Get out and vote

THE time has arrived. The candidates have had their say and their fate now lies in the hands of the voters who will pass through the doors of polling stations in 43 constituencies all over Ireland this Friday for the 2011 General Election.

In Clare, 16 candidates have placed their names on the ballot paper in the hope of being one of the four TDs elected to serve the constituency in the 31st Dáil.
Although around half of the candidates running in Clare have little, if any, chance of winning a seat, all are to be commended for having the courage to engage in the political process and demonstrating practical patriotism in raising awareness about particular issues and causes.
The very least the independent and small party candidates deserve is recognition of the fact that they dared to stand out from the herd at a time when respect for the political process is at an all time low.  They could just as well have adopted the “why bother” attitude and the apathy in relation to politics that has enveloped a huge portion of the Irish public. They will be buoyed by the fact that the 2011 General Election sees the biggest ever number of candidates contest parliamentary elections in this country.
Given the unpredictability of general election results in Clare over the past 30 years, it’s probably safe to say that Saturday’s count at the West County Hotel in Ennis will deliver the usual measure of excitement and high drama. In all probability, there will be seven main contenders for the four seats.
With Fine Gael’s strong support holding solid in the past week and leader Enda Kenny having avoided any faux pas in the series of TV debates, this should mean that sitting TDs Pat Breen and Joe Carey will be returned comfortably. Mr Breen is, in fact, tipped to head the poll.
Conversely, the massive slump in Fianna Fáil support could, in fact, mean the party will do well to hold one seat in Clare. Tony Killeen’s retirement on health grounds hasn’t helped matters.  Shrewd local political observers believe there is a danger that should sitting TD Timmy Dooley and Dr John Hillery be too close in first preference votes, they could get stuck mid-table, bereft of any substantial transfers to push one of them towards the quota. Some analysts believe Dr Hillery to be ahead of 2007 poll-topper Timmy Dooley.
Independent James Breen, who lost his seat to Fine Gael in 2007, is back with a vengeance.  He must be seen as the favourite to capitalise on Fianna Fáil’s woes and take the “Killeen seat” but Labour’s Michael McNamara could pose a serious challenge if he has managed to build on the name recognition factor. While the Scariff man ran as an Independent in the European Parliament elections two years ago, he was not particularly well known around the county up to declaring for the General Election.
This issue has been an easier hurdle for John Hillery to overcome. Born in Spanish Point but reared and working in Dublin all his life, he can claim a Fianna Fáil legacy second to none as a son of the late Dr Paddy Hillery, government minister, the country’s first EU commissioner and President of Ireland. He previously dipped his toes in political waters in 2007 when unsuccessful as an Independent in trying to win a Senate seat on the university panel.
If we witness a Fianna Fáil collapse, this would throw up a sensational result in a constituency where party founder, Eamon de Valera’s political career began when he was elected MP in the 1917 East-Clare by-election. Clare has always been seen as Fianna Fáil or De Valera country, even though the party’s dominance in general elections has steadily been eroded since the November 1982 election watershed when Fine Gael won two of the four seats.
The critical swing seat has fallen just once to Fianna Fáil in the six elections since then and that was when Labour’s Dr Moosajee Bhamjee decided not to defend his seat in 1997. Fianna Fáil has also lost its stranglehold on Clare County Council and other local authorities in the county.
Should Fianna Fáil fail to take any seat, Michael McNamara would definitely be in the frame but former Mayor of Clare, Tony Mulcahy must be seen to have an outside chance of taking a third Fine Gael seat, which would be a spectacular outcome for the party.
Some 87,000, people are registered to vote in Clare, an increase of 7,500 on 2007 but emigration and various other factors will see quite a large number of people unable to vote. At the last election, Clare had a creditable 71.4% (56,770) turnout and this time round, all 16 candidates will be hoping for another high turnout to maximise support.
Whom each person decides to vote for is a very personal decision and one that should not be taken lightly.
No matter whom you support, or even in some way like or admire, whether party member or independent, you should exercise your right to vote for them. Every vote cast does really matter. It’s the only way you can help influence who should form the next government, which will have to tackle head-on a long list of issues affecting virtually every family in the country.
When the polling stations close at 10pm on Friday night, it’s a question of sitting tight for what could be a rollercoaster of an election count in Clare.
You can follow Saturday’s election count as it unfolds at the West County Hotel in Ennis with regular updates on The Clare Champion website www.clarechampion.ie.