THERE
are just days to go until the people of Ireland elect a new President, but
Labour TD Joe Costello is far from finished on the campaign trail.
The
Dublin Central TD, who has been Director of Elections for Michael D Higgins
since his campaign begin in June, says the pace of work for the canvassers on
the road and behind the scenes always intensifies in the final week before
voting day.
“All
our volunteers have been out in force for the last countdown,
? Deputy Costello
told Northside People.
“We
had rallies on Sunday, a nationwide blitz for
‘Super Saturday’ and Michael D
has been more active than ever on the canvas.
?
Deputy
Costello’s role as Director of Elections has been
“absolutely hands-on
?, and
has included overall responsibility for organising the campaign, from fundraising
to communications, logistics, strategy, diary events, media debates and
supervising election literature.
“It’s
been incredibly exciting. The celebrity candidates who came and went, the ups
and downs in the polls, I’ve enjoyed it all hugely.
“It’s
been a lot of work too. We’ve fought a long, hard campaign for the four months
since we started, but it’s been a privilege and a pleasure for me, it’s an
opportunity not many would get in a lifetime.
“I’ve
been involved in a lot of tough campaigns in the past, but nothing as intense
and sustained as this,
? said Deputy Costello, who has had to perform his own
job of Dublin Central TD and Chairman of the Committee on EU Affairs at the
same time.
The
Labour Party has had a national committee of 15 members running Michael D’s
campaign, alongside a number of sub-committees in charge of different elements.
Fundraising
is one part of the campaign that Labour organised very early on, and Deputy
Costello says the bulk of the money is coming from party members themselves.
“Each
TD is paying e1,000, each Senator is paying e750, while county councillors and
city councillors are paying e100 and e50 respectively. After that it’s down to
donations from volunteers and on social media sites, and Obama style
fundraising.
“We’ve
had a few fundraising concerts, the Sawdoctors played a gig and they sang their
song, Michael D Rocking in the Ãras, but very little time is dedicated to
fundraising.
“All
our time is spent on organising the campaign on the road and on the ground,
ensuring that posters are put up, leaflets distributed, doors are knocked on,
and that we keep updates on Twitter and Facebook.
?
Deputy
Costello says although social media is an
“increasingly important
? part of the
campaign, it’s the traditional elements like knocking on doors, the one-on-one
contact, the debates, and the community meetings that matter in a small country
like Ireland.
The
Northside TD is confident that despite Sean Gallagher’s surge in the polls,
Michael D will come in ahead of the other candidates on polling day.
“Cream
rises to the top. Naturally Sean Gallagher’s performance is a concern, but a
lot of the increase in his vote was just because the support for the other
Independent candidates virtually imploded. It was a soft vote, but it won’t
hold up. As polling day approaches, Michael D will emerge as the candidate with
the most substance.
?