The Obama kool aid is in effect in Labour too. How many times did Gilmore say change?
Anything less than Gilmore becoming Taoiseach (what are the Paddy Power odds?) will make their recent conference look like a complete farce. Check out all the Gilmore for Taoiseach Posters:
One further comment, how many people under 30 years of age are up on that stage? New Labour, old bones:
Oh and: Cringe. (Isn’t that the tune to Oh Christmas Tree?)
It’s a trad folk tune originally. It’s had a few uses over the years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Tannenbaum
Its the Red Flag – traditional Socialist Party song – dates back to the late 19th Century. I’m sure they apologise to the Web 2.0 world for not having sufficient cringe-ness, but I’m sure they have better things on their mind.
Indeed, making posters suggesting their leader will be Taoiseach seems to be agenda number 1 in the new “Building castles in the sky” project. Agenda 2 is having Gilmore ride a Unicorn to work each morning. Might pick up votes from the horsey folk in the ‘mun
9 times http://screencast.com/t/ERocSvEPyY ctrl+f is your friend
Is Dermot Looney miming there?
9 times indeed. Enda Kenny used it 11 times in his conference speech.
Here’s Billy Bragg’s version. One of my all time favourites.
That Tannenbaum (Christmas tree) shit has to go!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9UxevnYcec&feature=related
Billy Bragg… is he the working-class socialist hero who lives in a mansion? Sometimes I forget š
He was great in Vicar St last night. I don’t agree with absolutely everything he says but he’s nothing if not interesting.
Paddypower:
Eamon Gilmore to be next Taoiseach = 16/1
Eamon Gilmore to be Taoiseach [ever] = 10/1
[…] to be a Labour Party member following Eamon Gilmore’s speech – despite the ribbing from Damien Mulley – For me Eamon Gilmore clearly showed that we are different from the 2 main parties. For me, he […]
Hi Damien et al,
thanks for the comments. I am not miming the song, though Youtube may believe otherwise. The Red Flag was chosen as Labour’s party anthem at the 2007 Conference. It was written by Jim Connell from Kilsyre in Co Meath in 1889 and remains the anthem of the British Labour Party, and an international socialist song, to this day.
My singing may not be great as I had no time to prepare and no music to back it, but I’m proud to have been asked to lead delegates in a song which ties the narrative of Labour history and sets us apart as a party of the left. No cringes here. It’s an internal song for us so not something we’d expect to be instantly positive to neutrals or others watching on YouTube, but not everything needs to be a direct or even cynical grab for votes.
There were a very high proportion of young delegates at the Conference, moreso than at most other Conferences I can remember. Much of the media commentary did mention Labour Youth’s influence, including the placards which have done their job of shifting debate in places such as this. The reason so few young people are on stage is because that is the general TD’s/Senators scramble for pictures at the end of the Leader’s Speech.
I believe Eamon Gilmore would make a fantastic Taoiseach and see no reason why a false dichotomy based on a Civil War almost a century ago should provide the only alterrnative to Irish people. And from talking to people across Ireland and examining trends and commentary, a lot more people are in agreement with that analysis than before.
PS – Billy Bragg is a hero š
Dermot, that was the whole point of my commentary on age, Labour TDs and Senators are an advertisment for zimmer frames. Young people make the Gilmore posters and the old people hold each other up on stage for the photos ops. Bit of a disconnect there.