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...

Thats smart @DeanElderberry a list is probably a good way to go. Can't get over how many different far right parties are running now

The best way to ensure you don't unintentionally vote for someone through transfer is simply vote for the people you would like to see gain a seat. If you don't want to see the them represent you don't give them anything.

LV, RO'G, HMcE all got in through transfers, 5th and 6th counts.

No number on the list no chance for transfer.

I always used to understand that that was the case, but a friend who was on the count a few years ago (an intelligent capable public sector worker) said that transfers got allocated proportionately according to who got the most transfers overall from the person eliminated / elected UNLESS they had been put on the ballot paper lower down on an individual paper - in which case the vote could not be assumed.

I don't think she was making it up.

I've heard that explanation before.

Another thing, every paper, after it is out and unfolded, has to be held up so that the tallymen can see it.

So if you write a clear simple slogan like 'freedom to light bonfires' or 'houses for all' or 'no hate speech legislation' or 'the land of Ireland for the cows of Ireland' or 'sex not gender in the equality act' on your paper instead of voting, the party faithful who turn out to oversee the count will see that too.

Still very tempted to drop a few holy medals into the box, just to annoy the secularists.

I am an atheist complete with unbaptised DC and I find this very amusing but a Facebook page I am a member of get very bad over stuff like this.

www.electoralcommission.ie/how-to-vote/

I am reading it as unless I want them to get a transfer/seat.

If I don't leave blank.

It looked like every candidate for MEP that I might have considered had signed that questionable pledge, and I was giving up in despair, but then I got a leaflet from Umar Al-Qadri, which is by far the most reasonable one I've had through the letterbox.

I googled him - he's an imam and academic, anti-extremist, very committed to integration, issued a fatwa against FGM; however, he continues to assert that sex between men remains forbidden by Islam, even his version of it, but he accepts its legality [similar to the Pope] and has hosted LGBTQ groups at his mosque. He doesn't say anything against sex between women, though

Is being anti male homosexuality in his personal beliefs, though not his political practice, worse than being militantly pro trans and anti women-as-a-class?
My head is spinning!

As far as the local elections are concerned, friends of mine who live in the Dun Laoghaire area had a visit from an independent called Cormac Lucey [sorry, not sure which area he's running in]; when they mentioned gender not sex etc. he spontaneously brought up Graham Linehan and how unfairly he has been treated for standing up for women!

Oh I knew I'd seen Cormac Lucey's name somewhere - it was in the Times. A gloriously dull and sensible piece. It almost made me giddy with the grown-upness of it.

https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/tax-haul-from-multinationals-makes-us-wealthier-yet-less-equal-2p85bkbv6

Who are people voting for MNW?

I’m thinking:
Lisa Chambers
Landy
Mullooley
Flanagan
Toibin.

No novelty acts.

What is this pledge I keep seeing on here

It's this one @DublinFemale
comeout.eu/country/ireland/

Here's a link to the PDF of it, I couldn't see it on their website.
ComeOut4Europe_Pledge.pdf

It looks immediately out of touch because it includes 'intersex' - they obviously haven't been paying attention, have they? but anyway, lumping LGB in with T hasn't worked out too well so far, has it? especially for the L😠

The last bit
• put the safety of the community above any other concerns and always follow the “do no harm” principle, including by keeping my work out of the public eye whenever necessary .
is downright disturbing - 'above ANY other concerns?' 'keeping my work out of the public eye?' - extraordinary things for an elected public representative to pledge to.
The 16 Irish signatories are listed here Browse candidates | Come Out 4 Europe
but I think a PP has posted their names already?

Candidates who have signed that pledge - thanks Mermoose, copied from your earlier post:

Irish signatories:
Bríd Smith Ireland Not affiliated
Regina Doherty Ireland EPP
Barry Andrews Ireland Renew
Brian O’Boyle Ireland The Left
Cian Prendiville Ireland The Left
Pauline O’Reilly Ireland Greens/EFA
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin Ireland S&D
Rory Hearne Ireland Not affiliated
Ciaran Cuffe Ireland Greens/EFA
Grace O’Sullivan Ireland Greens/EFA
Luke “Ming” Flanagan Ireland The Left
Fergal Landy Ireland S&D
Billy Kelleher Ireland Renew
Sinéad Gibney Ireland Not affiliated
Niamh Hourigan Ireland S&D
Maria Walsh Ireland EPP

Saoirse McHugh (M-N-W) seems a bright young woman, and she didn't sign that dodgy thing (a promise to keep secret from to your electorate that you think trans issues are more important than climate change, defence policy, migration, health, housing or food production? oh my). If she was in my area I might have put her near the top of my list - but - she has pronouns.

I have a vague recollection that Saoirse McHugh is TWAW, but I'm not totally sure.
Voting is tomorrow and I still don't know what to do.

Hi, just wondering if you got a response from your email?

That whole thing is shocking, I can't believe how many politicians put their names to it.

Also, it really bugs me when they keep using terms like 'safety', there is no safety issue here, it's just used as a manipulation tactic. This person doesn't want safety, they want compliance to their worldview.

No response from Barry Andrews, no.

I’m almost certain Saoirse McHugh is TWAW.

Lisa Chambers seems to be “opinion fluid” given her recent referendum campaigning.

Ciaran Mullooly seems very personable but I struggled to find solid info on his policies. “Rural communities, local issues”- vague!

I haven't got a scooby what way I'm voting.

But I am still gonna vote.

This is my vote call, just like for the referendum

Please encourage anyone you know to vote regardless of Who/how.

This is our democratic right and the one time we have a voice.

Let's all use our vote to remind all politicians they work for us

That's disappointing.

Hopefully on the run up to the General Elections, this issue will be dealt with more and more - I will certainly be emailing my candidates and asking their views on it. Although I did that before and got little to no response either.

I think they are just trying to ignore it and hope it all goes away.

I didn't get a polling card, but fortunately that wasn't a problem. I'd gone with a paper list of 1-17 with Mick Wallace at the bottom, only to find there were 23 names on the paper. Twenty- bloody-three.

So I started at the bottom with my lowest 7, then did the top with my best 6, then scrutinised the ones I wasn't expecting and made my best guess. I'm pretty sure I never spent so long in a polling booth. There were only 8 on the local authority list, and enough of them were known people that it was fairly easy.

Duty to democracy done. Roll on the general election.

Same @DeanElderberry , I'm usually in and out in a pop but this took ages. Was also supremely awkward because of the size of the ledge in the booth.

There were 16 for council in my local area, so again far too many to know everyones policy on everything.

Was chatting to a friend this morning and she said its the first time in her life that shes ever considered not voting because every candidate both local and European were all running on platforms that they have no influence over. She said all her local candidates had strong opinion on immigration but thats not an issue they have any influence over and every MEP candidate was talking about housing which they have no influence over. None of them seemed to be talking about local or European issues that they could actually influence

Yes, the the ledge in the booth was much too small to see the whole paper, and the official pencil was already really blunt by 10.00.

grumble grumble

Is this for real?