Why is Brian Crowley not taking losses in the polls?

Dr. Baltar

We've seen Fianna Fáil take a huge drop in support in the elections over the past 24 hours and their support is at an all time low.
Why, however is it that Brian Crowley MEP, member of Fianna Fáil has not shared this drop in support?

Our man in Havana

Because he is a respected hard working MEP in the south, most of his support is personal and not party related.

TheKnowledge

He's hard working and doesn't get involved in scandal. I think he'll be the next president; it kills me to say it cos I'm FG but he's a good guy

road_high

TheKnowledge wrote: »

He's hard working and doesn't get involved in scandal. I think he'll be the next president; it kills me to say it cos I'm FG but he's a good guy

I don't think so. Pretty unknown outside of Munster. I know nothing of him except for he uses a wheelchair.

PopeBuckfastXVI

mfitzy wrote: »

I don't think so. Pretty unknown outside of Munster. I know nothing of him except for he uses a wheelchair.

fyp

old boy

sleeze free

BERBA

Bond-007 wrote: »

Because he is a respected hard working MEP in the south, most of his support is personal and not party related.

What has he ever done fro the south? except wrack up serious expense bills like they all do i might add. He defo gets a number of sympathy votes imo

kerry4sam

Sir Baralot wrote: »

We've seen Fianna Fáil take a huge drop in support in the elections over the past 24 hours and their support is at an all time low.
Why, however is it that Brian Crowley MEP, member of Fianna Fáil has not shared this drop in support?

Simply because Brian Crowley is a ROCK in these parts. He has always lived through to this word; non-stop hard-working; dedicated & committted to his portfolio and people on the ground from every political allegiancy know this FACT! ... that's why in my opinion.

lostexpectation

nepotism

Scofflaw

lostexpectation wrote: »

nepotism

It's a bit harsh to suggest that everyone in Munster is related.

amused,
Scofflaw

Dr. Baltar

Thanking you for the answers everyone.

corcaighcailin9

Brian Crowley is the only FF candidate who got a reasonable number next to his name from me - simply because of the reasons listed above. He does seem to be a good guy, such a rarity.

Trotter

It looks like Brian Crowley is going to top the poll in the European Elections for the southern constituency.

I can't figure out why this is though? He's FF to the core, and yet the backlash hasn't caused him any grief. I haven't seen or heard from him since he came looking for votes the last time. Thats not to say he hasn't done good work, it just means I seem to have missed it all.

Liam Byrne

Been asking myself that all day......I don't like it because it reflects badly on us down here in Munster.

In addition, in a clip on RTE earlier showing the count going on, there were 3 consecutive polling cards in succession that clearly had no mark beside Crowley......I know that's not representative, but it struck me as VERY strange and my cousin's g/f commented on it too.

Ludo

Crowley gets a big sympathy vote. Before people jump on this comment as being un-pc or something, you would not believe the number of people I ahev heard say in the last week " ah sure the poor fella is in a wheelchair...terrible accident he had when he was young...I'll prob vote for him!".

Doesn't explain it all obviously...but it sure does help him.

turgon

There is no sympathy vote. He is respected as a politician and seen to be somewhat distant from the FF Parliamentary Party.

sub-x

Ludo wrote: »

Crowley gets a big sympathy vote. Before people jump on this comment as being un-pc or something, you would not believe the number of people I ahev heard say in the last week " ah sure the poor fella is in a wheelchair...terrible accident he had when he was young...I'll prob vote for him!".

Doesn't explain it all obviously...but it sure does help him.

Sympathy vote LMFAO

That must be why we have the government we do It should not be surprise that there can be one or two jewels in the over all barrel of s**t.

Het-Field

Crowley has been an MEP for 15 years. He is not a traditional FFer in the Eoin Ryan snese. The latter moved to Europe on the back of an embarrassing demotion for him in 2002 from Minister to backbencher. Equally, Ryan has been beating the drum for Govt policy. Not suprised with Crowley

NewDubliner

Trotter wrote: »

I can't figure out why this is though? He's FF to the core, and yet the backlash hasn't caused him any grief.

While dissatisfaction on many issues would have hit FF. You could look at 'decntralisation'. FF lost votes from Dubliners whose jobs they tried to take away & then lost votes from the towns they promised those jobs to & didn't get them.

Maybe FF did not alienate Southern voters.

Liam Byrne

NewDubliner wrote: »

Maybe FF did not alienate Southern voters.

Can't speak for Cork & some other counties, but believe me, they did.

