Enda Kenny’s committment to removing Irish as a compulsory subject at Leaving Certificate level is nothing more than a politician playing to his political base.

The fact that Fine Gael candidates in Gaeltacht areas oppose his plans tells a more important story. Enda will say and do anything to win a vote.

The way Irish has been taught over the decades probably did nothing more than to entrench the language in certain pockets of the country. Having said that it probably saved the language to a certain extent.

Enda’s proposals for Irish are like himself a distraction from the real issue. His inability to see that we need reform of the way Irish is taught rather than casting it adrift in the sea of other optional subjects at Leaving Certificate. An Ghaeilge is not the same as Arabic or Hebrew. It is the national language and as some one who comes from 6 miles of a Gaeltacht and who understands that we all have the ability to speak the language even if it is with the aid of copious amounts of alcohol.

So what should we do instead of Enda’s and Fine Gael’s daft idea??

Let’s be radical!

1. All Playschools to be as Gaeilge giving children a firm grounding in the language.

2. All children to receive one free trip to a Gaeltacht in Junior Cycle.

3. Leaving Certificate to have two seperate Irish subjects.

• Gaeilge mar Theanga Beo
• Gaeilge mar Abhair Acadúil.

All students would study Gaeilge mar theanga beo. It would focus on the spoken langauge, building on prior learning with a goal of creating a bi lingual Ireland.

Gaeilge mar abhair acaduil would as its name suggests focus on the academic nature of the language ie poetry, prose etc allowing students with a flare for the language to study it further.

There we have it. A sensible solution. Pity Enda doesnt do sensible though…

Update:  The Irish Language Commission agrees with the idea of splitting up Irish into two subjects.

If you are under 40 and an active member of Fianna Fáil and would like to take part, please email me: donnachamaguire@gmail.com. All you will have to do is fill out either an online or paper questionnaire (all anonymous) and potentially take part in a focus group or interview!! Twill be mighty craic!!

Cheers for now!

Donnacha

However, the time has come for a new generation of leadership to take centre stage in Fianna Fáil. The time has come for people who can redefine Fianna Fáil, for people who can win seats in the next General Election and give hope to the grassroots of Fianna Fáil.

Over the weekend of the last general election, I searched for an analogy to describe what had just happened to Fianna Fáil. This is what I came up with. ‘Imagine Fianna Fáil is a decent 2008 Lexus – still a decent motor but a bit bruised and a group of knackers steal it and joy ride it around an estate. They then decide to take part in a Drag Race where it gets crushed bad. Finally, they drive it the coast, pour petrol on it and set it alight. When the flames recede they attempt to push it off a cliff only to be stopped by the local Garda’

Fianna Fáil is on a precipice. We are on life support and how we face into the next 9-12 months will determine our future. Central to our renewal will be the calibre of our Oireachtas Team. Again, I stress my respect for the outgoing Seanad Team but we need a higher calibre of Senator if a) we are to survive as a party and b) make the Seanad relevant enough for it to be kept!

As such, I am emploring Fianna Fáil City and County Councillors to vote with their heads and not their hearts. Friendships are important but my generation needs Fianna Fáil to be strong, relevant and able for the long hard fight ahead.

We went away from our core values of looking after the ordinary man on the street and being linked to vested interests. We became stagnant as an organisation, lost sight of what we stood for and became arrogant in how we dealt with people.

We have, I believe, been given an opportunity that could have been lost if we had returned with 40 seats or more. We can and must reform ourselves from the ground up. The Fianna Fáil organisation has been strong in the past, not because of who ultimately led us but because of the people in every townland and parish who worked hard for the candidates at elections.

These people are the reason why Fianna Fáil was a great national movement in the past and why I firmly believe that Fianna Fáil will be again in the future. So it’s vitally important that the Fianna Fáil that emerges from the ashes of General Election 2011 recognises the important role that members and supporters of Fianna Fáil play.

They must be listened to, their ideas included in policy formation and their support garnered by those who wish to lead us. As a member myself, I would gladly pay a membership fee in the order of €50 a year if I know that I can have a say in who leads my party, what my party stands for and who represents us at elections.

The road before Fianna Fáil will be tough and the challenges great but by sticking to the core principles that our new Leader set out in Navan the Sunday before the election and reinvigorating the membership of Fianna Fail, we will and can be great.

My name is Donnacha Maguire and I am still a proud member of Fianna Fáil.

