In times of idealistic youth, I was able to meet any people from Sinn Fein (by Ikonowicz, due to the fact that by whom!) ("self to myself"). I am not hiding that I was a small afraid of them – I knew about them so much that they were a political extension of the IRA, and the last bombs then exploded in London (1996).
Besides, I thought they were nationalists! "No, they are good leftists," Ikonowicz assured. He was right, of course, but I was afraid anyway.
Ireland frightened me at the same time and fascinated me. Like any nerd of my generation, I was enthralled with Clannad music, Cuchulain legends, and Brendan's travels, the sound of the language itself.
On the another hand, it was a country even more clerically outstretched than Poland. I would be afraid to go there, as present I am afraid to go to Iran, say. I am horrified by the clusters of fanatic monotheistic religions.
As shortly as I can remember, Irish politics have designated a duo resembling our PO-PiS. It was either the Fianna neglect ("Soldiers of Destiny") or the Fine Gael ("Irish Tribe"), the second usually in a coalition with the Labour organization (only with a average name). In the Europarliament, the erstwhile belongs to the Liberals, the second to the chadeks, and the second to the Social Democrats.
Twenty years ago, however, it was essential to add "for Irish standards", due to the fact that for Europeans, all 3 were furiously right, and economically, and moralally. In 1983, they outbid themselves in bidding for papality during the referendum on the entry of an abortion ban in the Constitution: they unanimously supported it by "liberators" and "chades", and "social democrats" were... divided.
The Irish labour organization was like our SLD. They assumed that if they operate in a right-wing country, they must be the right-wing left, like the altar boy Oleksy.
In this situation, the function of the margin margin remained for the decent lefties of Sinn Fein in Irish politics. They took a fraction of the percentage. Even their function as the "political arm of the IRA" seemed to end with the peace process.
Meanwhile, the sexual crime scandal in the Irish church slow matured through the 1990s until it exploded in 2002. The church reacted with its typical shortsighted arrogance: first he denied everything, and then abruptly he had to admit that reality was worse than the top anticlericists said.
Within a fewer years, the churches were deserted. Since then, an full generation has grown, for which the parish priest or catechist is no longer an authority.
In 1997 Sinn Fein introduced the first MP into parliament. In 2002 five. In 2007, four. In 2011, fourteen.
In 2016, they introduced 16 deputies, making them organization number three, but the government re-created a coalition based on Fine Gael. but this is another Fine Gael, the prime minister was opened gay, Leo Varadkar. For his rule, an abortional amendment to the Constitution was withdrawn in the next referendum (2018).
In the February 8 election, Sinn Fein introduced 37 MPs to 160 and became organization number two. It is not yet known what the coalition will do, but in my life Ireland from a conservative and fanatically clerical country has become a country where leftist parties (socialists, social democrats and greens) have nearly half the mandates.
Can this happen again in Poland? I'm a cautious optimist.
In exposing the moral degrengolade of the episcopate, we are delayed by about 20 years. We are in a phase like them about 2000 – everyone already knows everything, but the Church inactive denies it.
PO-PiS politicians will inactive ask for the support of implicated bishops, but it is no longer known who is stronger in this partnership. Is the Law and Justice more afraid of losing support, or is the Episcopate of Ziobro starting with investigations?
The 2008 economical crisis hit Ireland highly badly. Many people, especially young people, have lost religion in catching wealth and in Ferraris waiting around the corner.
In our case, this religion is inactive alive – possibly even more than Catholicism. But it's gonna go away. Young liberals, you lose your dreams, you lose yours, you lose yours.
We'll be the second Ireland. We're going to say concordat, we're going to have an abortion on demand, and a gay man becomes Prime Minister. Impossible? In Ireland 20 years ago, it was not announced.
