THE SO-CALLED YEAR of elections, in which nearly half of the world’s citizenry voted, is approaching its denouement. To put it mildly, the contests during these 12 months were topsy-turvy, perhaps especially in the United States. By contrast, although there were scattered surprises on the three occasions (or four, if you include Limerick’s mayoral race) when ballots were cast in Ireland, things remained comparatively calm.
I have reflected on the significant political events of 2024 in the land where I was born and on the island where I live. In the spirit of the season, I have devised awards for a handful of the protagonists – the good and the bad, the naughty and the nice – in the happenings that attracted the attention of those of us enthralled by the toughest business there is. So here goes.
Starting here, the Lazarus Award goes to Marian Harkin TD. Having garnered a mere 7.6% of first preferences and lying a distance back in the field, sceptical journalists had pretty much dismissed the veteran independent’s odds of hanging on. But the ex-MEP has always been very transfer-friendly. Indeed, they went to her from all directions until she prevailed on the 13th count. Despite their assertions of confidence, Team Harkin had to be breathing deep sighs of relief when she got over the line.
The recipient of the Newcomer Award is Albert Dolan TD. Just 26, he isn’t a rookie in that he has served on Galway County Council since 2019. Yet a radio segment unearthed a sobering fact for most of us: Dolan was in 6th class when his Fianna Fáil party was annihilated in 2011. Described by Ivan Yates as an “Obama-type figure,” he has a bright future ahead of him. And the worthy winner of the Fire in the Belly Award is Pat “the Cope” Gallagher TD. Having been in the Dáil and the European Parliament since 1981, Gallagher was thwarted in his 2020 re-election bid. Undaunted, at age 76, he sought and won a mandate from the people of his beloved Donegal. In fairness, judged by American norms, he’s only a child.
Crossing the pond, the Don’t let the Door Hit You in the Ass on the Way Out Award was made for ex-Congressman Matt Gaetz. Under investigation and a cloud of suspicion for alleged involvement in a range of nefarious activities, the ultra-conservative Floridian was Donald Trump’s bizarre first choice to be US Attorney General. This swiftly proved a bridge too far and Gaetz is leaving Capitol Hill to be a talk show host. His erstwhile colleagues are surely delighted to be rid of a disgraceful individual.
Those in the hierarchy of the Democratic Party deserve the Missed Opportunity Award. When Joe Biden at last abandoned his misguided quest for a second term in the Oval Office, they had the chance to upend an ominous situation and to organise an unprecedented competition to replace an unpopular incumbent that would have been decided on the convention floor in Chicago and dominated the news globally. This might have been a gamble, but it was an acceptable risk in the circumstances, and the truncated fight probably would have produced a superior nominee to Kamala Harris.
The Do as I Say, not as I Do Award was well and truly earned by Congresswoman Lauren Boebert. The hard-right firebrand has never shied from defending traditional values and opined that she was “tired of this separation of church and state junk.” In 2024, she switched to another district in Colorado favourable to the GOP and comfortably beat her opponent.
In 2023, however, the champion of Christian morality was evicted from a musical in a Denver theatre together with her male companion when – as the Guardian delicately put it – witnesses saw him “fondling her breasts” and Boebert “petting her guest’s crotch.” Unrepentant, she flashed the middle finger to security guards as the affectionate couple were escorted to the door.
In the spirit of the close, albeit soon to be tested, relationship between Ireland and the US, the final two honours will be bestowed on creditable winners from each nation. The It’s Better Than It Looks Award is to be shared by the 215 incoming Democratic members of the House of Representatives in the 119th Congress and the 39 Sinn Féin TDs who were elected.
There was a brilliant result for Donald Trump and the Republicans on 5 November. That said, swimming against the tide, Democratic candidates for the lower house did fine. Trump has a tenuous five seat majority to work with. Some careful caressing of egos – the threats of primary challengers to “RINOs” which he reflexively resorts to are not guaranteed to do the trick – will be required to ensure everyone stays on board with his disruptive agenda, provided the 215 are united.
Since 29 November, commentators have argued that Sinn Féin, which benefitted tremendously from a rather freakish swing in the 2020 General Election and was topping the polls in 2022 and 2023, was the big loser. Drilling into the numbers reveals that there is no cause for celebration. But an unduly negative characterisation is wide of the mark and neglects certain realities.
Immigration emerged as a hot-button issue and this has adversely impacted Sinn Féin due to the socio-economic status and ideological leanings of its base; the leadership committed a few strategic errors stemming from the rapid growth they enjoyed; the formidable Mary Lou McDonald was off the pitch for health and family reasons for a time; troubling scandals surfaced that raised profound doubts as to the genuine nature of the former political wing of the IRA; and Sinn Féin dropped to an absolutely abysmal 11% in June’s locals/Euros. In this milieu and in a campaign that some pundits had initially ventured was an exercise in damage limitation, getting 39 TDs into the Dáil, one more than Fine Gael, is not a “bad” outcome. Taking the long view, while Sinn Féin’s trajectory may be stalled, it is still upward.
The Award for Politician of 2024 goes to two men: Donald Trump, set to be America’s 47th president, and Micheál Martin TD, preparing to be Ireland’s next Taoiseach.
The latter has been the quintessential steady hand for Fianna Fáil since the aforementioned nadir of 2011 and, with periodic hiccups and with intermittent vocal criticism from within the ranks, he has proven himself to be up to the difficult task. Months ago, the buzz revolved around Simon Harris’s “new energy” as he travelled the country relentlessly. Ultimately, Martin’s experience and cautious manner outshone Harris’s youth and vigour. The proof is in the pudding. Fianna Fáil has 48 seats, 10 more than Fine Gael, and Martin has a valid claim to a lengthier stint as Taoiseach.
President-elect Donald Trump is the comeback kid. On the 7th of January in 2021, it was a safer bet that he would be behind bars in January 2025 than that he would be readying to return to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. No matter one’s feelings with respect to Trump and without belabouring the point, the fundamental truth is that he has achieved what almost no one thought was possible and that he has done so in dramatic, convincing fashion. What his comprehensive triumph says about the US and what it could mean for the rest of the planet will continue to be subjects of incessant conjecture and sources of prevalent pessimism. For the moment, what Time magazine proffers in defence of its controversial selection of him as the person of 2024 bears repeating: “Trump is once again at the centre of the world, and in as strong a position as he has ever been.”
I hope all readers have a wonderful, blessed and enjoyable Christmas.
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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