Category: politics

When you don’t want to vote for a sectarian party in Northern Ireland, you’ve always been limited. When I was growing up, the only realistic choice was the Alliance Party because it was the party of people who were just not happy with the “situation”. It was a safe harbour but it never really got anywhere and their fortunes have waned as participation in voting has decreased.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good Friday Agreement showed that the people do care. There were 200,000 people who voted Yes who then never voted again. They cared enough to turn out and vote but they were totally turned off by voting for our local parties. Could it be that the choices were just bad and ugly? You could vote for the same old crap, the same old crap or the same old crap. And it ushered in a whole new series of complaints, corruption and, possibly worst of all, the Petition of Concern. That weapon has been used to inflict the worst travesties of injustice I have ever seen.

Left, Right, Left

Obviously last year a group of mostly lefty lunatics banded together to create NI21 in the hope it could give more choice, no, a better choice for everyone. It was easily conceived, attracted more than its fair share of criticism from the media and was endlessly attacked by political rivals (especially those who were from non-sectarian parties). But for those of us who helped, it cemented some friendships but really it showed us that we, the disaffected, were not alone. But we were quickly leaderless and while that Titanic mess was sinking, the senior members of the party were bailing out with thimbles.

All Things Are Not Created Equally

I feel we have been let down most of all by some of the non-sectarian parties in our midst. Those who would quickly remind us they have heaps of LGBT members (and even some politicians), have failed multiple times to whip their elected members into supporting the Marriage Equality bills that have been considered by the Assembly. At the last count, Alliance (the part of equality) managed to field only 50% of their MLAs with a Yes vote and even that was whipped by their leader (the party whip was conspicuous in his absence from the vote).

The Grass is Always Greener

Thankfully things are a little better now. In North Down (where I live), we have managed to carve out a bastion of anti-sectarian politics in the form of the Green Party. It’s clear that I’m not going to agree with all of their policies*, especially the anti-science policies.

• The Green Party would increase funding into the research of holistic medicine, oppose regulation of complementary and alternative medicine. Why not regulate?
• The Green Party would oppose GMO foods because they are unquantifable, rather than increasing research to it. What?
• The Green Party are opposed to Stem Cell research. Full stop. Because of unknown consequences. What?

And many of their economic policies like their EU stance and their party policy on taxing goods from outside Britain. Which is fine if we’re going to return to a mostly agrarian economy. And their ideas on a wealth tax, although welcome, are completely out of touch with reality; they could be well served to look at France in that respect.

I can’t vote for the SNP in Northern Ireland. I had hope, last year, we would see the creation of a new country in Europe which would usher in a new exemplar to follow. I’ve been incredibly impressed with Estonia and Croatia in ways that Northern Ireland could have emulated. But even with a £10Bn annual gift, Northern Ireland couldn’t pull itself out of poverty.

• I’ll be voting for aggressive investment in renewable energy to establish energy security for the UK and reduce our dependence on nuclear energy and remove our need to get involved in Middle East turf wars.
• I’ll be voting for better legislation for Electric Vehicle adoption and introduction of legislation for personal electric vehicles (which interestingly enough was a manifesto point of the current coalition – something they failed to address while selling off the NHS.)
• I’ll be voting for Steven Agnew, not for the Green Party.

Related posts:

1. ASPIRE
2. On Designation, Timing and Storms in Tea Cups.
3. Drawing a line means “no more victims in our future” not “Forget all victims of our past”
4. DIGITAL CIRCLE STEERING GROUP ELECTIONS

We all have differing ideas about what we want to see in Northern Ireland but the major commonality is a dissatisfaction with the status quo. We have mentioned elsewhere that a “None of the above” option would be welcome but there’s no way the local government (never mind Westminster) would agree to that as an option.

But…

In Northern Ireland there are 18 MP seats. To “buy” a slot on each form would therefore require £9000 and a little bit of time. Would people consider crowdfunding enough to pay the 18 deposits and then canvas among the group members to secure a nomination.

