Councillors say time in Opposition may be good for Fianna Fáil

DURING the dying days of the 30th Dáil, one opinion poll found that the outgoing Government had a three per cent satisfaction rating.

While the rating was desperately low, few were surprised given the level of public anger and the at times ferocious lampooning of the government and Brian Cowen.
At that stage the rank and file members of the government parties knew that canvassing was going to be more difficult than in 2007, not just because of the sometimes harsh February weather.
Ennis councillor Pat Daly has been knocking on doors for Fianna Fáil and says that, while some people have been very forthright, in general people are polite when confronted with canvassers.
“Ninety per cent are, but there are a certain amount who are very frustrated about their wage packets, Shannon airport and other things. But in general we’re getting a good response,” he said.
He acknowledges that Fianna Fáil are “under pressure” this time and the difference from May 2007 is striking.
“It’s a totally different election, totally different. There’s a serious recession on and people’s wage packets aren’t as high as they should be. People are most frustrated, there is concern about the airport and the hospital.”
Councillor Daly said that the party won’t sustain the 24, 824 votes it achieved last time out but he is hopeful they will retain their two seats.
Lessons need to be learned from the party’s experience of recent years, he feels.
“It (Fianna Fáil) will have to be restructured. The amount of seats will be substantially reduced and there will have to be restructuring under Micheál Martin. Head office can’t dictate all the time and there will have to be changes.”
His colleague on Clare County Council, Cathal Crowe felt that there are areas where the party will still perform well come Friday.
“Definitely, there’s some erosion of party support, that’s a given. But it’s nowhere near as bad as the national media are saying. The most recent poll says 17% but in some areas I’d say it ranges from 25% up to 40%, that’d be my gauge. There’s different pockets and a demography to it. In the rural areas I’d say it’s quite good and in certain villages. In other areas it has deteriorated, but I don’t think by as much as is being said.”
He felt that the party will be spending time on the opposition benches and like Councillor Daly, he feels a period of reform is needed.
“First of all I think a spell in opposition is inevitable and I think it’ll also be a good thing for the party in terms of refocusing on different issues. In the past I wasn’t overly gone on the Galway tent, I wasn’t too keen on it. The party was seen to stray away from its grass roots.
“I was one of those in the party who’d always considered it to be a bit left of centre, the party of the working man, a very republican party for the middle Ireland of working people. I think that’s the party we need to get refocussed on again. We also need to look at the structure of the party, to make sure we reach out, hold public meetings on issues of relevance to the county. There’s a need to inject some youth into the party.”
An opinion poll nine days before the election put the Green Party at a mere one percent, while pollsters are predicting the party will do well to hold even one seat after Friday.
The disintegration of support for the party means that Brian Meaney, one of only three Green Party county councillors, doesn’t have a realistic chance of winning a seat this Friday.
Canvassing with his party facing obliteration must have been daunting, but Mr Meaney says the response he has received has been generally cordial.
“Irish people are polite. Now I’m going to deny that there are people who as they say to me, have been waiting in the long grass. They can be quite robust in what they say about the Greens and their legislative agenda and that’s fine. But they still acknowledge that at least I turned up at their door.”
He feels that the Green Party has learned a lot from its time in government and that it sought to deal with some very significant issues.
“It was like the first appearance in a county final. The late Seamus Brennnan said to the Green negotiators, ‘this is senior championship hurling’. I do believe the Greens could have performed better but they were learning and learning quickly.
“I do believe the experience of government will stand to the Greens and stand to the country. Certainly, I feel the Greens achieved a lot more in the second programme for government, as opposed to the first. They were able to agree a legislative programme that alas they didn’t get to, because it was at the back end of the programme for government, which is a pity. But there is still a huge requirement for climate change legislation and other pieces of legislation in relation to banning corporate donations, the review of our local government system, these are issues that still have to be dealt with.”
It has been suggested that because the Greens have a clearly defined ideology, they have the potential to recover from any electoral setback they suffer on Friday and it’s a view Councillor Meaney shares.
“I’d agree wholeheartedly, yes. The change that is necessary to be brought throught the political process means the Greens won’t be gone away for very long if they do lose all their seats.”