Quick Introduction (from Europe)

PES Activist

PES Activist

PES Activists Dublin
Hi everyone - I hope you don't mind a European intruding on a US politics website, but with all the current interest being shown in EU-US relations I thought it would be good to find a way of entering into a dialogue with people from the US.

I've looked around for a forum that doesn't have the usual crazies, and which appears to be a place for informed debate. This forum looks like it fits the bill!

Just a little about myself. I am active in the Irish Labour Party in Dublin which is a constituent party of the Party of European Socialists (PES) along with the British Labour Party, the French Parti Socialiste and the German Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD) along with other socialist, social democratic and labour parties across the European Union.

My career background is in the global telecommunications industry and I have worked with US corporate customers for many years, including spending quite a bit of time in NYC, Washington and New Jersey.

I'm interested in what the changes that are taking place across our shared world mean for the transatlantic relationship between the EU and the US, and am hoping to contribute to the shared understanding that is so vital to a continuing positive partnership between Europeans and Americans.
 
Welcome to the board. I believe you are the first from Ireland, we have a couple from the UK, one from Australia, and I believe that one is from France, but am not 100% positive of that.

I have tried to make a forum that would be comfortable for the rest of the world as well, hence the Magna Carta rather than a US flag as a banner.

Join in, enjoy yourself.

I also work in telephony, but only nationally.
 
Thanks for the welcome, Damocles. I'm afraid I didn't recognise the Magna Carta banner, it doesn't mean that much to us here in Ireland! Maybe you could try the Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen! :)

Once again, thanks for the welcome.
 
Hi Watermark - you'll need to be quick about the PD's as it is anticipated that they will be folding up their tent within the next six months. Their parliamentary strength collapsed at the last General Election in Ireland and they have been haemorrhaging members ever since. It seems that the Irish people have had their fill of pseudo-neoliberalism :)
 
PES Activist said:
Hi Watermark - you'll need to be quick about the PD's as it is anticipated that they will be folding up their tent within the next six months. Their parliamentary strength collapsed at the last General Election in Ireland and they have been haemorrhaging members ever since. It seems that the Irish people have had their fill of pseudo-neoliberalism :)
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Pseudo-neoliberalism, pseudo-intellectualism, it all goes together. I'd probably vote Labour or Green then. My distaste for the right everywhere in the world grows daily.

BTW, Is anyone in the Irish system pro-choice?
 
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Watermark said:
BTW, Is anyone in the Irish system pro-choice?
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Hi Watermark - good question. None of the parties, either in the Irish Republic or in Northern Ireland, are pro-choice in the sense of supporting access by women to abortion on broadly the same lines as we have across the EU or you have in the US.

In the Republic there is a constitutional prohibition on abortion except where the woman's life or health is threatened. In Northern Ireland abortion remains prohibited by the Offences against the Person Act because the UK Abortion Act has never been extended to cover Northern Ireland. In practice this means that abortions are not performed in Ireland and women seeking a termination travel to Britain or the European continent (France and the Netherlands mainly).

The closest any of the parties gets to supporting abortion, in very limited circumstances, is my own party, the Labour Party. Recent Supreme Court decisions have reduced the dogmatic nature of the constitutional ban and abortion is constitutional in certain very limited situations, e.g. threat of suicide or foetal abnormality. However, only the Labour Party has campaigned to have the decisions of the Supreme Court translated into legislation. In the absence of legislative guidance no hospital or doctor will perform abortions in Ireland even on the Supreme Court's terms and as a consequence the Court's interpretation has not been given wider practical effect.

I hope that explains the situation here in Ireland.
 
PES Activist said:
The closest any of the parties gets to supporting abortion, in very limited circumstances, is my own party, the Labour Party. Recent Supreme Court decisions have reduced the dogmatic nature of the constitutional ban and abortion is constitutional in certain very limited situations, e.g. threat of suicide or foetal abnormality. However, only the Labour Party has campaigned to have the decisions of the Supreme Court translated into legislation. In the absence of legislative guidance no hospital or doctor will perform abortions in Ireland even on the Supreme Court's terms and as a consequence the Court's interpretation has not been given wider practical effect.
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So, you're party is the least Catholic? :pke:
 
PES Activist said:
Hi Watermark - good question. None of the parties, either in the Irish Republic or in Northern Ireland, are pro-choice in the sense of supporting access by women to abortion on broadly the same lines as we have across the EU or you have in the US.

In the Republic there is a constitutional prohibition on abortion except where the woman's life or health is threatened. In Northern Ireland abortion remains prohibited by the Offences against the Person Act because the UK Abortion Act has never been extended to cover Northern Ireland. In practice this means that abortions are not performed in Ireland and women seeking a termination travel to Britain or the European continent (France and the Netherlands mainly).

The closest any of the parties gets to supporting abortion, in very limited circumstances, is my own party, the Labour Party. Recent Supreme Court decisions have reduced the dogmatic nature of the constitutional ban and abortion is constitutional in certain very limited situations, e.g. threat of suicide or foetal abnormality. However, only the Labour Party has campaigned to have the decisions of the Supreme Court translated into legislation. In the absence of legislative guidance no hospital or doctor will perform abortions in Ireland even on the Supreme Court's terms and as a consequence the Court's interpretation has not been given wider practical effect.

I hope that explains the situation here in Ireland.
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That is fascinating. Seriously. Do you believe this unduly keeps women from access to abortions, or do you believe that those who would get them have easy access to other States in the EU?
 
PES Activist said:
Hi Watermark - good question. None of the parties, either in the Irish Republic or in Northern Ireland, are pro-choice in the sense of supporting access by women to abortion on broadly the same lines as we have across the EU or you have in the US.

