Trouble-making Irish MEPs: Clare Daly and Mick Wallace

A couple a' Leprechauns havin' a bit a' craic

[Image: a composite by the author]

Published 2023-04-23

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Introduction

What if you had a couple of outspoken "radicals" spouting ideas which many people agree with (No War, equal wages for equal work, equality before the law, ..) representing you in the most influential parliament for which you can vote?

Choices

Given the gridlock, minefields and corporate lobbyist influence in most western democracies one may take a cynical position and declare "it doesn't make any difference". Here are sample of political choices:

1. One can just ignore the whole thing and get on with life.

2. One could accept that the current situation is normal and not be concerned. Note that in terms of action, this position is identical to 1. above.

3. One could advocate and perhaps champion some form of political activism as a method to influence opinion and the political process. This is irrelevant of the political position, it is a decision to engage in the existing political process.

4. Or, as outlined in the most recent article, one could treat the political process as irrelevant and instead work to create a reality which embodies one's moral and political ideals. This may look like option 1 or 2, but is not. It involves conscious action.

One could also foment rebellion, but I'm leaving this out of the options because I think this is worse than doing nothing. Civic disobedience is a different thing, and so long as it is peaceful, is a very effective strategy. But, the usual problems occur with infiltration, bribery, and coercion. When these fractures are resisted, this is an active component of 3 or 4, or both.

Clare Daly and Mick Wallace are elected members of the European Parliament (MEPs). Clare is one of several representatives from Dublin, and Mick is one of several members representing southern Ireland.

The Liason Office in Ireland for the European Parliament publishes a list, with short biographies, for all MEPs from Ireland. There you'll find members from a wide collection of political positions, which is tabulated below with the data collected under, number of representatives, national (Irish) political affiliation, and European political affiliation:

• 5, Fine Gael, Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats)

• 3, Independents, The Left group in the European Parliament - GUE/NGL

• 2, Fianna Fáil, Renew Europe Group

• 2, Green Party, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance

• 1, Sinn Féin, The Left group in the European Parliament - GUE/NGL

Daly (pronounced day-ly) and Wallace have taken the position of engaging the political process and advocating their position, rather than ignoring it or doing nothing. One could also say that they are doing a bit of creating their reality which realizes their own moral and political beliefs, so a combination of positions 3 and 4.

Ireland

During some travels when I was a younger man I visited Ireland. I toured Dublin and appreciated the architecture of its older buildings while trying to find the best Guinness in town. I then lived and worked in northeastern Ireland for about a month. I needed to work because I was skint. It just happened to be a period spanning early December until just into the new year, and the job I found was serving behind a cellar bar. So, I was taught how to properly pour a Guinness.

To reinforce a few myths about Ireland, my God can they drink (over the Christmas to New Year period). Seriously, I personally stocked this bar with 20 litres of Vodka one afternoon and it was almost finished by the end of the evening when everyone got kicked out around 1am. But, there were no fights, and everyone was having a jolly good time.

Now, if you’re going to drink it is demanded socially that you can handle it. I saw at least two people who had collapsed in a comfortable chair in a bar having a humorous word painted on their forehead using the ash from an ashtray. The hint here is that they failed to go home early enough.

Do Irish musicians turn up at some public house, or wherever, and just start playing music? Yep. And so long as they know the odd reel and can play together, they are given welcome, which means the owner/staff don’t consider kicking them out. The musicians are more likely to get a free drink. Its just what the Irish do, and I loved it.

Both of the above are all for a bit of craic, one a little mischievous (oh, those leprechauns) and the other to support a core part of their culture.

Daly and Wallace

Daly and Wallace joined forces in the Irish Parliament, the Dáil, not as a party but a group with some other like minded independents. They came to the view that what they were doing was trying to correct problems whose origin was in the European Parliament and so after about 8 years in the Dáil stood to join the European body. Since then they've been a constant thorn in the side of the parliament pointing out hypocrisies, moral failure, corruption and creating all manner of political annoyances.

I love them. They've a little of the mischievous leprechaun in them, though the action comes from a collection of principled political positions. They don't mince their words, and know how to deliver a short speech which is directly to the point.

One can observe that the parliament is often empty when they speak, such is their success. None of the boot-lickers want to be seen anywhere near them!

