Fine Gael confirms team for Dun Laoghaire December 15, 2010
Posted by Scandalcentral in Current Affairs, FG, General Election 2011, Politics.Tags: Dun Laoghaire, Election 2011, General Election 2011, Mary Mitchell O'Connor, Sean Barrett
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Further to my Dun Laoghaire predictions, Fine Gael have confirmed the two candidates for the General Election will be Sean Barrett TD and Cllr Mary Mitchell O’Connor. Sean Barrett will be expected to retain his seat. O’Connor has been a member of Dun Laoghaire- Rathdown Council since 2004, getting re-elected in 2009. Originally a PD, she changed to Fine Gael before the last local elections. She helped retain the two Fine Gael seats in the Dun Laoghaire area in 2009 and will be expected to put in a good effort in the upcoming election. O’Connor is a Primary School principal with a masters in education. She beat off John F Bailey, Barry Ward and Maria Baker. It’s rumoured that Bailey, who was the Fine Gael candidate in the past may run as an independent.
It’s still unlikely that Fine Gael will win two seats in this constituency, however a right wing determined female is never to be under estimated! One wonders as to whether the strategy of one male, one female is a good one. Nevertheless, due to the fact that both Labour and Fianna Fáil have a female candidate on the ticket, one would therefore expect Fine Gael to also do so, hence the female directive from HQ. It has been suggested to me that Barry Ward may yet be added to the ticket in order to help secure the second Fine Gael seat. It remains to be seen if this will happen.
http://scandalcentral.wordpress.com/2010/12/14/dl-ivana-bacik-tours-again/
DL: Ivana Bacik tours again!! December 14, 2010
Posted by Scandalcentral in Current Affairs, General Election 2011, Politics.Tags: Barry Andrews, Ciaran Cuffe, Dublin Central, Dun Laoghaire, Eamonn Gilmore, Election 2011, Ivana Bacik, Mary Hanifin, Richard Boyd Barrett, Sean Barrett
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It was confirmed this past week that Ivana Bacik will be added to the Labour Party ticket for Dun Laoghaire alongside party leader Eamonn Gilmore. This is a constituency where Labour are looking for gains, (Obviously), however this selection must raise questions of the Labour party’s electoral strategy.
Many of my regular readers will be aware of my disgust for Bacik, whom I personally find insufferable. However, the fact that she once again has been floated into another constituency confirms her name as a political tourist. Bacik was the Labour candidate for the Dublin Central By- Election last year. Needless to say she lost, coming in behind the Fine Gael candidate in a mainly working class part of Dublin. She ended up gathering just 17% of the vote in that election. This is pretty poor considering Labour had 13% in this constituency in 2007, when the party was far less popular nationally. Interestingly, the party has decided not to allow her run in Dublin Central again. Is this because they realise her views do not resonate with the people of Dublin Central? I regard Bacik as a pure feminist. My views on feminism are quite clear, its backwards discrimination against the male population. The voters of Dublin Central probably care little about this, so the view has been taken that they will shove her in with the party leader over in the more affluent area of Dun Laoghaire. Will it work? Perhaps. The idea that she will appeal to more high minded individuals and females is not the best strategy in the world and may very easily backfire. For I don’t believe Gilmore will have enough transfers himself to elect Bacik. Either way, her 1st preferences plus his transfers must get her ahead of Richard Boyd Barrett of the ULA/ People Before Profit. Considering he got 9% in 2007 in good times, I expect his vote to increase substantially. (Circa 13-16%) Also, considering he will benefit from Green transfers (Ciaran Cuffe) and Sinn Féin transfers (Candidate unknown), he will get a seat.
The Labour party must issue very strict vote management here, in order to win a second seat. However once again I must ask does Bacik actually know how to run a campaign? Does she actually understand what human contact is? The Trinity College Senator has never had a constituency and has never had to deal with local matters. She regularly comments on national affairs, particularly on radio, however always comes across aloof and detached. She appears to always push her own agenda, be it gay rights, social justice, equality etc but appears unfazed by the topics that matter to voters right now jobs, the banking crisis, the political crisis etc. Even on her website, it declares, “Ivana is a radical new left-wing and feminist voice in the Seanad” Does Ireland need need another politico, cut off from reality? I think not.
Dun Laoghaire will be a very open constituency with both Fianna Fáil seats at major risk. If Hanafin does continue with the mantra that she will be the next leader, it might be enough to save her seat. As for Barry Andrews, well enough said. For Fine Gael, I expect Sean Barrett to retain his seat, the possibility of a second will depend solely on the candidate run by Fine Gael, however it’s highly unlikely they would take a second seat in a four seater.
Therefore its going to be very simple: 1FG, 1FF, 1PBP/ULA, 1LAB
Hopefully, this time Bacik will learn, that in politics you just can’t keep floating until you hit a winning ticket. It involves work, daily work, to show your worth.
Eugene Regan: The End of The Road? April 25, 2010
Posted by Scandalcentral in Current Affairs, FG, Topical.Tags: Bertie Ahern, Blasphemy Law, Ciaran Cuffe, Dermot Ahern, Dun Laoghaire, Eugene Regan, FF, FG, Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Goldman Sach, GP, Green Party
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It is now widely rumoured that Fine Gael Senator Eugene Regan will not stand in the next General Election for Dún Laoghaire. This is a massive disappointment (If true) for many people. Its believed that his wife is unwell and that this is the principle reason for him not to stand. If this is true then naturally I wish him all the best in the future.
However it still is a blow to Fine Gael in the Dun Laoghaire constituency. He would have been widely expected to get elected alongside Sean Barrett at the next election, hence gaining a seat for Fine Gael, wining a seat off probably Ciaran Cuffe of the Green Party. It leads one to suggest that John F Bailey will more than likely be on the ticket with Barrett, as he already ran in 2002 and 2007.
Not only is it a blow to Fine Gael, it is a blow to Irish politics. Regan has been a moral compass in the Seanad for some time now. During the scandals involving Bertie Ahern, he always demanded that the then Taoiseach came out and revealed the full facts. He has also been a torment to the Green Party, accusing them of cronyism over their idea to rotate cabinet positions- declaring it nothing more than giving jobs to the boys. He was also critical of the fact that Green Party candidates have been appointed to FAS and other state bodies- showing the Greens are no better morally than Fianna Fáil themselves.
Regan also placed himself firmly against the now famous Blasphemy Laws introduced by Dermot Ahern, claiming them to be “a step back in time” He also declared that the Seanad should be abolished, due to the fact that the house wasn’t given time to scrutinize several important pieces of legislation including the Enforcement of Court Orders Bill.
Regan’s background is somewhat impressive to say the least. He worked in the European Commission during the 70′s working with Patrick Hillary’s cabinet and later as a member of Peter Sutherland’s cabinet. He later worked with Agra, a firm which helps firms who trade oversea’s in difficult locations. Regan had to negotiate with traders in Iraq during Saddam Hussein’s regime, in Algeria during its civil war and with pre- and post-Communist Russia. This in itself highlights the remarkable achievements he has made during his life. Today he is mainly known for being a non-executive director with Goldman Sachs- naturally providing a watchful eye over the investment bank.
Regan has been an excellent public representative and will be missed if he does in fact not run for the next Dáil.
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