With polling day only seven days away now the heat has been turned up on the local and European election campaigns.
But what is worrying is the amount of apathy that still exists among the electorate whose duty and obligation it is to get out and vote.
The papers and radio stations have been full of information regarding the candidates in each of the electoral and town council areas. This coming week you will be bombarded with much more as candidates work themselves into a frenzy for the final countdown.
But they’re human and generally nice and would be happy to answer your questions and put your concerns at rest, so instead of tarring everyone with the one brush and making general sweeping statements that they’re all the same, the truth is they are not all the same, but they mostly get into politics to make a difference.
Putting your smiling face on the ballot paper or on roadside posters takes a lot of courage, and while it is easy for bar stool philosophers to criticise and complain, they should ask themselves would they have the guts to put themselves up for public scrutiny like that. I seriously doubt it.
At the end of the day politicians and political candidates are humans. They have the same feelings and emotions as everyone else and don’t deserve to be berated or attacked or have abuse hurled at them when they knock on your door.
Canvassers are reporting there is a huge wave of anger among the electorate. Fianna Fáilers say they haven’t been getting it too bad. If you don’t like a particular candidate or their policies all you have to say is no thanks, or explain why they won’t get your number one.
If on the other hand you gave them your number one last time but you feel they haven’t delivered, ask them why not. There may be plausible explanations why your road didn’t get tarred or hedges cut. If you’re not satisfied with the answers punish them on the ballot paper, but remember bad manners will get you no where, and if they are re-elected don’t come looking for favours after giving someone a tongue lashing at your front door.
It’s true that local councillors are financially rewarded for having the honour and privilege of representing us at town and county level. But no one would do their job for free. They make decisions which carry huge responsibility and which impact on our day to day lives, even if we are not aware of this. The level to which some are remunerated financially is insane, granted, but those who take their job seriously never switch their mobiles off and are contactable and are contacted at obscene hours of the day.
But what is worrying is the amount of those bar stool philosophers who say they won’t vote or none of “them” deserve their vote. If you don’t vote you don’t have the right to criticise.
Firstly I impolore you to vote. Secondly list your preferences in order — the system is extremely technical and complicated but it’s important that if you have preferences you give them your two, three, etc. If you don’t want someone to take a seat, don’t put a number beside their name. Even if they would be your last choice at number 16, that could still translate to a vote theoretically.
Someone has to represent your town and electoral area, isn’t it better you had a say in who that someone should be?
