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Gay Mitchell was the most identified MEP but still most people couldn't name him or Dublin's two other MEPs. Photocall Ireland

Can you name one of your local MEPs? 91 per cent of Dubliners can't

One of those surveyed answered sincerely that they believed Angela Merkel was their MEP.

MORE THAN 90 per cent of people in Dublin can’t name any one of their three MEPs, according to a survey carried out by a Fine Gael senator.

The survey of over 300 people in Dublin city centre, on behalf of Catherine Noone, found that only 9 per cent could name one of their Members of the Parliament with Fine Gael’s Gay Mitchell the most recognised of the three.

Only two per cent of those surveyed could name two MEPs, while just one per cent able to name all three for the Dublin region – the outgoing Mitchell, Labour’s Emer Costello and the Socialist Party’s Paul Murphy.

The full breakdown shows that 6.65 per cent of those surveyed identified Mitchell with Murphy – identified by 3.3 per cent and Costello identified by just under 3 per cent.

One person surveyed answered sincerely that they believed German chancellor Angela Merkel was an MEP.

Noone said the results highlight a “dangerous disconnect” between MEPs in Dublin and their electorate ahead of next year’s elections for the European Parliament.

“Awareness of the functions and roles carried out by MEPs needs to be raised,” she said.

Noone, who has been among those speculated abut as a possible Fine Gael candidate in Dublin, said that co-opting of party members into vacant seats has contributed to the lack of awareness among people about who their MEP is.

In Dublin, two of the three MEPs were co-opted with Costello replacing Pronsias De Rossa when he resigned in February 2012, while Murphy replaced Joe Higgins after he was elected to the Dáil in 2011.

Are you based outside of Dublin? Can you name your local MEP? Without Googling it, let us know in the comments…

Read TheJournal.ie’s full coverage of the European elections >

Read: Dublin a three-seater in Ireland’s new-look European constituency map

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62 Comments
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    Mute Ted Carroll
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    Nov 20th 2013, 6:52 AM

    Survey should read, 90% of Dubliners couldn’t give a flying fu*k who their MEP’s are!

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    Mute Kenneth
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    Nov 20th 2013, 7:14 AM

    I live the way not caring is always used to hide not knowing

    28
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    Mute Ted Carroll
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    Nov 20th 2013, 7:18 AM

    If you cared who they were you’d know who they were, pretty simple stuff Kenneth!

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    Mute Kenneth
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    Nov 20th 2013, 7:20 AM

    I this this is beyond your level of comprehension

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    Mute Norman Hunter
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    Nov 20th 2013, 7:36 AM

    Kenneth it would seem coherent english is beyond you.

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    Mute Petr Tarasov
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    Nov 20th 2013, 7:10 AM

    Is the guy in the photo that eejit who ran for the presidency and got so few votes he lost his deposit?

    64
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    Mute Linda Lambert
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    Nov 20th 2013, 7:35 AM

    At least he participated in a democratic election to become an MEP rather than getting a job for the boys like Paul Murphy – who, hypocritically, campaigned to get rid of the “elite, undemocratic” seanad.

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    Mute Ted Carroll
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    Nov 20th 2013, 8:18 AM

    Linda missed your question it seems, just to clarify yes it is the same person! Couldn’t get in there but there’s always another cushy state job around the corner if you know the right people!

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    Mute Kerry Blake
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    Nov 20th 2013, 8:39 AM

    Bit like Costello replacing Pronsias De Rossa so Linda?

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    Mute Solbank Sabadell
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    Nov 20th 2013, 8:43 AM

    Emer Costello wife of joe nominated by labour 9000 + euro a week of your hard earned cash going into her house. Her sister got fixed up with a judges job her other sister fixed up in sheanad. Her extended family all on benefits with their sticky fingers in your pockets. People would badly need to wake up. If that little yoke and Mitchell are the best we have no wonder ECB is riding us!!!

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    Mute Red_Stag1
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    Nov 21st 2013, 12:41 AM

    Gay Mitchell is a nice guy but had 2 problems.

    1. He is not a nice person.
    2. He would fight with a voter as quick as an opponent or a telephone pole.

    Everyone bar his party support base knew he was going ti implode under the pressure of his anger, ego and self-importance. Kenny didn’t double face palm for nothing when he was picked as candidate.

    1
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    Mute John Campbell
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    Nov 20th 2013, 6:43 AM

    What’s an MEP?

