(no subject)

[gothwalk]

I was ranting on Cut earlier about Sinn Fein, and olethros was urging me to post it here. I've thought about it some since, and it comes down to this: Sinn Fein are a front for a terrorist organisation. Why does anyone support them? By supporting SF, you make a clear and definite statement that the IRA are ok in your book.

It can't be that you support their other policies, just not that one, cos frankly, that's rubbish. Party politics are about blocks of opinion. If you want to support their other policies, and not the IRA, then start a political party with their other core values (Seperatism, religious bias, racism and stupidity, as far as I can see).

I know that there are SF supporters who read this - tell me how otherwise intelligent people can be so short-sighted as to support the IRA?

This was kicked off by the SF posters for a no vote in the upcoming referendum. Since then, I've seen a Green Party poster for a no vote, and my annoyance at that knows no bounds. It's almost as annoying as the picture of a guy with a gun to his head, caption "Don't Be Bullied" - that was the one that decided me on voting yes, because no way was I going to even remotely associated withj whoever was mind-bogglingly stupid enough to put up that poster (There's no name on it, btw - talk about bullying).

Comments

[gothwalk.livejournal.com]

So then they're socialist assholes.

Why are there no other socialist parties? Surely someone finds SF repugnant enough to go off and start a new one?

Hang on, what about the Socialist Workers bunch? The ones who keep postering the whole city and organising demonstrations?

[microgirl.livejournal.com]

Doesn't exist anymore. Is now just Workers Party. Cos they were about as socialist as my left amrpit. And from what teeny tiny bit I know (mostly got from listening to other people admittedly) most Socialist parties (as opposed to Democratic Socialist parties, which is different, somehow, I think. Gah.) are nationalists of the ilk of the notorious Nationalist Socialist party of Germany, as was. Now, I know bugger all about Socialism, except that Stalin was Socialist, but I always thought socialists were essentially, or could be, good. Not so sure now, because all I've seen has been tied in with Nationalism that is not just limited to wanting to 6 counties back eventually, but to wanting Ireland for the Irish and everyone else can fuck off. Maybe I'm wrong, I dunno.

As for SF and the Green Party urging No, so the fuck what? If they wanht to do that, that's their business. Don't go getting angry with people or parties for voting of encouraging voting the way you think is wrong. It's their perogative, and luckily enough we live in a system that means you can vote how you want to regardless of what anyone else is doing. You vote how you think is right and let others vote how they think is right.

And them we can all gang up on the muppets with the gun-posters (I do wholeheartedly agree with you on those. Like, extreme much?? There are perfectly good reasons for voting No if that's what you want. Selfish reasons are not them)

[gothwalk.livejournal.com]

As for SF and the Green Party urging No, so the fuck what? If they wanht to do that, that's their business [....] You vote how you think is right and let others vote how they think is right.

Those two statements don't hang together. Either it's OK to try to influence people's votes or it's not - it can't be both ways. Nor can it be that a party is allowed to attmept to influence the vote, and an individual is not.

Don't go getting angry with people or parties for voting of encouraging voting the way you think is wrong. It's their perogative, and luckily enough we live in a system that means you can vote how you want to regardless of what anyone else is doing.

I'm not annoyed at SF for urging a "No" vote. I'm annoyed at SF for existing, and anything they do after that just makes them more wrong.

The Green Party, however, are on the receiving end of my ire because they're incompetent. They are supposed to be a one-issue party - environmental concerns and nothing more. That's why I originally supported them, to the point of considering joining in college (I only didn't because I couldn't find any representatives in Fresher's Week - nor have I been able to in the last four years). But they're campaigning on the Nice Referendum, which is bad because it has nothing to do with the environment, but worse still, they're campaigning for a no vote. The no vote is the one that will prevent, or at least hinder, EU expansion. EU expansion only happens when potential member states fit certain criteria. Some of these criteria are environmental, and the there are stringent EU regulations after joining too. So by opposing the Nice Treaty, the Green Party are opposing the regulation of better environmental conditions in the new member states. And with the continuing industrialisation in Eastern Europe, this is very necessary.

And you know what their major objection is? I quote: "Not one iota of this treaty has been changed as a consequence of our last NO vote. Never before has exactly the same referendum question been placed again before the people." Of course it hasn't changed; it's an international treaty. Do they really expect the entirety of Europe to turn around, go, "Oh, sorry" and change it? Because of one little overpowered nation on the western edge of the peninsula? Bloody daft.

To summarise: They're campaigning away from their core issues. They're campaigning the wrong way. And their major objection is bollocks. That's why I'm angry.

Re:

[microgirl.livejournal.com]

I wasn't aware that the Green Party were solely based on envirmonmental issues. FOunded on that, stemming from that, yes, but still limited to it, I honestly wasn't aware. Don't see how they can be genuinely running for government seats, holding themselves up as a viable option for government if they only have one focus. I always thought they were just an ordinary government party that gave environmental issues a lot more importance than other parties. I admit to surprise that they are campagning for a no vote, but, well, if they want to do that, go ahead. They will lose a lot of supporters.

As for influencing other to vote, no, any party or person that wants can also do that, but just allow that others can do it to. SF and the Greens and anyone else who wants can campaign for No, you don't have to do what they say if you don't agree. Which is what I always thought the point of democracy is. I'm not voting the way my party is urging either. Each to their own.

[wyvernfriend.livejournal.com]

I must admit one of the things that really annoys me about Sinn Fein (and the IRA) is the way in which they have usurped our nationalistic pride. I don't mean nasty nationalism but national pride stuff. You feel guilty about celebrating the fact that we are a nation for fear of being branded with their NASTY tar brush! We really can't have a Ireland Day because they would make it into a travesty and use it for their own political rantings.

BTW the poster with the gun to the guy's head is done by the "No to Nice" group headed up by that Justin Barrett guy who is still trying to claim innocence about that neo-Nazi rally he was at recently.