6 Comments

• How about:

  FF – Right (populist)
  FG – Centre Right
  PD – Hard Right
  SF – Socialist (populist)
  Labour – Social Democrat/Left liberal
  The Greens – Liberal (conservationist)
  Socialist Party – Socialist
  Independents – mostly conservative

• Or how about:

  FF – Centre Right
  FG – Right
  PD – Neo-Liberal
  SF – Centre Left
  Labour – Social Democrat
  Greens – Liberal
  SP – Socialist
  Independents – too varied to group

• Actually, when you think about it, a hybrid called FFFG would be perfect.

• An Pharti Coimeádach? The Irish Conservative Party. That would be a big step forward, but I doubt if the FFs and FGs and indeed the PDs who
  think that way would have the bottle to label themselves as such. A lot of people who vote for them now would be shocked to think of themselves as right wing or conservative.

  I see that no one agrees with me that SF are conservative. As for myself, I can’t figure out how a party whose name means *Ourselves” could be socialist.

• For me, SF’s anti-privatisation and its support of re-distribution through higher taxes on the rich puts it in the Left camp.

  But many of its social policies are Centrist.

  Though a spell in government, north and/or south, might well see it heading in the Conservative direction you mention Philip.

  I agree that they’re definitely not Socialist.

  William: was that you I heard on Marian Finucane this morning?

• Fergus and Philip:
  I vacillate between thinking that we should take Sinn Fein’s rehetoric at face value, and thinking of them as fascist. The nationalist element seems to me to run counter to any claims of socialism. Parties have moved from a conservative nationalist position before. (The thought, however, of a combination of FF and SF is enough to drive me to emigration.)
  At the moment, I go with Fergus: SF is on the left. Time will tell.
  Yes, that was me on Marian Finucane’s show.