Throughout the week between now and Election Day on Friday, November 29, we’ll be bringing you a regular bulletin from the campaign trail in our Election Diary.
As well as news from the battle in Laois, we’ll also be keeping an eye on what’s happening across the country, looking back on previous General Elections and profiling former Laois TDs.
Greater level of ambition called for to tackle housing crisis
Co-operative Housing Ireland (CHI), has published its 2024 Election Manifesto, presenting solutions for Ireland’s housing crisis.
The manifesto calls for a greater level of ambition in housing delivery with annual targets increasing to 60-70,000 new homes, with 50% of these as social and cost rental housing.
CHI wants to see measures that will allow Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to reach their full potential to deliver quality, sustainable homes and maintain existing ones.
CHI believes that to solve Ireland’s housing shortage and plan for the future, community-led housing like co-ops and Community Land Trusts should be fully supported. This approach will speed up housing delivery, diversify options, and build vibrant communities.
The key points of the manifesto include: 30,000 Social Homes per Year; Unlock the Potential of Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs); Advance Decarbonisation in the AHB Sector; Strengthen Co-operatives & Community Land Trusts.
Candidates asked to consider the the visually impaired when hanging posters
Vision Ireland, the new name for NCBI, is calling on all General Election candidates, and future election candidates, to consider people who are blind or vision impaired when hanging up their posters.
As part of Vision Ireland’s Clear Our Path’s campaign, a survey found that 77% of respondents who are blind or vision impaired have been injured by footpath obstacles.
This issue affects every community in Ireland around every election. Some of these hazardous posters have been spotted around the country already.
When these posters are placed below the regulation height of 2.3 metres, they create serious safety issues, and dramatically increase the risk of injury to people who are blind or vision impaired.
Kevin Kelly, Head of Policy, Partnerships and External Affairs with Vision Ireland, said: “It is unacceptable that some election candidates are continuing to create these hazards for people who are blind or vision impaired.
“The law is very clear that these posters must be placed a minimum of 2.3 metres (7.5 ft) from the ground. Yet, year on year, we see that this is ignored by candidates and they continue to put people at risk.
“By adhering to the law and placing election posters above the specified height, candidates can convey a genuine sense of responsibility and understanding to people who are blind or vision impaired. This is a matter of public safety and should be taken seriously.”
What are the odds?
Like any contest, it’s always interesting to see what the bookies think.
And in the Laois constituency, Boyle Sports have released their prices on who will be elected. Fianna Fáil’s Sean Fleming, at 1/10, is the shortest price while Willie Aird of Fine Gael is 1/8 and Independent Brian Stanley, who topped the poll in 2020, is at 1/6.
Aisling Moran (Independent) is viewed by Boyle Sports as leading the challengers – at 6/4, with Elaine Mullally (Independent) and Maria McCormack (Sinn Féin) tied at 5/1 each.
Beyond that Rosie Palmer (Greens) is 50/1 while Ken Mooney of People Before Profit is 100/1. Boyle Sports have listed Martha Ryan of Aontú though she has been replaced on the ticket by Mary Hand. In any case, she is also 100/1.
Election Memory – 1997
The 1997 General Election was a real pivotal moment in modern Irish history, heralding in Bertie Ahern’s tenure as Taoiseach and the birth of the Celtic Tiger.
Fine Gael, Labour and Democratic Left had been in power since 1994, becoming the first Government to be formed without a General Election, taking over from Fianna Fáil and Labour.
The 1992 ‘Spring Tide’ election that saw Dick Spring’s Labour win a then record 33 seats was a distant memory by 1997 – with their vote collapsing and 17 seats going with it.
It wasn’t great for the PDs either, as they went from 10 seats to 4. Fine Gael went up 9 to 54 but the big winners were Fianna Fáil who went to 77 seats.
They returned to power with the PDs and leader Mary Harney, supported by four Independents.
Of significance in 1997 was the election of a first TD for the modern iteration of Sinn Féin – Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin in Cavan-Monaghan. They also came close in Kerry North.
Fianna Fáil’s dominant election performance was nowhere more evident than in Laois-Offaly, where the party won the first three seats. “Fianna Fáil romp!” was the headline on the Leinster Express accompanied by a photo of poll topper Brian Cowen being carried shoulder high alongside his running mates Sean Fleming and John Moloney, who were elected for the first time and held the seats previously filled by the retiring Ger Connolly and Liam Hyland.
“Bertie rang and said did we get the ‘three’,” Cowen told reporters. “I said ‘no – we got the first three!’.”
Fine Gael’s Charlie Flanagan and Tom Enright took the other two seats, without reaching the quota, while Labour’s Pat Gallagher lost the seat he had won in 1992.
TD of the past – John Finlay (Centre Party/Fine Gael)
For a small area, Ballacolla has a proud political history and has twice sent local men to Dáil Eireann.
Of a more recent vintage, Liam Hyland of Fianna Fáil was a TD from 1981 to 1997 and a Junior Minister for Agriculture.
But he wasn’t the first Ballacolla man to win a seat at a General Election. John Finlay was something of a celebrity candidate of his time. Captain of the Laois team that won the county’s only All Ireland hurling title in 1915, he contested and was successful in the 1933 General Election for the Centre Party.
The Centre Party later merged with Cumann na nGaedheal to form Fine Gael and he was re-elected in 1937. However, he passed away suddenly in 1942, aged just 53.
The Finlay name is still prominent in the Ballacolla area and his grandson John lives and farms in the area with his family. He contested the 2014 Local Elections for Fine Gael in the Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick Municipal District.
Laura and Aoife Finlay – who were on the Laois camogie team that played in this year’s All Ireland Junior final – are great-granddaughters of John Finlay.
Instagram Asks
We continued our series of polls on Instagram earlier this week by asking our followers a range of election-related questions.
Though we cannot stress enough that this isn’t a scientific process, the results, we feel, are never wildly off the mark. There were almost 1,500 responses to each poll. People could only vote once – though some of those participated were under 18 and so can’t vote on election days.
For what it’s worth, we list the results below.
Who would you like to see as the next Taoiseach?
- Simon Harris – 55%
- Mary Lou McDonald – 27%
- Micheal Martin – 18%
What would you like the next Government to be?
- Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Others – 63%
- Sinn Féin and assorted left parties – 23%
- Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin – 14%
Which of the ‘other’ parties would you give a highest preference to?
- Labour – 41%
- People Before Profit – 22%
- Green Party – 22%
- Aontú – 15%
Do you know yet who you will vote for?
- Yes – 51%
- No – 35%
- I can’t vote – 10%
- I won’t vote – 4%
📸 Taoiseach Simon Harris stops off for a jive with Helen Drum at Sound Quality Gifts during his visit to Monaghan Town today🕺 pic.twitter.com/G3HiMrxOQJ
— NorthernSound News (@NewsonNS) November 11, 2024
Jiving Leaders
An election campaign always throws up some very good-humoured scenes from the campaign trail – and a gift shop in Monaghan has been the catalyst for some wonderful moments.
Owner Helen Drum welcomed both Taoiseach Simon Harris and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald into her store at different stages and proceeded to dance with both of them.
Mary Lou McDonald definitely appears to be better at the jiving than Simon Harris though, to be fair to him, rightly gets praised by Helen as being “not bad at all”.
Just the leader of Ireland’s opposition .@MaryLouMcDonald showing how to campaign. Irish politics can be like 3D chess, but in heels, dancing pic.twitter.com/P40SktKRqa
— Dr Robert Bohan (@RobertBohan) November 11, 2024
SEE ALSO – Check out all our 2024 General Election coverage here
