Comments on: Why People Don’t Care About Politics http://www.pkellypr.com/blog/2008/1107/why-people-dont-care-about-politics/ Irish Communications Consultant - Be Noticed Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:49:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Thomas Brunkard http://www.pkellypr.com/blog/2008/1107/why-people-dont-care-about-politics/#comment-581044 Thomas Brunkard Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:42:12 +0000 http://www.pkellypr.com/blog/?p=864#comment-581044 Hi Piaras, I'm a long time lurker on you blog and I have to congratulate this entry. Nail on the head this time. Keep up the good work. Hi Piaras,
I’m a long time lurker on you blog and I have to congratulate this entry. Nail on the head this time.

Keep up the good work.

]]> By: Politics 2.0. What irish politians can learn from Obama. http://www.pkellypr.com/blog/2008/1107/why-people-dont-care-about-politics/#comment-577424 Politics 2.0. What irish politians can learn from Obama. Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:19:42 +0000 http://www.pkellypr.com/blog/?p=864#comment-577424 [...] No one under the age of 30 to be seen at the helm. Maybe this is why we are all so apathetic. Piaras Kelly has a great post on why no one cares about politics over here [...] [...] No one under the age of 30 to be seen at the helm. Maybe this is why we are all so apathetic. Piaras Kelly has a great post on why no one cares about politics over here [...]

]]> By: Damien Mulley » Blog Archive » Obama koolaid flows in Ireland http://www.pkellypr.com/blog/2008/1107/why-people-dont-care-about-politics/#comment-575854 Damien Mulley » Blog Archive » Obama koolaid flows in Ireland Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:41:41 +0000 http://www.pkellypr.com/blog/?p=864#comment-575854 [...] Kelly makes some very good points about politics in Ireland in his post here. Many of the current party people in Ireland are talking about doing an Obama for the locals and I [...] [...] Kelly makes some very good points about politics in Ireland in his post here. Many of the current party people in Ireland are talking about doing an Obama for the locals and I [...]

]]> By: Dan Sullivan http://www.pkellypr.com/blog/2008/1107/why-people-dont-care-about-politics/#comment-574519 Dan Sullivan Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:55:07 +0000 http://www.pkellypr.com/blog/?p=864#comment-574519 I will respond quickly here though the points raised are deserving of a longer response than the single paragraphs below. I will post more myself later. Branding: the bald fact is that Irish people for the most part aren't in the market for clear brands when it comes to who they are voting for. I would recognise that it is different for more of the under 40s that for those older but even there it is still a minority of votes who are making long thought out decisions when it comes to who they vote for. And with the dominant player able to walk both sides of the street and in opposing directions to itself half of the time then it would be nonsensical for the other 2 larger opposition parties to be overly ideologically pure. SF and the Greens are more distinctive but this distinctiveness has also capped their support levels at just about the top of the single percentages. I think the situation is evolving but glacially. The blame game: I think it was Frank Cluskey who said when speaking about clinics that one third of the people who come to them want the impossible, another third want something illegal and the rest are just lonely. At political meetings some are there to say aren't we great, another lot are there to say the other lot is awful and the rest are there for the tea and chance to spend the evening out of the house. Organisation: Irish parties appear to be scared of the membership being more directly involved in policy formulation and decision making. Something I think is regrettable and I've been trying to change. FF aren't even allowing the members pick their local election candidates anymore which is not something I entirely disagree with as it moves the field beyond those whose who have family tradition but it may simply create a new form of nepotism. I will respond quickly here though the points raised are deserving of a longer response than the single paragraphs below. I will post more myself later.

Branding: the bald fact is that Irish people for the most part aren’t in the market for clear brands when it comes to who they are voting for. I would recognise that it is different for more of the under 40s that for those older but even there it is still a minority of votes who are making long thought out decisions when it comes to who they vote for. And with the dominant player able to walk both sides of the street and in opposing directions to itself half of the time then it would be nonsensical for the other 2 larger opposition parties to be overly ideologically pure. SF and the Greens are more distinctive but this distinctiveness has also capped their support levels at just about the top of the single percentages. I think the situation is evolving but glacially.

The blame game: I think it was Frank Cluskey who said when speaking about clinics that one third of the people who come to them want the impossible, another third want something illegal and the rest are just lonely. At political meetings some are there to say aren’t we great, another lot are there to say the other lot is awful and the rest are there for the tea and chance to spend the evening out of the house.

Organisation: Irish parties appear to be scared of the membership being more directly involved in policy formulation and decision making. Something I think is regrettable and I’ve been trying to change. FF aren’t even allowing the members pick their local election candidates anymore which is not something I entirely disagree with as it moves the field beyond those whose who have family tradition but it may simply create a new form of nepotism.

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