An Occasional Guide to Irish Politics: The wronged Fianna Failer who is not going to take it anymore.

Brass Neck: To be issued to all members of the FF party. The Hebrew word for it is chutzpah, but to the Irish it’s simply “neck”. She’s Fianna Fail, and she’s put up with enough shit about being Fianna Fail for the last three years. Enough is enough! As far as she is concerned, the past is the past, we are where we are, and Fianna Fail should not have to answer anymore for any perceived sins of the past.

It is the Fine Gael/Labour coalition that is responsible now for all the problems of the country, and she has a right to stand on her two hind legs and point this out, even if it means attacking them for the sort of thing Fianna Fail were doing when they were in government. She’s no time either for those within the party who think that Fianna Fail should tread carefully. Show a little humility for having led the country to the point where we had to surrender our economic sovereignty? Why? Sure that was ages ago!

The sad thing is that there is an opportunity here for a new, chastened Fianna Fail, willing to attack cutbacks whilst giving costed rational alternatives. But that would mean not promising and pandering and agreeing with every gripe, and that is just not FF. Go back to the old values instead, they say. The values that said “Put us back in and everything will be better and don’t worry your pretty little head about the details”.

Chutzpah means nothing to her. It’s just one of those phrases foreigners use. You know, like honour. And shame. Country before party, that kind of thing.

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