It’s voting day today. The sun is shining in Dublin. All over the country people are going to find time to put ones, twos and threes and so on down the list of names who want to represent them.
The last few days of the Election campaign have seen almost a complete breakdown of argument. We’ve been left with bluster and wind.
So let’s ignore it. The poor souls have to do something to try and convince themselves they can control their fate. Imagine the insecurity of knowing that at the end of the week the entire country was going to let you know what they thought of how you were doing in your job.
Away from the frenzy of the election-stepping back for a moment- things get much clearer. We’ve had a government led by Fianna Fáil for 17.5 of the last 20 years. There have been great achievements in that time. It would be churlish to deny that.
But there have been terrible blind spots as well- areas which didn’t get the attention they ought to have. And if the same faces come back, they still won’t see the people standing in those blind spots. We have to correct our course- put things right in planning, health and transport. I’ve a son now. It’s important to take the long view.
By definition the opposition have focussed on the areas where the government has failed. Those issues will be to the forefront of their minds when they get in. For the risk adverse, there is the comforting thought that all the experience of the day to day running of the government resides in the Civil Service. Believe me, they could keep the state ticking over for years.
But ticking over isn’t enough. We need those new eyes. We need the new voices. And we need a new government
Vote today.
1 Comment
Voted at 07:32 this morning – one of the first in my constituency. I agree with Simon – the glaring blind spots that were missed or overlooked by Fianna Fail over the last 17.5 years (and let’s bear in mind that for most of the independence of this State Fianna Fail have been in power in some form) are still there.
My preferences were informed by genetics (I fear it would be easier to tell my grandfather I ate small children with ketchup then to tell him I’d voted Fianna Fail) but also by my experiences talking about issues like the electoral register with representatives and supporters of different parties. Those in the camps of the incumbents either didn’t listen or couldn’t get their heads around the issue. The ‘alternatives’ took time, bought me coffee, listened and then passed on information to the man who might have been able to do something about it.
There are many capable people in FF. However a change is as good as a rest, and a period in opposition might help temper a trend to arrogance and the inability to do ‘joined up thinking’.
I don’t have a son (or any off-spring) yet. However I do have friends who do and I am not planning on shuffling off my mortal coil just yet. The ‘Sir Humphreys’ of the Civil Service keep the engine of State turning over.
However we need new eyes and ears to make sure that the engine is finely tuned and running efficiently.