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INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES RUNNING in the local elections were told that Ireland is the “best little country in the world” in which to run as an independent at a workshop event in Dublin today.
Independents’ Network, a nascent alliance of independent, left-leaning TDs, gathered at the Teachers’ Club in Dublin to give advice and support to dozens of local authority candidates running in the 23 May elections with just over 40 people attending today’s event.
The group includes deputies Catherine Murphy, Thomas Pringle, Maureen O’Sullivan, John Halligan and Finian McGrath. Former Labour TD Patrick Nulty had also been involved prior to his resignation from the Dáil after he was found to have sent inappropriate messages to constituents.
Deputies Shane Ross and Stephen Donnelly were both represented with right to die campaigner Tom Curran, who is running for the council in Wicklow, there on behalf of Donnelly.
Indpendent MEPs Nessa Childers and Marian Harkin were also in attendance. The group currently has around 37 members and expects this to increase to around 50 in the coming weeks. TV presenter Duncan Stewart was also at today’s event, but stressed he was not part of the network.
“One in every four people are voting independent, so there are a sizeable amount of people turning away from large parties and whether we like it or not you can’t get away from that,” Halligan, a TD for Waterford, told TheJournal.ie
He insisted that this was not the beginnings of a political party, adding: “I don’t think people here want a political party. Do we need another political party? Look at the ones we have… There’s more than enough political parties.
Peter Connell addressed attendees at the workshop on the ins and outs of election counts. Pic: Hugh O’Connell/TheJournal.ie
Those involved have formally signed up to the principles laid out in a document entitled ‘Independent Thought – United Vision’ which outlines areas where it is envisioned the alliance can cooperate on issues such as equality, personal debt, human rights, community and local government.
Dr Liam Weeks, a political expert from UCC, said Irish people had come to accept political parties as they believed life with independents would be too difficult.
“The people who attack independents, they say: ‘In theory it wouldn’t work’. But they haven’t found any evidence of what would happen,” he said.
Paraphrasing the Taoiseach, he added: “Ireland is the best little country in the world in which to run as an independent.”
Kildare North TD Murphy gave practical advice to candidates about ensuring they make it on the ballot paper on 23 May. She said candidates tended to waste a lot of money on campaign material and urged those running to stick to a budget and to make lists to help plan and organise their campaign.
Attendees at today’s workshop in the Teachers’ Club in north Dublin today. Pic: Hugh O’Connell/TheJournal.ie
She urged candidates not to fear political parties and their electoral machines. “I would have knocked on more doors than the Labour party would have,” she claimed.
“It shows you that they’re not all they’re cracked up to me. Very often, people feel more comfortable to work with an independent because they don’t feel like they have to sign up to anything.”
Aspiring politicians were also given advice on media strategy and on developing their social media accounts.
They were urged to think of their interviewer on radio or TV as a constituent on the doorstep and to be concise and avoid waffle. On social media they were urged not to engage with people who are being unreasonable or abusive.
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An alliance of independents……otherwise known as a political party!
Some of our most effective TDs are independents. Stephen Donnelly is probably the best communicator in the Dail, and Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan is extremely adept at showing FG up for the little fascist bullyboys they are. Halligans a very good representative, Pringle is a decent skin and without Wallace and Daly the endemic corruption in our Police force might well have never been brought to light.
You forgot Shane Ross
I’m trying to ….
I thought he was a member of the Shane Ross Party?
We are a group here in Co. Clare formed a few months ago called Independent Together we have a constitution , no whip system,we are not a political party we have a few candidates running in the local election in Dublin, Cork, Clare , our country need people who will open their mouths on corruption, over paid salaries and pensions amongst many other issues.
Does the political constitution have to be followed without deviation because if it does then you have a whip system.
Keenan, we are a group of like minded people our constitution is only a guide line.
I think we should have a government made up solely of independents. Independent from banking and corporate interests.
A collection of Ireland’s most honorable, compassionate, trendsetting political mavericks (in their own heads)
The trouble with a lot of the independents is they’re running on some badly thought out left wing policies and a few populist statements.
Ignoring the fact that 90 years of right of center and center-right policies is what has our nation in the state that its in, can you give some examples of these badly thought out left wing policies and who is pushing them?
You mean 90 years of a Theocratic knee bending ring kissing cronyist oneupmanship civil war fighting bunch of sleeveens and gombeen two party dictatorship?? Were this a centre right country as claimecd, the civil war politics and catholic church would have been buried along time ago.
As someone who’s considering running as an Independent for Carlow County Council I’m intrigued by your off the cuff remark.
I’ve written my own manifesto & I have been real and practical about it but it, and I am ambitious.
Without the might of a Political Party behind us we’re already at a hindrance but that said some of those parties and their local election candidates are that incompetent perhaps that’s not such a bad thing.
Only 40 people attended todays meeting…..
They could have held the meeting in a Phone box….
