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SOCIALIST PARTY MEP Paul Murphy and party leader Joe Higgins, have this evening criticised People Before Profit’s Brid Smith for splitting the vote in the European election as it becomes ever-clearer that Murphy will not retain his seat.
In the first count last night, Murphy received 29,953 votes while Smith took 23,875. Sinn Féin’s Lynn Boylan swept ahead of all other candidates, receiving a whopping 83,264 votes in the first count. The socialist candidate was eliminated on the fourth count.
When asked last night if he thought Smith had created problems for him by splitting the vote, Murphy said “I think, unfortunately, that’s a fact – that’s what the figures will demonstrate,” telling reporters he would have preferred it if the People Before Profit candidate hadn’t run.
Backing him up on this front, his party leader said it was ”very regrettable that People Before Profit decided to put forward a candidate against Paul, who is an incumbent with three years of highly credible activity in the European Parliament.”
It’s clear that there was room here for one serious left MEP. I believe that we could have taken that seat or been very, very strongly contesting but when the vote is split it kind of denies you some momentum in the earlier stages of the campaign, say a month or so out.So, yes it was regrettable and shouldn’t have been done but now, as Paul indicated, we want to work with those on the left – genuine anti-austerity campaigners – to build the type of campaigns that are needed to protect the ordinary people from the ongoing ravages of austerity.
Bríd Smith, on the otherhand, doesn’t think she’s to blame.
“Well, see, I don’t think that even if you added my total and Paul’s total together, you’re looking at about 50,000, 52,000 votes, that would never have been enough to get Paul over the line and it certainly wouldn’t have been enough to, you know, win him a seat,” she said, speaking after the first count tonight.
“The point about it is, nobody ever asks Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael why are they both running and splitting their vote when there’s less than a cigarette paper’s thickness between them, in the difference between their policies.”
She said “nobody was going to overtake Sinn Féin today” and that’s the different factor in this election, “not Paul and Bríd”.
What’s next for Murphy?
Higgins has already said he will not be running in the next general election and Murphy indicated this will be his next move.
https://vine.co/v/MwFFFh5MAA1
“This is the beginning – not the end – for me, for the Socialist Party, for the left,” he said.
“There is a desperate need to build a left in this country and I think I can, hopefully, be a very important party of that.”
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Maybe he shouldn’t have run and given Brid a better chance? Arrogant chancer.
No fan of either but he was the sitting MEP in fairness.
By co option. He had precisely the same mandate as Brid Smith or Dustin the Turkey.
He was an unelected MEP remember. That’s the trouble with the left, they just can’t work together
He was not co-opted. Is it really so hard for people to grasp how voting to the European Parliament works?
Stephen ask the average EU voter who is the back up for their 1st preference and they won’t know. Joe Higgins was elected not Paul Murphy. The replacements do not feature in any election material or publicity so, co-opting is what it is
That’s true and there be more information spread about it but it is hardly Paul’s fault that the substitute list remains relatively unknown or that people don’t read what it says on the ballot list. As for publicity, Joe Higgins was repeatedly asked in national media about his intentions to run in the General Election and repeatedly made it clear that he would do so and that the seat would be taken by someone on the substitute list.
I think Fridays vote demonstrates how unelected Paul was, even the combined votes of Bríd and himself would not have gotten him over the line. It also shows the serious flaws with the list system
It’s too simplistic to just look at the maths and say that Paul would never have been elected anyway, just as it is too simplistic to say that he would have been elected if Brid Smith didn’t run. Had Brid not run against Paul there potentially could have been a wholly different dynamic in the campaign.
In the initial polls in 2009, Joe Higgins had fewer percentage points than Paul but when the Sindo (I think) released a poll showing Joe on 9% a momentum began to emerge behind him – people who thought he was a good but saw a vote for him as a waste suddenly started thinking that maybe it’s no longer a waste. Had Brid not run and Paul managed to pull a few extra percentage points as a result, that same momentum could have emerged again.
Of course, that’s all speculation and SF were a different factor this time, but merely stating that the maths don’t add up now doesn’t meant that they couldn’t have added up. Differences in the early stages of the campaign can have quite a big impact later on.
Maybe if he campaigned on issues relevant to the campaign, maybe if he didn’t just throw out buzz words and no policy. Maybe if he used his time as a MEP sitting on The international trade committee to campaign against job bridge as he claimed!!