This is not about actually canvassing. I don’t want anyone wasting show leather trying to get “None Of The Above” votes. I don’t want posters or stickers or postcards or placards. I just want to see how it could move the needle. Maybe it’ll get nothing. Or maybe the 18 people who have to put their name on the list will all get elected. In that case, we will worry about the consequences.

I stood before in North Down, I’d be happy to help put together a brief for North Down in the Westminster elections. Deadline for nomination forms is the 9th of April. Anyone interested?

Earlier this year I took a chance in politics and I didn’t win. I didn’t even place. But what I learned was useful. I learned that you can’t run an election campaign in 6 weeks. I learned that you need even just a little bit of money behind you to do it. I learned that Northern Ireland is trapped in the past and even those who are apolitical will work to maintain the status quo.

But my hope is not deterred. Nor am I entirely dissuaded from the path.

For all of the talk, our education system is failing more and more children; our healthcare system is beset by paper pushers and front line staff are taxed beyond belief; our public services are failing with uncleared drains, broken street lamps and reduced refuse collection.

I believe that while the two men at the head of the party were deeply flawed, petty and ultimately couldn’t be trusted to do the right thing; the idea of NI21 was absolutely on the money.

I’m tired of hearing nothing but whataboutery when the DUP and SF are given the mic. I’m also tired of hearing from the UUP/SDLP/APNI about how they’re ultimately powerless in the Executive where they serve because of a divvy of power between the two big parties. I’m tired of hearing parties in a government coalition constantly blame each other for the troubles of the day.

I’m sure others agree. I’m sure a load of people think that nothing will change. But this is where they (and Russell Brand) are wrong.

Brand is right that the second clause of

“Don’t vote; there’s no one to vote for”

is actually the most poignant part. So let’s find some people to vote for. Let’s pick them and help them raise their deposits and get them into Westminster. And then let’s pick more for the Assembly.

Let’s base it on sustainable economy; sustainable environment; sustainable education. Let’s change the world because we’re sick of the way things are.

It’s hard to know what to believe when dealing with the Stormont Executive.

It is a barely functional disaster of an animal, coughing and wheezing from pretended crisis to staged mockery. We could have said, before 2014, that at least the process was working but the last few months and a stupid decision by Sinn Fein have left the government in an untenable place with neither SF nor the DUP willing to change their minds and Westminster getting the flak for being what they are (a wealthy uncle who’s cutting the allowance). There are no solutions any more, just the dragging effects of political friction.

The problem is that the Welfare Reform cuts are what Sinn Fein wants. Speaking to some of their more ardent supporters it is clear they consider Northern Ireland to be a “failed state” and the evidence of this is that we can’t pay for ourselves. The cuts are designed to further foment dissatisfaction in the region and swell their supporters. We are enduring more cuts, families are facing more poverty and people are losing their jobs because of political machinations.

My own political experimentation and the solid refusal of the Northern Ireland voting public to change their ways has now left me convinced that to a degree Sinn Fein is right. Northern Ireland is a failed state – but only in its political leadership. We hear more about heretical plays and George Galloway than we do about any progress. We have a programme for government that thinks investing heavily in companies that pay minimum wage is a viable way out of recession.

Meanwhile three of the coalition parties in the Executive might as well not be there. Flailing around like a crash dummy in a car accident, they can neither forward the agenda one iota nor force any sort of resolution. They’re just ballast. We’re paying the same amount of taxes and rates and yet our services are being cut further and further.

My desire for an opposition does not come from a belief that it will miraculously destroy any stalemate. My desire for it comes because I know we need some sort of change and an Opposition Bill would, like other post-1998 agreements, subtly change the function of the government.

Imagine if an Opposition was required. It is possible to have a government that doesn’t have 90% of the politicians all within the same coalition.

