Very definitely it IS happening and part of that is the variance on the reporting of ongoing popular left resistance and this little novelty. We have already had our equivalent of gilet jaunes: the water protests. Water was a synecdoche for what was wrong just as the fuel tax was rather than the thing itself. That was belittled, under reported, and infantalised. People knew what the y were doing and it wasn’t about water but rather the idea of a Republic.
The far right sees fertile ground here as those protests and the huge swing left in voting haven’t achieved much (the traditionally warring center right parties have allied in order to deny the will of the people. This is huge. Traditionally they hate each other more than the left) so there is scope. During the presidential election they cleared their throats with racist populism (mostly focused on travellers who are the traditional butt of racism in Ireland) with encouraging results. The press loved this of course and lapped up that shit like it was ambrosia served on pussy (please forgive me, they treat shit like its the best thing ever) because that is what they do… That is what this is.
Tiny bit merry for Christmas right now.
Tacky Kitschmas and resist y’all!
