tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13722343.post113950270893991767..comments2023-10-29T14:44:07.458+00:00Comments on The Dossing Times: The Irish Politics of FearSimonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13851386083389876851noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13722343.post-1140186800035605782006-02-17T14:33:00.000+00:002006-02-17T14:33:00.000+00:00i think the pds used to play the watch dog card bu...i think the pds used to play the watch dog card but are moving now towards the economy.<BR/><BR/>I think also mentioned that :)<BR/><BR/>but each to his own. some play the fears more then others i will grantSimonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13851386083389876851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13722343.post-1140183734830243232006-02-17T13:42:00.000+00:002006-02-17T13:42:00.000+00:00Sorry, I missed that. That's what I get for scanni...Sorry, I missed that. That's what I get for scanning. My impression is that Fianna Fail play the economy card the most. They always wheel it out as an excuse to do or not do something.<BR/><BR/>The PDs play the "Fianna Fail watchdog" card more in terms of corruption than the economy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13722343.post-1140176389447400812006-02-17T11:39:00.000+00:002006-02-17T11:39:00.000+00:00Economic down turn is the fear i attributed to the...Economic down turn is the fear i attributed to the pdsSimonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13851386083389876851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13722343.post-1140171419348382662006-02-17T10:16:00.000+00:002006-02-17T10:16:00.000+00:00I think it's a bit of a stretch to fit the strateg...I think it's a bit of a stretch to fit the strategies of all the Irish political parties into this fear theory. Some of what you describe is just politics in action i.e. attempting to appeal to the needs and desires of the electorate. Much of it is driven by a genuine belief in a philosophy or ideology.To say that every political pary is creating giant bogeymen to manipulate the people into voting for them is a bit simplistic.<BR/><BR/>The big use of fear in the Irish political sphere is one that you haven't explicitly mentioned. It is the fear of an economic downturn. The government constantly drive home the point that only they can guarantee continued economic prosperity and if the other crowd get in then they'll blow the whole lot. <BR/><BR/>This, of course, is nonsense. The ability of any of the political parties to control the economy is limited. Yet we are constantly told that this government has created and maintained to the conditions for the economic boom (but note they give very little specifics as to how they have done this) and only by voting for them can the the boom be maintained.<BR/><BR/>There's your use of fear right there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13722343.post-1139646189493878652006-02-11T08:23:00.000+00:002006-02-11T08:23:00.000+00:00Sinn Fein's appeal is that they are anti political...Sinn Fein's appeal is that they are anti political and that is why you see there support grow among young and people living below middle class( I refuse to say poor as There are very few poor people left in Ireland(Homeless apart))because Sinn fein can say look at us we have never done anything croupot in Government because we have not been there. Their popularity will start falling when people start examining their policies and start to realise that they are every bit politically motivated and go as far as continually attacking the one party ( SDLP) that helped bring them in from the cold.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13722343.post-1139623546156465402006-02-11T02:05:00.000+00:002006-02-11T02:05:00.000+00:00Ahern tried to criminalise Sinn Féin at the last e...<I>Ahern tried to criminalise Sinn Féin at the last election and it failed.</I><BR/>Well I think the IRA killing Robert McCartney and Robbing the Northern Bank pretty much acomplished that. But anyway.<BR/><BR/><I>You fail to understand the appeal that Sinn Féin have for many people.</I><BR/>What is the appeal then.Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13851386083389876851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13722343.post-1139620307904865862006-02-11T01:11:00.000+00:002006-02-11T01:11:00.000+00:00You fail to understand the appeal that Sinn Féin h...You fail to understand the appeal that Sinn Féin have for many people.<BR/><BR/>Sinn Féin will continue to advance in all parts of Ireland.<BR/><BR/>Ahern tried to criminalise Sinn Féin at the last election and it failed. He will try to out republicanise Sinn Féin at this coming election and he will also fail.Chris Gaskinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05043583501768527707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13722343.post-1139519952990543572006-02-09T21:19:00.000+00:002006-02-09T21:19:00.000+00:00Strauss did talk about fear, or rather, persecutio...Strauss did talk about fear, or rather, persecution, but only in a historical sense. The idea is that most of the big names in political philosophy were writing at times when they were likely to be persecuted for expressing their views openly, so you have (he says) to read their words with this in mind, trying to word out if there is a concealed subtext that the author had to hide if he was to get it across at all. The use of irony, for example.<BR/><BR/>Naturally, this is all highly controversial.Richard Waghornehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07303326713265068615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13722343.post-1139503925842498222006-02-09T16:52:00.000+00:002006-02-09T16:52:00.000+00:00ya i haven't read anything on leo. really. So i'll...ya i haven't read anything on leo. really. So i'll will take it that their is a lot more to it. but orwell did talk about using fear. Did strauss meantion a bit about fear.<BR/><BR/>Anyway i would say labour are tapping into xenophobia all be it perphaps with a small xSimonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13851386083389876851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13722343.post-1139503721367766952006-02-09T16:48:00.000+00:002006-02-09T16:48:00.000+00:00Interesting piece. I think you're right about Labo...Interesting piece. I think you're right about Labour tapping into a xenophobia, or perhaps a general vague fearfulness anyway.<BR/><BR/>Would call you, or rather the program, on the depiction of Leo Strauss. Strauss is a far more complex and profound thinker than the charicature put out and I doubt he would recognise himself in the representation. I touched on this a few days ago actually:<BR/><BR/>http://siciliannotes.blogspot.com/2006/02/leo-strauss-and-neoconservatism.htmlRichard Waghornehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07303326713265068615noreply@blogger.com