Trotter

You can be sure that FF has alienated Waterford anyway. From listening to Crowley this week, he sure sounded like a true FF man anyway. He got a blank from me.

sceptre

Threads merged

lostexpectation

his td father
http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=2747

not the wheechair but he certainly uses it see this puke

http://www.briancrowleymep.ie/html/character.htm

He received a diploma in law in 1993 from University College Cork, and the following year he was nominated by the Taoiseach Albert Reynolds to the 20th Seanad Éirean
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article4882157.ece

He father, Flor, was the local TD and a supporter of Charles Haughey who ran a pub...

In 1993 Albert Reynolds offered him a seat in the Seanad. Local gossip has it that the then taoiseach’s offer was to compensate Crowley’s father for not being given the chairmanship of a local college.

eagle eye

The guy has the lethal combination of being a nice guy and having charisma. Thats a great start, he is also known as a hard worker and the fact the man is in a wheelchair will also get you votes in some quarters.

Tbh, I have said for some time that he should have been seriously considered as a potential leader of Fianna Fail. He is the only guy in that party who has that sort of charisma that you need in a leader, and by being in Europe he escapes a lot of the criticisms for the state of his party and this country.

As somone who canvasses for him, it's easy to see why he gets the vote he does. He runs his own campaign, away from the FF machine, and uses his own activists - of course they will be in FF, but he doesn't use the tired old hacks or rely solely on the Cumainn, he has a very strong operation going himself. He is hard working, his attendance record is better than any other Irish MEP, and he has more charisma than any other candidate out there. He has avoided controversy unlike say Sinnott, and quietly and carefully worked the constituency to the extent where he has phenomenal appeal that again bears no resemblance to the appeal or otherwise of FF. He has been lucky too, perhaps, he has been away from FF and does not have the 'friend of the developers' tag as much as those who stayed around for the Ahern years. He will survive any meltdown by FF.

howie2008

He actually represents my constituency and I recall him canvassing for first time years back. Lets call a spade a spade. Very few knew the guy, they heard the wheelchair story, it made him memorable and people voted for him purely on that basis. Newcomer enters the political race and blitz's evryone in Ireland on the votes. Honestly what newspaper would knock the guy. He could be A1 and a nice guy but so could the others. Tell it to those working in politics for yrs and being ousted by the wheelchair vote. How many of us even investigate these politicians anyway. Its an Irish thing - token vote! Politics shouldn't mbe about the sympathy vote it should be about delivering. Does anyone listen to Pronsias DeRossa?

techdiver

Deleted User wrote: »

As somone who canvasses for him, it's easy to see why he gets the vote he does. He runs his own campaign, away from the FF machine, and uses his own activists - of course they will be in FF, but he doesn't use the tired old hacks or rely solely on the Cumainn, he has a very strong operation going himself.

That's a nowhere argument. People don't give a crap about whether he runs his own campaign or not. He represents Fianna Fail, defends Fianna Fail policy and has not suffered in the same way as other candidates.

I know it's not PC, but I can't help but thinking that the wheelchair thing swings the vote for him somewhat. There are plenty of other "hard working" Fianna Fail councillors and MEP's who have lost out too.

howie2008

howie2008 wrote: »

Honestly what newspaper would knock the guy.

You tell us then. What exactly is there to knock about him? What is the big flaw or weakness, what is the skeleton in the closet, that they keep hidden for fear of hurting him and he wheelchair bound?

He is popular because he works the constituency like no other. And he does it with charisma and style. He will be at a meeting in my home town in Kerry in 6 months. He will be back in a year. Then 2 years. Then 4 years. He won't do a Colm Burke or a Kathy Sinnott and disappear until 2 months before the next polling day. As I said, noone works the area as hard as he does. He will stay out of controversies like abortion letters and expenses. He will do the spade work and actually turn up for work more often than any other candidate, as his attendance record shows. He will keep his campaign team working throughout the next few years, and you know what, he will sail in again next time.

howie2008

There's a school of thought that reckons if he stapled a wheelchair dinky to his posters he would have gotten in even more votes enabling him to get thru on the first count. Guys it's the wheelchair and always has been. Harsh but fair! Merit has to prevail in voting for people. As heart warming as it is to vote for candidates based on their personal challenges it certainly is not the means to addressing the needs of the economy and the ultimate solutions required. Otherwise we'll have a front bench of amputees & speech impediments shortly. We need to be voting people who have excelled in their own fields privately and can bring that acumen to their roles in govenment.

Rb

I hope it's not unrequited, Conor74 :pac:

howie2008

Ha Ha!