    47
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    Mute Alan Clarke
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    Nov 20th 2013, 7:37 AM

    Angela who?

    20
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    Mute gerbreen
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    Nov 20th 2013, 7:43 AM

    And would McGrath like one on Facebook?

    25
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    Mute Right Wing Steve ©
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    Nov 20th 2013, 7:56 AM

    Pat Kenny is moving to Newstalk

    30
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    Mute Dave Murray
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    Nov 20th 2013, 10:01 AM

    Michael McGrath would probably have some trouble finding an MEPILF page.
    Although, if he did, he would probably Like it.

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    Mute Stephen Barry
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    Nov 20th 2013, 2:39 PM

    It’s a person who hit the political jackpot, it’s a gravy train.

    5
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    Mute Spud Byrne
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    Nov 20th 2013, 6:55 AM

    I have no idea who my “local” MEP is, but it must be said, I’m getting along fine, just fine, regardless. (Wicklow man).

    37
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    Mute Anna Kavanagh
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    Nov 20th 2013, 6:39 AM

    The only MEP I can name is Marian Harkin who is not in my constituency and I’m very politically aware. She is the only MEP who fights for the under- dog.

    29
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    Mute Petr Tarasov
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    Nov 20th 2013, 7:11 AM

    Paul Murphy MEP is a fighter for working people.

    35
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    Mute Right Wing Steve ©
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    Nov 20th 2013, 8:05 AM

    No he isn’t, he’s a jumped up overpaid dogooder.

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    Mute Leonard Washington
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    Nov 20th 2013, 8:10 AM

    Paul Murphy and Joe Higgins are 2 do gooding fools. Poor owl Joe can barely string a coherent sentence together.

    Clare daly puts them two idiots to shame she was right to quit the socialist party.

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    Mute Finghin Kelly
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    Nov 20th 2013, 11:32 AM

    Overpaid? He is on 21k a year, in line with his party’s workers’ wage policy for elected reps. Hardly overpaid!

    16
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    Mute Petr Tarasov
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    Nov 20th 2013, 7:25 PM

    I love the use of ‘do-gooder’ as pejorative. What a bástard trying to do some good!

    6
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    Mute Dave Malone
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    Nov 20th 2013, 7:02 AM

    Of course I do. Google MEPs. So much better than Apple MEPs.

    29
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    Mute John Farrell
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    Nov 20th 2013, 7:16 AM

    Most Dubliners cant remember their own name

    29
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    Mute Alan Scott
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    Nov 20th 2013, 10:03 AM

    Think its called selective memory John.

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    Mute Gobblor
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    Nov 20th 2013, 12:55 PM

    Don’t expect an immediate reply, Alan. He’s on dial-up.

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    Mute Alan Scott
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    Nov 20th 2013, 8:13 AM

    If we don’t know them it may be they are no use

    27
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    Mute Leonard Washington
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    Nov 20th 2013, 8:16 AM

    True Alan

    11
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    Mute Andrew Murphy
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    Nov 20th 2013, 9:51 AM

    Except they vote on things like data protection, the EU’s trillion-euro budget, banking supervision, CAP, Fisheries policy and trade agreements. So it would be helpful to know who they are and what they are doing!

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    Mute Richie Rodgers
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    Nov 20th 2013, 10:29 AM

    Alan
    Surely the opposite may also be true. An indifferent and ignorant member of the public who cares about nothing around him would probably be incapable of naming their MEP or indeed any other public figure etc etc. Why blame the Politician?

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    Mute Solbank Sabadell
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    Nov 20th 2013, 11:18 PM

    And that excuses corruption sell outs and traitors how exactly?

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    Mute Alan Little
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    Nov 20th 2013, 6:51 AM

    Nigel Farage the only MEP that speaks any sense. Check him out on Youtube if you don’t believe me.

    21
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    Mute Petr Tarasov
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    Nov 20th 2013, 7:09 AM

    Yes; apart from being a fascist, he’s a real charmer.

    51
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    Mute Alan Little
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    Nov 20th 2013, 8:04 AM

    He’s very funny.

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    Mute Dave Murray
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    Nov 20th 2013, 8:42 AM

    Funny how?

    7
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    Mute Alan Little
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    Nov 20th 2013, 9:23 AM

    Funny as in ha ha ha ha ha ha.

    5
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    Mute Dave Murray
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    Nov 20th 2013, 10:02 AM

    Nigel Farage will show you “funny”.