Imagine if that Opposition was mandated to have representatives from the nationalist and unionist communities. It doesn’t matter how many and there can only be one opposition grouping but it would give the SDLP and the UUP something to hang their hats onto.

Going into opposition is not about sacrificing yourself, it’s about forcing change. An opposition could have SF, SDLP and an independent Unionist (presumably one who was in favour of a referendum) and fulfil my imagined criteria. And that could be a strategy that grows the power base of all three. I’m an economic unionist, I don’t fear a referendum at all (though cynically I believe that Sinn Fein actually does)

Now it might not work, that’s a given. But the current stalemate is also not working. Things haven’t moved forward since 1998. The feelings of hope from the Good Friday Agreement are long gone and replaced with a cynical acceptance of the stalemate by the old and by a rejection of all it stands for by the young (which is why the brain drain doesn’t get talked about in Northern Ireland any more).

My desire for an opposition is a rejection of the current farce. The fines from welfare Reform are mostly not hurting government agencies, but rather their external spend. This means the private sector, which took hits of 25% during austerity cuts due to reductions in government contract spending, will receive further cuts. We heard doom and gloom from the Environment Minister about gully cleaning and street light replacements but what was missing from the journalistic commentary was these contracts were all operated by private sector companies. These companies, unlike government departments, cannot run at a deficit; they just go out of business. We’re now seeing the reportage of cuts to the Arts and while everyone is impotently outraged, they will do nothing. It will only be a matter of time before every private sector organisation that relies on government for procurement contracts will feel the same sort of pinch. It is a relief that we still have an NHS (though a private medical supplier is cutting their headcount which indicates that lucrative external spend has just been cut). These cuts will hit us, the public, in the cuts in services but also in the decimation of our private sector which will make us even more dependent on the block grant. We are playing further in to the failed state rhetoric and no-one has the power to stop it. Or do they?

Maybe a party could impose a temporary direct rule and restore public funding? How? By forcing the collapse of the current executive. It’s been said time and time again that the Alliance could do this by embracing their own principles for once (the non-acceptance of sectarian politics, the rejection of a coalition based on sectarian politics) but really this is something that could in theory be forced by any party. None of them will be brave enough to do it but it is the only way to halt the excruciating decline of our civic infrastructure.

When stuck between a rock and hard place, the only way to go is sideways. I see collapse as the only way out of the stalemate because Sinn Fein are never, ever going to back down. They’ve invested too much into this gamble to change their minds and the disintegration of our public services fits their failed state rhetoric.

I think there is a chance for normalised politics and, dare I say it, progress.

But it is incumbent on the media to challenge our current political demagogues rather than feasting on low hanging fruit.

The contempt displayed by the media towards things that are new, towards talk of hope leaves me ever convinced that they were happier when bombs were blowing people to bits.

And when change does come, they can be proud that their long knives and contempt delayed it by a generation.

Dear everyone,

Not long until the polls close and the most hectic year of my life.

One year ago I was at Buckingham Palace, was taking Digital Circle to be an independent entity and helped launch NI21 at the MAC.

I now have another invite to the Palace, I’ve started my new games dev company and I’ve been campaigning as a local council candidate for North Down and Ards under the NI21 banner.

I have loads of people to thank for all of this. I’d like to thank my family for being a rock for me. I’d like to thank Joan for helping me get my nominations. If you ever need an election agent, Joan gets stuff done.

I’d also like to thank Bob, Ian, Maggs, Arthur, Ruth, Rosemary, Michael, Ronnie, Dary, Caroline and William for supporting me as I strive to make Northern Ireland better.
I’d also like to thank my local ni21 team in North Down and Ards: Mike, George, Nichola, Jayne, William, Steven, David, PJ, Justin and Peter.

Special thanks also to Tony McMahon and Ryan Cairns for support.

Last but not least – thank you to the voters who turned out in as – yet – unknown quantities to give me a chance.
Here’s to a future for our kids and grandkids.

Come on, you have to admit it’s funny.