Could something or someone like Brexit or Trump happen in Ireland?

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

I agree completely with the latter point. The EU has shown in the last 8/9 years, how out of touch it is with the reality its citizens live in, and how business and political interests mean those same citizens are no more than expendable economic assets if it suits the interests of (primarily) the Germans. Rules that are inflexible and punishing to countries like Greece and even Ireland can be bent, ignored or rewritten at a whim if it suits those who the EU is really setup to benefit.

Im sorry, but do people completely forget about how Ireland was a complete ****hole until he joined the EU? Most Irish are completely happy with the EU(we are still one of the most supportive nations of the EU) as they remember life before it. Life in the EU might not be perfect, but it is better than living in a country where the economy was in a near constant state of recession for several decades and where income was a fraction of the EU average.

The EU forced us to do things we didn't like such as giving women equal rights when it come to employment or by not criminally prosecuting the gays(1993 which is nice to know we were ahead of giving them rights before Texas in 2003, but they were forced to do it too so its not too great on that front either).

The Euro was a disaster in Ireland, as we didn't have a proper central bank regulating the financial services industry. We now do and we are preventing another banking crisis. We are the only ones to blame for the banking crisis as we didn't regulate our banks.

The EU is not perfect. But for a small nation, the benefits far outweigh the negatives. We have access to the largest market in the World (lets see how it goes for the UK). We have about 10% of the nation working directly for American firms who are only here as we have access to the EU.

But hey lets focus on the migrant crisis that doesn't affect us and the EU stopping us going into never ending boom and bust cycles by monitoring our spending. Sure our stellar economy and human rights record before 1973 shows we don't need the EU! :rolleyes:

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

In other words, we don't really have a great selection to choose from outside of the Big 2 (who are both incidentally completely beholden to the EU anyway seeing as their TDs benefit handsomely from it after national politics has had enough of them), and between them the cycle repeats endlessly... FF are irresponsible, populist and prone to shady dealings - but everyone puts up with it because "property ladder", "100% mortgage" etc - and then when the crash happens, FG come in and prove to be just as bad if not worse (Irish Water mess, Garda scandals and the same old cronyism and waste that people crticise FF for).

What exactly has FG done wrong? I can't quite wrap my head around how you think they are on par with FF. FG didn't bankrupt the nation or blow all the cash during one of the largest economic booms in economic history. FF signed the nation up to IW, which FG were forced to follow through on(but hey who cares about the facts right?) Your point is literally FG are like FF, so therefore they are bad. One bankrupted the nation and one cleaned up the mess. But the one who cleaned up the mess is worse than the one who bankrupted the nation due to the odd scandal? :rolleyes:

Trump got elected as dumb people don't realise when they have it good. Support among Trump has ridiculously high in states where unemployment was 2/3%. Britain has one of the strongest economies in Europe(probably the strongest) yet wanted to leave the EU as it was dragging them down? Ireland has one of the fastest growing economies in Europe and relatively low unemployment for an EU state. Yet you swear we had an economy on par with Zimbabwe.

whatawaster81 wrote: »

Shinners in. Gerry or Mary Lou for Taoiseach.

I guess that would be the ultimate nightmare on a local basis, but unless the whole country lurches to the left and becomes Provo apologists, then it can't happen. Thank God.

I wouldn't call us docile to be honest. History has shown that we will rise up when needed. I would however say that we are fruatratingly apathetic when it comes to political matters. Most simply couldn't give a ****e as long as they've money in their pocket for pints and to watch the footie at the end of the week.

There is also a common feature of the Trump/Brexit thing that doesn't apply here: both the UK and US are global powers, and both likely in different stages of decline. There's an arrogance there that comes from being a leading light in the world, that you can cast off the shackles of the EU and fare better alone, or force Mexico to build you a 2,000 mile wall. Both are probably to some extent responses to a sense that their power is threatened or gradually dwindling.

In Ireland, we're unlikely to develop such an inflated sense of our own capacities that we would sever ties with Europe. If we do produce our own Trump, it would likely be a maverick from inside an established party (*cough* Fianna Fail *cough cough*) rather than someone from a fringe radical party. SF are probably lukewarm about the EU, but wouldn't share the anti-immigrant sentiments of Farage or Trump, or indeed the enthusiasm for all these wheeler dealer/Del Boy Trotter international trade deals they claim their countries should be doing. Indeed, the only serious suggestion I've seen so far from an Irish public figure that we ought to consider Irexit is from Ireland's former ambassador to Canada, and predictably enough it hinges on misguided concerns about our relationship with the UK being more important than our relationship with the rest of the EU.