February 03 2012 by Paul Gogarty
What I am up to for the next while (updated Feb 2012)
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I am busy in the recording studio at present. My latest GOGOWOWWOW track “I Care For You” is up now on YouTube at http://youtu.be/tMEoBH4EF4Y . More soon.
I am involved in a small number of personal and professional writing projects but am still available for broadcast media work as a commentator/analyst and also hope to continue the Official Paul Gogarty Blog - Gogsy’s Roving i, possibly with a new slant.
Neighbourhood Media - Writing, Editing and Media Services . I am a journalist by training and professional background and I have experienced media from both sides of the fence as both an interviewer and interviewee on serious matters. I have had a number of appearances on national radio stations on a variety of topics ranging from current affairs to music in recent months on RTE and Newstalk. I have also done some fun stuff such as Charity ICA Bootcamp (€5,000 raised for Pieta House), Celebrity Bainisteoir (Oughterard is a great place to visit) and the John Murray Show. If your organisation could use my services, get in touch. I am particularly interested in TV/Radio work or not-for-profit organisations. If you need help from a journalistic or media perspective, get in touch. I am part of a much larger network of skills so we can turnkey manage to your large-scale project, whether it is training, event management, publications, PR, research or advocacy.
But otherwise….
Slán go fóill, politically speaking, from me
I am taking an indefinite break from politics. I can’t work as a political representative unless I have an income, so my focus is on building up my paid work and enjoying the freedom to engage in new projects. The Green Party will continue to exist in Dublin Mid West, one way or another, and I will help out in promoting green and local issues whatever discreet way I can.
I am very, very grateful to those voters who supported me in the recent difficult election. I understand why many who previously voted for me didn’t this time around and am heartened that a lot of it had nothing to do with me personally. I am particularly appreciative of those who said that I would have got their vote if I had ran as an independent. That was not possible as it would have been a lie and a hypocritical act, but it was tempting. I stood by the Green Party however and I still believe in what the Green Party stands for, although I am no longer a member at present. Only time will outline what decisions were the right ones, however harsh, and what mistakes could have been prevented. Either way we face a tough period where political promises before the most recent election will be broken tenfold by this current Government. I am also so aware of the hard job it must have been to canvass for me during the election and my eternal gratitude is due to those who stuck their necks out for me or the party.
I will not be commenting on political issues for a considerable time and have to decide what my plans are for the next election. To me, politics is a vocation, not a paycheck or a game. I am driven to serve in some shape or form and I am driven in parallel to build a sustainable Green future before the oil wells run dry and the planet heats up. Education continues to be my passion and I am proud of the real and significant personal role I played in fighting and in some cases succeeding in protecting educational investment during a time of huge budgetary pressures.
There’s plenty to think about, but the Green Party should forget about trying to score points or defend itself and especially stop preaching at people. We may have some good ideas but we never gave the impression nationally that we were prepared to listen. Always focused on doing the right thing, what we believed to be the right thing. But not listening enough. It can’t all be about being in with FF, something we genuinely never ruled out and something I was always honest about, knowing the little difference between FF and FG.
The Green Party is here at the national website. I wish Eamon Ryan well as leader. I would have different perspective about what needs to be done compared to the approach he is taking and would do things differently had I the money as well as time (still waiting for that Lotto win). But it’s easy for me to say this when I am not in his shoes and he deserves to be commended for putting in the effort along with other members of the Party.
I could continue. But enough of that for now. If you want Paul Gogarty politician, you won’t find him here. But do check my blog out. Until we meet again politically (or perhaps not). Who knows what paths we will take, what cul-de-sacs we will wind up in, or what the wind will blow us towards.
Yours sincerely,
Paul Gogarty
