turnhout tweeted "news to me"

forced unity is more a problem then perceived disuntiy

shopawebsite

Seems Bizzare to me as well!

Greenmachine

Can't take anything with Catherine Murphy in it seriously. The lady is a plank.

Get off my lawn!

Scofflaw wrote: »

Just to clarify, they're targeting voters who have been failed, not voters who are in some way deficient. Probably, anyway.



http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/politics/new-political-group-targets-failed-3143456

That's actually not necessarily a bad lineup. It's certainly somewhat more credible than "Reform Alliance". Fairly left of centre.

Is it of interest?

cordially,
Scofflaw

Frankly, I think a lot of these alliances are nonsense. If you want to actually affect the political system, you need to commit to it. Form a party, lay out an actual platform to voters, build an organizational infrastructure, and run. These alliances just rely on non/anti-system candidates with individual followings to get elected, but individual members (and particularly those opposed to gombeenism) are completely ineffectual within the confines of Ireland's political institutions (unless they are squeezing out goodies for their own district).

tl;dr: Grow a pair, roll up your sleeves, and form a party, already!

raymon

expectationlost wrote: »

Jillian Van Turnhout tweeted "news to me"

forced unity is more a problem then perceived disuntiy

Is this a fake news story then? Maybe someone from the Sunday Independent has started working for the Mirror

Scofflaw

raymon wrote: »

Is this a fake news story then? Maybe someone from the Sunday Independent has started working for the Mirror

Hard to say. There's obviously some undigested optimism in there at least:

The alliance also looks set to recruit two senators

I think that's "is hoping, but hasn't yet contacted", judging from expectationlost's comment.

cordially,
Scofflaw

Fr Tod Umptious

Does the idea that a voter has been "failed" not depend on the expectations of the voter ?

One cost can perceive that they have been failed because the Govt. Did not cut welfare spending.

Another can perceive that they have been failed because welfare has been cut.

expectationlost

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Does the idea that a voter has been "failed" not depend on the expectations of the voter ?

One cost can perceive that they have been failed because the Govt. Did not cut welfare spending.

Another can perceive that they have been failed because welfare has been cut.

or another because the government stoked a boom that was always going to burst and hurt the less well off the most

Marhay70

I suppose you could say most have swum against the tide of their former parties, arguably in the public interest.

bcmf

Get off my lawn! wrote: »

Frankly, I think a lot of these alliances are nonsense. If you want to actually affect the political system, you need to commit to it. Form a party, lay out an actual platform to voters, build an organizational infrastructure, and run. These alliances just rely on non/anti-system candidates with individual followings to get elected, but individual members (and particularly those opposed to gombeenism) are completely ineffectual within the confines of Ireland's political institutions (unless they are squeezing out goodies for their own district).

tl;dr: Grow a pair, roll up your sleeves, and form a party, already!

The political system here is now set up that its now nearly impossible to start a new party without the members of the party totally bankrolling it themselves to the tune of millions*. I would imagine that forming an 'alliance' will be enough to test the waters in the locals and if successful well then we will see......
There is ,imo, a huge swathe of people who the current bunch (FF,FG,Lab,SF) simply holds no allure - me included - and as for Lucinda Creighton et al and RA ..well I just shiver at the thought.

*I could be mistaken but I recall Ivan Yates discussing it with someone and coming to the conclusion that it's next door to impossible to create a new party.

on the river

bcmf wrote: »

The political system here is now set up that its now nearly impossible to start a new party without the members of the party totally bankrolling it themselves to the tune of millions*. I would imagine that forming an 'alliance' will be enough to test the waters in the locals and if successful well then we will see......
There is ,imo, a huge swathe of people who the current bunch (FF,FG,Lab,SF) simply holds no allure - me included - and as for Lucinda Creighton et al and RA ..well I just shiver at the thought.

*I could be mistaken but I recall Ivan Yates discussing it with someone and coming to the conclusion that it's next door to impossible to create a new party.

the progreesive democratics was born out of the current bunch you refer to. if the voters especially the undecided ones will undoutly support a new fresh political force. the only way to 'test the waters' is taking a change in contesting every election. anything can happen in politics .

Boulevardier

If we have allowed the situation to develop where it is not feasible to create a new party, then there is something seriously wrong with our democracy.

Part of the problem is the imbalance created by state funding of political parties. This is a threat to popular sovereignty and should be discontinued forthwith.

The problem is worsened by the fact that such funding has become conditional on factors other than votes. State funding is already to be denied to parties which do not wish to create a "gender balance" of candidates. Soon, funding could be withheld from parties which are perceived as, say, racist, and after that, from parties which refuse to subscribe to the free market or the EU.

Any new party, alliance or movement worth its salt must, in my view, demand an end to state funding of parties.