The sociological blog meme (finally)
(Apologies to Sinéad Gleeson and to Cian - who both tagged me - for putting this off for so long. Sorry, guys! And thanks to Fiona de Londras, who started this)
Gender: Male
Age: 19-30
Nationality: Irish.
Country of residence: Ireland.
Sexual Orientation: Straight.
Do you have a disability? No, but I have an old knee injury that hurts when I can't move it for long periods, such as on journeys.
How would you describe your political philosophy? Republican and small 'n' Irish nationalist, religiously agnostic.
Level of education Graduate.
If you were to vote on party lines which party would you choose (Ireland)? In a PR electoral system, this makes for a complicated answer. I'd vote candidates. If it were to be a hypothetical ballot where I knew no-one, then FF-Lab-FG-Green.
If you were to vote on party lines which party would you choose (UK)? Anyone other than "New Labour", who are completely abhorrent and much, much worse than Thatcherism ever dared to be.
If you were to vote on party lines which party would you choose (USA)? Democrat. The GOP are completely in thrall to militant Christian religious fundies, the corporate lobby and a coterie of intellectuals with barking-mad schemes (the neo-cons).
Where do you stand on the EU? Deeply suspicious of how in thrall the EU is to the corporate lobby. Brussels is reputedly as bad as Capitol Hill for corruption and backroom dealing. The lack of proper accountability to the EU citizenry is appalling - especially in how Directives periodically appear as if out of thin air, presenting us with pretty much a fait accompli.
Did you support the invasion of Afghanistan? Yes, though not with enthusiasm. Invading Afghanistan was about working-out the American desire for revenge, and nothing else - Bush was himself in person more than happy to cavort with the Taliban before OBL struck on 9/11.
Did you support the invasion of Iraq? No - but not from resistance to the notion of Saddam as anything other than the thug he was. Iraq was always about the cynical use of 9/11 to achieve strategic American objectives under PNAC. Those who believed the clear nonsense that was the (post-no-WMD) humanitarian justification offered are fooling themselves.
Do you continue to support either or both of those conflicts? No. Iraq speaks for itself. Afghanistan has been abandoned - the Afghani President is pretty much mayor of Kabul and nothing else. It's not tenable to support something which has no relation to reality.
What do you believe is the single biggest issue facing Irish politics?The North. Always has been, and will be for decades (if not centuries) to come. Efforts to seal the problem away led to the rise of the Provos, and only chance of neutering them now is inside a United Ireland. The "revisionist project" has (inevitably) failed, and all we have to show for it is that Provisional Sinn Féin have seized possession of the legacy of the sacrifices made by previous generations to free Ireland from a tyrannical foreign rule.
What do you believe is the single biggest issue facing European politics? Making the EU accountable, and establishing a proper Constitution (the attempt to label the other thing as one is reprehensible sleight-of-hand).
What do you believe is the single biggest issue facing international politics? Hard to decide... Global warming. The continued wretched state of so much of the world, which allows the West to keep prosperous as we leech cheap labour and resources from them with the assistance of puppet regimes. The continuing decline of the US position as the 'hyperpower', and the question of how they'll deal with this (so far, not so well). Reform of the UN to both neuter the vampires in the Security Council and to treat tyrannies with the appropriate odium.
Are you, have you ever been, and do you ever wish to be involved in politics in a party political manner? Yes, I was born into staunch rural Fianna Fáil on both sides, and grew up with politics (I am a veteran political worker by this stage!). I cut my ties to FF due to the rehabilitation of the corrupt Haughey faction with Ahern's leadership (and, latterly, professional reasons).
Who would you have voted for in the past US Presidential Election? Kerry. No matter what the Democratic candidate's faults may have been, casting a vote for Bush is an unconscionable act morally.
Gender: Male
Age: 19-30
Nationality: Irish.
Country of residence: Ireland.
Sexual Orientation: Straight.
Do you have a disability? No, but I have an old knee injury that hurts when I can't move it for long periods, such as on journeys.
How would you describe your political philosophy? Republican and small 'n' Irish nationalist, religiously agnostic.
Level of education Graduate.
If you were to vote on party lines which party would you choose (Ireland)? In a PR electoral system, this makes for a complicated answer. I'd vote candidates. If it were to be a hypothetical ballot where I knew no-one, then FF-Lab-FG-Green.
If you were to vote on party lines which party would you choose (UK)? Anyone other than "New Labour", who are completely abhorrent and much, much worse than Thatcherism ever dared to be.
If you were to vote on party lines which party would you choose (USA)? Democrat. The GOP are completely in thrall to militant Christian religious fundies, the corporate lobby and a coterie of intellectuals with barking-mad schemes (the neo-cons).
Where do you stand on the EU? Deeply suspicious of how in thrall the EU is to the corporate lobby. Brussels is reputedly as bad as Capitol Hill for corruption and backroom dealing. The lack of proper accountability to the EU citizenry is appalling - especially in how Directives periodically appear as if out of thin air, presenting us with pretty much a fait accompli.
Did you support the invasion of Afghanistan? Yes, though not with enthusiasm. Invading Afghanistan was about working-out the American desire for revenge, and nothing else - Bush was himself in person more than happy to cavort with the Taliban before OBL struck on 9/11.
Did you support the invasion of Iraq? No - but not from resistance to the notion of Saddam as anything other than the thug he was. Iraq was always about the cynical use of 9/11 to achieve strategic American objectives under PNAC. Those who believed the clear nonsense that was the (post-no-WMD) humanitarian justification offered are fooling themselves.
Do you continue to support either or both of those conflicts? No. Iraq speaks for itself. Afghanistan has been abandoned - the Afghani President is pretty much mayor of Kabul and nothing else. It's not tenable to support something which has no relation to reality.
What do you believe is the single biggest issue facing Irish politics?The North. Always has been, and will be for decades (if not centuries) to come. Efforts to seal the problem away led to the rise of the Provos, and only chance of neutering them now is inside a United Ireland. The "revisionist project" has (inevitably) failed, and all we have to show for it is that Provisional Sinn Féin have seized possession of the legacy of the sacrifices made by previous generations to free Ireland from a tyrannical foreign rule.
What do you believe is the single biggest issue facing European politics? Making the EU accountable, and establishing a proper Constitution (the attempt to label the other thing as one is reprehensible sleight-of-hand).
What do you believe is the single biggest issue facing international politics? Hard to decide... Global warming. The continued wretched state of so much of the world, which allows the West to keep prosperous as we leech cheap labour and resources from them with the assistance of puppet regimes. The continuing decline of the US position as the 'hyperpower', and the question of how they'll deal with this (so far, not so well). Reform of the UN to both neuter the vampires in the Security Council and to treat tyrannies with the appropriate odium.
Are you, have you ever been, and do you ever wish to be involved in politics in a party political manner? Yes, I was born into staunch rural Fianna Fáil on both sides, and grew up with politics (I am a veteran political worker by this stage!). I cut my ties to FF due to the rehabilitation of the corrupt Haughey faction with Ahern's leadership (and, latterly, professional reasons).
Who would you have voted for in the past US Presidential Election? Kerry. No matter what the Democratic candidate's faults may have been, casting a vote for Bush is an unconscionable act morally.
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