NOTE: This is a long item. If you want full truths, read on. If you are only looking for RTE style tabloid style, short cuts, leaving out loads, stop reading here right now. Those that genuinely want to be better informed and are willing to greater learn truth, I thank you for reading onward.
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A good number of years ago I was standing in a voting booth looking at a ballot paper. I was looking at the names listed down it and as I stood there I hadn’t a clue who to vote for. None of them fully deserved my vote. It wasn’t that they were all bad people, I’m absolutely sure they all had some semblance of goodness within them.
It hit me that they were all happy enough to try enter a political system that they were unwilling to core change. Not one had ever said they were entering a political arena with any aims of core changing it. Not one. This is NOT to say they don’t have such aspirations. Indeed, before many TD and local elected become so, public appointed, they have occasional notions about making such an attempt.
Sadly, they all inevitably end up get worn out fighting against an outdated system or fall in line with it, eventually coming to a conclusion of “What’s the point!” or start to see personal advantages to not rocking a ‘political boat’ that’s leaving themselves better off!
However, the list of people I was looking at also never indicated on any doorstep, radio microphone or even through a TV broadcast, that they were willing to even try and improve at core, our political system! They talked about everything else. They talked about stuff that would hopefully make them stand out above the rest of their runners, they talked about a lot of things – but to a man and woman, not one spoke at all about being willing to improve our very political system. Never mind trying to, they each had remained silent, too silent to even approach the subject. The subject was persona non grata as if it was a human being. It was to be untouched, unaddressed and they were all seemingly happy for the issue to remain buried out of print and off all airwaves.
Well, in the end – to start cutting this tale short – I voted for not one of the traditional old parties. Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Labour, Greens, Renua (gawd help us! Fine Gael lite) and others I long found willing to back the antics of the previous but vote support or silence, gained no votes from myself at all. Ever since then, to this day, not one of them has ever gained a vote from me in any preference ranking. I cannot see that voting decision changing, looking towards the future.
I did vote on the day. I voted for independents and those that stood no chance against the big money filled parties of old. Anyone brave enough to even try take them on, who are willing stick their head above a political parapet, willing then to take shots fired at them by a mob of others attacking just because they oppose a favoured side, deserves some form of reward in my small estimation. So, the ones with decent ideas beyond core political improvement notions, unlikely to win against ‘the big boys’, did at the time gain my vote forever it was worth.
As I waked away from the voting hall in Yellowbatter, Drogheda, it hit me hard that not one government coalition party and others in opposition at the time who previously had their own chance in past governments, was willing to make core political improvements. O’ sure, they danced around such matters like the best Russian ballet dancer that ever existed. They never in they years and decades had really aimed at what was needed or even started out on the journey towards system improvement.
As I waked away from the voting hall it really hit me hard that no one of the main parties of old, were willing to even address one issue that was then and even far more now, is desperately crying out to be addressed. We’re talking about one issue that stands tall to be addressed as high as the spire right in the centre of Dublin. That issue was and still is system accountability.
Now, you are going to get elected at top level and local level espousing that they are all for it and in their heart, they would support such efforts. Translated, they are willing to tell you what you want to hear. Their actions, once they got elected have been what since then in this direction? …And even if they have by some miracle, actually done a small modicum in this area of system improvement, how long has it taken them and just how far exactly have they got? Let’s guess. Bugger all (with prepared excuses) or very little – and that “little” has taken years or even decades to emerge – usually around pre-public voting times? Yes, you’re supposed to fall for it all. Sadly, many still do.
So, I walked away from a voting hall saying to myself “Feck that! If they won’t even try to do what’s long core needed, I’m bloody going to give it a try” – and everything else that political happened thereafter in my life, has been on that basis. In time I founded “UnitedPeople”.
