Craic On

No Councillor

Carndonagh has been without a Councillor for the past 5 years. There’s no one that people there can bump into in the street, shop or pub that they can let know that they have some kind of problem – or just to let them know what they think.

Moville could be in the same situation this time next week.

Before Martin Farren there was Marian McDonald.

Indeed we used to have a TD as well in Cecilia Keaveney.

That’s not bad for a small town of less than 1,500 right up near the top of the country.

Cecilia’s Heart Broken

Cecilia lost out by just 51 votes in the Dail election on the first ballot.

The main reason she lost out was because only 47% of voters from her home town gave her their vote.

Marian lost out last time narrowly but luckily Martin Farren came from away back to win after several recounts.

Opinion Poll

However, this time an opinion poll said that nationwide only 7% of people are going to vote Labour in local elections compared to 15% last time.

Some people vote for local candidates, some vote for the person and the job they have done and some vote according to party lines.

As Martin, according to the opinion poll, is going to lose more than half of those who vote along party lines, then he’s going to have to find it from some other source and hope that people believe that he has proved himself and has done a good job.

It was a narrow squeak last time when Labour were running at more than double what they are now.

Three Options

It’s difficult to work out what percentage of people vote for a local candidate, what percentage vote for the person and the job they have done (or think they will do) or vote along party lines.

Because of Irish Water etc. there may be an element of a protest vote against the Government from people who would normally vote for the person.

I tend to vote for local candidates at local elections.

Last time I voted for Marian first and Martin second. Marian hade the advantage as a sitting candidate whom I had worked with on a few issues and who had got those done.

This time Martin has the advantage as he is the sitting candidate so I’ll go for Martin first and then Mary McCauley 2nd. I hope they both get in. I’m not sure whom I’ll go for next – maybe no one.

European Elections

I haven’t really thought much about the European elections yet.

My thinking though is that there’s no point in sending someone to Brussels who is connected to parties that refused to stand up to the German and French banks who were represented by the ECB and IMF as well as Brussels.

I’ll vote for someone I think will stand up for Ireland and not roll over at the sight of the German and French leaders.

The water tax and property tax and the mass migration of youngsters and the collapse of business and high unemployment were all caused because successive Governments wouldn’t stand up for the Irish people and volunteered the Irish taxpayer to pay for the stupid investment decisions of German and French banks.