Local Elections 2014: What issues will you be raising with candidates on the door?

ThisRegard

You could end up seeing groupings similar to the technical groups in the dail.

Kiwi_knock

At least the independents would have a bit more freedom to make decisions, instead of the party candidates having to toe the party line.

athtrasna

ThisRegard wrote: »

You could end up seeing groupings similar to the technical groups in the dail.

That's a total mismatch of a group, socialists with Shane Ross? Can't see that happening on Fingal...you only have to go a few posts back to see posts about Left Independents and Right Independents. I fear Independents prey on fears about parties but you don't have to go back too far to see how Independents kept the worst government the country has had in power and led to the start of this totally disastrous recession.

athtrasna

BTW I see MacManus makes the Life Institute approved candidate list...yet another reason for me not to vote for him http://www.thelifeinstitute.net/am_cms_media/uploaded/l/0e3243629_1400611758_localelectioncandidate-list.pdf

eviltwin

athtrasna wrote: »

BTW I see MacManus makes the Life Institute approved candidate list...yet another reason for me not to vote for him http://www.thelifeinstitute.net/am_cms_media/uploaded/l/0e3243629_1400611758_localelectioncandidate-list.pdf

Fair dues to Iona for making it so easy for me to see who not to vote for

Zaph

The problem I have with the Independents is that I know absolutely nothing at all about them. There's very little information about them, their policies or, most importantly, their backgrounds. I really don't want to end up voting for someone who is or was closely connected to organisations that I have no time at all for. I've seen this happen in a previous constituency I lived in where a candidate looked like they were worth a vote until I discovered very close to polling day that they had kept their involvement with one such group rather quiet. So that leaves me with an uninspiring and rather motley bunch from the main parties and groups to choose from.

Grudaire

Like *Cough* Hall, *Cough* Mary Martin?

athtrasna

Grudaire wrote: »

Like *Cough* Hall, *Cough* Mary Martin?

And for the other thread...a certain Mr Hall for the Dail ex Fianna Fail

Kev.

My dog was going mental this morning at 06.30.

Letterbox was full of leaflets from FG.What a time to deliver them...

Ive txt the candidates about it and havent got a response .

Typical FG

ThisRegard

It was most likely a third party delivering them, same type of guys who deliver your take away menus.

folan

ThisRegard wrote: »

It was most likely a third party delivering them, same type of guys who deliver your take away menus.

or the clothes charities, at 5:30 am.

a question i am damning myself for not asking at any stage was about the parks, and their cleanliness. the last week or so, the one nearest the house has been covered in litter, from chip bags to glass bottles and anything in between!

Kiwi_knock

I think nearly all of FG leaflets to my door this year have been delivered by paid delivery men. They are stuck in with the Centra and Supervalu leaflets. It is probably an easier way of getting to every house in the constituency, and also a way of avoiding having to deal with people at the door.

January

Kiwi_knock wrote: »

I think nearly all of FG leaflets to my door this year have been delivered by paid delivery men. They are stuck in with the Centra and Supervalu leaflets. It is probably an easier way of getting to every house in the constituency, and also a way of avoiding having to deal with people at the door.

Our postman has delivered most of the political stuff over the last week or two.

Grudaire

January wrote: »

Our postman has delivered most of the political stuff over the last week or two.

There must be a free delivery for bye-election leaflets at least, they all arrived by post.

MammaZita

Unfortunately we only had one caller where I live.

If someone were to call now I'd ask them how they intend to deal with the antisocial behaviour of drug addicts in the Ongar area, terrorising local people. Two separate incidences involving 3 different addicts 2 weeks ago (one in a housibg estate, the second outside a primary school). Anyone know is the methadone unit still in Mountview or where these people are coming from?

Finglas Incubus

Grudaire wrote: »

There must be a free delivery for bye-election leaflets at least, they all arrived by post.

You can be sure that someone pays for those leaflets - both for printing and delivery - and in many cases, its the taxpayer who picks up the tab.

For example, the link below outlines election costs for Dublin West candidates in the 2011 by-election:

http://www.sipo.gov.ie/en/Reports/Election-Reports/Dublin-West-Bye-Election-of-27-October-2011/Appendix-1.html

Morag

January wrote: »

Our postman has delivered most of the political stuff over the last week or two.

Same here nearly lost my polling card in amongst them when they were heading to the green bin.

Grudaire

Finglas Incubus wrote: »

You can be sure that someone pays for those leaflets - both for printing and delivery - and in many cases, its the taxpayer who picks up the tab.

