The politics, they depress me still

[hawkwing_lb]

Bad news:

Northern Ireland:

The IRA has given up the 'armed struggle' and decommissioned the bulk of their weapons (according to Gen. John de Chastelain). According to the IMC, they may have renounced the 'sturggle', but they control the majority of organised crime, retain at least 300 weapons for so-called 'personal protection' purposes, and remain engaged in intelligence-gathering on political figures and figures in the security forces both north and south of the border.

My own dear Republic:

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is still talking out both sides of his mouth (and other orifices as well); Tánaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney is struggling with the Poisoned Chalice that is Health; A&E remains over-crowded, a minor budget deficit for the health services has turned into a gaping hole of lost money, and there are never enough nurses, doctors, or beds; and my opinion of President Mary MacAleese has taken a sharp downward turn after her comments on the IMC's findings.

Labour leader Pat Rabbitte and Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny are being forgettable again, the Greens remain laughable, and Sinn Féin makes disturbing noises, as always. In other news, the unions are meeting with the government to discuss their latest pay deals while in private industry, the average wage relative to inflation decreases. House prices continue to rise.

Good news:

For the first time in many days, the sun shone on Dublin.

-------

No, I don't think much of my nation's politicians. I did, however, have an idea about a novel I'd like to write about them someday, casting Sinn Fein as the Big Bad Evil Necessary-Plot-Thing...

...and then I thought: Do you really have a deathwish?

Comments

[etumukutenyak.livejournal.com]

casting Sinn Fein as the Big Bad Evil Necessary-Plot-Thing...

...and then I thought: Do you really have a deathwish?

...but what if you changed the names? You've got the power of the Irish language to harness, and the ancient but still powerful Bardic Magic of Satire. ;-) Just suggesting.

[hawkwing-lb.livejournal.com]

Alas, this time the idea wanted to be Not Fantasy.

(And jumping into the Irish Question squarely on the side of 'People who Shoot (Blow Up/Kneecap/Brutally Beat) Other People for any reason other than Clear and Present Personal Danger are Stupid And Wrong' is perhaps not the best way for me to make friends and stay healthy.)

I leave satire to Terry Pratchett. At least he's good at it.

[etumukutenyak.livejournal.com]

Well, no, not that. I guess you'll have to save your plot idea in a well-locked box, for the day will come when you'll be able to write it safely. Until then..leave it to Terry. ;-)

[davefreer.livejournal.com]

(shrug)There is more to it than satire, Liz. Actually satire is the blunt-edged tool (occasionally a bludgeon works to get ideas home;-)) Basically what we're talking about is a philosophical take on how societies ought to be run. And that is something that writers simply cannot help injecting into their stories. I believe (because I must, or my writing would have no reason, which would rather leave my life short of that) that writers are potent forces moving the zeitgeist of nations. Acting as the seed-beds of ideas... and once an idea becomes truly embedded and gets growing in the conscious of a society(no matter how stupid or wrong that concept it is very difficult to stop (it can be turned not stopped). That is why I regard stupid writers -- who think their words are just words... not the seeds of ideas that will change (or preserve) societies, will kill people and change worlds, as at best negligent idiots, and at worst genocidal criminals. It's only a keyboard, but it is a very heavy one to bear.

Which is all very ernest for a foolish monkey...

[hawkwing-lb.livejournal.com]

Earnest is hardly bad...

...but I think I'll leave moving the zeitgeist of nations to people with stronger backs for now. :-)