More continuity than change for opposite of unsocial despots party

Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley

To determine just how vacuous are the Social Democrats (a new political party, keep up people), look at their Twitter feed and public pronouncements on policy.

The party “revealed” the worst kept secret in politics last week – that Niall Ó Tuathail would be the SD general election candidate in Galway West.

And then we were treated to a few gems of insight into their thinking, and raison d’être.

The Galway City man was one of five candidates officially unveiled last Friday by the fledgling party, which promised a new type of politics.

Founding member, former Labour TD Róisín Shorthall and others gave speeches, which were ‘live blogged’ on the Social Democrats Twitter account.

Maybe, like the GAA says, nothing beats being there, but, well, we hope the actual speeches were slightly better than the stuff relayed on social media.

If not, then this ‘new’ party already has a problem in that it is pretty much the same old, same old under a different banner.

Let’s hope for its sake, too, its policy launch later this month actually contains the ‘something new, something different, something fresh’ about which it keeps talking about with banal statements that could actually be attributed to probably any other political party in the country.

Write the opposite of what was said at the candidates’ launch and nobody could argue with them – all parties would agree with the platitudes.

“We have a group of very energetic, enthusiastic candidates here today,” Róisín began.

Great, says you. But what political party would unveil unenergetic, unenthusiastic candidates?

“In setting up the party we were strongly of the view that Irish people are looking for a new type of politics.” Are you sure, Róisín; you’re certain they’re not looking for an ‘old type of politics’?  No, it’s definitely a new type they’re looking for? Wow, wonder why didn’t the other parties think of that?

“We strongly believe that politics can be a real force for good in Irish society,” she said. And this differs to every other political party’s belief, how?

Local boy Niall had his ‘spake’ as well. “I want to see strong communities where everyone belongs and a thriving economy that can help that happen,” he told us.

As opposed to the “weak communities where nobody belongs and a banjaxed economy that can help that happen” that all the other political parties yearn for.

Heavyweight TD, Catherine Murphy was at it too. “We believe that democracy needs to be deepened, it needs to involve people”.

Unlike the other parties who believe we need more shallow politics, involving inanimate objects, scarecrows, perhaps.

Stephen Donnelly, another one of the party’s able TDs and election candidates, told us: “Politics in Ireland rightly has a very bad reputation”.

It sure does, Stephen, it sure does.

And the rhetoric at Friday’s launch of Social Democrats (or the opposite of the Unsocial Despots party) candidates has done nothing to repair it.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.