It’s not paywalled so actually read it you filthy animals, but if you’re really not arsed
* bUt Ff/fG aRe GoInG nUtS aBoUt TuRf CuTtInG tOo
Yeah, the writer specifically calls out her Dail comments opposing a turf cutting ban hours after a speech at some climate activism event in Croker. FF and FG do have plenty of their own issues with climate policy
And the closing:
> At some point, all of the main parties are going to have to grapple with the crisis.
> In this respect, Sinn Féin, currently the largest party and in all likelihood the leading component of the next government, has the furthest to travel.
> Its rise has been largely based on a populist appeal in which difficult problems can be solved without inconveniencing anybody who might vote for the party. Its climate change policy is based on a so-called just transition that promises no disruption or pain for any of its voters.
> Unfortunately, that won’t suffice. Time is not on our side. That may not bother today’s leaders, but they will stand indicted by history.
Good article and shows how much bollocks she talks
Like the Green fascist party …? … They cry environment then support Data centers..
They cry turf …then sign the Brazilian trade deal which is destroying the Amazon …?
Is Mick Clifford not familiar with SF? Playing both sides is their MO.
Any promise of a “green” future that doesn’t require massive sacrifice and a fundamental restructuring of our infrastructure and economy is a short sighted lie. The language around energy policy needs to change, not everything can be a simple one for one technology replacement (ICE-EV or Fossil fuel generation-renewable generation or fucking bamboo straws). Attempts to score petty parochial political points disqualify one from having any legitimately as a leader in the face of the scale of global climate change.
I think what a lot of people who are Sinn Fein voters are going to have to learn is that a) it’s easy to promise everything to everyone when you are in opposition and b) they are a political party like any other and prone to incompetence and outright lies like any other.
I hope SF get in office now that the worst problems of the last 15 years (the property crash, the financial crisis, and COVID) appear to be behind us. And I hope they have only one major issue to focus on – the housing crisis. Let’s see how they do – given what they have promised, it should be pretty straightforward.
Sinn Fein are walking a very fine line here, their ability to simply remove any negative side effects to any policy they support won’t work here. If people want Ireland to be green then we’re gonna take a hit. I do agree though that the approach has been very badly handled because it’s been kicked down the road for so long. A massive multi-billion investment into renewable energy about 16 years ago would have went a long way for example. The approach to petrol and diesel cars is all their own doing though, you don’t make people relient on cars then punish them for having to use them. Get the trains back.
I’d rather watch Sinn Fein get in and fail miserably at trying to do something than FFG come back and maintain the status quo.
If they fail we can go back to the other muppets the next time.
I’m not sure SF’s coalition of voters will survive contact with power intact especially if they have to coalesce with the SocDems and Greens as is likely
Danny Healy Rae. “Vote for the people, stay with the people, and to hell with the planet and the fellas that say we must save the planet and forget about the people.”
An Oxford comma would make his true intent known.
Criticism of a carbon tax is fair, as it is a regressive tax and punitive in nature. And while I have little faith in SF, it shows that people will take an opportunity to use them as excuse to discredit a valid point.
I am going to defend SF on this. The actual climate change policy experts tend to encourage the use of carbon taxes, not bans. It is far fairer than using outright sales bans. How is it moral that ordinary people are banned from buying turf, while the Gov through big business, is buying vast amounts of fossil fuels for power generation? Isn’t the idea to wean off them, not an abrupt ban.
I love the way climate change politics in Ireland is always discussed without any reference to facts or figures, just a skew towards civil war politics. Mick Clifford makes an assertion about the bogs and particulates, I’d like him to back it up with evidence. I’d like him also to compare it to the effects of diesel which also sprays particulates into the air and also dairy, the largest GHG source in Ireland. But it’s just notional debate still.
If he thinks Sinn Fein can’t have it both ways, he don’t know Sinn Fein.
Typical SF fantasy politics.
You continue to outdo yourself!
I feel I could listen to Mary Lou McDonald speechify in the Dáil for 40 hours and never learn anything new.
Anyone else not willing to incur significant costs and a decrease in our standard of living to “save the planet” ?
