Blog, November 22, 2010
By Jason Walsh
A new political group sprang into existence over the weekend, promising to save Ireland from itself.
The new conservative outfit, the National Alliance, says it is not a political party, though it’s explanation as to what it is – “not a political party but an alliance between important strands of Irish opinion” – is fairly unclear.
Co-founder John McGuirk told me the organisation was a “think-tank and campaigning organisation.” A full interview with McGuirk will be published here tomorrow.
The alliance appears to run the gamut of Irish opinion from A to B and back again, uniting religiously-inspired social conservatism with tax-break conservatism.
The Alliance lists a bevy of values on its site, including concern at “discrimination” against nuclear families and the need to build a “New Republic”.
Economic policies include the elimination of stamp duty, cuts to public spending and middle class dole in the form of increased tax relief on mortgages.
The un-party supports electoral reform, proposing a list-based election system.
It also hopes to “[e]nd [the] irrational and outdated civil war divide and move to a European left/right divide,” but has yet to elaborate on just how it will drag Irish politics, kicking and screaming, forward into the last century.
The group has been founded by broadcaster Marc Coleman, David Quinn of religious think-tank the Iona Institute and commentator John McGuirk.
Coleman, best known for his show on Newstalk radio, is also the author of ‘The Best is Yet to Come‘, which predicted Ireland’s economy would go from strength to strength was published in 2007.
Trackbacks
One Trackback