Dermot
Your a snob. Just because the location of the meeting is not at Carton House or another similar salubrious location favoured by the mainstream political parties at great cost to the taxpayer. Doubt if they’ll be up to all hours getting drunk at the expense of the taxpayer.
A phone box that fits 40 is where????
Tardis
Also known as the cute hoor network
Ireland is a cold, wet, little rock in the Atlantic Ocean that is inhabited by a lot of spineless people living in a corrupt, regressive society and system. A sh1thole some may call it in short!!?!
Well f*ck off so
Why don’t you leave and let us Irish people who love our country get on with fixing it. Your brand of inferiority complex is nothing but a headache.
Independents are complete waste of time, much better to vote on policies
Many people voted on your party, fine gaels, policy to not bring in the homeowner tax in the last election ‘kenneth’, only for them to bring it in anyway i.e. lying through their teeth.
Independents are more likely to keep their promises.
Independents should have an important but limited role in our democracy. There are too many in Leinster House at the moment. We can’t have a government of independents with narrow self-interests and a broad incoherent spectrum of policies. The way many recent FF governments were unashamedly held to ransom by independents is an example of the dangers involved.
Funniest load of rubbish I’ve ever read. How can there be too many independents in a democracy?
Eh.. you fancy 166 independent TDs running the country? Too many independents (/small parties) in a modern parliamentary democracy can clearly lead to the fragmentation of parliaments and the absence of consistent policy making. Plenty of examples from history for this. Political parties are necessary for stability and coherence. A limited number of independents can play an important role by providing alternative voices and oversight in the system.
Jesus this gets funnier and funnier. Firstly you misunderstand my point (the notion that in a democracy something can be wrong just because you think it is). If there are 24 independents or even 166 that’s because they were voted in. That’s neither right or wrong it simply is.
And as for your claim that political parties are necessary for stability and coherence. Really? You’re going to try and argue that one in this country?
Good luck with that.
Simply expressing an opinion that our parliamentary democracy would be best served by the electorate voting in a limited number of Independents and continuing with a political party system. Nothing more dramatic than that. Don’t like the current parties?.. then vote new ones in. Still waiting for a point from your good self.. give us all a laugh there..
No they can’t. The system is such that the government will cobble together a majority, at any cost, to ensure that only the bills they want get through, in the format they want.
The opposition have no power – be they independents or otherwise.
We do not have a democracy in this country at all. We may get to vote for different clowns every four years but, the circus remains the same.
Giving the seanad power to strike down legislation would help in addressing the Democratic deficit and directly electing its members mid way through the government’s term would go even further towards providing real checks and balances but I fear we must live in hope for that.
I’ll probably be shot down for this but I like the idea of Direct Democracy over the current Reresentative system.
Direct Democracy, giving the people the power to call a referendum and the power to pull a Minister up if he is misbehaving him/herself (Articles 47 + 48), was in our 1922 Constitution but was omitted from our rewritten 1937 Constitution, thanks to Eamonn de Valera.
Ireland needs independent to break from the parish politics that is very much a part of our present ( :( ) not just our past!
http://www.peoplescandidates.ie for those who prefer independents
I would vote in independents y not, can’t b any worse that the FF,FG,LAB dictatorship we have been under for decades, would vote in anyone who proposes to cap salaries, pensions and abolish bonuses throughout the public sector, bonuses for underperformance, not doing your job properly and then there r these expense accounts for them, y can’t they just use their wages like everyone else to pay for gettin to and from work, pay for their own phones, stop abusing the system in every possible way, can’t see to many independents bringing these points up cause majority of politicians r greedy and corrupt and only care about what they can get 4 themselves, cap every state pension at €100,000 how can anyone justify needing more than that, GREED HAS OUR COUNTRY RUINED PURE AND SIMPLE
Just FYI, a government that does things you don’t necessarily agree with doesn’t qualify as a “dictatorship”
You are all individuals …We are all individuals …
you’re all different … Yes we’re all different …
I’m not! … shhh!
The amount of Independent TD’s in Dáil Éireann who are only concerned with local potholes, planning and sewerage is a joke.
There needs to be more power to local government to deal with local issues themselves, not to have petty local disputes choke up our national parliament. If a counties problems wont be resolved at county level it means the county administration is too weak, and dysfunctional.
The Dáil ought to be for national issues, of which we have many.
Is that Anna Lo’s party.
No, she in the Alliance Party. The clue is in the name
Complete waste of a vote, you end up with the likes of Ming, Healy Rae, daly, Wallace etc. idiots one and all
What’s mr Nulty doing at a meeting of independents? Learning to send bulk Facebook messages?
Yet another thing that we’re the best in the world at. Shucks guys, this getting embarrissing.
Is asking them “How has Austerity effectedYOU” abusive or unreasonable ?,dont ask that one,they get very abusive and unreasonable even aggresive about that one.
“Ireland is the best little country in the world to run as an independent” that wouldn’t have anything to do with the ‘extra’ 45k you get a year on top of a td’s salery would it?
have your say