Ireland rejected hate and chose to stick together!

Double Vision with Charlie Adley – Well done Ireland! While the rest of Europe seeks refuge in the bigotry and hatred of the far-Right, this country voted with its heart.

Instead of seeking outsiders to blame, the Irish made it very clear they blame the parties of this government and the last. There was no Golden Dawn party parading down O’Connell Street with ersatz swastikas. No UKIP, no Front National. No Marine le Pen.

Praise be!

It would have been completely understandable if the Irish had chosen to blame the EU, the IMF and World Bank, and some of the victorious independents were doubtless elected by protest votes against the Troika.

Yet despite the present surge in popularity for non-treaty politics, it’s still fairly inevitable that the next government won’t be headed by ranks of Mings, Maureens and men in pink shirts.

Sadly, our future rulers will belong either to the party of smug self-centred bourgeois hypocrites or the party of dark and dangerous chancers who promise the earth but send you to hell.

The overbearing melancholy that truth delivers makes the choices of Irish voters last week more vivid, more important. They needed to rid themselves of the status quo. Instead of hating and rejecting, they reacted to austerity and poverty by joining ranks and turning to each other; to compassion and socialism, rather than the unbridled capitalism that has wrought havoc over the continent.

This alone would make me thrill and feel delighted to have chosen the right country to live in. Yet my joy at the choices Ireland made was enhanced by the way I’ve been bamboozled over the years by the Irish culture of blaming.

Often it feels as if there exists in Ireland a huge stinking lump of pooh that nobody owns, wants or cares about. Instead of grabbing it, sanitizing it and washing it away forever, the Irish just pass it along.They don’t feel comfortable complaining or protesting, but nobody does blame better.

Lifting my voluptuous arse out of the armchair I become rigid. The pain is so severe I cannot breathe. I’m frozen, stuck between squatting and standing.

Personally, I blame my excellent friend Whispering Blue. We’re all familiar with the way that women who share a dormitory start to menstruate at the same time. Well, for weeks now my mate’s been suffering unimaginable back pain as he studies for his exams. We’ve been friends for over 20 years, so it seems natural that when his pain has filled its host body, it might well spread to mine.

Really? Well no, I haven’t lost my noodle. Despite being pretty demoralised by the unwelcome return of lower back pain, I haven’t suddenly become prone to ludicrous notions such as migrating lumbago.

I’m just adapting to the culture of my adopted country. Years ago I might apologise, but instead I’m blaming Whispering Blue.