Irish Politics Thread

That being said, the optics of Ryan's snooze aren't good, and are likely to provoke a response. But, its not major story.

Imagine if someone like Mary Lou, Gino Kenny, Mattie McGrath or one of the Healy Raes were spotted falling asleep. I'm sure the same messages of support would come in for them too.

The Healy Raes would be left to snooze...

See again, this is the sort of narrative I'm talking about that leads to mass cynicism. 

You say the Greens are a beneficiary of so called "Official Ireland" - yet we've had a mendacious campaign by the far right to demonise and destroy a prominent Green Party TD by falsely branding him a "paedophile" over the last few weeks -  and like in America with these loony far right conspiracy theories, the media have actually entertained it and given it legs.

Doesn't sound like the Greens are benefitting from "Official Ireland" much.

Oh, and I voted number 3 for Gino Kenny - he was in my constituency - and my transfer helped get him elected.

Funny enough I haven't heard much bout the way Ryan actually voted. Criticise that all yis want. Examine the pros and cons of the actual issue he voted on. But people don't do that. They're more interested in stupid viral clips and constructing narratives which feed into mass cyncism which benefits the far right.

Mattie McGrath and the Healy Raes are made by the amount of media coverage they get. They use the exact same strategy as demagogues use the world over - they cultivate bonkers personalities for public consumption because they know the media will lap it up and constantly give them coverage when they say bonkers things. Then you get eejits calling them things like "authentic", when in reality, they're the most inauthentic and cynical bastards in all of Irish politics - they have no intention of ever having any real responsibility, but they're happy to rack up expenses - it's these types of "populist" rural TDs who always rack up the highest expenses. People talk about "career politicians" - politics as a career, if you're in it for the right reasons is as valid and more valid a career as any other - but the Healy Raes, Mattie McGrath, Noel Grealish etc are the worst type of career politicians, because they have worked out that they have a job for life with no responsibility if they act a certain way in public and say certain incendiary things and play the identity politics game - they essentially play gullible voters for fools.

Yet when people talk about "career politicians", they never, ever talk about the Healy Raes or McGrath or Grealish.