While I can understand that people like to take philosophical stands on certain issues, I am very much a pragmatist and a realist. Unfortunately right now in Ireland we have a situation where our house is comprised of political parties who, as opposed to relinquishing some of the power of government, wish to make it bigger still!
We live in a time where increased and not decreased government regulation is the order of the day in Irish politics. The only way I can see of preventing this increased regulation is by actual political opposition to it. Right now people in Ireland are being given the choice between increased regulation by the state and an alternative that would bring an even higher degree of state regulation over our lives.
Unfortunately the real world has no place within for idealism. What we need urgently is a political party that can offer Irish people a real alternative. Do people here seriously think that if the Irish people sit back and let the next election take place without such an alternative arising that a Labour led government will bring anything other than increased regulation?
We are already seeing it day after day in our media, commentators, and politicians, all mooting that increased regulation of our banking and financial centres will solve the current crisis. As an accountant I know that it will bring increased costs for business, increased costs for beleaguered banks, and result in even more job losses.
One of my favourite people, Ron Paul, once said that a patriot is someone who acts when others think it unpopular to do so. We can all be patriots, not necessarily for a nation, or state, but patriots for the people who will have to live with the further misery government is going to inflict on them.
Just look at it from this perspective. Eamon de Valera sat outside the Dáil for 10 years and gave Cumman na Gael free reign without opposition for this period of time why? Because Eamon de Valera didn't like some words on a piece of paper. When after 10 years he finally entered government he was able to abolish those words as a requirement for ever after.
Without the support of the majority of people any ideal is doomed to failure, this is a given fact, which I believe to be beyond contestation. It is much easier to change things from within a system than from without. If a true Conservative Libertarian movement ever came to power it could in theory achieve all its aims with the support of the people; support which would only increase over time as their quality of life improved.
Remember that the time is ripe now for change, to buck the system, to bring forward new ideas that could quickly gain support. If a new force could be established; Irish politics might never be the same again.
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