Are we watching the death of the political system as we know it?
The increasing magnitude of crises currently unfolding in the 21st century is exposing the fatal flaw embedded in the DNA of a parliamentary system dreamt up in the 1900’s. A system born in the era of two or three newspapers and radio stations that created two or three political parties.
In Ireland that landscape consisted of Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and maybe sometimes the resurgent Labour. All male-dominated political and media institutions that created the foundations of a body-political system we still use to this day. A system that rewarded and promoted the political dramatization of left versus right.
However, as the material circumstances of our society have changed, somehow our politics has managed to remain in a state of arrested development.
As our media channels have exploded exponentially and the quality of the information at our disposal has the potential to make any one of us an armchair expert in any given field. Our politics has managed to remain in a state of ideological trench warfare that harks back to their tribal origins.
The ongoing exchange between Leo Varadkar and Mary Lou in the Dail chamber springs to mind as a prime example of two generals still fighting a war of attrition. Framing every debate that enters their Kildare street foxholes as another chance to strike a killer blow against their arch-rival. This ongoing civil war reenactment would be a funny sight if it wasn’t so damaging to our society.
A health crisis, housing crisis, the coronavirus epidemic, Brexit, the shaking foundations of the European Union and above all else, the Climate Crisis.
These existential threats are beginning to test our society to its limits. If we continue to let our politics be dictated to us as a battleground, rather than as our democracies operating software, our republic will not be able to survive the 21st century.
This new political reality is dawning on some in the Green party and Fianna Fail who have suggested governments of national unity to face down these crises. So far the uptake has been slow amongst the old guards of politics. But history does not judge generals who fight the last war well.
The opportunity to reshape politics, away from warfare and towards co-operation, is fast approaching. The groundbreaking work of this country’s’ citizen assemblies has given us a model of success to chase after. Led by science, reasoned debate and respectful discourse. These initial experiments are not without fault. The inability for some to take sporadic weekends off work and the lack of childcare are amongst their failings. However, these problems are eminently more fixable than ideological trench warfare will ever be.
Whatever route we choose next, these crises we face are not going anywhere in a hurry and if anything, their magnitude is increasing. Luckily, we are a nation of greater strength, resolve and ingenious than our current political class would have us believe.
In the years ahead every ounce of that strength and ingenuity will be tested. As our old political system is now being tested. On the exam paper; whether or not we have the stomach or the ingenuity required to end the ideological wars of the last century and begin the new one with honesty-integrity and hope for the future. Hope that the useless fighting is finally coming to an end and that a new operating software for our democracy is emerging.
