The Politics of Kayfabe

Don’t work yourself into a shoot, brother!

Fun fact: professional wrestling legend, documented racist, and Trump stumper Hulk Hogan (real name Terry Bollea) got his nom de guerre in the hope that Irish Americans would rally behind them as one of their own. No Hulk Hogan Plaza, please.

The first ten days of the 2024 general election has largely failed to get into high gear, with the highlight probably being the squabbling between erstwhile coalition partners Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, reaching tones of bitterness at times that caught many off guard. Shots fired on economic costing in both manifestos and, especially, attacks on Helen McEntee’s record in the Justice portfolio have been live rounds. Blanks would have almost certainly sufficed given the overwhelming preference in both parties to return to government together (with a strong preference for it to be sans Verts, so goes the scuttlebutt). Yet, the two traditional big beasts of Irish politics spent nearly a century opposing one another as a key raison d’etre. Seeking to m…