The answer to policy free politics

In the last post we discussed Northern Ireland's world of policy-free politics, which kind of very much makes the "NI21, where are your policies?" debate a misnomer, non-starter, outlier and non-terrestrial. But there's a problem with living in a world of policy-free politics. As Mick Fealty said: "if there's no policies there's no politics."

The solution? According to Mick Fealty:

"The ‘former moderate’ parties can tag along for the ride, or pull back try to develop their own alternative, policy based approach and try to build some form of politics that is a functional response to the material interests of real people."

For Mick, it's about "acting 'through' the middle". He said:

"Building the strength of those who currently occupy the middle actually misses the point. What’s required is the emergence substantive political actors who are committed not to being in the middle, but who are capable of acting decisively through the middle.

In short we need inveterate deal makers who can do deals that stick and who are obsessed with more than covering up for the failures and misadventures of the past, but are instead committed to enlarging the shadow of the future."

The UUP and SDLP have given up on becoming the radical, credible alternative to the DUP/SF sectarian carve-up. This is where NI21 comes in: a party that will take a policy based approach and that will make a functional response to the material interests of real people. For example: jobs, the economy, education, healthcare and so on.

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Northern Ireland - A world of policy free politics

Since its inception NI21 has found itself under a shower of inverted criticism as opponents cat call the party for its lack of policies. The doublespeak and hypocrisy is simply breathtaking. Ventriloquising Mick Fealty, editor of Slugger O'Toole, the old-order parties in Northern Ireland practice a special and unique branch of politics: that being, "policy-free politics." As Mick Fealty said:

"Policy is little in evidence anywhere in Stormont. Nor has there been any clearly articulated ambition to focus on solving real world problems through new policy formation at the political level. The non arrival of CSI and a long promised anti poverty strategy from OFMdFM is indicative.

In the absence of meaningful content, politics is reduced to a series of controversies over Orange parades, the flying of flags, the naming of play parks. Unnoticed, and largely unrermarked upon, the intimidation of minority communities continues on a low level and out of sight of the TV cameras."

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"The main act is a puppet show loosely themed around the politics of identity, which is both its greatest strength and a major vulnerability."

No policies equals no politics and deadlock at best, mismanagement and descent into conflict at worst.

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