Republican News · Thursday 17 June 1999

[An Phoblacht]

Dublin Sinn Féin rewarded for hard work

``You'll never talk alone'' - Christy sang

``It's been 16 lonely years, 16 years of `will the IRA representative now stand up and condemn this?' and then they'd shout you down. People said, just hang in there Christy, there will be someone to join you soon. But I never thought it would be so long, and now it's happened,'' says Christy Burke who has held the Sinn Féin fort on Dublin Corporation for the last 16 years.

Now they are the gang of four: Larry, Dessie, Nicky and Christie.

``I was in shock this morning - I'd three others with me. Sinn Féin has a group now and we can get things done. We can enter the debate and prioritise issues. Like today, where it was reported there were 36 patients on trolleys in Beaumont Hospital over the weekend. Now the media wants to know what Sinn Féin thinks about this.

``We got elected because of the committed people who have worked hard all down the years in community groups. As Daithí Doolin said on the Questions & Answers programme last evening, `We're there, on the ground working day in day out for the people in the area. That's what makes SF different to the other candidates'.'' The panel thought Daithi was already elected councillor, sadly, not quite.

``It's the community workers they are the backbone of our vote'', says Christy, ``and we'll be judged on our performance. Every one of us comes onto the council representing areas which have been so much neglected down the years. We have a hard fight on our hands.''

Put excitement back into politics

``Monday morning I woke up and it struck me,'' says Larry O'Toole, ``what I was after letting myself in for.'' Larry has lived in Coolock for 25 years, all the way from the Gateaux strike and occupation to election to the council. ``We're on the ground working on all the relevant issues - what affects people's lives day to day, all across the board, not just in the marginalised areas. We got wide support from all parts of the constituency. I'll be working for all the people here.''

``But we have to change the whole system, the way politics operates. Put the buzz back into politics. People have become pissed off with all the corruption, whereas I remember when I was a boy, there was a whole carnival atmosphere around politics and elections. Elections have become so dull. We want to see a bit of excitement with politics.

``And we have to get away from the one to one, the clientelist system, to broaden it out and deal with the community. It's not to work for the community but with the community - that's the difference.''

As Sinn Féin candidate in Bray, John Doyle, who along with Marie Gavaghan didn't win, says: ``Nothing about us without us''.

``What am I going to do? Work hard and enjoy it,'' says Larry. And he'll do both.

Wild Eyed Boy

Dessie was off to a cavalcade round the area, with rock anthems blaring in the house after a resounding victory at the polls. The house was abuzz. ``I only wish his father had been alive to see it,'' says his mother, Patricia, whose house down the years has always been the hub of politics in Finglas.

``Finglas has been badly treated down the years,'' says Dessie. ``For example, we've only small, Mickey Mouse community centres, but we've no sports and leisure complex, no focal point for young people to go. We got elected because we are involved in every issue on the ground, and because of a brilliant team of community people who came out, and all the hard work of people like Harry Fleming down the years, and Sean Marlowe over in Ballymun, and because people know that we are not afraid. We're from the community, we live here, not like other candidates who park their car a mile away. We've lived here all our lives. Sinn Féin lives in and is a part of the community. Now we have a chance to do something about it.''

From 400 to 2,380 first preferences

Nicky says the same. ``We had a brilliant team around us, 40 or 50 local people, who all worked hard, and have done down the years, and built a vote from a republican base of 400 to 2,380 first preferences, only 40 votes less than Maurice Ahern, Bertie's brother. ``People feel less afraid in their daily lives, since the drug campaign has driven out pushers from the Cabra area.''

``We want to see the whole area upgraded, with a long term plan - which has never been done. We're looking across the board to all the people here, to get decent services and facilities.''

This was a Sinn Féin Vote

Workmates of Mark Daly say, ``7 am this morning and Mark was back on the job,'' Monday, as site engineer, after his outstanding vote in Tallaght for the South County Dublin Council. ``For too long we've been saying `We'll beat them','' says Mark. ``It was time to stop worrying about them. We have our own policies and we do our own work. We drew support all across the board, from all the different estates. It's time we stopped thinking that we only draw votes from the most marginalised areas. Our policies concern everyone.

``Now, with two elected, we can force the council to vote on issues they don't want to vote on - like planning for the area, the local transport system, the retention of services at the hospital. We want to see a task force set up here to deal with all the issues, which involves not just the statutory agencies but the community groups in the area.

Mark sums it up: ``This was a Sinn Féin vote. I only stepped in as a candidate early this year. The vote represents a brilliant team who worked in the election, but also all the work which has been done by Sinn Feein down the years here, every week, going out talking with people, putting newsletters out to over 10,000 houses, letting people know what we were doing, and being actively involved in the community campaigns around the issues that concern people.''


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