With a wind at your back you can govern in the sunshine

You’ve got to be brave to start a new party.  It’s no easy task these days.  To start one on the Friday 13^th and within days of the Ides of March and an eclipse suggests that you’re not superstitious.  We’re told over 100 professionals have volunteered their services to Renua Ireland.  We’re told that they have identified the famous gap in the market which Michael McDowell suggests needs to justify   any new parties existence.

So where is the patch for the new party? Clearly it’s to the right of Fine Gael. Renua Ireland are marking out political territory to attract Fine Gael voters in the same way that Trotskyites are targeting Labour voters.  So the strong pro life stance and the need to cut public sector, prioritise the interest of entrepreneurs, cutting tax forms the back bone of the new party. The only Fine Gael policy that it has yet to claim is what is euphemistically described as “being strong on law and order”.  Renua is hoping to take votes from Fine Gael at any future election. 

There is quite a queue on the independent side of the house towards forming parties.  Shane Ross and his party are building momentum in the background.  In politics timing is everything, that’s why Renua were so anxious to get going now.  All markets get filled and the sooner they set up shop the better.  The closer that we get to the General Election the more difficult it will be for any party to set out its stall clearly.

What will be interesting is to see what happens in opinion polls to the independent voting bloc.  Will those voters be attracted to support Renua?  There seems to be a cynicism towards parties in the mind of the public so it’s a little ironic that as an election looms independents are starting to form parties.

Indeed what is the value of giving independent as an answer option on any poll into the future? ULA, Socialist Party, People Before Profit etc are not independents but small parties.  These public representatives are a million miles from the notion of an independent simply representing community issues.  Perhaps Non Party is a better description of these candidates.

But let’s nail a few myths before we go further; Unlike some of the leading lights of the PD’s, none of its founding members were expelled from Fine Gael. Eddie Hobbs says he won’t be a candidate as he can’t afford to live off a TD’s salary despite the suggestion on their website that he will be.  Senator Mary O’Brien whose husband is a candidate is not a member despite their website suggesting she is.

The suggestion that no politician can serve more than 2 terms as a minister is unworkable.  What are they going to do if a party lead by a former long serving minister wins an election? Surely the people’s view is sovereign and that Deputy can lead their party into government?  And as for allowing a free vote on issues of conscience, a conscience can be an elastic thing in politics which can expand and contract at the whim of who is pulling at it.  If you have a party of strong willed individuals it can make for torrid times.

You’ve got to be brave and for their sake I hope they carve out a niche but at the back of my mind I’ve my doubts.  There is a touch of going the road with everyone and staying the course with none.