Remember, under our STV system your vote is never “wasted”, so don’t be afraid to put outside-chance candidates before safer ones.
Let’s get some angry people elected!
While there are some great protest / grassroots candidates running in constituencies across the country, here in Ireland Mid-West-North-Central-Areyoukiddingme we are not well served for misfits. More nutjobs, I’m afraid. In fact it’s almost shocking, looking at the list below, to think that three of these people will be elected no matter what we do.
Here’s how I think we can can make the best of it:
2014 European Parliament electionMidlands–North-West |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Party |
Candidate |
Description |
Vote I’m Giving |
|
| Fianna Fáil | Thomas Byrne | FF somehow have the temerity to offer us not one but two candidates, when what we actually want is no more FF candidates. Ever. | God no | |
| Sinn Féin | Matt Carthy | Perhaps the ultimate protest vote, in that it’s the one the main parties genuinely fear. Could actually win. | Something, but probably last | |
| Green Party | Mark Dearey | I think it is time to let the Greens back in from the cold. While their support for FF in government was a betrayal, it was more idiotic than evil. | Around Four of Five | |
| Independent | T.J. Fay | He’s a little bit… eccentric. I don’t agree with all his ideas. But at this point, slightly oddball openness is infinitely preferable to another well-managed, professional politician. Infinitely. | Number One! To signal that there is a vote for change | |
| Independent | Mark Fitzsimons | We have not one but two cannabis campaigners on the ballot! It’s not an issue I feel strongly about, but I’ll vote for him for the sake of his honesty. | Three or maybe even Two | |
| Independent | Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan | The original cannabis candidate. And best? Unfortunately Ming plunged in my estimation recently when he chose to speak up for climate-change deniers. | Has just a few hours left to deny the deniers. Otherwise, nothing | |
| Fianna Fáil | Pat the Cope Gallagher | That someone could serve FF under Haughey, Ahern and Cowen and then go to the people for re-election is just beyond me. | I’d write 0, but a FF party worker would swear it was a 9 | |
| Direct Democracy | Ben Gilroy | Mad, bad, right-wing anarchists, treating selfishness like it was a sacred mission. And I’d still vote for them sooner than the major parties. | But not really. Nothing | |
| Independent | Marian Harkin | A sitting independent and noted community worker. Unfortunately, she believes in giving our money to people who sell pretend medicine. I can’t vote for that. | Nope | |
| Fine Gael | Jim Higgins | I will not vote for FG now – not even to keep FF out. Which, let’s face it, was basically the only reason to vote for them. That dance is over. | Nada | |
| Labour Party | Lorraine Higgins | And for the first time since I began voting, many years ago now, I will have nothing at all for Labour. | Nil | |
| Fine Gael | Mairead McGuinness | Even FG aren’t deluded enough to believe they have a chance of electing two MEPs. This is just a political machine exercising its cold metal limbs. | Nothing | |
| Independent | Rónán Mullen | Religious nut. | No thanks | |
| Fís Nua | Cordelia Níc Fhearraigh | Greens who were too idealistic – or perhaps to realistic – to go into government with FF. I like that! They will be my highest party vote. | So about Third? Before the “official” Greens anyway. | |