Republican News · Thursday 16 May 2002

A 'hatful' of seats

BY JIM GIBNEY

Dublin Central Sinn Féin give Fianna Fáil the message

A sporting theme emerged in the Sinn Féin camp in the last week of the election campaign. Gerry Adams was on TV playing a mixture of soccer and football with an eight-year-old boy in Daithí Doolan's constituency of Dublin South East. His 'fancy footwork' on the negotiating field travels well to a ball, but then again he had a slight height and weight advantage here.

Mitchel Mc Laughlin took to a pugilistic arena when he entered a boxing ring on Sunday night in a Dublin Hotel, not to punch mind you, just to rally support for Nicky Kehoe. And Sinn Féin declared at their social inclusion press conference that there are "four times more golf courses than children's playgrounds" here.

I was awakened abruptly from an election fatigue induced slumber in the back of Dawn Doyle's car by her excited voice, "You're first", "You're first". It was Seán Crowe, Dublin South West candidate on the mobile telling Dawn that a local poll had him coming in first, ahead of all other candidates. I got an immediate rush of adrenaline.

Us hard-nosed election campaigners aren't supposed to bristle, not even slightly, when the pollsters make their pronouncements but I like 'good news', even if it is based on the fickle finger of public opinion polls. So Seán Crowe TD had joined Martin Ferris TD, Arthur Morgan TD and Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD as the punters' front runners. I got out my magnifying glass for the following day's national media coverage of Sean's result but I needn't have bothered. It wasn't mentioned.

Moving posters

I know this part of Ireland is well known for moving statues but moving posters is another thing. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael candidates in Carlow-Kilkenny accused Sinn Féin of roving around North Kerry systematically removing Fianna Fáil's Dan Kiely's posters, shipping them to Carlow-Kilkenny and using them to promote local Sinn Féin candidate Tom Kiernan.

The local media, ever eager to put Sinn Féin in a 'suspicious' frame, ran the story. It dominated radios in Kilkenny and Kerry all day on Tuesday, with all the players, including the printer, getting their spoke in. Not surprisingly, the explanation is somewhat different.

A rather rotund Dan Kiely ordered posters from a Kerry printer. The printer was too busy and passed the order to a printer in Kilkenny. The posters were printed but Dan didn't like his 'Kilkenny visage' and refused to pay for them. Not to be out of coin, the printer sold them cheap to whoever could use them.

Never to miss out on a bargain, in walks Sinn Féin and bought a lot of 400 and used the back of them to promote their candidate. Appropriately enough, given the way the story took off, close on their heels was the promoter of a local circus. He bought another lot and with Dan's face on one side and the circus on the other, he promoted his line of business. Elections are a bit like that... a circus.

Joe Reilly of Meath will be pleased to know that he has a new convert to rely on. Out canvassing in Trim I met the son of an 85-year-old man who had voted Fianna Fáil all his life. This time he wasn't. Joe has his vote.

Other heart warming anecdotes from the stump. Two seasoned campaigners and Assembly members, Darra O'Hagan and Gerry Kelly, fresh from the campaign in Wexford, are pointing at Sinn Féin's John Dwyer making a dramatic breakthrough there or coming extremely close.

Short changed

We were told for a week it was the debate of all debates. It was likened with US Presidential contests, compared with previous tussles, Haughey and Fitzgerald, Bertie and Bruton. It was described as 'gladiatorial' by one commentator. Now there's an image to play with: Bertie or Michael as Russell Crowe's stand in? Bertie would have to dress in Ku Klux Klan garb to lose ground, said a guest on Vincent Brown's radio chat show. But in the event, the great debate resembled a bar room brawl, more heat than light. Not for the frist time in this election the electorate were short changed.

Electoral migration

Migration comes with climatic changes. This week political migration from the north southwards has coincided thankfully with the needle of the baramoter moving towards 'warm'. My sense is this reflects the mood for Sinn Féin among the people. Whatever happens, hundreds of northern migrants are flocking to help their southern comrades. And a great thanks for putting this operation together should go to the Six-County Cúige and in particular Paud Devenny, Chairperson of Belfast Sinn Fein, who is in intensive care in the hospital following a savage beaten by members of the RUC/PSNI, in the Short Strand last weekend. Get well soon Paud. We're all rooting for you. Keep and eye to the results on Saturday. Your efforts will not be in vain.

To call it or not: minimun three, maximum? who can tell? I'll leave it to that wily old 'Bird', Charlie of RTÉ. Asked how many seats would Sinn Féin get, he said "a hatful".

Roll on Saturday.