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THERE IS A global narrative that American democracy is in the midst of an existential crisis. Indeed, the events of January 6th on Capitol Hill were ample justification for both fans and foes of the US of A to have serious doubts and fears.
Donald Trump’s recent comment, which won him plaudits from his ardent admirers, to the effect that he would be a “dictator for a day” if he prevails in November is similarly worrying.
Looked at from another perspective, the seemingly unavoidable rematch of the elderly Trump and the even older and frailer incumbent, Joe Biden, has engendered further scepticism. There is a common question: Are these two men really the best 350 million people can come up with? It’s not an easy one to answer.
While criticism of politics and elections in the land of my birth has gotten louder and more warranted since the rise of Trump, it is not new. Don’t believe all the hype, though. The damning allegations are not entirely meritorious.
For instance, the Electoral College system has long been assailed from within and without. Above all, the fact that a candidate who receives a smaller number of votes than his opponent can become president provokes the ire of many observers.
Their consequent calls for the abolition of the Electoral College fly in the face of the constitutional design and the balance of power that was struck between state and federal governments. The US does not operate on the basis of raw majoritarianism. In this regard, and by virtue of its enormous size and extraordinary heterogeneity, the US is actually more comparable to the European Union than it is to the ordinary nation. It is appropriate, then, that a presidential election is not one contest; it is 51 (the 50 states plus Washington, DC).
Naysayers notwithstanding, the Electoral College is arguably the ideal means of picking a US president. Attacks on it would be better directed at the pernicious impact of the almighty dollar on the political system. Big money has pushed Republicans and Democrats to the extremes. Before their leaders, led by super-wealthy donors and abetted by unscrupulous profit-driven media outlets, moved hard right and left, there were lots more battleground states.
It may be objectively crazy, but if a huge country is going to have two political parties for all intents and purposes, they should be massive tents and appeal to a wide audience. They once were and they once did. Ronald Reagan won Massachusetts twice in the 1980s. Jimmy Carter won the south convincingly in 1976. That’s not ancient history, yet it’s unfathomable in 2024.
Of course, times have changed and there are other, complex factors at play. Nonetheless, that neither a Republican nor a Democrat has a hope of replicating their success today is a failure of politics, not the Electoral College.
The problem of voter suppression, especially when racial minorities are targeted, is increasingly cited as additional evidence that American democracy is irretrievably broken. It is important to affirm that it does exist. Lawyers and activists have exposed efforts to purge the rolls and registers, to disseminate false information, to move polling stations or alter opening times without notice, as well as the petty denial of water or snacks to those queuing to exercise their sacred right to have a say.
Where voter suppression is found to exist – ideally before it interferes with anyone’s rights or affects a result – it must be stamped out. The penalties for the perpetrators should be severe enough to have a deterrent effect. That said, the extent to which it is covered, in particular by foreign media organs, paints a distorted picture of how pervasive it is.
In this vein, some advocates regrettably push back against even light touch, common sense laws, such as requiring an individual to produce photo identification. They posit that having to do so is per se discriminatory and racist. That line of reasoning isn’t only patronising to the communities they purport to assist. It’s infantilising.
In this milieu, the crucial truth is obscured. It has never been easier to vote in America. It’s much, much easier than it is in Ireland.
According to the non-partisan National Conference of State Legislatures, 46 of the 50 states offer in-person early voting. Women and men can cast ballots in person at city or town halls or other designated places as many as seven weeks before the designated date of election. 20 days is the average advance period.
All states facilitate older people, those with disabilities and those who will be away from home on the scheduled election day to vote by absentee postal ballot. 35 permit all citizens who wish to vote by absentee ballot to request that one be posted to them. Some of these automatically send an absentee ballot to those who asked for one on a single occasion in all future elections.
It has been noted that absentee ballots allow the unengaged to do research before making their choices. Also, postal voting facilitates the broader participation of those who live in remote areas, don’t have access to transport or suffer from ill health.
Generally speaking, these democratic reforms continue to spread swiftly throughout the US. There surely will be too many Americans who still won’t vote on Tuesday, 5 November. That’s a shame, but opinion surveys demonstrate that apathy, not suppression, is behind it.
There will be images of large queues on that significant date. While viewers around the world will pity the plight of those who wait interminably, the vast majority will have no one except themselves to blame, as harsh as that may sound.
Many here draw incorrect, albeit understandable, conclusions from over-the-top articles in The Guardian with preposterous, clickbait headlines like “Why does America deny millions the vote?” They think voting has morphed from a right into a privilege in the US. How badly off the mark that perception is came into sharp focus for me personally this past week.
I remembered that someone I am close to has an early flight on Friday, 8 March, when we will render our verdicts on the proposed 39th and 40th Amendments to Bunreacht na hÉireann. She is, therefore, effectively disenfranchised.
