Fine Gael selects candidates for CNC December 8, 2010
Posted by Scandalcentral in FG, General Election 2011, Politics.Tags: Cork East, Cork North Central, Cork South West
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Fine Gael has selected its candidates for the upcoming General Election for the Cork North Central constituency. Four candidates contested the convention including sitting TD Bernard Allen, Cllr Pat Burton, Former MEP Colm Burke and Former Lord Mayor of Cork City Darragh Murphy. Bernard Allen and Pat Burton have been selected as the candidates for the upcoming election, however it is suggested that Fine Gael may yet run three candidates and include either Darragh Murphy or Colm Burke on the ticket. The party is looking to double its representation in the constituency, however this will be a very difficult task.
Fine Gael will later this week choose its candidates for Cork South West, Cork North West and Cork East. In Cork South West, no less than 7 people have announced they will contest the election. They are as follows: Cllr Kevin Murphy, District Chair Tim Cowhig, Cllr John O’Sullivan, Mayor Jim Daly, Cllr Mary Hegarty, Cllr Dermot Sheehan and Cllr Noel Harrington. It is also being suggested that Fine Gael will run three candidates in order to secure two seats in the 31st Dáil.
Cork East will prove very exciting and is sure to see at least one new face on the ballot paper. Those confirmed running include sitting TD David Stanton, Cllr Patrick O’Driscoll and Cllr Tom Barry.
REDC: FG to dominate in CSC & CSW November 24, 2010
Posted by Scandalcentral in Current Affairs, Politics.Tags: Cork South Central, Cork South West, Evening Echo, FF, FG, LAB, Red C, SBP, SF
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The breakdown of last weekends RedC opinion poll has been made available. The figures released highlight strong % gains for Fine Gael and Labour, while Fianna Fáil face meltdown in Cork South Central.
In Cork South Central the results were as follows: (The recent Evening Echo poll is show along with the 2007 result)
Party- REDC- Evening Echo- 2007 General Election.
Fine Gael 38.5% 40% (28.42%)
Fianna Fail 14.6% 22% (44.28%)
Labour 27.7% 26% (9.25%)
Sinn Fein 9% 5% (5.11%)
The above results shows that Fine Gael is on course to poll near to 40% in Corks most urban constituency a very impressive feat and a substantial gain since 2007. The poll is broadly in line with the previous Evening Echo poll which signals that the party has a strong voter base. For Fianna Fáil, this poll makes very grim reading. At below 15%, it would suggest that they may struggle to get even 1 seat in South Central. If this was to happen, it would mean the 31st Dáil would be without both Micheal Martin and Michael McGrath. This is at present, looking more and more likely as the voters anger at the party increases as our economic fortunes worsen. It should be noted that the previous poll made nicer reading for Fianna Fáil, showing them retaining one seat, however considering the dramatic events of recent weeks the continued downturn in the polls for Fianna Fáil is very possible. Labour will also be impressed by their showing in this poll. It suggests that they will come out with a good chance of winning a second seat in South Central, however vote management could be a key issue which may not see this happen due to Ciaran Lynch’s popularity compared to Paula Desmond’s unknowness.
Verdict: FG 2, Lab 1, with the final 2 seats between FF, FG and Lab.
In Cork South West, the poll was as follows:
Party- REDC – 2007 General Election.
Fine Gael 41% (36%)
Fianna Fail 22% (42.57%)
Labour 24% (9.64%)
Greens 5% (6.73%)
Sinn Fein 8% (5.06%)
This poll once again shows Fine Gael are well ahead of the other party’s. It however doesn’t perhaps show as significant growth as one would expect in such a rural constituency. However it reinforces the Fine Gael hope that their two candidates will both become TD’s. (We will know who they are, ever so soon, stay tuned!) For Fianna Fáil, it must be surprising that the swing is this significant. If this poll was returned on polling day it would mean that 1 out of 2 who voted Fianna Fail 3 years ago have now abandoned them. If the swing is actually this large in CSW, it bodes poorly for the rest of the country and urban area’s where Fianna Fáil will be surely wiped out. For Labour, they now appear to have built up a sizeable share of the vote. However in order to win a seat they must tackle the geographical issues which have in the past halted their ability to win a seat. The increase in the Sinn Féin vote may not transfer to Labour in the way many would feel. Geographically this may benefit Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil more.
Verdict: FG1 Lab 1 FG v FF for final seat.
(Yes, imagine FF without a seat in CSW)
One should always remember that this poll was taken from a very small sample and has a relatively large margin of error!
Schering- Plough: Some commitment! September 9, 2010
Posted by Scandalcentral in Current Affairs.Tags: Cork South West, Economy, Job Losses, Recession
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Schering- Plough based at Brinny, just outside of Bandon town in West Cork has once again announced a raft of job losses as it struggles to compete during the recession. Today, it announced nearly 170 job losses. The plant manufactures pharmaceutical drugs for Hepatitis C and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Today the plant employs 519 people, this will be reduced to around 350 staff. This is a fall from 1,000 only a number of years ago. These job losses have huge impact on the most Southerly region which has been forgotten by Government for decades. The region itself has little prospects and this hammer blow will hurt it greatly. The company hopes most the job losses will be voluntary. Once again Councillors and local public representatives are calling on the Government to act to help bring jobs to rural Ireland, which is continually being forgotten.
