Dubsky: System stacked against independent candidates

by tallygrabber Sat May 08, 2004 13:53

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by yeah stacked against Sat May 08, 2004 14:35

You say the odds are stacked against independent candidates. How exactly do you come to this conclusion. The rules are there to stop frivolous candidates. (I'm certainly not suggesting that about you). Lets face it if you can't muster 60 supporters (one would expect any half decent candidate to have that many canvassers, or at least that many friends and family members) then why would you seek election in the first place. I've yet to see a Euro candidate elected with less than 60 supporters.

Stop whinging and get on with it. Lets see how many supporters you really have on June 11

by Aran - Sinn Fein Sun May 09, 2004 16:32

It is not true for Eoin to say he is the only radical candidate with regards imperialism and environment.I can only speak for my own party and particularly our own candidate in Wexford and the East, John Dwyer.I recently heard him speak impressively about Sinn Feins opposition to the war, ongoing imperial occupations and Irelands role in it.Also on environmental issues particularly in the East constituency with that bloody time bomb, Sellafield on the doorstep.
I can appreciate his motivation to bring his anti-war platform to a European level but would the odds be far more in his favour if he started small and ran for the locals? Either way -Good Luck

by Eoin Dubsky Mon May 10, 2004 12:34

Sorry Aran, that was unfair of me. I don't know enough about John's campaign. Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD has been a strong voice against the Iraq war and occupation in the Dail, and he's always forwarded my questions regarding Shannon Airport and so on as a Written Question to Minister Brian Cowen in a flash.

Local politicians have little or no power over many of the issues which motivate me to run for the European elections. On local issues anyway, if Local Agenda 21 actually was taken seriously, you might get as much done as a local activist or campaigner, as you could as a local politician. Unfortunately though, on say incinerators or GM food, both citizens and their local representatives are ignored by government. The European Parliament now has co-decision making power on issues like the Environment and Consumer Protection, and Social Exclusion and Public Health, and Privacy and Data Protection. It also has a consultative role on matters of foreign policy, international relations, human rights and militarism.

by The Awful Truth Mon May 10, 2004 16:00

While very supportive of Eoin personally, and the position and platform he will be campaigning on, I have to ask him to please, please back down from running.

With all due respect to him, he is going to get a vote that is derisory. A month from polling day and he has, unless I miss my guess, no money worth talking about and no election team in place. To be anything more than a name on a ballot paper he needs posters, he needs some sort of limited canvass or leaflet drop. Is he going to be able to do this?

My fear, and there is nothing to suggest this is unfounded, is that Eoin will get a negligible vote, we’re talking less than 1 to 2% of the vote. This will be used to ‘expose’ the environmentalist, anti-war movement as being without electoral support. Eoin is going to get hammered not just by the main parties, but by Barrett as well and frankly, it will make us look extremely weak.

I think Eoin knows he’s not going to win the seat, so the only other reason to run is either as a show of strength, or because you’re running on a single issue and by doing so making it part of the election debate.

He’s not going to get enough votes for the former, and he’s not going to be able to have a big enough campaign for the latter.

This is not to say I am opposed to the idea of Eoin running. If this campaign had been announced three months back, he’d asked for supporters and fundraising, got a plan of some sort on paper, then not only would I be backing his campaign, I’d probably be getting involved. At this stage though, it’s too little, too late.