Soc Dems’ imitation leads to Fianna Fáil flattery
Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley
The Social Democrats cried foul recently that Fianna Fáil was stealing its clothes. Sure, didn’t they even lose one of their three leaders, Stephen Donnelly, to Micheál Martin’s party.
However, the Soc Dems have nicked one of FF’s ideas, too.
When the party was decimated following a disastrous local election, in order to rebuild, and be seen to have a presence in local areas, Fianna Fáil came up with Local Area Representatives.
A Fianna Fáil solution to a Fianna Fáil problem. The Social Democrats have followed suit, because they’ve so few councillors around the country now as well.
Smiler Nialler, aka Niall Ó Tuathail, for instance, is their local area rep in Galway West.
But what does it really mean? In a nutshell, Local Area Reps are councillors-in-waiting or unelected people, who go around acting like they are elected, in order that the electorate elect them.
Of course, stealing ideas works both ways. Now that Micheál Martin favours repealing the Eighth Amendment, a distinctly Social Democrat policy – not to mention the Soldiers of Destiny’s enthusiasm for the Soc Dems’ renters’ rights bill – surely, it’s time they just merge parties. FF and the SDs need to just get a room and be done with it.
When Facebook ‘friends’ get abusive
Politicians are used to getting abuse online. They’re fair game for criticism, and most politicians can give as good as they get. But too often the abuse on social media goes overboard.
It’s mostly faceless, anonymous trolls with nothing better to do than hurl vile insults.
Women politicians, for whatever reason, seem to get worse abuse than their male counterparts.
One Galway TD – Fianna Fáil’s Anne Rabbitte – takes her share of it, too, but has a healthy attitude to the online world.
Firstly, she pointed out to an Oireachtas Committee discussing social media that two community schools, Coláiste an Chreagáin in Mountbellew and Cistercian College Roscrea, on the brink of closure, used Facebook to save the schools by positive messaging and getting people in behind them.
As for abuse of women in politics? “I have a simple philosophy,” she said.
“I block and I drop. If someone says something negative about me, they go. Facebook is for friends. A person sends a Facebook friend request. If that turns negative, the person is no longer a friend.”
For more, read this week’s Galways City Tribune