For example, the link below outlines election costs for Dublin West candidates in the 2011 by-election:

http://www.sipo.gov.ie/en/Reports/Election-Reports/Dublin-West-Bye-Election-of-27-October-2011/Appendix-1.html

Of course free does not mean that we're not paying for it. Just that I wouldn't imagine all the smaller parties doing a mailshot if they have limited money.

Very interesting link though!

goat2

Morag wrote: »

Same here nearly lost my polling card in amongst them when they were heading to the green bin.

why is this,
are they afraid to come to our doors, or is it that the bigger populated towns are easier to canvass,
i have seen not one candidate, just loads of paper in post,
but dont know who i will be voting for, but certain of those i will not be voting for

MammaZita

goat2 wrote: »

why is this,
are they afraid to come to our doors, or is it that the bigger populated towns are easier to canvass,
i have seen not one candidate, just loads of paper in post,
but dont know who i will be voting for, but certain of those i will not be voting for

Afraid to come to our doors I'd wager.

athtrasna

There are two types of election literature, leaflets and Litir um Thoghachain. Leaflets are printed and delivered (or arranged to be delivered) by the candidate /party. No expense to the tax payer.

Litir um Thoghachain is printed by the candidate /party in a general/bye/European/presidential election but passed to An Post. In accordance with the law each card is addressed by An Post to registered voters on the electoral roll. It used to be one per voter but the government changed it to one per household where a house is identifiable by house number /distinct address. The cost of delivering this leaflet is borne by the taxpayer.

Kiwi_knock

It takes some doing by a candidate for me to give them a lower preference than the FF, FG or Labour candidates in this election but Mary Martin has accomplished it with her "Womanifesto". Words can not even explain my feelings towards it.

athtrasna

Kiwi_knock wrote: »

It takes some doing by a candidate for me to give them a lower preference than the FF, FG or Labour candidates in this election but Mary Martin has accomplished it with her "Womanifesto". Words can not even explain my feelings towards it.

I'm almost gutted I didn't meet her during the campaign, I really wanted to tell her how much she offended me as a woman.

sock puppet

goat2 wrote: »

why is this,
are they afraid to come to our doors, or is it that the bigger populated towns are easier to canvass,
i have seen not one candidate, just loads of paper in post,
but dont know who i will be voting for, but certain of those i will not be voting for

Weird. We've had canvassers for everyone in and most of the candidates for the local and bye elections. Though I've noticed it's a lot more than we usually get. It could be some sort of herd thing i.e. if no one goes to a particular area then no one has the "advantage", but if one candidate visits a certain area and the rest don't then they have the advantage.

folan

Civic duty done. Anyone who never arrived at my door once got zero votes. When i thought about it, no one from the Europeans did. Not a single party.

Did make it very easy to vote for the locals though.

January

folan wrote: »

Civic duty done. Anyone who never arrived at my door once got zero votes. When i thought about it, no one from the Europeans did. Not a single party.

Did make it very easy to vote for the locals though.

If I based my voting preferences on that I wouldn't be voting. Not one person called to my door, and I was here all the time cos I have a newborn to look after...

ThisRegard

folan wrote: »

Civic duty done. Anyone who never arrived at my door once got zero votes.

Looks like I'm voting Labour so !

ciaran76

We had our first politican to knock on our door on Weds since the house was built back in 2005.

I've read all pamphlets that were in my letterbox and basically they were all the same.

All that have a seat at the moment basically said the same thing.

Those who are not in power said they would change everything.

Leroy42

It strikes me as really odd behaviour in relation to the canvassing. Whatever about leaflets, surely a candidate gets more out of meeting the people and being able to get across his/her ideas. I have only had one TD call to the house in the last 5 years (a few months before the last election) and tbf he took the time to listen to what I had to say and made his arguements.

How can people vote for someone they haven't even met? If they didn't bother to even visit you why do you think they will bother trying to work for you?

Another issue is that on many of these media 'walkalongs' during the campaign the candidates seem to visit a lot of estates during the day,so out of 20 houses they might to a response from 5. I assume they can then say then knocked on everyones door, but why not do things in the evening, etc.

Just seems to be that they avoid the public, they state that they want to act for the public!

MammaZita

Paul Donnelly was the only candidate that knocked on my door. Whether or not you support his party, he is the only local candidate that actually works and has a presence in the community outside of election time.