They’re getting cranky. And irritable. And aren’t taking the abuse that was thrown at them in the early days of the campaign. Now they can see the prize. And even those who can’t see the prize are having some belief injected into them by their most ardent supporters. And despite the warnings, none of them ever believed that dogs in real life actually bite until the Ringer took one in the ankle. So now they’re wary of every Fido and Bruno. And their legs hurt. And their eyes hurt. But they know they’ve to carry on for one more week. For them it’s akin to begging. Coming to doors, trying to say something that will impress the unimpressable. ‘Cos they know that when they’re looking in the doors of those who are struggling to get by, they know they’re asking the voter to help them get a contract worth more than half a million euro and all they can offer them in return is a chance to earn a few hundred euro a year more. So straightaway it’s an inequitable relationship. Turn it on its head and you’d have their undivided attention.
And they’re frustrated by the unwillingess of people to engage with them on the doorsteps; and they find that those who do engage with them just want to rile them or insult them. And then there was the weather, and they think back to a potential election last November when strangely the nights would not have been as dark or as wet. Or the people as miserable. Back then there was Christmas to look forward to, but now they are engaging with people who are after coming out of a tight Janaury, who have seen their increase in their wages go in one splurge on one intangible thing after another.
And they know that votes will be hard earned.
I know several candidates who benefitted from the electoral largesse of their communities in the past but who this time around are finding they have to work very very hard to get back even a fraction of that. Because now the people around them are asking questions about what have they really done, they are wondering if candidates can fill a page with an honest appraisal of what they have acheived. People are more reluctant to listen to the same auld tat as before. Even this week listening to some fo the local debates on radio, it was obvious who were just going through the motions, who were just rolling out the same auld platitudes that worked in the past. And then there were those who seemed naive about it all.
And so into the last eight days. Just as the presidential election turned stormy in the last few days, I expect the General Election to do so next week. There is so much at stake. So much up for grabs. No runaway winner. Everything is attainable.
And then there is you. Have you made up your mind yet? Are you sure about your choice or is your choice not yours at all, but the choice of a long dead relative? Just as the canddiates will use this period of desperation, you too should use this time to make the right choice.
Use your time to look into the eyes of the candidates and ask yourself if these candidates really care. If you really believe that they will be able to nudge or steer the State in the right direction.
For the next week, you are the owner of a large company, and you are hiring key staff. Your say is as good as the next person’s. Ask yourself if the person you are voting for is the person you would hire to do the job for you. If there are candidates that you wouldn’t trust to send to the shop, then why reward them generously for a job they will be unable to do. Make wise choices because the next decade is crucial. Fill our parliament with the best.
Your eight days start now……
