Can we have a thread to discuss the upcoming MEP Election candidates for Ireland?

[HornyHornersPinkyWinky]

European elections coming up on 7th June. Ireland has 14 seats to fill...

I know it's probably early days, but I got a shiny leaflet in the door from Barry Andrews talking about how great he is - sorry Barry but you're not getting my vote.

It got me thinking though, I have no idea who to vote for. Here's a website which lists all the candidates, if you scroll down you will see the constituencies and if you click on their faces it gives you more information about their policies etc.
https://www.europeanmovement.ie/european-elections-2024/#1708343079798-db46201b-445f

Is there anyone dead set on who they are voting for and willing to share? I'm in Dublin BTW. Actually, if I could I'd vote for Peadar Tobín, but he's in the Midlands constituency...

I am voting right wing. My concerns are immigration and getting rid of all trans ideology in government.

I was involved in politics with friend’s campaigns in the past and I am amazed that I have yet to meet a candidate on my doorstep for this election- they are avoiding us. I WFH, as do lots of my neighbours so they could easily get us through the day, but no, not one call, just posters and leaflets.

I campaigned for Repeal and Gay marriage but I am horrified at the way those groups have now abandoned women, and our rights, and those of our daughters.

I’m voting Aontú local and Niall Boylan Euros. I once voted for Joe Higgins - that’s how far I’ve moved!!! I want to send a strong message to this government- no to hate crime legislation and no to immigration.

I have children in college, secondary and primary school. My college child will most likely emigrate, not because she wants to, but because there is no housing here. I’m angry that this government and the last 3, in fact all of them since the mid 90’s, squandered our FDI windfalls and kept going on the MNC investment pathway even when it moved to a situation where the MNCs were importing their own workforce - I saw what was happening 20 years ago and called it out - it is not good to be right, I wish I had been proven wrong.

I feel we are at last chance saloon to rescue it, to save this country for our children. We had so much potential in the 1990’s, I want to try to reclaim it.

I work from home and apart for the Shinners and one independent no one is calling, it's just leaflet drops usually in the post.

I've had SF, FG and an independent calling in person, which I really appreciate, I lived in England for years and never saw hide nor hair of a politician, because their voting system means that there are 'Labour constituencies' and 'Conservative constituencies', and individual votes don't matter, so they had no interest in me or my vote.
I like being able to argue with them in person.
And - call me weird - but [apart from the environmental impact] I soft-of like election posters! They remind me that I'm lucky enough to live in a place that actually has elections.

Just got a leaflet from Green candidate for locals. It had a little handwritten note ' Sorry to have missed you' which was a nice touch. Also bilingual with Gaeilge deas shimpli. Am in the South and voted Grace O Sullivan last time. Such an impressive woman yet mired in the gender woo.

Agree with pp that Aontú would be more attractive if there wasn't the lingering suspicion re abortion , reproductive rights. What a mess.

I think what puzzles Brits is that the posters are just someone's face and name.

There was a radio programme - on Radio 4 iirc - about Irish local radio funeral announcements. What intrigued the presenter was the lack of a ' eulogy' eg ' Mary Kelly was a pillar of the Tidy Towns Committee blah blah' . But of course local ppl will already know all that. First and foremost : when and where is the Removal , the Mass , and the interment.

Likewise the politicians want to put their faces about , not slogans or boring policies!

I got an email response from Ciarán Cuffe. It was actually not that bad, he agreed that we do need dialogue on contentious issues and said he was glad the Cass Report was getting attention.
I still don't think I can vote Green but I've always had some hope for Cuffe and would like to see him do a bit more to counteract the extremes of his party so I can maybe give him a vote next time.

For people who are left/centre considering voting right-wing at EU level - Varadkar made what I think is a valid point that parties who have promised to decrease immigration haven't managed to do so (eg Britain after Brexit, I don't think Meloni has been successful either). It's very true that our government made reckless promises to Ukrainian refugees which it couldn't keep, so it would be a start not to imitate Roderic O'Gorman. But I don't think Niall Boylan for example has the ability to deal with the current situation. I think it will take people who are pragmatic and creative, good at analysis and cooperation. (Nobody comes to mind but many of the right-wing candidates seem as far away from this as the left-wing ones).

I feel it is simply a case of

Bad
Badder yes I know not a word
Worse
Worser yes I know not a word

But i have heard from no EU candidates to date apart from the midnight leaflet drops.

Well except NB, I am hoping maybe he will keep his word and keep us the public informed of what is going on in EU unlike the current bunch who disappeared from the departure gate for their their first class travel to EU.

In saying that I have no clue after that.

MS = no
PB = no
BA apart from sound bite leaflet no idea what he has achieved in EU
SG = her leader leaves me in despair
RG = no
LB = no
BS = no
AOR = no

Process of elimination is NB and AC.

Scary times

I have barely looked at the local elections but I may most likely going to move away from majority of sitting councillors.

I don't know who those initials are.