Schering-Plough Site Director John Howell also said that “a transformation programme, which the company is going through, presented everybody at the plant with an opportunity to secure further investment at the site in the future” This follows after Schering-Plough, last year, merged with the multinational pharmaceutical company Merck in a deal valued at the time at $41bn.
Once again the company’s long term commitment, must be questioned.
Sheehan dynasty to continue in CSW? August 17, 2010
Posted by Scandalcentral in Current Affairs, FG, Local Politic's, Politics.Tags: Cork South West, Denis O'Donovan, Dermot Sheehan, Mary Hegarty, Noel Harrington, P.J Sheehan
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Rumour’s are flooding West Cork this week that Paddy Sheehan, Fine Gael TD for Cork South West, has finally confirmed that he will not be running in the next General Election scheduled for 2012. It appears the comments were made at some local party events over the past number of days . It also now appear’s that his son Dermot has finally decided to throw his hat into the ring for the nomination for the 31st Dáil.
While it was assumed for quite a while that Paddy Sheehan would not be running in 2012, it wasn’t until this week that local’s were made aware of his intentions. It would appear from the outside that the reason behind the delay was down to allowing time for Dermot to decide as to whether or not he wanted to run for the Dáil.
However it’s very unclear as to whether Dermot Sheehan will get the nomination for the Dáil which is sure to be very competitive in the Bantry Electoral Area. One has to assume that former Seanad Éireann Candidate , Councillor Noel Harrington will be contesting the election once again along with Councillor Mary Hegarty. Sources close to Hegarty are claiming that she is fully committed to running for the Dáil and will begin the internal canvassing process in the coming weeks. If Fine Gael in Cork South West do look beyond dynastic politics, than Hegarty has to be the front-runner for the Western area of the constituency. She is also regarded by many as having the best chance of retaining two seats for the Fine Gael party. 
Many within the Fine Gael party believe that name may not be enough to get Dermot Sheehan elected. One must also keep in mind the fact that in the Local Elections in 2009 49.3% of the vote went to Fianna Fáil in the Bantry Electoral area. (An increase from 33.7% in 2004) This proves that despite this recession the people of Bantry will not punish the “Republican Party” in the same way that other parts will. Therefore the decision that rests with the Fine Gael party is whether the Sheehan name will be enough to retain the seat, of do they gamble with the woman who won the first seat at last years Local Elections Mary Hegarty. Dermot Sheehan will offer the electorate very similar to what his father offered, the question is, is that what the electorate still wants? There is no doubt that Bantry demands a TD at every election. While Sheehan will “work for you, always available” (Direct quote from website), that simply may not be enough anymore.
Noel Harrington for many is the local favourite. However his dismal display at the locals in 2009 has made many worried about his chances of winning a seat. While he is undoubtedly a hard worker and quite intelligent, he just doesnt seem draw in the votes in the fashion that Hegarty and Sheehan can. Harrington’s quota fell at last years election in comparison with 2004, despite being Mayor of Cork County in 2008. He is very involved at local level, however its also clear that it perhaps it should stay this way.
One fact is quite clear. An early convention is vital to all the candidates who will require plenty time to establish themselves. Now it’s up to the Fine Gael party to set the date, however the dogs on the street know that we will be waiting, for like always Fine Gael HQ assume two seats in CSW is a default. At least Paddy Sheehan can now enjoy his retirement down in the very picturesque Goleen.
Sinn Féin destroy hopes of a breakthrough in CSW. June 23, 2010
Posted by Scandalcentral in Local Politic's, Politics.Tags: Cork South West, Paul Hayes, SF
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The Shinner’s have made a truly shocking decision at their selection convention for the upcoming General Election. The hard lefties have not chosen Rachel McCarthy as expected by commentators and Scandalcentral, instead choosing Paul Hayes. It appears that Rachel McCarthy didn’t seek a nomination with Hayes getting a full backing from the small local party. It can only be seen as a worst possible scenario for the Shinner’s who are being isolated more and more in national politic’s. Their candidate in the last number of General Elections was Cionnaith O’Suilleabhain. Before the last election, he proclaimed that he wasn’t going to run again if he failed to get election, with 5% of the vote naturally he did fail. It’s now been fully confirmed that he wont be running. Hayes is a very interesting choice in many respects. The reasoning behind it is probably just because he put his name in the hat and seemed ready to fight the loosing battle. If there had been proper planning he would have been the SF candidate for the local election last year, this would have given him some presence in the center and west of the constituency at least. Instead O’Suilleabhain was the chosen one, who naturally also failed once more ending up with just 6% of the vote. However in the Bandon section of Cork County Councill Rachel McCarthy stood for the Shinner’s. While naturally she failed to get elected she did finish 5th with 7.5% of the vote, which was a greater % then any other SF candidate in Cork South West. She is also quite prominent in Bandon town and has a profile in the western half and more liberal half of the constituency.
When one remembers that the Eastern half and center of CSW is traditionally a choice between FG and FF, a candidate to the East would have been ideal. Hayes is a young face and does have a profile in Clonakilty, however if they planned to chose a Clonakilty based candidate then they should have stuck with O’Suilleabhain! Hayes wont out-poll his past appearances. Either way Sinn Féin will more than likely be in a tussle with the Greens for the wooden spoon in CSW, scandalcentral believes they would have had a better chance with McCarthy but ce sera sera!
