Irish Anarchists Launch Campaign to Encourage Democracy

national | politics / elections | press release

Saturday May 12, 2007 04:14

by Anarchist - Workers Solidarity Movement

Irish Anarchist Organistion, the Workers Solidarity Movement, today launched a campaign to encourage public understanding of our democratic system in the run up to the general election. The campaign will focus on groups such as young people, the working class and ethnic minorities, who have a history of high rates of abstention.

The campaign launched with a nationwide canvas in which members of the public were asked to give the reasons that motivate them to go out there and vote for the politician of their choice. Activist Sean Browne remarked on the strong feelings on show - "politicians are highly respected members of our society and many of the ordinary people on the streets and boreens of Ireland feel a genuine sense of affection for their wily ways, they just can't wait to elect them back into power (give or take a few changes of course!)".

Below, we include a list of the most enthusiastic responses we received on our canvas. We will be circulating a newsheet with their opinions and enthusiasm to marginalised groups around the country in the hope that everybody else will be just as excited as they are when it comes to casting their votes!

The People's Voice

Shania Murphy, Refuse Worker, 25, Caherciveen.

"It's very important that everybody has their say in deciding which group of gombeens will lie to us, ignore our wishes and give our country's wealth away to their rich cronies."

Kwame "Africa" O'Brien, Brain Surgeon, 28, Borris-on-Ossory.

"Although I know next to nothing about what politicians actually do, I'm thinking about voting Fianna Fail, due to their brave decision to come out in favour of "going forward together". That'll really put the wind up those who are in favour of going backwards, divided."

Fatima Murphy, Weight Lifter, 33, Dundalk.

"The right to vote is an important democratic right. It allows me to vote for the politician whose policies are closest to my own - until he decides to change his mind, that is."

Alphonsus Higgenbottom, Rocket Scientist, 31, Drimnagh.

"Even though all of the important decisions have already been made in unaccountable centres of power such as the global financial markets, the WTO, the EU commission, the boardrooms of corporations and a host of unelected and unaccountable committees and management structures, It's our chance to have a say!"

Finbar McFealty, Swimming Instructor, 32, Moate.

"The dail seems to be a talking shop for immature people with immense egos who think they are still the dashing rhetoricians of the Phil, the Hist, the L&H and other pretentious debating societies from across the land, it's our civic duty to decide who gets to hang around the Dail bar being ignored by the population"

Jesus Gonzalez, Hemp Weaver, 19, Ballsbridge.

"Over the last decade our elected politicians have been falling over themselves to give the power vested in them away to private corporations, unelected bureaucrats and hand-picked quangos of their mates. I'm really excited to be given the right to choose which ones get the 'brown envolopes' when my power is given away."

Sean "Shirley" Waters, Exotic Dancer, 23, Dingle.

"I normally vote for Fianna Fáil because of something or other that my great grandfather did, but I noticed a Labour party poster that asked: "but, are you happy?". Suddenly I realised that, since my boyfriend left me, I've been quite unhappy altogether - I'm voting labour!"

Péig Ó Muircheartaigh, Hairdresser, 18, Ballymun.

"Enda Kenny stands for safer communities. It's really important that people vote for him and his courageous stance against the powerful 'more dangerous communities' lobby."

Pól Ó Bradaigh, Masseuse, 28, Dalkey.

"Sinn Féin say that they are different to the rest and although the details of how they are different constantly change, I trust that they would never compromise their principles for power. Not a bullet, not an ounce, disband the RUC!"

The Party Political Broadcast

In case you didn't notice, the above press release is satirical. However, this campaign is real and is attempting to get across a serious point. There is very little democracy in our system of "representative democracy" and the results of elections make very little difference to what happens in practice.

However, happily there are other ways in which people can have a say in how our society operates. Large numbers of people are active in political life and involved in campaigns, trade unions, community groups and residents associations. If people want to regain some democratic control over how our society operates, we're going to have to do it from the bottom up. If democracy is to have any meaning in our lives, we are going to have to get involved in our communities, stand up to the government and the other centres of unaccountable power and insist that we have a say in the decisions that affect us.