Posters withstand Hannah but can candidates prove their relevance?
THE posters are up despite Storm Hannah, the candidates are out pressing the flesh and the sums are being calculated. The only problem is many people hardly seem to know or care about them. For the unaware here are some facts. Fact 1: There are two elections and one referendum: Local Elections, European elections and a referendum on divorce, in which voters get to have their say on easing restrictions on divorce. Voters will be asked if they wish to remove the four-year minimum living apart period from the Constitution and allow a reduced term to be defined by legislation. They will also be asked about the recognition of foreign divorces. Fact 2: Councillors can and do play an important role in communities. Fact 3: Irish MEPs contribute to European policy decisions and – although some are on a gravy train – it is vitally important in the Brexit era to have strong voices for Ireland in Europe.
I got a taste of the local election campaign on Tuesday night when I joined two county councillors who are hoping to retain their seat. Both seasoned operators, they had the charm and lingo to mix it with the most cantankerous Eastenders watching voter. The awkward silences were filled with a personal anecdote about a relative, the vitriol was batted away with a winsome smile and a promise of action, even if that only amounted to ‘ looking into your insulation query with the engineer’. One councillor came under serious fire across about how he did nothing for a man. Several people raised issues that were totally beyond the brief of the county councillor to solve: national housing transfer policy, anti-social
behaviour and more.
Two hours and three estates later I couldn’t help but think who’d be a councillor? Anyone working with the public has to put up with a lot, but for €16,000 a year (with some expenses and several grand here or there if you are lucky enough to be in Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil), you’d have to wonder is it worth it. The enthusiasm of the candidates I walked the estates with bore out that, for them at least, it was.
Their heyday is over of course. In the old days councillors had far greater powers, down to influencing where council tenants were housed, how promptly voters were given medical appointments, even jobs were obtained through councillors. The distance in terms of pull from councillor to arms of the state was measured in how far up the greasy pole of party politics and local government a councillor managed to climb. Today, with GDPR and the centralisation of power into the hands of council CEOs and directors of services and with the HSE, the county councillor cuts a frustrated figure, always a complaint away from blowing their top. And yet new faces adorn the posters lining our streets. Renua are back with a bang with numerous candidates running, while Labour candidates are hoping their liberal agenda and previous referendum campaign will see them curry favour with voters. Many Independent and People Before Profit candidates are passionate about a variety of issues so insofar as a health check is concerned, democracy is in good nick.