Meanwhile, by scanning and emailing documents, I voted in an upcoming local referendum in Massachusetts and my home state’s Democratic presidential primary. The election official acknowledged receipt and promised to send me the April town election ballot as soon as it was printed. I haven’t lived there in two decades.
Yes, these are anecdotes. But they reflect how easy it typically is to vote in America and how difficult it can be in Ireland.
Larry Donnelly is a Boston lawyer, a Law Lecturer at the University of Galway and a political columnist with TheJournal.ie.
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While I think that the incident that this is ‘probably’ based on was totally, completely and entirely disgusting, and it forever gave me worries about my own kids while out in the city….lets get real here, it’s deffo not confined to southsiders! It’s endemic in Ireland , the fighting Irish etc, its called too much alcohol, coupled with male (usually but not exclusively) aggression, it’s in any town at most weekends, after too much drink!
I agree that drink fuelled violence is a nationwide problem, however, the nature of the incident that this book/movie is “loosely” based on highlighted the fact that there was very little realisation of the seriousness of the crime and that because the perpetrators of the crime were from an affluent background that they were somehow above the law and that money and their backgrounds would make the problem go away, I think that is essentially the point of the book
It’s not just the southside, the same sort of lifestyle and attitudes are to be found in Castleknock, Clontarf, Howth, Portmarnock and Howth.
And the same attitude towards violence is also in segments of the population in Galway, Cork, Limerick, Kilkenny etc.
Well, how much money you have has nothing to do with the kind of person you are – but it is unfortunate that it seems to shield you from the consequences of your actions.
Some of the thickest and yet most confident people I’ve ever met have been Southside males. That is the genius of their educational institutions.
But is that because south Dublin men are thicker and more confident than other people, or because you meet a lot of people from south Dublin? If I were a dentist in south Dublin, the majority of people I would meet would have problems with their teeth. But I would be wrong of me to assume that people in south Dublin has, on average, bad teeth.
Nope it’s just an inherent self belief but without the corresponding talent to support it, I always admired that attribute as in the rest of the country it’s often the reverse
It’s not inherent, Paul, it’s acquired.
Exactly Joan. These guys were toe-rags, but because they were toe-rags with money it was acceptable and encouraged to curse them.
But travellers never beat their wives to death. Oh wait…..
People never get stabbed at parties in Tallaght…. Oh wait…..
This stuff happens everywhere. This class warfare is getting very boring.
Could be very good, Adam & Paul is one of my favorite films, really enjoyed Garage too.
This is a an excellent movie. Lenny is such a talented artist. The setting of the movie is well depicted but like “Garage” this is a universal tale. We have in Ireland a small but very talented film industry and it should be supported.
Privileged kids are the same everywhere, Upper East NY etc, preppie boy’s get drunk, rape, murder etc and do not do the time that fits the crime and it will not change. Different strokes for different folks.
“American culture is really a lot more dominant than we think” And these ponces are our future leaders. We’re f**ked.
I agree. I just find it difficult to feel and compassion for yuppies.
Wrecking me f##king buzz !
In this case it was thought as Daddy could get them a top notch barrister that they would get off.
So in terms of showing social inequality and the gulf between people, it’s a tale that should be told.
I’ve got an itch that needs scratching….
incase you get the wrong idea,
I gotta watch this to find out what Richard did…..
Drugs, rape, bullying and other horrific things too vile to mention are everywhere in South County Dublin.
Southsiders are one of those horific things
The americanisation replaced the anglo influence, the clothes the accents, the whole culture is ripped off the New England preppy look, alot of these people have no connection to Irish culture outside of their isolated bubble, Ross O’Carrol Kelly exposed how contrived and insincere such a culture is, anyone that went to UCD or Trinity was already full aware of it, the more exposed and ridiculed it becomes the less likely people can williningly to engage in it maybe. Arguably the worst ones are those who feel the need to ape this culture out of insecurity, from a different part of the Country but accent, clothes… all line up with the misguided sense of superiority they attach to these cretins, anytime they leave their bubble they do not do so well, classic case of big fish in a small insincere contrived artificial pond.
Ive heard people from South Dublin being described as ‘Villagers’ esentially very insular people in their own world. Being in a South Dublin suburb is like being in an isolated village that does’nt care too much about the world outside(a village where everyones loike stinkin rich, moight Oi add)
Well I live in South County Dublin and I don’t seem much of any of that! I totally agree that some kids do have a sense of entitlement, I believe that comes mainly from the parents. There’s good and bad everywhere!!
Wow Aoife, that’s some statement to make!!!!
Didn’t mean to post that twice, despite the sentiment .
