Can Mick or Malcolm conquer Europe?
AS we head into the last few days before we head to the polling booths, our European candidates will conclude what has been a crazy few weeks of canvassing, having clocked up some major mileage along the way.
With the Ireland South constituency taking in 12 counties, candidates have been spending the last number of weeks on the road anxious to get their message across and ensure they’re entirely recognisable by the time we mark the ballot paper on Friday.
From a Wexford point of view, the real attention is on Fianna Fáil’s Malcolm Byrne and TD Mick Wallace of Independents 4 Change, but we have another local candidate in American Jan Van De Ven, who is also running for election in the Kilmuckridge LEA.
In what has perhaps been the most comprehensive opinion poll undertaken on the race for Europe by The Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI, Ireland South is looking quite tight and it’s anyone’s guess as to what may happen at the weekend.
So far, Fine Gael’s Sean Kelly (Kerry) is topping the bill with 18% in the opinion poll. He’s followed by Sinn Féin’s Liadh Ní Ríada (Cork) on 14%, Fianna Fáil TD Billy Kelleher (Cork) and sitting MEP Deirdre Clune and Wexford’s own Malcolm Byrne are neck and neck on 10%.
While Ireland South has been increased to a five seat district, the fifth seat will only come into after Britain’s exit from the European Union, meaning that, on the poll’s prediction, Cllr Byrne would face somewhat of a wait before taking his seat in Brussels.
However, we’re dealing with fine margins indeed. Wicklow’s Andrew Doyle follows just behind Byrne and Clune on 9%, while Mick Wallace is still there or there abouts with 8%. They are followed by Labour’s Sheila Nunan and the Green Party’s Grace O’Sullivan on 5%.
While a lot of the main candidates have maintained a presence in Wexford over the course of the campaign, places like Cork with huge populations are quite clearly going to have the main say in this race.
While locals Malcolm Byrne and Mick Wallace would consider themselves well-known in Wexford, they’ve been travelling all over the huge constituency in recent weeks, trying to meet as many people as possible. Malcolm has covered some major ground in the likes of Wicklow, Carlow, Waterford and Tipperary and has gained plaudits for how he’s performed on various TV and radio debates.
‘It’s been enjoyable and exhausting in equal measure,’ Malcolm said from the canvass trail in Kilkenny. ‘I’ve got a great team of people out here with me. While I’d be reasonably well-known in Wexford and Wicklow, I’ve still had to build that name recognition further afield. I think I’ve had a couple of good media performances over the past week though and the feedback has been really positive.’
Looking at the opinion polls, Malcolm is taking heart in the fact that he’s in the mix for a seat, but is most definitely not taking anything for granted.
‘It’s encouraging and I think I’m in with a real chance of winning a seat,’ he said. ‘ The only way we’ll get an MEP for Wexford and the South East though is if people come out and vote on Friday. I’ll need people from all party backgrounds to pull on the purple and gold jersey and get me across the line. I think Avril Doyle was an efficient and influential representative and I think, in the wake of Brexit, it’s very important that we have adequate representation in Europe. If you look at our four outgoing MEPs, three are from West Cork and one is from Kerry. I think it’s time the South East was properly represented.’
Wallace, meanwhile, has been trying to spread the message in particular in Munster hitting places like Limerick, Cork and Kerry.
‘I’ve been getting an amazing reaction. I’ll do well in Limerick. Kerry was brilliant, but Sean Kelly is obviously very popular down there,’ Mick said. ‘I wouldn’t agree with his politics, but he’s a nice guy. I got a great reception around Cork, and could hardly get out of Kinsale.’
One thing Mick is not enjoying, however, is the circus around the campaign.
‘ The most challenging part of the campaign to date has been attending the various hustings events,’ he said. ‘I’d rather be outside talking to people. It’s a bit soul destroying having to sit there and listen to people tell us how great they are, or how much they care about the environment, the housing crisis, the small farmers, fishermen and businesses.’
The Wellingtonbridge native is keen to get his claws into Europe.
‘How do we make Europe fair for all citizens? Well, Clare Daly and myself have fought relentlessly to hold Government and other institutions to account, often on issues long before they were popular. I want to do the same in Europe where many of the decisions that impact on our lives are taken. Will I get elected? You know, I just might.’
Meanwhile, Cllr Malcolm Byrne is not the only one canvassing on two fronts. Based in Kilmuckridge, Jan Van de Ven is seeking the nod in both the European elections and in the Kilmuckridge district. Originally from the US, the Direct Democracy Ireland candidate previously ran a European campaign last time out when he was based in Wicklow. Looking across the Atlantic to his native land, Van de Ven says that Donald Trump is a businessman who has transformed politics and he hopes his business background can bring with it similar ‘fresh ideas and business experience’.
While a lot of the front-runners in the race for Europe have walked the streets of Wexford, few can claim to have put in as many hours in the model county as Fine Gael TD Andrew Doyle. A regular fixture at recent events around the county, it seems that the Wicklow TD in particular is attempting to make in-roads with the rural community and has also undertaken an extensive promotion campaign with countless posters located on approach roads into all the main towns.
Sinn Féin’s Liadh Ní Riada visited Wexford earlier in her campaign stopping off at the Wexford Working Men’s Club and the Irish Wheelchair Association in Ballycanew. However, the Cork woman has been a regular enough visitor to Wexford in recent years, particularly highlighting the plight of Wexford’s fishermen. Also visiting Wexford was Labour candidate Sheila Nunan who linked in with Labour leader Brendan Howlin and local election candidate Joe Ryan to go out and meet the people of Wexford. While here, she stated that connectivity and investment in Rosslare Europort would be one of her priorities going forward. Although perhaps not as visible on this campaign trail, Sean Kelly has visited on a number of occasions during his stint as MEP, even hosting a Brexit event in The Talbot Hotel earlier this year. People Before Profit and Carlow’s Adrienne Wallace will also be hopeful that she can pick up votes from neighbouring Wexford, appealing to younger voters and pushing issues such as climate change.
While opinion polls offer an indication as to how the land lies, they will all go out the window come Friday, when really it’s anyone’s for the taking. With such fine margins separating the candidates, none of them will be relaxing just yet. However, it does appear that this time out there could be a very real chance that when the dust has settled, Wexford will have its first MEP since Avril Doyle stepped aside in 2009.