This article is from page 15 of the 2011-02-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 15 JPG
AND they’re off. The race to the 31st Dáil has begun, and it was a particularly exhaustive first stage for the first two out of the blocks – Independent TDs James Breen and Jim Connolly.
The two Independent candidates were up and down ladders and polls more often than a New York fire crew.
When the Green Party pulled out of Government more than a week ago, the two Clare candidates began hanging their posters in preparation for the election.
After a weekend of hard work they were contacted by Clare County Council who informed them they were in breech of new legislation that did not allow the erection of any election posters until the election date officially named.
So the two candidates and their followers were back up the ladders on Tuesday morning removing all evidence of their political ambitions.
Meanwhile fellow hopefuls Cllr Tony Mulcahy (FG) and Michael McNamara (Lab) have also been busy with their followers in the county town of Ennis ensuring their message was getting through letterboxes, even if no one was home to let them through the doors.
Fine Gael’s two sitting TDs Pat Breen and Joe Carey are also busy wearing down the leather on the soles of their shoes, when they were not busy wearing out the tires in their cars returning to Dublin for votes on the Finance Bill.
Unlike his running partner Deputy Timmy Dooley (FF), Dr John Hillery (FF) has yet to brave the front door of Clare homes to make his case, and to begin canvassing this week.
Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) is also braving door steps this week, but the Green Party man is preparing for a lot of shut doors, complaints and in some cases even abuse as the only representative of the junior coalition party in the county.
And if our voxpop this week is anything to go by, all candidates do well to heed Cllr Meaney’s wariness as the mood of voters is somewhat tetchy. Many people who spoke to our reporter, but refused to go on the record, gave endless lists of how political decisions had negatively affected their lives in the last two years. Many others said the political system was now so damaged it made little or no difference that they voted for, and almost everyone said change was needed.
As the candidates face into a week when the Dáil is finally dissolved and a date for voting more than likely decided upon, the best most can hope for on the doorsteps of Clare is apathy or anger.