Finally, someone says it like it is! The man is all mouth and no trousers.
I hsve to agree, a chancer.
Have to agree.
Now hold on. Should we not have choice. Thought that was how a democracy worked. So Brid shouldn’t have put herself forward as an alternative candidate because we then had a choice instead of who we “SHOULD” have elected, and silly us we picked the wrong person. Sounds like they want to control the elections only have themselves on the ballot then slap themselves on the back and call it a great day for democracy when they win
In fairness there is a pretty big hard left/ protest vote at the moment and he is really just bemoaning the fact it’s split. That’s the nature of being left wing though.
Judaen people’s front split the vote, poor Paul must be furious.
He has a point. The left have to be more tactical than mainstream politics. That said, it is Lynn Boylan that took most of his votes, not Brid Smith – Sinn Fein offer a realer alternative for left-wing voters right now. He’ll be back though, he’s a smart guy.
There is nothing democtrstic sbout Paul Murphy.
Sums up the hard left perfectly. Imagine if these loons had any power? They wouldn’t agree that water is wet, never mind take tough decisions when running a country.
The clowns on center right gave away everything for a pat on the head and willing agreed to everything
Are you suggesting that SF are not hard left?
No Sinn Fein are also hardline lefties
The circle will be complete after the next election when hopefully SF will get in and prove to us all that they truly are all the same and just a bunch of wasters.
SF are not hard left, Joe. They have shown (up north) that they can go into power share with their long term political enemies, and the fact that they are now being talked about as possible coalition partners for SF means that serious political commentaries realise they are populist rather than hard left.
As well as being wet, it will be also be unjustifiably over-charged for in the hands of centre-right austerity junkies….and that’s before the Profit Sector sharks are unleashed to wet their manicured beaks!!
Hardly a massive surprise, he wasn’t voted in the last time either…..
Bang on.
Joe Higgins calling him an “incumbent” when he never won an election is highly disingenuous.
Murphy should recognise that he was rejected by the electorate because he was a useless,unfocused and ineffective MEP who never had a public mandate. He should not argue with the verdict of the people or blame Mrs Smith, or her slogans, for his own rejection. Bye bye Paul and don’t work too hard in Kazachstan.
I found him a hardworking chap meself.
He ran a campaign on issues that have little to do with the EP, nor which he could impact on at EP level. If he had concentrated more on what he could do, or could have done, rather than what he is against he may have had a better chance. Plus he spends a lot of time campaigning against Israel and boarding flotillas to nowhere, a great use of his time on behalf of his constituents.
Jason
He was a lone voice in the EP to speak out about its treatment of Europe’s citizens and the hardship it dished out.
I think we need more of his kind who stand up to the EU and speak up for Ireland
Stand up to the EU? The issues he was speaking out against were issues for the Irish Parliament, not European. If every MEP in the Brussels just complained about their countries government policies, nothing would ever be achieved.
Even now, after the election, I have no idea what is goals were for European issues if he was elected, and he is wondering why he didn’t get elected? Fairly easy to see in my opinion.
Maybe if his elections posters reflected his European issues and not local issues such as job bridge and water taxes, then he would have done much better. He seemed to forget he was running for the European Parliament, not a local authority.
That’s unfair what other candidates had European slogans? Paul was the only candidate I heard over the campaign even mention the ttip which is shaping up to be a massive threat to our democracy.
The biggest threat to our democracy is corporate sponsored mass migrations, it forces wages down, Paul Murphy fully supports this corporate system of slavery, he is nothing but a fake socialist, something Ireland has lots of. I have seen his posters about the city “Workers need a living wage” Perhaps Paul could explain how this will work in his corporate mobile work force socialism system, he did not deserve the votes he got, when will the Irish people wake up to the Judas Goats.
This is the man that said on Mary Wilson’s show he wanted to increase corporation tax and therefore drive thousands of jobs out of the country.
Couldn’t be happier he’s gone and if he runs for the Dail in two years’ time I hope he is asked to fully explain that quote because he wasn’t when he said it.
How would increasing the corporation tax by 1 or 2% drive thousands of jobs out of the country? You haven’t really looked into it properly have you?
It’s also about time people started realising that corporation tax – if left the way it is – is a bubble waiting to burst.
