Stardate 20020518.1227

(On Screen): Another election in Europe, but this one was a bit different. No attempts by the voters to send strange messages, no unexpected results; the incumbents were reelected and given a mandate to continue their policies.

Of course, in Ireland the economy is strong, there's lots of growth, plenty of good-paying jobs, and things are looking really positive. Why wouldn't the voters want the government to continue as it was?

That means that this is a resounding vote in favor of low taxes, reduced government regulation, a balanced federal budget, and policies which favor businesses. Bertie Ahern's party was reelected in a landslide. In fact, it appears he'll have an absolute majority in the Parliament and won't even have to form a coalition, something which is nearly unheard of in Europe these days.

It's yet more terrible news for Europe's Social Democrats. It certainly is consistent with the other electoral results we've seen recently in France, in Austria, in local elections in Germany and especially in the Netherlands. Europeans are getting fed up with Socialism; they want something different. Where the Socialists have been in power, they've lost. Where they haven't been in power, they've still lost. The big loser in this election is Fine Gael, who ran on the motto "We want to see our public services become the envy of Europe."

Fine Gael's vision of a forward-looking Ireland is one where

• We pay as much attention to raising the quality of our lives as to raising our standard of living.
• We recognise both the need to change and the need to hold on to what is valuable from our past

Our vision of a compassionate Ireland is of

• An Ireland built on a sense of community - not one that has room only for individual selfishness.
• An Ireland that develops the full potential of every citizen - not one that divides people into haves and have nots, then widens the gap between them.
• An Ireland where everybody has a right to the best education, to put a roof over their head, to be looked after properly when they are sick, to enjoy their old age in dignity.

Our vision of a generous Ireland is of

• An Ireland that keeps the rules of the European Union, becoming once again a respected voice in contributing to the growth and expansion of the EU.
• An Ireland that champions the cause of countries less well-off than ourselves.
• An Ireland that stands up for our belief in a peaceful and just world order

The last government has squandered the boom and been a slave to economic statistics that hide the reality of life in Ireland. Fine Gael has fully-costed, imaginative and effective proposals on areas that effect your quality of life- housing, transport, childcare, health and crime.

Which reads to me like they are the Irish version of the Social Democrats who just got whacked everywhere else. The Irish whacked them again.

Compare that to the platform for Fianna Fail, who just won big time.

Our programme for the next five years is based on maintaining Ireland as a strong, dynamic economy and ensuring that we build lasting prosperity for all

• We will maintain the Budget close to balance or in surplus in accordance with the Stability and Growth Pact.
• We will introduce a radical new way of funding and delivering major capital programmes through the establishment of a National Development Finance Agency which will, in the first instance, concentrate on roads, public transport, health facilities and schools.
• We will consolidate the spectacular reduction in taxation since 1997 and complete our programme of corporation tax reduction.
• We will invest in research and information technologies as a key to our future prosperity.
• We will develop the social, economic and physical infrastructure of rural Ireland.
• We will actively support the development of the regions.
• We will implement a comprehensive integrated transport policy.

Almost sounds American, doesn't it? Any hope that the Irish would give up their foolish experiment and return to the Socialist fold are now thoroughly dashed.

Next on the menu is the French Parliamentary election. Early indications are that the Socialists are going to get hammered again. And then the main act: Germany, in August.

Of course, the big question is what this means for the EU. The EU has already tried to pressure Ireland about its anti-socialist pro-capitalist government policies (apparently because they were too damned successful and it was embarrassing everyone else), and now the Irish voters have spoken very loudly. The European Union seems to be the dream of the Socialists; a way to implement the Socialist utopia over the entire region. But if the voters are now rebelling against Socialism, will the EU respond by changing its approach, or will it react by trying to herd them back onto the true path and force them to be Socialist despite their own wishes, for their own good? Ireland is the anti-France, and the voters of Ireland like it that way. What will