The fact that Fine Gael candidates in Gaeltacht areas oppose his plans tells a more important story. Enda will say and do anything to win a vote.

The way Irish has been taught over the decades probably did nothing more than to entrench the language in certain pockets of the country. Having said that it probably saved the language to a certain extent.

Enda’s proposals for Irish are like himself a distraction from the real issue. His inability to see that we need reform of the way Irish is taught rather than casting it adrift in the sea of other optional subjects at Leaving Certificate. An Ghaeilge is not the same as Arabic or Hebrew. It is the national language and as some one who comes from 6 miles of a Gaeltacht and who understands that we all have the ability to speak the language even if it is with the aid of copious amounts of alcohol.

So what should we do instead of Enda’s and Fine Gael’s daft idea??

Let’s be radical!

1. All Playschools to be as Gaeilge giving children a firm grounding in the language.

2. All children to receive one free trip to a Gaeltacht in Junior Cycle.

3. Leaving Certificate to have two seperate Irish subjects.

Gaeilge mar Theanga Beo

Gaeilge mar Abhair Acadúil.

All students would study Gaeilge mar theanga beo. It would focus on the spoken langauge, building on prior learning with a goal of creating a bi lingual Ireland.

Gaeilge mar abhair acaduil would as its name suggests focus on the academic nature of the language ie poetry, prose etc allowing students with a flare for the language to study it further.

There we have it. A sensible solution. Pity Enda doesnt do sensible though…

‘A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is one, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves’

The decision by An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen to resign his position as Leader and Uachtaráin Fhianna Fáil is both admirable and needed if our party is to survive. As our Parliamentary Party members think about who to support in the leadership election next week; many grassroots members of this proud party are wondering ‘why don’t I have a say in who leads us going forward?’

This is something that must be rectified if our membership is to feel part of the future regeneration of Fianna Fáil. A special Ard Fheis must take place within 2 months of the General Election and changes must be made to how the party is organised, structured and governed.

In particular, a new electoral system must be adopted that gives the ordinary member of Fianna Fáil, the men and women who canvass for our candidates, a say in who leads them. My own preference is for a one member one vote system that accounts for 60% of the total vote and TD’s, Senators and MEP’s accounting for 30% with the remainder going to Councillors and Ard Comhairle members.

This makes sure that the members have the ultimate say while having due regard to the views of our elected representatives. Grassroots Fianna Fáil people need to start talking about this plan now; tell their TD’s and Senators that this has to be way if they want us to be loyal to our elected leader the way we should be.

However, there is no denying that Fianna Fáil will not take part in the next government. While a pain for our Ministers who lose their cards and seals of office, for the ordinary Fianna Fáil member it will be akin to learning to ride a motorbike after 40 years of driving  a Lada! It will spark a myriad of discussions about party direction and of course ideology going forward.

Now let’s be honest. I’m a liberal republican and proud of it. I know that there are people in the party who don’t share my views and I love that. I love the fact that Fianna Fáil represents all the political ideologies (bar the crazy left and right) and none! It is what makes Fianna Fáil so good at being the Natural Party of Government.

Of course, it’s going to be a long time before we are the Natural Party of Government, but Fianna Fáil still has a role to play in Irish politics and a leading role at that! It must be an all-encompassing party that unites those on the moderate left and right, those who espouse moderate liberalism and indeed (as much as I disagree with it) moderate conservatism. It builds a better party and more importantly a better Ireland!

The opposition have continually said that Fianna Fáil have been in power too long and that we should be held to account for our failings. I agree. However, those opposing Fianna Fail need to also accept and admit that if Fianna Fail are responsible for the bad things, we are equally as responsible for all the amazing positives that have come about through Fianna Fáil being in government.

Fianna Fáil members and supporters need to be assertive when it comes to our legacy.

Going forward, Fianna Fáil does need to change. The financial situation that the country finds itself in will not allow any government the same freedom we had in government to do the many amazing things we are rightly proud of. We need a concrete agenda and vision for our country. Here’s my tuppence worth on what role and vision Fiann Fáil needs to follow.

Fianna Fáil must assert its republicanism is ways other than waving a tricolour and promoting a United Ireland. While an absolutely pivotal aspect of our republican heritage, it is not the sum total of what republicanism means.

The Labour Party have stolen our clothes when it comes to this. Equality is an essential pillar of true republicanism. The belief that all citizens are equal in the eyes of the law is paramount and must be guaranteed at all levels of society. This affects everyone.

