Fighting fit: Byrne says he has relative youth and experience on his side
AFTER a whirlwind year, from topping the poll at the local elections in the Gorey area, to receiving over 80,000 and coming up just short in the Europeans, and even most recently completing his 30th marathon, the Cathoirleach of Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District, Malcolm Byrne, is back for another race, this time hoping to secure a Dáil seat.
One of the first out canvassing, the Fianna Fáil councillor who ran for the Dáil in the 2016 general election, is well used to the campaign trail at this stage.
‘I’ve been campaigning on education issues since my teens. I went to UCD to study law and arbitration, and I then got involved in student politics with the Union and became Education Officer with the Union of Students in Ireland.
‘I’ve been able to see from these campaigns, such as the student grant, higher education access and even the Good Friday Agreement, that you can make a difference.
‘I campaigned on marriage equality and at the moment I am looking for a county ban on smoky fuels because of the impact they have on people’s health and air quality.
‘I’ve always been campaigning, and I could have pursued a career in another direction but I’m not motivated by money. What motivates me is seeing change in our communities and in society.’
Always determined to get his name on the ticket for the by-election, Councillor Byrne said that he never apologises for being ambitious.
‘I make no apologies and I shouldn’t have to about being ambitious because if you want to achieve anything you’ve to got to be. Just as the Wexford hurling team sets out to win the All Ireland, you’ve got to be ambitious.
‘I’m not energy sapped from all the campaigning. I recently ran my 30th marathon and you need a certain level of physical fitness to face in to a campaign. It’s challenging.
‘By-elections by their nature are unusual and notoriously unpredictable. In many ways it’s a chance for Wexford to send a message to government around the important issues and this election will be fought over the bread and butter issues that affect people.
‘But whoever is elected will only be there for probably six months.’
Setting himself apart from the crowd, Councillor Byrne, who works as Head of Communications with the Higher Education Authority and is a former vice president of the National Youth Council of Ireland, feels that he has youth on his side this time.
‘I’m best placed to take the seat because of my combination of skills. I know how the legislative process works and how to implement policy. I can hit the ground running.
‘Bizarrely I will be one of the younger candidates running in this election, but I still have 20 years of experience as a town and county councillor. This means that I understand and am in touch with a lot of the issues on the ground.
‘If people want a voice that is going to be fighting on their issues, if they have concern about health, education, housing, transport or rural Ireland, then they have no better advocate because with my ability to work with people, I can actually achieve results.
‘It’s not just about shouting through a megaphone. It’s about being able to develop the legislative policy change and get it implemented. If after the next general election we see Fianna Fáil in government, I will be able to push to ensure that those priority policies, which I see as important to County Wexford, will come through’.
Councillor Byrne said that although he doesn’t come from a political family, he always supported the republican ideals of the Fianna Fáil party, being involved with Ógra Fianna Fáil in his youth.
‘I’m the eldest of five, we always had politics discussed around the dinner table and
I learned to hold my views strongly. I got involved in debating in school and I am always been willing to speak my mind.
‘I will go against the party line on occasion when necessary but there is a benefit to being a member of a political party, if you actually want to get things done and change legislation’.
After Fianna Fáil’s annual think-in took place in Gorey in September, a storm ripped through the party in County Wexford, resulting in an early October row when Cllr Byrne was named the by-election candidate.
This was conveyed by text message to an outraged Leas Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council, Fianna Fáil Councillor Lisa McDonald, who had been selected during a convention in the summer of 2018.
Having previously accused the party of bullying and sexism, Cllr McDonald argued that she was ideally placed to take the seat of Mick Wallace, being a councillor from his area.
When Cllr Byrne was selected, she said that she would not be supporting his ‘vanity project’.
When asked about this, Cllr Byrne said that his selection was a difficult decision for the party.
‘Lisa Mcdonald is still a friend of mine. I’m looking forward to being on the general election ticket with herself,
Michael Sheehan and James Browne. We are going to be working closely at that stage.
‘I understand, anybody who is not picked will be disappointed but the reasons were made clear by Micheál Martin as to why I was selected. I was and am best placed to win a by-election. If Lisa was picked as the candidate, I would have gone out and worked for her.’
With regard to this being Mick Wallace’s seat, Councillor Byrne said that he always respected Mick as a politician.
‘Mick Wallace didn’t do parish pump politics and he was influential. In an election, I don’t promise anything other than that I’ ll work hard and I’ ll be honest. Look at my record and judge me on what I’ve been involved in, on local issues, on environmental issues, in pushing for housing in county Wexford.
