Ireland: Green Party faces wipe out in any early General Election

Ireland's Green Party has been wiped out in the local elections. It lost all its seats in Dublin and has just three seats in the rest of the country. In the months prior to the local and Euro elections the party was damaged by the resignations of two councillors, Bronwen Maher (Dublin City Council) and Chris O'Leary (Cork City Council). They were strongly critical of the direction the leadership had taken the party since going into government with Fianna Fail in 2007. This was followed by the resignation of former MEP Patricia McKenna who contested the Euro elections-in Dublin- as an independent and outpolled the official Green candidate Deirdre De Burca.
Deirde De Burca demanded a recount and lost the party further credibility.
Chris O'Leary contested the local elections as an independent and was reelected. Last weeks ugly smear directed at Enda Kenny backfired.

Tonight on RTE defeated Green candidate Niall Ó Brolcháin -from-Galway-mentioned the possibility of crossing the floor and joining FG and Labour in a new government. This suggestion was promptly rubbished by Pat Rabbitte and Phil Hogan who stressed the necessity of a general election to ensure that a new government had a mandate. Quite simply the Greens are caught between a rock and a hard place. Continued participation in government is damaging the party. However if the Greens were to precipitate a general election the party would in all probability lose its full complement of TDs.The Greens would go the way of the PDs.
The Green Party has no option but to remain in government and hope that the tide turns in the next 2-3 years.
Surely Green turkeys will not vote for Christmas.

DHS report targeting the Rightwing a symptom of Obama administration persecution complex and a threat to freedom of speech

The DHS report targeting the Rightwing is a symptom of the Obama administrations persecution complex and is a threat to freedom of speech.
From the report, p.2:

Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups), and those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.

Looks like the Obama administration has already developed a persecution complex. Barack Obama displayed a very thin skin in the course of the presidential election campaign. He took aim at Sean Hannity of Fox News both during and in the aftermath of the campaign. Joe the Plumber was devoured by Obama acolytes and the liberal media. His crime: He dared to ask Barack the hard question on taxation. Obama hatchet men/women have attacked and continue to attack Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin . Obama is displaying a keen sense of insecurity. The president has failed to roll with the punches thereby weakening his own position and authority.

The DHS definition of right wing extremism gives grave cause for concern. It is becoming increasingly apparent that those on the right who dare to criticize this left wing administration will be targeted for attack by Obama himself, his subordinates and liberal media hatchet men and women.
Apparently you are a rightwing extremist if you favour greater local/state authority over federal authority. If you are anti government you may be labelled a right wing extremist. Single issue groups such as anti abortion groups or anti immigration groups will be deemed right wing extremists. Journalists such as Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannitty who have taken a strong line on illegal immigration may be deemed rightwing extremists. Sarah Palin who has taken a strong line on illegal immigration and abortion may be deemed a rightwing extremist. Presumably Mike Huckabee will qualify on the abortion issue whilst Newt Gingrich will register on the tax issue. Obviously the liberal/socialist big brother is watching. Undoubtedly the Teaparty tax protesters will qualify for special attention.
America is on the slippery slope to major erosion of freedom of speech if the Obama administration gets its way. Freedom of speech is the oxygen, which fuels democracy. Tamper with it at your peril

Now lets reword the extract quoted above:

Leftwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious groups), and those that are mainly pro government, favouring greater federal authority at the expense of state or local authority. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as pro-abortion extremists or proponents of a liberal immigration policy

Barack Obama himself would qualify as a leftwing pro-abortion extremist. Bill Maher would qualify as a leftwing extremist who persistently ridicules the Catholic Church. Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi who favour massive increases in government expenditure would also qualify as left wing extremists.

This left wing administration is losing its way. All threats to free speech must be stymied.

Ireland: Senior Green Party member Patricia McKenna lashes party leadership as councillor Chris O’Leary resigns

As the 2009 Local Elections approach internal tensions within the Green Party are once more coming to the boil. There is nothing better than an election to concentrate the minds of local councillors. No better people to sniff the political wind. Today Cork City Council councillor Chris O’Leary resigned from the party in protest over its role in Government. Cllr O’Leary will contest the local elections in June as an Independent.

Dublin City Council member Bronwen Maher said today that she was "Very unhappy" and was reviewing her position. Speaking on Newstalk radio, she said:

“I have been very unhappy and I am reviewing my position. There’s a lot of concern in the Green Party that we’re not achieving in government. We’ve been there for eighteen months, now, what have we achieved?”

There is strong speculation that she will announce her resignation at a news conference tomorrow.
Meanwhile former MEP and member of the party’s national executive Patricia McKenna -no fan of the coalition deal with FF- has attacked the leadership. She claims that the leadership wishes to maintain the coalition arrangement with FF irrespective of the cost. McKenna is regarded as the conscience of the party and carries a heavy political clout. It is an open secret that the party leadership has been unhappy with McKenna who adopted an anti coalition stance.

U-turns on the use of Shannon Airport by the US Military, the co-location of private hospitals on the grounds of public hospitals, the destruction of the Tara Valley and on incineration had already begun to demoralise the grassroots of the party. Cutbacks in health and education have further sapped morale. The party has achieved precious little in government. With further massive cut backs in the offing it is highly likely that many branch members will resign or will just melt away.

The Green Party is essentially a campaigning party- more suited to opposition than government. Much of its support is anti establishment. There is massive tension between the Realos (pragmatists) and the Fundis who are idealists and are prepared to cling to fundamental principles at all costs.
The internal contradictions within the party appear insuperable.

The Green Party is now trapped. If Green Ministers-John Gormley and Eamon Ryan- turn chicken and cut and run, their credibility is shattered. On the other hand continued participation in government may cripple the party organization. The Green ship now sails for the rocks of political destruction.
Meanwhile opposition parties such as FG and Labour prepare to hoover up disillusioned Green votes.