Ray O’Leary

Peadar Tóibín stated yesterday that he was proud of the role Aontú has played in helping to reverse the tide on woke politics. It was in response to the article below. He was asked by some to define woke politics. So here is his definition: Woke politics is an intellectual fashion. It sees itself as modern, but it is anti-science and anti-evidence. Its about what’s in vogue, not what’s coherent. It sees itself as the cutting edge of equal rights. But it’s the opposite. It swings the pendulum of rights of one group so far that it damages the rights of another group. It dresses up in the colours of diversity. Yet it attacks diversity of thought. It sees itself as inclusive, but it fractures society into a myriad of opposing identities and sets these identities against other. It sees itself as liberal. But its illiberal in the way that it strips liberal democratic rights such as the right to free speech from people. It sees itself as tolerant. But it is sometimes violently intolerant of those it disagrees with. It sees itself as enlightened, but it is as puritanical as any medieval religious sect. It sees itself as anti-nationalist but is full to the brim of the flag waving instincts. Woke politics is the mirror image of many of the extremes it claims to hate. There are people who are suffering in society: people who are homeless, children who are in poverty, families who are hammered with the cost-of-living crisis and the squeezed middle. Woke politics distracts people from the real economic bread and butter inequalities that damage so many families. Woke politics and common-sense are oil and water. Woke politics elevates evidence free fads and trends over basic cop on which does serious damage to the people it pretends to help. We live in an Irish republic. It is imperfect. I would like to see many changes to fix the political system and improve the lives of citizens. I would like to see a prosperous, fairer, more united Ireland. I believe the Irish flag represents all Irish people equally. It unites us all together, something that woke politics could never do.