I think we are in danger of distorting the most important message. The whole point of this film it seems to me that no matter who you are, or where you live or which school you go to, we are all vulnerable to doing awful, tragic things if we find ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people and, of course, fuelled by alcohol. The main character does not represent the majority of privately educated southsiders, he is in a very small minority. The same way that not all people who live in Finglas or Crumlin or any working class stronghold walk around with crime, drugs or violence on their minds and never take responsibility etc etc. It is a ridiculous stereotype all because of the way they walk and talk. Most southsiders do not walk through life with a sense of entitlement, even when they have no talent. Southsiders do not have a monopoly on this. Southsiders and Northsiders and country folk are all the same here. There are fools and psychos on all sides. There are irresponsible, immature rotten people on all sides. Equally there are kind, descent, talented people on all sides.
RELAX!
Underneath the dubarry’s or tracksuits people are the same regardless of there social class, there are rapists, alco’s, genius good and bad etc in all classes. Just because your parents are poor or rich does not determine what principles you will have
just looked at this clip and i might be wrong but it reminded me of that case where a young man was kicked to death a few years ago outside that Annabells nightclub in Dublin. I also remember the people who did it practically got off scott free because they were influential middle class people.
Middle class? I think to have that much influence you have to be upper class.
Couldn’t agree more Joan.
if you ‘cross’ a family in the south side when part of that family the fall from favour is so great its monumental.
there is no sense of loyalty to a person if they even have a slight difference to the status and norms of middle class values, you are dead meat, cut off and alone without support in any personal crisis you may have nor any ill health either. i speak.
It sounds as if you’ve experienced or witnessed something nasty. I don’t mean to belittle that. But I think you’re generalising. The are good and bad people on every class, in every town, in every country. Putting all middle-class south Dublin families in the same box isn’t realistic.
I think you have a point Ann.
Upper class culture is very Darwinian.
You could argue that is the reason these people are more successful.
Any one who tries to exhibit values that are more social or caring will be excluded and mocked.
If someone from certain areas of leafy Dublin made a comment “maybe if the top 5% we pay an effective tax rate closer to that of the top 5% central Europe our country would be not be in such a mess” they would be immediately excluded and derided. The results are obvious. Increasing inequality and even those who are not doing well in these areas still arguing for policy that increases inequality.
I’m going to be pedantic, so apologies in advance. First off, the Upper Class is not social Darwinism in action. Secondly, the group you’re talking about is not an Upper Class. Ireland has no strong Upper class. The tatters of an Upper class in Ireland would be the remnants of the Anglo-Irish Ascendency. Until recently, the Church filled the gap of a lack of an Upper class. Upper class doesn’t mean wealthy. Tan upper class is an upper-class by birth. It’s a feudal system. Irrespective of how much money they have, upper class remains upper-class. An impoverished king is still a king. A toff does not cease to be a toff. What you’re talking about is the top end of a middle class. Privilege is based on wealth, not birthright. If you live in Killiney, you’re probably upper-middle class. If everything goes down the toilet, and you move to a less-salubrious area, then you are no longer upper-middle class. This could be seen as Darwinistic. As for making “uncaring” decisions to protect your position, this implies you think everything is a zero-sum argument, which it’s not. Certain decisions which benefits everyone also benefits the wealthy minority. Higher tax on cigarettes discriminates against lower incomes. The smoking ban benefits all classes equally. As for entitlement, it’s not just the upper-middle class that have a heightened sense of privilege and entitlement. Look at the social welfare payments debate. A couple of hard-chaws in a working class area display just as much arrogance as a gaggle of rich kids. It’s just expressed slightly differently.
Does anyone actually like southside dubliners? anyone?
Hell no. It is unfathomable to like ‘southsiders’ in this country.
Who do they think they are? With their paying attention in school…. studying hard in college…. working for success in their jobs…. the cheek of them!!! (wish I had a sarcasm font)
Some of them may be arrogant, but not all. Maybe if we started to respect success a bit more rather than detest it, we might be in a better place….
I dislike spoilt entitled rich kids just as much as I dislike begrudging skangers.
See below point, makes sense. If you are into that kind of thing.
I admire, and agree with most of the directors comments, and have enjoyed his films hugely. There is, however one aspect that I disagree with. That is, the fact that he believes that psychopaths are somewhat rare. They are not. Sadly, they represent two, to three per cent of people in Ireland. This is a global pandemic that has gone unrecognised as such to date. My own guess, as to why, it has gone unacknowledged, is because of our inability to accept such a horror as our reality. Having been reluctant to accept this reality due to the sheer horror of it, I now concede that, it is unfortunately the truth. Our species seems severely comprised. Whether that signals a terminal decline, or not, I don’t know.
Hi Dhakina, any link to that epidemiological study from which you cite your percentages of psychopaths?