The founding of UnitedPeople didn’t come without hazards – but I expected political ones. In full truth, what I didn’t expect, was to have my house stoned on more than one occasion, my windows broken, my front door kicked, my wife abused and even my children put at risk as bottles studded with 6/8 inch nails were fired at my home and front/back garden. I didn’t expect to have our home to be try invaded and myself under physical attack (the attacker made a serious mistake. He was trying to assault someone who has long done martial arts for years. He lost. I won. He ended up in court, found guilty on a charge). However, I digress.
The political hazards did come. I had one bunch of people who tried to infiltrate the party – and then try to take it over by lies, blackmail tried on by use of those lies and by making me out to be everything bad by slandering me across internet forums. Needless to say, I ran them off – but I dis it by legal and professional means. I was not then and not now, willing to get into a low gutter with such trash. If people want to come after me, I will face them in a public meeting, in an democracy office building or within the confines of a court room! The always cowardly, anonymous assholes of the internet, can go get stuffed with their garbage. It’s only fodder for the brain stupid, they spew. I stopped reading their tripe over a decade ago. I have never returned to their trolling internet hovels.
Now, in more openness and truth, I have been made out to be drink taking, drug taking, wife battering, gay left-wing or right-wing extremist – depending on what day it is or what’s the weather like, it seems! I have been painted as useless and as a total dictator. I’m supposedly a womanising, gambling, lazy sod that’s never done a days work in my life. I’ve had pictures and posters stolen off me and then massive altered, put back up on the internet and then used to further try demolish my good name I actually have. I’m supposedly racist, discriminatory against many things and stand for nothing (go checkout the UnitedPeople.ie web frontpage on that very subject). All this and far more, before I even hold any elected office at any level. In short, if you are thinking of entering politics, wear a suit of armour or thicken your skin.
Back on main topic – since I left a voting hall, I have sought out people that are willing to bring far greater “Accountability” to our political systems, to our legal systems, to contracts that many people (including elected) are hired on. I have sought to create greater accountability, in many ways that’s very much needed. Why accountability of all things?
I 100% believe that if we have far greater accountability in all things on our island, then those we elect, those we hire, those we employ, those that do bad against us all, those that attack like a bunch of thugs – and are thugs, will be far better able to be held to result account after their rotten actions. However, I also believe that many of the aforementioned should be held far greater accountable for actions that they have not done – but should have. In very short description, I believe far greater accountability will bring much progress to Ireland in many ways. Through political office. Through justice. Through financial departments and levels. Through international relationships and agreements. Through democracy in action or when there is lack of it! In short: I believe what we core need right now – overdue – is far more accountability. I will go into detail more in another post, regarding the just listed – but you get the gist for now.
You may be asking at this stage, why is this unknown person who has apparently made little dent against the big parties, still willing to keep going. No PR spinning. No bullshit. No exaggerations. I keep going because I love people. I love my wife Joanne with every breath. I love my six children. I love those that are willing to put up with me and even listen to me. I love my town. I love my country. Yes. It’s that simple. If I didn’t love, I wouldn’t bother to try create a better future for all through my own small efforts. If I fail nine out of ten times, the one chance I might succeed, might help make a further better life for those I love. I call that a “Win” where there might have been none at all.
Do I get depressed over the constant attacks? Yes, again truth. Does it in time stop me? No. My great parents didn’t raise a me to be a coward or not see that every failure is also an opportunity to learn from mistakes – and then try do even better! Have I made mistakes? God yes! Have I learned from many of them? Yes – and in truth, sometimes no. I’m human. I still have moments of stupidity. Again, full truth.
So, here I am. You may not like me. That’s your right – and I would fight for you to have that right – but I’m not going away so easily and I’m going to continue to try do things that will leave our people and country far better off. I’m looking for a greater democratic, more fair, non-discriminatory, more accountable Ireland that will have better precautionary principle systems put in place or re-introduced where they were sneakily taken away. You make not like me – but I hope you will support efforts such as mine – and others who think/seek same – into the coming future. Extremists can all go to hell. They can join the internet trolls there. They waste time and time for all of us, is eventually short. Moving on…
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It’s #TimeForBetter in the future – and the future still starts now…