For each of the past two elections I have published my Citizen’s Manifesto. The idea is that anyone could print it off and hand it to either of the government parties if they come to the door. Here’s my new version for 2011. It’s a substantial modification since the last election — a certain amount of water has run under the bridge since then.
I give the manifesto in two formats — a PDF version in case you’re entirely of my point of view — and at the bottom of this page, as text that you can copy and paste into your own word processor to add to, or subtract from, according to your own views. I would love to know what kind of reaction you get. Please email me and let me know. You’ll find my email address on the contact page. Good luck!
CITIZEN’S MANIFESTO 2011
Why I will not vote for either Fianna Fáil or The Green Party
1. Fianna Fáil is the most corrupt party in the history of this state. It has turned our republic into a marketplace where everything is for sale, including public office. You will not buy my vote.
2. Fianna Fáil is a right-wing party that has consistently favoured its rich friends and has turned The People into The Customers of their own republic. I am a citizen not a customer and I will never vote for a right-wing party.
3. Fianna Fáil, together with its subaltern allies in The Greens, have produced a budget that will crucify the poor, the sick, the disabled, but will make the rich richer. The country despises you for that, and so do I. I will only vote for a party that favours the redistribution of wealth.
4. Fianna Fáil has been responsible for the sell-off of most our state assets, including Telecom, Aer Lingus, our fishing grounds and our oil and gas reserves. Time alone has prevented you from selling everything to your cronies on the cheap. I will never vote for a party that advocates the selling of state assets.
5. For purely party-political gain, Fianna Fáil has driven the continuous attack on public services and public servants. I will never vote for a party that is anti-public service.
6. Fianna Fáil toadied to the Bush regime and permitted young men and women to be transported to torture through Irish airports, as well as allowing invasion and occupation troops to pass through Shannon to an illegal war. Not out of cowardice alone did you do this, but also because you have a craven desire to be liked by rich Americans. I will only vote for parties that will end the Shannon military stopover.
7. Fianna Fáil bankrupted the state by stupid economics, in particular by the bank bailout. Despite the intelligence your supporters in the media credit you with, the rest of the world thinks you’re stupid, and so do I.
8. Fianna Fáil wasted the surplus that you gained by making your friends rich, so that when you made the country bankrupt again, as you had done so often before, there was nothing left. Now you want the poor to pay for the cupidity, stupidity and corruption of your friends.
9. Fianna Fáil has built roads instead of public transport, ignored disabled access to public buildings, made it more costly to get on and off the island and to move around inside it.
10. Fianna Fáil has presided over the gradual destruction of what we have of a public health system, and you are allowing your friends to build private hospitals on public land. I will never vote for a party that favours a private health system.
11. Fianna Fáil has encouraged racism as a despicable policy to garner votes.
12. The Green Party knew full-well that all of this was true and entered government with Fianna Fáil, and kept them in power because they themselves craved power. I will never again vote for the Green Party.
William Wall is an Irish poet, novelist, and short story writer. This article was first published in his Ice Moon Blog on 11 December 2010 under a Creative Commons license.
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