Sir, – With all due respect, Mr Fintan O’Toole’s piece “Why was the Care Referendum process such a debacle despite its progressive stance?” (Opinion & Analysis, 5th March) felt less of an insightful review of the Irish ruling class and more of a rationale for a general dislike towards the ruling parties that are seemingly fulfilling his political ideals. He inaccurately labels Fine Gael (centrist-right) and Fianna Fáil (nationalist and moderate), and this misclassification is why we lack tax reductions from Fine Gael, characteristic of centre-right factions, and why any element of nationalism in Fianna Fáil is vague and insignificant.
The self-proclaimed “progressive centre” is the banner under which Fine Gael operates, and the leader of Fianna Fáil labels himself a social democrat.
Over the past ten years, the notable victories of the progressive left are not due to them breaking norms or exerting influence on easy targets; instead, they have comfortably trodden the path already paved by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. Their sincerity cannot be questioned. – Yours Sincerely,
SEAN O’SHEA,
Now on the market: Karen Koster and John McGuire’s house featuring panoramic views from Aviva to Herbert Park, priced at €1.95m.
Enniscorthy,
Co Wexford.
Sir, – The contrast drawn by Fintan O’Toole in his recent column on the upcoming constitutional referendum between Catholic political philosophy and social democracy leaves me perplexed.
O’Toole rightly identifies a general agreement among the electorate in Ireland for traditional social democratic principles, such as governmental funding in housing, health, and education. Yet, he suggests that the proposed changes to the constitution merely sprinkle a dose of social democracy into an otherwise tepid concoction of 1930s Catholic social instruction.
What worries me is the implied rift between progressive social-democratic politics and what are depicted as universally regressive Catholic social values. It’s crucial to recognise that many political influencers in shaping the social-democratic scene in post-WW2 Europe were devout Christian followers of different sects, leading to them often being characterised as “Christian Democrats.”
Examples of pivotal figures like Helmut Kohl from Germany and Charles de Gaulle of France plainly underscore the influence of Catholic social doctrine in the formation of their equitable societal ideals, and the major societal reforms they initiated. However, some of these comprehensive reforms were later dismantled by their more secular predecessors. It’s inaccurate to conceive the relationship between social democracy and Catholic social teachings as a binary opposition, as they have often functioned in symbiosis, contributing to the modern European political scene. This historical context should shed light on the intricate interplay between social democracy and Catholic social teachings in Irish political dialogue.
Yours,
Dr. Seán Donnelly,
Warsaw, Poland.