MANY people I know don’t vote on the basis of an allegiance to a particular political party, which is why I’m always slightly suspicious of polls.
As the famous Healy-Rae dynasty have illustrated down through the years, when it comes to supporting the Government, all politics is very much local. But who can really fault them? They are simply playing the game and are generally rewarded in the polls for their unstinting loyalty to the Kingdom.
And they are far from alone. Candidates the length and breadth of the country know full well that they will live or die, electorally speaking, on what they can deliver in their constituencies. If that means money for roads, jobs for their region or keeping inefficient hospitals open, by God they will bring their lengthy shopping lists to Dublin and make their support for any administration conditional on the full delivery of their demands.
It’s not just a rural phenomenon either. In my Dublin constituency, candidates will be asked to guarantee the reopening of our closed Garda station and end the practice of raw sewage being pumped into the sea, rendering our local beaches unusable. There will also be some national issues – water charges, property tax and the crisis in our health service.
But the reality is that no TD alone will be in a position to deliver on any of these issues. Candidates should be honest enough to admit this, instead of having fanciful notions of what they will be able to achieve if elected.
With a general election now just weeks away, I still haven’t fully made up my mind on who I will vote for. I will, however, give all candidates a fair hearing if they call to my door, be they first-time Independents or sitting TDs from the main political parties. While I dislike the ongoing use of election posters in this digital age, canvassing is part of a healthy democracy and gives us a chance, not only to vent, but to engage with the political process.
It has been a bruising five years since the last election. There is plenty to be angry about but reasons to be hopeful, too. The most important thing is that we all exercise our right to vote on polling day, which is the only way to guarantee that the next Government is one that broadly represents the wishes of the electorate.
If you don’t vote, you undermine your right to give out about politicians and may end up with the Government you least desire being elected.
An interesting few weeks lie ahead. Let the games begin.
t.mccullagh@dublinpeople.com