Local Election 2009 is well and truly under way but Grassroots would like to advise the troops that they should take Bono’s advice - Get on your Boots!
The dogs are out of the traps and gearing up for a savage election but they seem to be hiding beneath the unchallenged blanket of internet propaganda and online networking instead of hitting the doorsteps and tackling the real issues.
We all know what they want and we have seen some of the platforms that many candidates have launched their campaigns from but are they really representing what the electorate want? I think not. Plastering their mugs all over the internet does little to solve any local issue or help the electorate make a decision.
People want face to face contact, candidates who are willing to discuss, debate and take action in the best interest of the people. What we don't want are candidates who hide behind their PR machines, websites, facebook pages and blogs. We want workers, public representatives who really represent and who are not afraid to dive into the real grassroots issues. You won’t get those issues online and candidates certainly won’t gain the trust of the electorate without engaging with them properly.
Grassroots really has to ponder over our candidates this time around. It's not an easy choice and the list keeps getting bigger. It seems that everyone and anyone can put their names forward but who merits the vote at the end of the day. Who actually gets the job done?
There are plenty of Independents coming out of the woodwork but do they really have a platform on which to mount an election campaign? It's easy to sit on the fence, complain about what’s going wrong and not offer any constructive contribution. Nobody wants a moaner and there are enough negative people in public office slowing down progress and building obstacles without the addition of one-hit-wonders who claim to be heroes-in-waiting. And, without the support of a political party, what can an Independent really achieve? Putting fear into people and provoking a row will not help anything. As Obama said, "it's time to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get on with it."
On one hand we have candidates like Euro Butler who, despite all the spelling mistakes and swipes at good old Grassroots, has a sizeable online operation. Credit where credit is due. But, it looks like he spends most of his time sitting behind a computer, obviously not a man for groundwork. The rest of his time seems to be spent following Seamie around in hope of a quick photo.
On the other hand, we have the likes of the Polski beauty who seems to have hit the ground running. She is already on the doorsteps and going down a treat. Maybe she will be the 2009 poll-topper. Having become a member of ‘The Team', she has the support of the Mighty Mac machine in her corner.
The election spend has already begun to boost the local economy. The Kerry Blue is not afraid to spread the wealth. His public service salary must not have taken much of a hit after all, considering the amount of advertising and pointless leaflet drops he has forked out for.
The O'Loughlin Road Camp seems to be very quiet. Maybe they are hatching a master plan or maybe they are waiting for Biffo to morph into a real leader.
Compost has vanished off the radar. The angry mob has got the better of him and even Snow White can’t drag him back into the public arena. She is left wandering around the constituency like a headless chicken with no side-kick to give her direction- in and more importantly, out of Kilkenny.
The Blueshirts are waiting for their opportunity to pounce. Some day soon we can expect Big Pill’s caravan to roll into city housing schemes dispatching the troops armed to teeth with fish n' chips wrapped in grease proof election literature. You can expect a battered sausage with your propaganda and you can be certain of an earful of tripe.
Maybe Scruffy Murphy should avoid Newpark. Residents are wondering who their new neighbour is and why, considering he claims to have grown up there, haven't they ever seen him next nor near the place. A bit like Big Pill who should really consider taking the caravan to Brussels. Maybe he is there already.
It’s a race to the chamber and God knows who will get in. We could end up with a crew of councillors blogging through council agendas from the comfort of their living rooms, totally detached from reality or a bunch of lone soldiers looking for a bandwagon to jump on. Or we could have at least one or two proven hard workers fighting for the betterment of Kilkenny and more importantly, forcing the rest to match the pace. The choice is yours.
