A serious article, but couldn't resist a smile at the following. The Journal has noted there are new far-right parties on the scene for the local/Europeans this coming year. I would suggest the more the better, and I'd strongly urge them to compete in the same electoral areas. Be that as it may, but look at how they define themselves:
Ireland First describes itself as 'centre-right nationalist'. Uh-huh. As the Journal notes:
though its listed policies align with other far-right parties, including in other countries.
These include "immediate revocation of citizenship and mandatory deportation" for foreign nationals convicted of crimes, that "discussions on gender identity or [transgender] topics should not be pushed onto children", and for Ireland to leave the EU.
The party also says it is "against unnecessary [Covid] lockdowns", that it is "dedicated to combating destructive climate change policies" and that it is anti-abortion and that it wishes to hold another referendum on the issue.
Note the reference to lockdowns. Remarkable how the pandemic gave some spur to these groups. But you can't eat out on that forever. It'd be an odd person who didn't think that contrary to the alarmism the world has returned largely to normal on that front (in fact, side note, cycling in to work this week I was struck by how heavy the traffic was at 8 a.m. on North Strand and into town. Hadn't seen it like that in a very long time).
Then there's The Irish People, who have sadly appropriated a great name for themselves. They seem a bit of a mystery, according to the Journal and it will be interesting to see if they're just a paper operation, though it is registered. They seem to be a far-right version of the Independent Alliance, where individuals would run as independents but would use 'a common brand, logo, and shared principles'. They've also described themselves as "a new party of independents". Got to say that sounds like the sort of thing people who don't quite grasp local electoral politics might say. On paper that sounds okay but in reality not sure it flies. There's no real boost from that sort of approach - this sort of half in a party, half out of it. Some might be elected, but it won't be on foot of that.
This is their platform:
It contains views that are anti-immigrant ("Government immigration policies have moved heaven and earth to house those arriving while our own people are being made homeless or hopeless"), anti-trans ("extremist agendas have led to open borders policies, sexualisation and confusion of our kids via gender ideology"), and conspiracy theories about the Irish establishment ("government policies and mainstream media have been captured by extremist NGOs and are now pushing extreme globalist agendas").
"Ireland is not alone, this is happening in most countries in Europe and across the western World," the website reads.
"Be clear, no one is coming to save us, our only chance is to save ourselves and in doing so fulfilling our historical role in saving European civilisation as Irish Monks did during the last dark age."
Quite an ambition for a 'party of independents' that has no elected representatives at any level.
And then there's the Farmers' Alliance. The Journal notes;
The Farmers' Alliance, which formally registered earlier this month but which does not yet appear on the Electoral Register (which was last updated on 18 December), does not appear like a far-right party at first glance.
But the publication notes behind agricultural issues:
it focuses on issues that would appeal to far-right voters.
In a section on its immigration policies, the party claims that Ireland has "an open borders policy" that is attractive to asylum seekers and "economic migrants" who want to avail of "free housing", and that government policies on immigration "jeopardise the safety of our people" – points that feature regularly in far-right discussions on the subject.
The party's website also takes aim at the Government's proposed hate speech legislation, the European Union, NGOs and the World Health Organisation, all of which are frequent targets of the far-right movement here.
It's striking how these groups position themselves. Centre-right, a party of independents, Farmers' Alliance. They're a shy lot when it comes to stating their actual political positions.
Perhaps that indicates that for all the talk of far-right tropes gaining ground there's a recognition that actually being overtly far-right is problematic when it comes to knocking on doors and building support.
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