Sigh! I was all excited this week, seven weeks to elections, surely now the fun begins!
But no. Not there yet.
Yet again we’re doing things half-arsed. There was great news this week of a lovely website that’s going to make the run-up to the June elections a lot easier on the voting public. All the information you need on your candidates for both the local and European elections will just be a few clicks away.
So as I clicked my way through the interweb in hopes of a luscious fountain of information. I was excited at the thoughts of life becoming a little easier. Everything you need to know on one website? Fantastic!
No.
The website, miCandidate.eu doesn’t even have Westmeath in its new North West constituency for the European elections. Not a good start.
If this is the website we’ve all been told to lean towards for some helpful insight into the workings of the forthcoming local and European elections, then we should tear up our voting slips as soon as they come through the letter box. Why is this all so difficult?
Anyway, we shouldn’t need a website, our candidates should be doing the hard work to tell us who they are, not the other way around.
Of course I don’t blame the website solely for the embarrassing election campaigns being carried out the length and breadth of the country. The candidates are really the ones to blame.
I’ve had one knock at the door so far, and may I remind you there’s seven weeks to go. I did have an almost encounter the other week, when a candidate decided not to bother with the formalities of ‘hello’ and instead dropped their propaganda through the letter box as I stood at the window in dismay and disappointment while they sauntered on to the next abode. And they want my vote?
From what I’ve witnessed, candidates are perching themselves safely up in the higher echelons of society and only daring to knock on doors of the party the faithful. No one wants to get an ear bashing, I suppose, even if they do deserve it.
Understandably a few candidates and sitting councillors, and MEPs, from a certain political party are apprehensive about stepping out in public after last week’s mini budget. People aren’t happy. And people see them as a representative of the party that’s using their hard earned money to... Well you get the picture.
Need these candidates be reminded, especially the local election candidates, that they are voted in to represent their constituents, not the party?
Local government is a million miles away from the big boys in the Dail. These candidates may be looking ahead to greater pay cheques but for the moment are nailing their political colours to the mast of the local government ship. And hence should remember one simple rule; when it comes to local government, represent those who voted for you, not the mothership.
This is grassroots level, right?