‘I’ve never played politics, anyone who deals with me will know that if it’s a good idea I’ll work with it, and that goes for all parties and none. Just because someone is not in my party, it doesn’t mean that I won’t work with them or support them if they come up with a good idea.
‘Nobody has a monopoly on good ideas and if someone comes up with one, let’s explore it and see where it works.
‘My broad philosophy would very much be in line with Fianna Fáil’s in the sense of supporting and empowering local communities, treating everybody equally in a true republican party,’ he said.
Also during recent weeks, a scandal broke around Fianna Fail front bench TDs and their voting practises as well as those who ‘fob in’ for others during Dáil voting sessions.
Councillor Byrne said that he doesn’t intend to engage in this practise in the Dáil.
‘Being blunt, TDs should be present in the Dáil and should be voting and what happened was wrong, there’s no getting away from it. Micheál Martin was right to discipline the front benchers for what they did.
‘But I contrast Micheál Martin taking tough action on the wrongs of two Fianna Fáil TDs with the Taoiseach’s failure to take action with the insurance claims of Maria Bailey and Alan Farrell.
‘I don’t think the voters should reward Fine Gael with a third seat in Wexford or reward policies of failure in housing, in health, in education and in how rural Ireland has been treated.
‘The homeless situation, to have over 10,000 people in emergency accommodation, including 4,000 children, is just morally wrong. I couldn’t believe it when the Fine Gael candidate said that there wasn’t a homeless crisis outside Dublin and there’s no homelessness in Wexford. It’s pretty clear to me that she’s out of touch and doesn’t know the challenges that are affecting families’.
‘We’ve seen this county and rural Ireland generally being treated badly under the government. It’s a very Dublin centred government that doesn’t believe life exists beyond the M50.
‘My message is that I can be one who will be effective on national policy issues and really take this government on, in the issues that matter in which they seem to have failed.
‘This government hasn’t got a clue about housing and when I’ve been out canvassing, housing is the biggest issue coming up. People are concerned about homelessness but young couples are paying high rents and can’t afford to save for a deposit. It comes back to the lack of supply of housing.
‘It is something that we need to address as a country, and if I am fortunate enough to be elected, I will be shouting from the rooftops for the next six months on the need to build affordable homes’.
When asked about the likelihood of putting his all into being elected this time around, but losing the seat down the line when there is more competition in a general election, the Gorey councillor said he accepts that is the nature of politics.
‘Elections are unpredictable things, you take nothing for granted so it’s important that people come out and vote. If people want a strong voice and to send a strong message to government that they’re not happy in their failure to deliver on public services, they need to get out and vote for Malcolm Byrne.
‘But I will admit that there’s a lot to be said for elections taking place in May and June, this time of year is difficult.
‘You can’t canvass in rural areas once it gets dark, that’s another issue. Due to problem of rural crime, people won’t open their doors and rightly so if they don’t know who’s out there. Even in urban areas, older people don’t feel safe and that’s a concern but I need to convince people that I’m the one who understands these issues most.
‘I’ve served now for 20 years, and have been listening to these issues of concern and dealing with people. I understand how policy impacts people. I want to bridge the gap between people and policy.
‘What got me into politics, the three most important things for any citizen, is having a roof over peoples’ heads, sustainable employment and jobs as well as education and training’.
He maintains that these values have remained with him and have filtered into his key campaign issues.
‘The big challenges that we are going to face over the next decade, are climate change and changes in technology such as artificial intelligence. We’ve got to be able to adapt which means investigating in education and training so that all ages can be upskilled, and that we do things in a greener and more environmentally friendly way.
‘There’s a frustration in that local government in Ireland has very limited powers, it reflects a major problem about how we do things in Ireland in that everything is centralised. We’ve seen it with Irish Water and the HSE.
‘I believe in giving power back to communities as well as resources such as schools and hospitals. We need to give them the budgets to be able to manage what they do effectively. We have to have an accountability for public monies but at the same time, let’s give people power to make decisions.
‘Challenges around school places exist in Gorey and Wexford town. I was heavily involved in the campaign for a second secondary school in Gorey and now we have to push for a third.
‘I want to create sustainable employment through the Hatch Lab in Gorey and the Technology Park in Enniscorthy, as well as improve commuter bus and rail services to the entire county. We need to improve public transport for a social and environmental purpose.’