Irish politics has faced perhaps its harshest, jam-packed week of consensus shattering events. One bruising after another, Ireland’s liberal incumbents have been left in a state of shock. The riot at Citywest Hotel asylum complex, a resounding victory for the Irish Left in the presidential race, and a shocking turn-out of over 200,000 spoiled ballots, have laid the ground-work for a new kind of politics that will leave the nation’s hapless bureaucracy by the wayside.
On Monday October 20th, it is alleged that an asylum seeker was responsible for the sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl nearby the Citywest Hotel. The little girl was supposed to be under the care of Tusla, but unfortunately the state failed to fulfil its duty of care to children once again. The Citywest Hotel was purchased by the government for €148.2 million in June this year, robbing Saggart locals of a vital community space.
The following day, riots erupted not unlike was seen in the 2023 Dublin Riot. Cavalry charges, fire-works, and pepper-spray abound, footage of the riot showed thousands of angry citizens in combat with Gardaí.
Jim O’Callaghan, speaking in defence of law and order, warned rioters to desist lest they face the consequence of their actions. That night, the Presidential Debate between Heather Humphreys and Catherine Connolly was also underway. Naturally, Fine Gael’s Humphrey Dumpty condemned the riots immediately, while discussion of the young victim which prompted such public outrage was muted.
Voting took place on October 24th, while the events at Citywest remained fresh in peoples’ minds, likely a contributing factor towards the mass of spoiled votes counted on Saturday. Remarkably, in shock at just how many people had opted to violate the electoral taboo of invalidating one’s vote, the cordon sanitaire around right-wing voices in Ireland appeared to crumble. Maria Steen, David Quinn and Declan Ganley were held in the limelight as Irish media broadcasters asked: has Ireland become too woke?
This recognition that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have lost touch with the general public was only made worse by leftist candidate Catherine Connolly winning in an outright landslide. Perhaps Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are cognisant that they have—as mainstream media commentators suggested—wholly abandoned the political centre and centre-right. Unfortunately for them, the time to pivot right has long since passed, and their parties face challenges which may prove insurmountable.
The historic turnout of spoiled ballots was undoubtedly the reason why Ireland’s voter turnout just barely surpassed the margins of the 2018 Presidential Election. Ever the gas-lighters, Micheál Martin and Simon Harris deflected criticism and denied culpability for this ridiculous political fiasco. Both claimed that the nomination process for the presidency requires review, and that reflection was needed as to why such a large section of the population felt they weren’t represented by candidates on the ballot.
As ever, Ireland’s fractured mono-party spoke out both sides of its mouth, conveniently ignoring that under Harris’ orders, Fine Gael councillors were commanded its to obstruct the nomination of Independent candidates. Similarly, Fianna Fáil backbenchers who toyed with the idea of lending their nominations quickly ran silent.
Martin’s leadership of Fianna Fáil may be in question, but ultimately the party’s future is dire. Fianna Fáil’s backbencher quest to recover its grassroots may end in failure precisely because they waited too long to change course. That is, unless the party turns around completely, enforces mass-deportations, ends the asylum racket industry, and begins a full inquiry into all individuals responsible for Ireland’s past decade of woes. Unfortunately for Fianna Fáil, the entire party bears some form of culpability for their conduct in government, and no doubt its members if would sooner see the country run to dirt than face accountability.
It appears after years of gas-lighting the public, the spoiled vote count has given the government coalition a very rude awakening. For the first time, it has come to face the fact that a large portion of the Irish public have come to despise their parties.
Assailed by the Irish Left through newly President-elect Catherine Connolly’s landslide win, and with the nascent Irish Right biting at their heels, this may be the beginning of the end for Ireland’s politically centre-left, neoliberal administrative class.
Ireland’s liberal façade has finally cracked. While Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael recover from the rubble of a titanic political screw-up that will be studied for decades to come, the entire political establishment would do well to remember that the Irish public were not the only witnesses to their conduct in this election cycle. International spectators the world over, media broadcasters, foreign business interests and diplomatic officials, all saw what happened last week.
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