Dodgy poker as our people battle a virus


By Jimmy Rhatigan

FOR GIRLS and guys whose roots go right back to a Civil War in our country, a majority in Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil can get oh so close when it suits them.

They may not be natural bed fellows but when it comes to the dubious art of survival at all costs then it is open season.

To say that FF and FG are misbehaving as our people are immersed in a life and death battle would be putting it mildly.

Words like conniving, stroke pulling and wiping somebody’s eyes come to mind as, akin to Nero fiddling while Rome burned, cute hoors in FF and FG are giving us all the two fingers.

Against a background of daily deaths from a deadly virus in a country that is in the grip of fear, unscrupulous men and women from the parties that snuggled for the last four years are now pulling aces from their top pockets as they indulge in a game of dodgy poker.

Some genius came up with a policy framework document that far too many airheads foolishly believe, or say with a nod or a wink, will be the glue to copperfasten another five years of an arranged marriage.

Financial misery

The document which is probably not worth the paper it is written on is a comprehensive list of promises that with a click of fingers would transform our country from its present financial misery of ever growing bills to a Utopia in which we would all eat, drink and be merry.

The latter is a nice thought maybe but it is hardly a sobering one and suggests that the greedy males and females of FF and FG have completely lost their marbles or are playing a dangerous game of Russian Roulette that could see either or both parties blowing their own heads off.

The words of our local TD John McGuinness who has made no secret of the fact that he is not exactly enamoured with being part of another marriage of dubious mix, most certainly sum up the game of silly buggers being played by those whose hunger for power is insatiable.

John told an FF meeting that the only thing the document was missing was free Wifi and Netflix for everyone in the country.

A party colleague described the document as ‘pie in the sky’.

Save our skins

McGuinness’s preference, he continues to insist, would be for an all-party government that could be best equipped to steer our country to safety post Coronavirus Pandemic when the invoices will pour in for the heavy price we will have paid in a bid to save lives.

Those with even a smidgen of decency will agree that every cent of that money was probably well spent but thousands and perhaps millions will be loath to trust FF and FG to save our skins.

The behind the scenes shenanigans of FF and FG as they fooster and fumble in a bid to inject some sort life into a dithering and doddering old guard that has shared the spoils in a cunning cartel will surely throw up many twists and turns.
How far is Varadkar prepared to take his troops in a battle that will inevitable get dirty?

Could he do a U-turn and decided not to turn up for any nuptials, leaving FF alone and forlorn at the altar of power and profit?

If FF and FG manage to scale the church steps together and scramble up the aisle utter the words ‘I do’ they will certainly have earned their corn.

Any path to power is strewn with obstacles, bunkers and minefields.

Sinn Féin aggrieved

We know that there are those in FG who want nothing to do with FF and vice versa.

We are assured that Young Fine Gael and Ógra Fianna Fáil have no designs on any relationship at this time.

And we are well aware too that there are huge numbers inside and outside Sinn Féin who feel aggrieved that they are being pushed into the side aisles at a time when the party’s popularity is at an all time high.

So if FF and FG fail to tie the knot it will perhaps be poetic justice as their campaign, choreographed for negative reasons may lack the vital ingredients of courage and passion.

If FF and FG succeed against the wishes of tranches of our people then the follow-up can lead only to Irish Civil War 2 with the entrenched enemies now fighting on the same side.

One can only ponder on whether or not they would display the same ruthless that they did when fighting each other should they as members of the same team repeat when battling for each other?

The wise money would be on Sinn Féin and their supporters.

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