They fire me up, make me laugh, and help me fondly remember the time I spent in the Emerald Isle.

Here's a list of recent twitter posts by the two, from which you can develop an understanding of their positions and gauge the effectiveness of their voices.

Below the Twitter posts, a brief introduction to their political podcast is presented.

• 2023-03-31: https://twitter.com/ClareDalyMEP/status/1638224110885937173

• 2023-04-04: https://twitter.com/ClareDalyMEP/status/1643250391407001605

• 2023-04-06: https://twitter.com/ClareDalyMEP/status/1643975021323517955

• 2023-04-08: https://twitter.com/ClareDalyMEP/status/1644714362358177800

• 2023-04-11: https://twitter.com/wallacemick/status/1648335596316655619

• 2023-04-19: https://twitter.com/wallacemick/status/1648682480805789696

• 2023-04-21: https://twitter.com/wallacemick/status/1649332326042566656

• 2023-04-22: https://twitter.com/wallacemick/status/1649674281121357825

• 2023-04-22: https://twitter.com/ClareDalyMEP/status/1649783400784437251

Back in 2020, not long after their election to the European Parliament, Wallace and Daly began a podcast called 'I4C Trouble' to inform their constituents and connect with a wider European audience.

Below are included the two most recent episodes, and the first. The most recent is Mick interviewing visiting members of the Georgian Communist party in which they discuss politics and social reality in Georgia. The preceding is a description of their recent 9 day trip to visit China with which the Macron and von der Leyen visits overlapped. If you've only time for one, I'd chose this, the one on their impressions of China.

The inaugural episode is longer during which Clare and Mick describe their backgrounds and purposes for joining the European Parliament.

Long may this couple of rabble rousing Irish European parliamentarians cause embarrassment to immoral and unprincipled, hypocritical, establishment, block voting MEPs and the parliament itself!

Sources

YOUR MEPs 2019-2024, European Parliament; Liaison Office in Ireland

Clare Daly, Wikipedia

Mick Wallace, Wikipedia

I4C Trouble with Daly and Wallace, Simplecast

• Episodes

EP 127 - A visit to China, Wallace and Daly recount highlights from their 9 day trip to China, I4C Trouble, 2023-04-21

• Download

EP 128 - A visitor from Georgia, Wallace interviews a member of the Georgian Communist Party, I4C Trouble, 2023-04-21

• Download

EP1 - What Happens In Brussels, Wallace and Daly describe their background and purposes as Irish independent MEPs, I4C Trouble, 2020-03-06

• Download

A few old news clippings ...

Clare Daly and Mick Wallace used rope ladder to scale Shannon Airport fence, court hears, Ed Carty, Irish Mirror, 2015-02-24

Clare Daly and Mick Wallace to contest European elections, Miriam Lord, The Irish Times, 2019-04-15

Clare Daly & Mick Wallace - EU going after Russia, Daly and Wallace interviewed, Renegade Inc., 2021-03-09

Culture

Reels (Live) - The Dubliners, The Dubliners playing The Wise Maid, Down The Broom and The Honeymoon Reel (concert from 1977 at Southport Arts Centre), brummydubliner, uploaded 2009-05-16

Paddy Callaghan - Be Thou My Vision & Reels, Paddy Callaghan and friends, Fleadh Live, uploaded 2013-10-19

The thing with the Irish is that they get around and so does their music

Irish music, irish reel, guys and gals having a bit of craic in a pub, Breizh Cymru (that would be Wales, just over the water, though I’ve no idea where this was filmed), uploaded 2016-09-14

Mandolin tunes. Sweeney's Buttermilk (Irish reel), Tegral14 (I think he's French), his youtube channel is devoted to Mandolin and Irish music, uploaded 2012-02-04

Tarbolton Reel - Irish Music on Recorders, Katharina Glös (German), her youtube channel (and her daughter's camera work), uploaded 2023-01-29

Cooleys -The Wise Maid.mp4, a bunch of old lads having a bit of fun in Melbourne (Australia), CQLProductionsMusic, uploaded 2012-11-08

Turkey Creek String Band - "St. Anne's Reel", Turkey Creek String Band (USA southern), their youtube channel, uploaded 2009-02-21

If you listen carefully, you'll hear echoes of what became USA southern folk.

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