Broken promises to a politically ignorant electorate

Fionnan Sheahan was writing about broken government promises in yesterday’s Irish Independent.

The average member of the public does prefer to get accurate accounts from their elected leaders and demands a high degree of honesty.

This is a ridiculous statement.

Irish politicians are very, very seldom honest. They operate within a deeply corrupt political system where lying, cheating, stealing and generally betraying the people is the norm.

Honesty within a system that runs on the fuel of corruption can quickly end a political career.

Such corruption flourishes because of the chronically low level of political intelligence among Irish citizens.

A few scraps from a politician’s table, even from criminal politicians like Haughey, is all that is required to ensure election time after time.

The credibility of the previous government was eroded because the public gradually couldn’t believe a word their ministers were saying.

This is also a ridiculous statement.

Irish ministers lie all the time. Political lying is a deeply ingrained part of our corrupt political culture and is fully accepted by a chronically politically ignorant electorate.

Irish citizens have no problem with political dishonesty/lying so long as it does not affect them personally.

They vote, overwhelmingly, on a selfish, personal basis – what’s good for me, not the wider community, not the country.

It was only when the previous government led the entire country over the cliff of destruction, affecting the individual interests of a great number of citizens; that they found themselves thrown out of power.

It’s not about honesty, it’s not about good government; it’s not about the country.

It’s about how well a corrupt political system based entirely on the buying and selling of votes through clientelism can deliver a few crumbs to a politically ignorant peasantry.