Dublin European candidates are:

Dr Umar Al-Qadri (Independent)

Barry Andrews (Fianna Fáil)

Rebecca Barrett (An Páirtí Náisiúnta)

Lynn Boylan (Sinn Féin)

Niall Boylan (Independent Ireland)

Robin Cafolla (Rabharta - party name not on ballot paper)

Aisling Considine (Aontú)

Ciarán Cuffe (Green Party)

Clare Daly (Independents4Change)

Regina Doherty (Fine Gael)

Daithí Doolan (Sinn Féin)

Philip Dwyer (Ireland First)

Sinéad Gibney (Social Democrats)

Andy Heasman (The Irish People)

Conor Murphy (Independent)

Eamonn Murphy (Independent)

Diarmaid Ó Conaráin (Irish Freedom Party)

Brendan Ogle (Independent)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour)

Stephen O'Rourke (Independent)

Patrick Quinlan (The National Party)

Bríd Smith (People Before Profit - Solidarity)

Malachy Steenson (Independent)

I was been lazy.

Malachy Stevenson
Philip Boucher
Barry Andrews
Sinead Gibney
Regina Doherty (rouge G)
Lynn Boylan
Bríd Smith
Aodhán ó Ríordán (I had such high hopes for him when he first started in politics.

I completely forgot Ciaran Cuffe. What does say about his ability to represent when I don't even remember his name.

There is another one called Stephen ???, but if I recall correctly he is based in Berlin. I am struggling to see how he can represent Ireland when he is not living here.

I was only using the names I have actually got a leaflet off.

Barely half are actually out canvassing or bothering getting their face out there

I was replying to honeyrider and it was just easier to copy and paste the whole list.

I understand that it looks like I left a lot off but so many have not bothered making the effort.

I actually did not know of a few from your complete list.

That's not good if first some names are heard of in the ballot box

Ireland South.

Lorna Bogue , Rabharta. I like the sound of her. Housing, cost of living. No ID luxury beliefs mentioned. She gets my no 1. Not enthused by most of the others.

Have you read Rabharta's constitution? Might be worth dropping her a line.

The Party recognises that certain groups within society face greater
challenges & disadvantages based non-exhaustively on gender identity, marital status, family status, age, disability, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity, religion, membership of the Traveller community, geographical location, medical status, citizenship, language.

If she herself seems like a good candidate that's great - the Dublin Rabharta candidate isn't promising, I'd have to go and look again but from memory I think he was fond of anarchy and calling people fascists 🙄

Interesting that there is no mention of sex.

They are a split from the green party so are likely to be fully TWAW.

I'd never heard of then to be honest. Why did they split if they are aligned on everything? Seems to be a lot of bitching and splits in small parties.

@Abhannmor she left over misogyny in the Greens.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/green-party-cllr-lorna-bogue-resigns-over-mother-and-baby-home-issue-1.4392497

So maybe she'd be open to criticism on the omission of sex in that list.

Thanks. Have just perused her leaflet again. Just housing , climate change and cost of living. She has swerved sex / gender / orientation completely. Hmm. Can it be that next month a lot of this ID politics stuff will be tossed into a bin marked Electoral Poison ☠...?

They've lifted most of those from our Equality laws, which lists 'Gender' as a protected characteristic rather than 'Sex'. They have also changed it to 'gender identity' which is even more annoying, and added a few more by the looks of it.

I'm not really sure what that paragraph is supposed to convey either, given that they have listed so many things it's reasonable to think that pretty much every single person in Ireland would have a disadvantage based on one of them. It's just their wishy washy way of saying 'we're here for everyone, look how nice we are' which doesn't tell you much.

Our Equality Act doesn't specifically mention Sex, it mentions Gender as the protected characteristic. Very depressing, since you can be whatever gender you want to be these days...

Gender in our EA is taken to refer to sex - it was one reason for abandoning the proposed reference in the recent referendum to "make, female, and other genders".

But turns out that Bogue signed the Feminist Ire letter in 2018:
https://feministire.com/2018/01/22/an-open-letter-to-the-organisers-of-the-we-need-to-talk-tour-from-a-group-of-feminists-in-ireland/

There are a few other articles about her views on this issue - eg she proposed Trans Day of Visibility being celebrated by Cork City Council.
https://gcn.ie/cork-city-transgender-day-of-visibility/

To be honest she doesn't seem like someone who would be good at constructive disagreement. Robin Cafolla, the Dublin Rabharta candidate, actually promises a general strike of workers and carers, which is...an original election promise.
www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-41308777.html

Yes, I know that. It is depressing.

However, they didn't match the equality act. If they're going to make it up, I'd rather they used sex.

Back in the day, gender was polite synonym for sex. Now, as you said, it means anything you want.

I think for European elections I will vote for an independent ( definitely not Mick Wallace though he hasn’t earned the nickname Moscow Mick for nothing.)

Local is harder there are two local councillors that are in main parties who are great at helping local community groups getting grands and funding for projects and generally very involved in anything happening locally. I don’t want to vote for either FF or FG but a couple of the challengers are known grifters who are running as independent but will likely pick up votes because they are independent and people in other towns and villages mightn’t be as familial with their sketchy history.

Right now the options for what party to vote for an absolutely dire.

I'm in an area where the Independent Counsellor options are former members of FG/FF and there are no other options, except FF, FG, Labour and Social Democrats - I don't want to vote for any candidate. At least in the Euro's I've got options.