I think a lot of Sf supporters don’t care, they’re not the type to care, they feel downtrodden long enough that no ‘intellectuals’ debates will make one bit of difference to them voting SF are not, have people not learned that these tactics to take on populist messaging do not work, SF voters in Donegal or Leitrim or somewhere aren’t gonna be taking one bit of notice of Mick Clifford
19 comments
It’s not paywalled so actually read it you filthy animals, but if you’re really not arsed
* bUt Ff/fG aRe GoInG nUtS aBoUt TuRf CuTtInG tOo
Yeah, the writer specifically calls out her Dail comments opposing a turf cutting ban hours after a speech at some climate activism event in Croker. FF and FG do have plenty of their own issues with climate policy
And the closing:
> At some point, all of the main parties are going to have to grapple with the crisis.
> In this respect, Sinn Féin, currently the largest party and in all likelihood the leading component of the next government, has the furthest to travel.
> Its rise has been largely based on a populist appeal in which difficult problems can be solved without inconveniencing anybody who might vote for the party. Its climate change policy is based on a so-called just transition that promises no disruption or pain for any of its voters.
> Unfortunately, that won’t suffice. Time is not on our side. That may not bother today’s leaders, but they will stand indicted by history.
Good article and shows how much bollocks she talks
Like the Green fascist party …? … They cry environment then support Data centers..
They cry turf …then sign the Brazilian trade deal which is destroying the Amazon …?
Is Mick Clifford not familiar with SF? Playing both sides is their MO.
Any promise of a “green” future that doesn’t require massive sacrifice and a fundamental restructuring of our infrastructure and economy is a short sighted lie. The language around energy policy needs to change, not everything can be a simple one for one technology replacement (ICE-EV or Fossil fuel generation-renewable generation or fucking bamboo straws). Attempts to score petty parochial political points disqualify one from having any legitimately as a leader in the face of the scale of global climate change.
I think what a lot of people who are Sinn Fein voters are going to have to learn is that a) it’s easy to promise everything to everyone when you are in opposition and b) they are a political party like any other and prone to incompetence and outright lies like any other.
I hope SF get in office now that the worst problems of the last 15 years (the property crash, the financial crisis, and COVID) appear to be behind us. And I hope they have only one major issue to focus on – the housing crisis. Let’s see how they do – given what they have promised, it should be pretty straightforward.
Sinn Fein are walking a very fine line here, their ability to simply remove any negative side effects to any policy they support won’t work here. If people want Ireland to be green then we’re gonna take a hit. I do agree though that the approach has been very badly handled because it’s been kicked down the road for so long. A massive multi-billion investment into renewable energy about 16 years ago would have went a long way for example. The approach to petrol and diesel cars is all their own doing though, you don’t make people relient on cars then punish them for having to use them. Get the trains back.
I’d rather watch Sinn Fein get in and fail miserably at trying to do something than FFG come back and maintain the status quo.
If they fail we can go back to the other muppets the next time.
I’m not sure SF’s coalition of voters will survive contact with power intact especially if they have to coalesce with the SocDems and Greens as is likely
Danny Healy Rae. “Vote for the people, stay with the people, and to hell with the planet and the fellas that say we must save the planet and forget about the people.”
An Oxford comma would make his true intent known.
Criticism of a carbon tax is fair, as it is a regressive tax and punitive in nature. And while I have little faith in SF, it shows that people will take an opportunity to use them as excuse to discredit a valid point.
I am going to defend SF on this. The actual climate change policy experts tend to encourage the use of carbon taxes, not bans. It is far fairer than using outright sales bans. How is it moral that ordinary people are banned from buying turf, while the Gov through big business, is buying vast amounts of fossil fuels for power generation? Isn’t the idea to wean off them, not an abrupt ban.
I love the way climate change politics in Ireland is always discussed without any reference to facts or figures, just a skew towards civil war politics. Mick Clifford makes an assertion about the bogs and particulates, I’d like him to back it up with evidence. I’d like him also to compare it to the effects of diesel which also sprays particulates into the air and also dairy, the largest GHG source in Ireland. But it’s just notional debate still.
If he thinks Sinn Fein can’t have it both ways, he don’t know Sinn Fein.
Typical SF fantasy politics.
You continue to outdo yourself!
I feel I could listen to Mary Lou McDonald speechify in the Dáil for 40 hours and never learn anything new.
Anyone else not willing to incur significant costs and a decrease in our standard of living to “save the planet” ?
I think a lot of Sf supporters don’t care, they’re not the type to care, they feel downtrodden long enough that no ‘intellectuals’ debates will make one bit of difference to them voting SF are not, have people not learned that these tactics to take on populist messaging do not work, SF voters in Donegal or Leitrim or somewhere aren’t gonna be taking one bit of notice of Mick Clifford