John Waters: Notes from the campaign

Ireland -the fissure; the fear; the courage and the hope.

Earlier today I had the pleasure of talking with writer John Waters; an independent candidate in the European Elections. His constituency is the vast Midlands–North–West constituency in Ireland, extending from the Dublin Pale to Achill Island and Galway Bay to Malin Head. This area will return five MEPs to Brussels/Strasbourg.

The Fissure

When involved in mainstream events such as hustings and press junkets, John detects an ever-widening split between the discourse allowed by the mainstream and the understanding of the ordinary people. This manifests itself in the restrictions placed upon John at such events to stay on topic, to only answer the questions asked, and to stay within the bounds of the approved spectrum — the index card of allowable opinion. When he works with such restrictions and circumvents them to some degree, expressing some glimpses of the wider problem facing his people and his nation, a murmur of recognition, appreciation, and agreement runs through the audience. The mainstream media, and the mainstream candidates, show no recognition or understanding of this effect. They remain steadfastly oblivious, sensing perhaps the danger that such free thinking and authenticity involve.

The Fear

For some time John had felt his people to be flat, indifferent, even insensible to the huge changes being imposed upon them by a leadership now working to advance an alien agenda. He is now rethinking this conclusion. What if the lack of urgency, the lack of resistance, or even the lack of curiosity were never the result of an unconcerned, listless attitude? John now suspects that this may have been nothing less than the paralysing effects of fear. Fear of economic catastrophe, as Ireland saw in 2007-2010, fear of one’s neighbours and family members, as was drilled into the whole Western world during the covid-19 panic, and fear of retribution that may come from speaking truthfully. To be unable to speak as one wishes, means to be unable to think as one wishes. Such a thing indeed has a paralysing effect. One cannot speak for the nation, for fear of being labelled a racist. One cannot speak for the family for fear of being labelled a bigot. One cannot speak for God for fear of being labelled in innumerable ways and painted as the very cause of the world’s ills and the personal manifestation of backwardness and primitive superstition. How do people respond when forced to betray everything they hold dear? What does it do to the human heart to betray so utterly those things you always loved?

These are hard things to face. It is easier by far to turn away and be silent. Or to join in the shouting down of the first few to resist the intellectual and spiritual assault. So what seemed to be indifference may have been something else, a child-like closing of the mind so that vile abuse might not be remembered and a veneer of happiness may be retained. Such turning away from reality is well understood at the individual level when dealing with narcissism and the lies, gaslighting and spiritual destruction that come with it. Is it possible that it can happen at a national level too? If politics is narcissism writ large, is the surrender of the people simply complex post-traumatic-stress-disorder on an equally colossal scale?

The Courage

Much of our discussion centred around courage. Not the absence of fear, but the determination to act positively and well despite fear. The determination to do the right thing whatever the odds and whatever the consequences, is what makes people courageous. It is to those parts of society that are now most under attack — the nation, the family and the Lord — that people have historically rallied to when fear has dominated.

Courage is a strange thing. John does not feel courageous, and yet today he marches towards the sound of gunfire. He says he seeks to incite courage in other people. But he can only do this because he has found it in himself. The fact is that courage is inspiring, it is uplifting, it draws people. It does not boast or shout. It is simply recognised by those who have the potential to share in it.

Courage is not enough on its own of course. Other things are needed. Truth first of all. This is because any courage based on deception will break at the crucial moment. Knowledge also. In a world of universal deception, understanding is key to overcoming fear. If one knows what tricks are being played, the witchcraft loses most of its power. But courage is key. It is a threat to the system as the system is built on fear at every level — on universal cravenness.

The Hope

The Irish people were induced to vote for same-sex marriage, removing the protection of the family from the constitution. They were induced to vote for abortion, the mass murder of children in the womb, removing the protection of human life from the constitution. It was a small step further therefore when the political elite came back to remove such “non-inclusive” terms as “mother” from the constitution. Once again the political elite were essentially unanimous. The press gave their broad support. Two days before the referendum, opinion pollsters were predicting a resounding win for the amendments, a two-to-one majority. Only the high numbers of “disengaged and underinformed” voters gave the press cause for caution in predicting success. The result was a shock to the system and a tonic for the eyes:

• 73.93 per cent voted against State commitments to “strive to support” care and delete mothers’ duties from the Constitution.

• 67.69 per cent voted against recognition for families in “other durable relationships” in addition to those “founded on marriage”.

So there is hope. After decades of complex PTSD, sufferers can often no longer thole the internal lies and contradictions and they start to speak up and speak out. Perhaps it may also prove this way with nations. A little truth and a little courage lead to unexpected progress. New understanding dawns and courage grows. And step by step lost ground is regained and lost decades are restored.

I do not know whether it will be this way for Ireland, or for John, nor whether now is the time. But whether it is or not, the truth, the knowledge and, above all the courage that is being found means hope is present where it was recently lacking.