It’s one of those moments where the rising anger is palpable, where there’s a growing number of disrespected, disenfranchised, disprivileged voters who, in the immortal words of Peter Finch, are as mad as hell and aren’t going to take it any more.
A great majority of the people I spoke to yesterday aren’t disappointed, they are furious: furious at the creeping leftists, the hypocritical liberals, the fake independents and the rest of the cowardly politicians, and at the contemptible media, all who they feel conspired to deny them their right to have a real choice of candidates included in this travesty of an election.
And they want to take action, precisely because they have seen what staying at home in disgust does: it merely consolidates the power of the political parties who continue to assume governance of the country with a ever-shrinking proportion of voters. Better to go to the booth and express that anger in a deliberately spoiled vote that sends a powerful message. If you are tired of being ignored and despised by the political class, let that be known loud and clear.
There isn’t much more to be said about how downright undemocratic, unfair, spineless and lousy were the machinations of the political establishment in blocking Maria Steen, Nick Delehanty, and other independents from making the Presidential election anything other than a curated farce, with three lame party hacks now on offer, and no real choice to voters.
That choice was deliberately excluded of course. The political cartel is literally terrified to give voters a chance to deliver another bloody nose as happened in the landslide double NO last year. That was a rejection of the parties and all their works; a two-fingers to the establishment and their NGOs and their endless condescension; a statement of discontent with the path this country is being relentlessly driven down by a cohort who don’t give a damn for the nation and her people.
As Ms Steen said herself: “The response from the public in recent days confirms that the hunger for an alternative candidate is real”.
“Sadly, that hunger will now go unsatisfied. Rarely has the political consensus seemed more oppressive or detached from the wishes and desires of the public.”
She added that she had been humbled by “the outpouring of support” from the public and said it had been a “privilege to have won the confidence and support of so many people around the country over the past few weeks.”
It is evident across social media – and even on Liveline – that there is huge disquiet and anger at the spite and self-interest of the political classes in excluding other legitimate candidates – and there seems to be a rising desire to be heard, to be seen, to make one’s vote matter by refusing to play the game, refusing to respect a system that is broken.
As commentator Seamus Mac An Bhaird noted, “democracy is not proven by the mere fact that rules are obeyed. It is defined by whether the people truly choose”. Bunreacht na h Éireann may set down the rules for the race but the political parties conspire to keep any threat to their three candidates off the ballot. That’s not democracy.
The parties to the coalition government, hanging onto power by its fingertips, will argue that they won the last election, and are therefore entitled to block all and sundry, and that the rank pettiness and chicanery in instructing their councillors to prevent independent candidates from getting a nomination is actually a measure of their ability to win seats and control local authorities.
But in their hearts they know that they no longer have the support of the people. Turnout at the last general election was the lowest in over a century, with more than 40% of people failing to vote. In fact, the last time turnout was this low was 1923, the year of the civil war.
They are fooling no-one: their strategy was built on fear – fear of giving the electorate a real choice, fear of unleashing yet again the thumping rejection that was delivered in last year’s referendums, fear of having some one they couldn’t control in the Áras: a nodding head mouthing the media’s favourite narratives, dutifully singing from the establishment’s hymn sheet.
And the fear of any chance, any possibility, of having a President that might draw attention to the enormous and growing disconnect between the political establishment and the people on a host of issues, such as immigration and the family and whether women can have a penis. Diversity of thought is to be shunned. Outside voices are to be silenced. Stamping down on democracy is a small price to pay, in their reasoning, to avoid an expression of public anger at the cack-handed policies of both government and opposition.
Anti-establishmentarianism used to be the preserve of a radical minority or a faithful few. It used to describe hostility to the establishment but now the establishment is hostile to us. Now, increasingly, the majority of people are finding that the actions of almost all the political parties are in direct opposition to the views and concerns of the electorate on a whole raft of issues.
In a free and fair election, the electorate can cast their vote according to their own preference, but how can that be a real choice when the political class have conspired to limit the available options to their three candidates, with none worthy of our votes?
On October 24th, I’m going to express my disgust with this sham of an election, this gross manipulation of the Presidential race, this denial of democracy, this overt contempt for the electorate, by spoiling my vote. And that’s done by sending a message on the ballot paper aimed at the heart of this rotten political system. Staying at home shows nothing but apathy. In this election, spoiling your vote shows not only are you engaged but you are demanding real change.
You can write Maria Steen, or Nick Delehanty, or Gareth Sheridan, or Kieran McCarthy, or any other name you chose – without giving any other preference. Or you can write Spoil The Vote across the paper. Or any other message you please. Just make your vote a protest. Make it count.
Don’t squander your vote on this farce, this fraud. But don’t stay home. If you’re mad as hell show that you’re not going to take it anymore. #SpoilTheVote