In the Republic there is a constitutional prohibition on abortion except where the woman's life or health is threatened. In Northern Ireland abortion remains prohibited by the Offences against the Person Act because the UK Abortion Act has never been extended to cover Northern Ireland. In practice this means that abortions are not performed in Ireland and women seeking a termination travel to Britain or the European continent (France and the Netherlands mainly).

The closest any of the parties gets to supporting abortion, in very limited circumstances, is my own party, the Labour Party. Recent Supreme Court decisions have reduced the dogmatic nature of the constitutional ban and abortion is constitutional in certain very limited situations, e.g. threat of suicide or foetal abnormality. However, only the Labour Party has campaigned to have the decisions of the Supreme Court translated into legislation. In the absence of legislative guidance no hospital or doctor will perform abortions in Ireland even on the Supreme Court's terms and as a consequence the Court's interpretation has not been given wider practical effect.

I hope that explains the situation here in Ireland.
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Hmmm...

I had always thought that the British had forced the Northern Irelander's to accept abortion. I guess they held back in order to placate the nationalists. I'm sure anyone who really wanted an abortion would just fly over to Ireland, but it is really an unnecessary inconvenience that the state burdens them with.

Whenever I was a libertarian (pukes at admission) I researched other parties in the world that seemed to hold my beliefs. And the PD's were one I heard of. I'm still a big believer in the free market but there are a lot of social issues I'm basically forced to vote for socialists because of. You guys are lucky to have a lot of political choices - in America, there are only two. And in most districts they imitate each other so much you can barely tell them apart anyway. Then again, you guys can't even vote for a pro-choice party.
 
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Threedee said:
So, you're party is the least Catholic? :pke:
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:) Thanks for the poke, 3D.

Some 87% of the population of the Irish Republic is catholic (2006 census) and about half the population attends Mass. In the circumstances of such a high single religious affilation I guess it means that there isn't that much difference in religious composition betwen the parties in the Irish Republic.

The Labour Party is definitely the most critical of what remains of the influence of the Church in Irish politics. For example, we were opposed to the special deal that the State did a few years back to indemnify Catholic religious orders from legal claims arising from the violent and sexual abuse of children in their care. In addition, we push a much more secular approach to education and the public space generally than our political opponents.

Perhaps we are just "not as good" catholics as the other parties!!!
 
Damocles said:
That is fascinating. Seriously. Do you believe this unduly keeps women from access to abortions, or do you believe that those who would get them have easy access to other States in the EU?
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Women with crisis pregnancies do appear to find it relatively easy to access abortion services in other EU member states. It is perfectly legal, for example, for medical professionals or crisis pregnancy agencies operating in Ireland to refer women to hospitals in Britain or on the continent. In addition, travel costs to Britain and mainland Europe are not that high, although clearly any women taking this route would incur higher costs than if she was able to avail of a termination in Ireland.

Perhaps the best evidence for the ease with which Irish women can access termination services outside of the State is that the phenomenon of "back-street" or DIY abortions is almost unknown in Ireland.

However, the biggest concern is that women who have a termination abroad do not have access to follow-up services such as ongoing counselling or medical supervision when they return to Ireland. This can be arranged individually, but inevitably many women do not do this and that can mean that many women are left vulnerable and unsupported, particularly if they have kept the termination secret from partners or family.
 
Watermark said:
I had always thought that the British had forced the Northern Irelander's to accept abortion. I guess they held back in order to placate the nationalists. I'm sure anyone who really wanted an abortion would just fly over to Ireland, but it is really an unnecessary inconvenience that the state burdens them with.
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Abortion is not only opposed by nationalist parties in Northern Ireland (NI), but also by the unionist parties. There is a bill going through the British Parliament at the moment on Human Embryology. A number of Labour Party backbenchers have indicated that they will put down an amendment to this bill which will extend the British Abortion Act to NI. This has drawn a joint declaration and lobbying effort from Sinn Féin and the SDLP (nationalist parties) and the DUP and UUP (unionists) to persuade other British MP's to vote against the proposed amendment. It is truly amazing to observe what these parties in NI will actually unite around!

Whenever I was a libertarian (pukes at admission) I researched other parties in the world that seemed to hold my beliefs. And the PD's were one I heard of. I'm still a big believer in the free market but there are a lot of social issues I'm basically forced to vote for socialists because of. You guys are lucky to have a lot of political choices - in America, there are only two. And in most districts they imitate each other so much you can barely tell them apart anyway. Then again, you guys can't even vote for a pro-choice party.
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There certainly are a lot of credible (i.e. with the chance of getting elected)political choices both in Ireland and across the EU. In our parliament (Dáil Éireann) the following political parties are represented (number of seats):

GOVERNMENT

Fianna Fáil - nationalists, centre-right (78 seats)
Green Party - environmentalists, centrist (6 seats)
Progressive Democrats - liberals, right wing (2 seats)

OPPOSITION

Fine Gael - very mild nationalists (!), centre-right (51 seats)
Labour Party - socialists/social democrats, centre-left (20 seats)
Sinn Féin - nationalists, wannabe (!) left wing (4)

There are also five independent deputies who have seperate deals with the government and generally support them in parliamentary votes.

There are pro-choice parties that stand in Irish general elections, mostly from the Trotskyist Left, but with the exception of one seat in Dublin that they won in 1997 and 2002, but lost in 2007, they are pretty marginal.
 
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Im glad to hear you thought this site offered some rational perspectives on the American experience. We do have a few clowns here but for the most part the people here are a good representation of the American people. Hope you really do stick arround and play in the sandbox with us.
 
I've added some photos and commentary to my profile if any one is interested. It gives a bit more background on where I'm coming from.
 
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