Thanks.
dont be ridiculous. just because someone is a sociopath or a psychopath does not make them dangerous. its not a horrible scare that there are people with this condition in Ireland. many go undetected and are law abiding citizens
@Teresa. Going by the experts in psychopathology, it is increasingly clear ,that while the majority of psychopaths appear non-violent physically, they are still dangerous to society in less obvious ways. To paraphrase Dr. Robert Hare, “While violent psychopaths can destroy individuals, families and whole communities, socially adept corporate, financial, political and financial psychopaths can destroy whole societies and economies. Please don’t tell me they’re not dangerous.
Adam and Paul was a fantastic movie.Look forward to seeing this.
On the issue at hand,I found this link on this very subject :
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/BLACKROCK+BOOT+BOYS%3A+MACHO+MADNESS%3B+EXCLUSIVE+The+rugby+culture+of…-a0113713377
Why does he keep calling them middle class or upper middle class? If they’re not upper class then there is no upper class in Ireland.
Because we have very little upper- class in Ireland, since the Upper class were British or aligned with the British empire for the most part. Upper class = aristocracy, and we don’t have much of that.
You need to reassess your definition of upper class. The Anglo-Irish ascendancy that you blatantly know nothing about had largely fled Ireland by the end of the nineteenth century, they were replaced by a class of large farmers who became the middle class in Irish society. The upper class’s were the industrial titans of the north east and in Dublin, I’ll point you in the direction of Janes Craig and William Martin Murphy as examples. Your dismissal of social Darwinism is naive, social Darwinism has been one cysteine as long as there has been ownership and a sense of material possession.
Well…I was privately educated trough all of my schooling, and come from a middle class background. With this in mind, I will ‘keep my powder dry’ (whatto) and let you know my opinion of the film after I see it tomorrow night. In addition I would like to say that those I met along the way were for the most part very socially minded people who realised that we have a duty to change society for the better with our own contribution to the world. I say this regarding an individuals impact likr a pebble in the ocean..but enough pebbles make an impact. I worked with many that volunteered at weekends to give grinds to kids at danger of dropping out of school..yes in ‘deprived’ areas…and nothing is more fulfilling than making another human being feel the care of a volunteer who soon becomed a friend and mentor. None of us choose where we are born into..but we are all equal and choose the lives we lead and the mark we leave. Leys hope our lives are a plus to thosr around us.
Professor John O Keefe of UCD, claims that two to three per cent of the Irish population is psychopathic, with fifty per cent of the prison population being the same. That’s the Irish take on the phenomenon. Other world renowned leaders in the field such as Dr. Robert Hare suggest a conservative figure of one per cent, along with another nine per cent having enough psychopathic traits to be a cause of concern to society. Others such as Andrew Lobaczewski put the figure at between four and six per cent. The website dedicated to his work regarding political psychopaths is http://www.politicalponerology.com. Robert hare’s books ” Without Conscience, The disturbing world of the psychopaths among us ” and Snakes in Suits, When psychopaths Go To Work” are also illuminating on the subject.
Thanks Dhakina,s Sword. Thats worrying but I am not one bit surprised. One look at society and crime and its evident. And we also live in a Moral vacuum.
Is there is any reason to believe that the 2-3 figure is higher than before? Have they ever tried measuring it in different countries with different levels of poverty or where economic systems are not amoral? Interesting stuff
Does John O’Keefe have a journal article for his figure?I’d be interested to read it…. John Ronson’s “The Psychopath Test” is also worth a read, it’s a humourous take on the subject.
@ Christopher, Eamonn and John. All good points and questions. I don’t have the answers. The science of psychopathogy, is still in its infancy, having only been proven a little over two decades ago. It was more speculation on my part to suggest that it was on the increase. It’s to early to tell. The suggestion that John o Keefe would submit an article to the Journal would be most welcome. Where I quoted him was based upon a TV3 documintary
tldr : summing up; a load of pretentious crap.
I can post that, but not my actual reply.
I call bullshit on you saying that the replies are no pre-moderated.
I’ve tried this on 3 different browsers.
@ Terry – below is my test phrase. No obscene language, but sometimes when I post this it’s automatically deleted, sometimes not. So there does seem to be moderation of comments here, but it seems to be less than consistent.
In fairness Terry,I thought that yesterday myself,to the point where I posted a bitchy comment about it,luckily it didn’t post either :-) There is some sort of glitch on the site,I keep getting booted off and have to sign back in,as well as comments not posting.Hopefully an Admin will see this and try sort it out.
Interesting. Automatic or manual?
I have got that too. Typed two responses this morning and they both didn’t load. Censorship
Apologies for the dodgy spelling..just adding to the ‘Tim nice but dim’ caricature…now back to my backgammon…
Looking forward to seeing this, Lenny is a very talented director.
Apologies friends, clearly machines such as I pods can succumb to multiple posting disorders.
Want to see it
have your say