People talking about corporation tax like it only affects multinationals companies. Alot of sme’s are limited companies and the 12.5% helps them support jobs and keep there businesses open.
Are you the Judaean people’s front?
No, we’re the people’s front of Judaea!
Splitters
How long before people get fed up with the “people’s front of judia” gag? It’s a bit old hat at this stage get some new material people
Did the people simply not just answer him whether they wanted him or not? His slogans had vote brid smith no. 2 and hers were vice versa. Ridiculous really blaming her for his downfall. I enjoy joe higgins in politics and entertain some of his views, but a constant bombardment of negativity is all that is spued from this guy on a continuous basis. He couldn’t even go out in defeat gracefully. You were elected in by the people to begin with paul, and they’ve certainly told you they don’t want you in now.
good I’ve no time this little whinger murphy or his mentor higgins
and we elected Brian Hayes wow Dustin the Turkey would do less damage.
Gone and forgotten!!
Could the Journal please correct this article in its claim that Joe Higgins is “Party Leader”. This is incorrect. There is no individual party leader in the Socialist Party. It doesn’t have that kind of structure.
Delighted he didn’t get in. Its easy to campaign against austerity but when an MEP earns 84k a year it’s hard to swallow “us” from him.
Paul Murphy took an average industrial wage as an MEP. Around 40K a year, not 84K.
Yeah but he was still payed 84k.
Now Nicky , nobody likes a liar, he took the full salary home every week and used the rest to find political activities
@Wayne
“the rest of what” exactly? There is no “rest of” if he pays himself the full salary, which unlikely other MEPs, he did not.
Nicky, he takes the full MEP salary from the EU, unless the EU accountants are lying. He leaves the average working wage in his account and the rest goes to the socialist party or Paul Murphy’s campaigns.
“Salary Account
In accordance with Socialist Party policy, Paul Murphy MEP receives a workers’ wage (amounting to €21,279 in 2012, which is comparable to the wage of a typical young worker) with the remainder being donated to the Socialist Party and other causes. His MEP salary is paid into this account and donations are made from it following the deduction of Paul Murphy MEP’s worker’s wag”
http://www.paulmurphymep.eu/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Paul-Murphy-MEP-010112-311212_FINAL.pdf
Red thumb away Nicky obviously the truth hurts
So he takes the full MEP salary, keeps part and uses the balance to fund political activities. I.e. the citizens of the EU fund those political activities via his largesse with our monies. Typical left-wing double-speak.
Better the balance left over from his wage goes to building campaigns and movements for the working class as well as supporting pro worker organisations around Europe than into is bank account like the other MEPs. It’s hardly a negative that the money is distributed to worthy causes rather than selfishly hoarding it to himself like FF FG LAB etc
Conor, whilst respecting your opinion I cannot agree with you.
He takes the wage, it is he alone that decides what it is spent on, furthering his own ambitions.
If people use the PR system correctly ie use all their preferences, there’s no such thing as splitting the vote. If those who voted for one of these candidates gave their next preference to the other then the combined vote would transfer.
You gotta laugh, he never even got elected first time around when he was gifted his seat by Higgins.
The socialists have their own unique brand of democracy. If it doesn’t suit them, they have a cry about it.
It was noted that as the PBP chanted that “WORKERS, UNITED, WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED ”
They in fact divided the workers and ensured the defeat of Paul Murphy. …..Divided and defeated !
I wouldh’ve preferred him to Nessa Childers and / or Eamon Ryan TBH.
Stop the presses! Left wing vote splits! Truly shocking.
Paul Murphy is spot on, this is the reason he didn’t get elected he would have been if there had been only one Socialist candidate, much and all as I like Brid Smith but she should have just concentrated on the local elections.
Paul Murphy will undoubtedly be back and I wish him well, if only the majority of politicians had the same outlook as him
“Spitting” the vote. Does the journal proof read?
Best news I have heard from the elections.
*weren’t
The left need to form one party, all these little parties need to join one another. Small differences are no boundry to large gangs of right wing b@stards forming govts so to stand any chance this pathetic infighting needs to stop., the ULA should reform, bigger and stronger than before to wipe the smile of FGs nazi faces in the general election. Right now theyl be grinning from ear to ear watching this. ‘Peoples front of judea and judean people front is right’.
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