    4
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    Mute Alan Little
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    Nov 20th 2013, 2:52 PM

    He speaks a lot of common sense and does so with great aplomb and with a pinch of rebellious humour. In doing so he injects a bit of life into an otherwise tedious dull bland over staffed congregation of European robots. So label him a fascist or whatever else you want but you are deluded if you think the other puppets are doing a wonderful job and we’d all be screwed without them.

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    Mute Dave Murray
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    Nov 20th 2013, 8:41 AM

    Could it be because they have ZERO relevance to our everyday lives?

    20
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    Mute Kenneth
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    Nov 20th 2013, 7:12 AM

    Was probably conducted in north Dublin where brains are at a premium

    18
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    Mute Derek Richardson
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    Nov 20th 2013, 7:41 AM

    @ kenneth if shit were brains you would have it in abundance

    28
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    Mute Philip Riordan
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    Nov 20th 2013, 8:48 AM

    @Derek and if brains were dynamite you wouldnt have enough to blow your nose

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    Mute Derek Richardson
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    Nov 20th 2013, 9:03 AM

    Ah two cells in cohesion im glad you can do some thinking for kenneth phillip

    7
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    Mute Kerry Blake
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    Nov 20th 2013, 8:41 AM

    Probably just shows the everyday relevance of the MEP to most citizens.

    16
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    Mute Gobblor
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    Nov 20th 2013, 8:40 AM

    Dorky McSuit is mine, I think.

    15
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    Mute fleetingwhim
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    Nov 20th 2013, 9:45 AM

    MEPs have no power because the EP is only a talking shop and all the real decisions are made by national governments and the unelected European Commission. We also have a handful of MEPs in a parliament of over 700 so even if it had any influence we would have feck all say in it. It is the undemocratic nature of the EU that’s the problem not us!

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    Mute Jim Walsh
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    Nov 20th 2013, 1:04 PM

    While the EP has less power that national governments and the Commission it now has far more powers that it ever had. The EU budget must be approved by the Parliament, they approve the selection of members to the Commission and have the power to dismiss the Commission as well and they can now instigate EU legislation.

    5
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    Mute Red_Stag1
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    Nov 21st 2013, 1:09 AM

    Decisions are made in Europe at meetings between Germany and France and then presented to the rest who have to go along with it.

    1
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    Mute Aiden Kelly
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    Nov 20th 2013, 6:55 AM

    I wonder is knowledge gap between MEP and constituent, the MEPs fault or the constituent?
    The lack of knowledge of Europe overall rather than just a persons Member of European Parliament( mine are Brian Crowley,Sean Kelly and Phil prendergast) is startling
    Let’s test this knowledge . . . Where does the European Parliament sit?

    9
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    Mute Desmond O'Toole
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    Nov 20th 2013, 10:01 AM

    Trick question, hey Aiden ;-)

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    Mute Aiden Kelly
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    Nov 20th 2013, 11:22 AM

    Not particularly

    To clarify there is two answers, looking for either one

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    Mute FlopFlipU
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    Nov 20th 2013, 7:37 AM

    But they will remember Endas name

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    Mute Alan Scott
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    Nov 20th 2013, 10:05 AM

    And Nidge

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    Mute Leonard Washington
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    Nov 20th 2013, 7:53 AM

    Ah once again my point is proved that the majority of people are stupid.

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    Mute Oisín Ó Dubhláin
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    Nov 20th 2013, 9:37 AM

    Funny how in 9 at 9 they wrongly identify Catherine Noone as an MEP

    6
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    Mute Kieran Shields
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    Nov 20th 2013, 8:02 AM

    They might not know there MEP but I bet they know there td or local councillor. I wonder why???perhaps there is more to be gained financially from your local td or councillor.

    2
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    Mute Leonard Washington
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    Nov 20th 2013, 8:06 AM

    I bet they don’t

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    Mute Simon Barnes
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    Nov 20th 2013, 8:11 AM

    local councillor. .. LOL

    3
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    Mute Fiona Dowds
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    Nov 20th 2013, 9:55 AM

    Marian Harkin & Pat the Cope Gallagher

    1
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    Mute Colm Doyle
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    Nov 20th 2013, 4:57 PM

    If only there was some website where you could punch in your address and it would tell you.

    Http://www.whoismytd.com covers everything from councillors to MEPs.

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