Political engagement and the place of the ordinary citizen in politics has come to the fore of the Irish political debate in recent months. The economic meltdown and the inability of the average person to control the destiny of the country has caused some to take notice and reevaluate their connection with politics and the political process. This is quite apparent in the 26 counties where, after more than a decade of Fianna Fáil power, people realised that they had lost their connection with politics and the ability to shape their own collective future. During the Celtic Tiger years, we were fed the message that we were individuals and should only be concerned with individual interests. Following the collapse of the economy, people awoke to the sharp realisation that they were part of a wider society. Decisions were being made beyond their control, and many discovered that as long as they remained removed from political activism they had little direction over their own future.
However this awakening was not just contained to the 26 counties. Simultaneously there occurred democratic uprisings all across North Africa and the Middle East, now known as the Arab Spring. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in countries such as Libya, Egypt and Bahrain. This tide of democratic uprising caught like wildfire as it as it shook the old political orders of the Arab world. While there may not be the same level of political protest in Ireland, there can be no doubt that those scenes of democratic, republican action has awoken a hibernated thought in the Irish people. The scenes of thousands of people demanding political change in Tahrir Square can only have given courage to people throughout the world.
In Ireland there has been a severe lack on engagement with the political system, especially in the 26 counties. During the boom years, the political culture encouraged people not to get involved in decision making, to look after themselves first and to focus on making money. This political culture trickled down into youth culture. There appeared to be very little engagement between young people and the political process. This can be exemplified with poor voting turnouts amongst young people, not just in general elections, but also in student elections on campuses. This disengagement allowed the elite to operate with almost immunity from the traditionally most vociferous of groups, the youth.
As a member of Ógra Shinn Féin you are one step ahead. There is little engagement by young people with the political system and even less become political activists. This is not to say that young people are not idealistic, progressive or passionate. It is rather that they do not see politics as relevant to them. As a member of Ógra you have clearly made the decision that you will make politics work for you. This is often not an easy battle. It can be tedious and disheartening. With so many young people feeling detached from politics it can often feel that you are speaking to a brick wall. However this is struggle that we will win.
Not only are we young political activists, we are also young republicans. It is sometimes a word that we take for granted. What do we mean when we say we are republicans? What role can republicanism play in a modern Ireland? As republicans we believe that the end of partition is the only means by which Ireland can move forward. While partition remains all other efforts are stunted. Yet surely republicanism means something beyond partition. Republicanism must be part of everyday life. It must be part of our interaction with others and our interaction with politics. It requires us to be active citizens. Not just to vote or be a member of a political party. It requires us to take an active role in our communities, whether that be community organisation, sports club or Students' Union. As republicans we should never accept things as they are, but always seek to question. As Bobby Sands said “Everyone, Republican or otherwise, has their own particular part to play.” Therefore, we have a duty to be active citizens, we must take hold of our own destiny. No one else will do it for us. We, as revolutionaries, must ensure that our revolution is constant. Democracy those not reach an end, but is constantly seeking to improve.
So on this Bastille Day, a day that celebrates the idea that ordinary people can have control over their own destinies, we should reaffirm our own republican principles. This is the time for republican politics. Let us storm our own Bastille and take charge of out own destinies. Let us spread the message of Liberty. Equality and Fraternity. Let all tyrants quake. While the politics of today may be dejection, let the politics of tomorrow be republican.
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