As I sad previously at the last Youth Conference in Bundoran – ‘Equal Rights are not Special Rights’. Fianna Fáil must be the party of every Irishman and Irishwoman. While other parties succeed by sectionalising the Irish people, it must be Fianna Fáil that unites all Irishpeople in a common bond of fraternity, based on the equality of humanity in the pursuit of liberty.

This will truly set us apart from the other parties, both north and south. It will fill the void that currently exists in Irish politics for a political movement that has unequivocal republican principles at its heart and has the best interests of all Irish people at the centre of its decision making process.

Yes is my answer! I think there is no justification in allowing corporate entities donate financial and / or other resources to a political party. I think the days of businesses, be they small or big, having an influence, be it real or imaginary, over government policy must come to an end.

While I favour a ban on corporate donations, I do believe that our donation thresholds are too low. I would rather see a 100% transparent system of donations where I, as a citizen, can donate at what ever level I feel appropriate rather than the current system whereby people use proxies to allow them donate extra money for example Paddy donates €5000 to Fianna Fáil, his wife Mary donates €5000 and maybe his daughter Sarah might donate €3000. Nine times out of ten, all of this money has percolated down from the same source – Paddy!!

Politics is about people and I’m 100% certain that people should be allowed put their money where their mouth is when it comes to backing their party.

I do think that all donations over 100 euro should be disclosed and made available. Political Parties should have to disclose their accounts on an annual basis and that the current public funding system based on past electoral results is unfair to new and emerging political organisations.

Having being a member of Ógra Fianna Fáil since I went to University in 2003, turning 26 and  thus being ineligible for membership of this organisation has filled me with a myriad of emotions and feelings - happiness, sentimentalism, relief, sadness, hope and impatience.

My first National Youth Conference was way back in November 2003 in the Slieve Russell Hotel, Co. Cavan where my good friend Sarah Staunton was elected as the Third Level Ard Comhairle representative, Michael Shovlin defeated Joe Morgan in the first directly elected Leas Cathaoirleach election and I was open about my sexuality at a Fianna Fáil event for the first time. Most Ógra members active in 2010 wont remember this conference as they were probably just starting secondary school.

What have I got out of 7 years of being a member of Ógra?

Above everything else, I have made some of my closest friends. Whether they were in my Cumann in the University of Limerick, people I met at our conferences, policies days or piss ups, I have met some of the most committed, enthusiastic, spirited and loyal people you could ever meet in life! Now don’t get me wrong. I have fallen out with people over the stupidest things. I don’t claim to be easiest person in the world to get on with; in fact I can be a thundering cunt at times.

I’ve learned a lot about myself from being in Ógra. Being in an organisation as diverse and as large as Ógra, you quickly learn that compromise is a positive thing. OK, I learned that it was a positive thing, but I rarely if ever compromised!! I was a stubborn and some things impatient guy; but I was impatient for change and progress because I cared about Ógra and its role within Fianna Fáil and indeed Irish society.

It has given me opportunities beyond my wildest dreams. Despite what a lot of people think, Ógra does make a difference. We interact with TD’s, Senators and Ministers – they listen to our ideas and while they may not always be implemented; they are listened to. No other youth organisation can offer that to a 20-year-old!

Ógra has its failings. This isn’t the place to discuss them. We all know we need to do better. To assert our role within the party, to defend what we believe, to demand an end to cronyism and gombeenism. These will happen and I must say this. Fair play to the current Leas Cathaoirleach for calling for Sen. Callelly to lose his place in the Seanad. I challenged the new Leas Cathaoirelach at the last NYC to show us some balls and he has!

Has Ógra changed in the past 7 years? Undoubtedly, it has by and large changed for the better. Ógra is more progressive, liberal and republican than before. It has led the way in bringing Fianna Fáil into the Northern political dynamic. It has endorsed unanimously the need for full Marriage Equality for all our citizens. Never in 2003 did I feel I would see Ógra do this.

I am sad to leave Ógra. I am impatient for it to develop and prosper. I remain a loyal servant of Fianna Fáil. Now more than ever, we need Fianna Fáil. It represents the truly republican Irish people, it represents the progressive wing of our nation but most importantly for me, it represents my dreams and aspirations.

As for Ógra, I may be 26 but I will be on the front line in DIT this September urging young Irish people to join an organisation that will never leave you bored and will bring you an unimaginable number of friends and memories.