Politics is all swings and roundabouts. 3 weeks out from polling it seems the election is only
starting. Initial polls suggested that
the European election in Ireland South was all over. It would be a slam dunk
job for FF, SF and FG as they would share out the seats. But if a week is a
long time in politics, what difference does a day make? A lot!
I’ve a lot of time for Phil Prendergast, she’s got a lot of
strong selling points. In a local election where she is the only MEP who lives
in the region, I find it easy to ask people to vote local for her so as to keep
an MEP in the south east. I recently
listened to the SF candidate on local radio complain about how the east coast
had done so well and that Cork and Kerry lagged behind. That was an unintended
compliment to Labour on how Wexford has seen hospitals built, schools rolled
out and a new garda station ready to go, not remind the bypasses of Enniscorthy
and New Ross which get under way soon while the N11 through Wicklow is well
under way.
Despite the gaffe of complaining on the east coast as to how
well she thinks it’s doing, the daughter of the famous composer Séan Ó Riada
seems set for victory while her leader languishes in custody. Wexford seems to be at the kernel of the
electoral battle. FG’s Simon Harris is seen as a greater Dublin candidate while
I’ve seen Deirdre Clune’s battle bus and Séan Kelly’s van make separate forays
into town as they slug it out for votes.
Kelly is seen as attracting a south west/mid west vote while
Clune is seen as targeting rural voters and Cork. If Brian Crowley can attract a huge personal
vote where will his transfers go? Clune can expect some as can Ní Riada while
his running mate Kieran Hartley who campaigns against pylons has yet to
electrify his campaign.
So there is a space for Phil Prendergast, nobody else
running in the south east where there has not been an MEP since Avril Doyle
retired. I hope that the emphasis in the
south east is on the need for local representation at EU level and not one of
where Wexford is seen as a handy notch on the political belt of candidates that
previously showed little interest in the place.
