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The election material of Adrian Cummins The Journal

Bottles of champagne, Johnny Logan and egg poaching bags: Seanad hopefuls are looking for votes

Polling in the Seanad election will close on 30 January.

WITH UNDER TWO weeks to go until the Seanad Éireann election, TDs and councillors across the country are being “absolutely hounded” by candidates eager to get their votes. 

The voting system for Ireland’s upper chamber is complex so we won’t get into it here other than to say some Seanad candidates are elected by TDs and councillors.

And in a bid to get their votes, election hopefuls have been busy lashing out pledges and promises via text, post and email.

Some have called in the help of friends and family, like the Credit Union’s candidate Vanessa Foran, who has been putting Eurovision winner Johnny Logan to work canvassing on her behalf

90389650_90389650 Johnny Logan Sasko Lazarov Sasko Lazarov

Others have even gone a step further and are showering the electorate with gifts. 

In a very important piece of political journalism, The Journal has been on a mission to scope out all of the goodies that are being sent.

The list is long and ranges from bottles of champagne to notebooks and calendars. 

Some wannabe-senators have opted for food produce – Waterford Independent Joe Conway has been sending out bags of coffee beans alongside his material, while TDs have reported receiving pots of honey from Fianna Fáil councillor Niall Kelleher.

One Fianna Fáil councillor said the most lavish thing she received was a bottle of champagne, but she would not respond when asked who from. 

Seanad hopeful Adrian Cummins, a well-known voice in Irish media for his work as CEO of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, has been sending out possibly the most unique and memorable gift… disposable egg poaching bags.

The packet of ten disposable bags are being sent out alongside his literature, the envelopes of which have written on the front: “A New Voice for Seanad Éireann: Because there’s more than one way to cook an egg”.

5B969C00-3F46-430F-974E-7E721CB5CFBC Adrian Cummins' election materials The Journal The Journal

It’s the gift that has all the politicians talking.

One Dublin City councillor told The Journal: “I think the prize for best approach has to go to Adrian Cummins for the egg poaching bags, I actually used them yesterday they’re very handy. He didn’t get a vote from me though.”

Another TD was surprised to hear of the egg bags despite having received “lots and lots and lots” of post from Cummins. 

“The material tends to have words like ‘urgent’ printed on the front so I’ve learned to avoid it,” the TD said.

“No I haven’t received any, what were they, egg timers? Egg baskets?,” the TD asked. 

After it was explained to the TD that they likely did receive some in the unopened post the TD said, sounding genuinely confused: “Why would I want a bag to poach eggs in?”

“The Seanad thing is so fucking complex I don’t follow it anyway,” The same TD said, adding that it should be scrapped. 

TDs and councillors have also reported receiving other gifts like tie clips and shirt cufflinks. A woman councillor said she didn’t receive either of these, but did receive some hand cream from a Fianna Fáil senator who is seeking re-election.

Alongside Christmas cards, Fianna Fáil senator Gerry Horkan sent out tasteful grey notebooks emblazoned with ‘Senator Gerry Horkan’ on the front, while senator Mary Fitzpatrick opted to send out what has been described as “classy” Irish harp badges with her Christmas cards. 

Meanwhile Senator Gerard Craughwell sent all newly elected first time TDs a medal which has a harp on it alongside the words ’34th Dáil Éireann November 2024′.

Earlier this year, Craughwell also sent all 940 councillors a lapel badge after the June local elections.

He explained to the Irish Times that the pins were a “collector’s item” for the councillors, with each having the name of the council on top, the council coat of arms and ‘elected June 2024′ at the bottom.

Not all gifts are given equally though. 

When asked if they had received any champagne, a Sinn Féin TD responded:

“Nobody would send a Shinner champagne.”

Another Sinn Féin councillor said: “No bottles. No cream. No chocolates…Not even a diary…”

However, they later followed up to say they did receive one thing – the egg poaching bags.

Cabinet ministers also appear to be low down the priority list for prospective senators with one explaining to The Journal

“I heard they tend to think Cabinet ministers are too busy so we don’t get as many callers. I didn’t get any gifts.”

But is it all a waste of time, effort and money? 

No, not the Seanad itself (that’s a different conversation) – the gifts! 

One councillor said they are far less likely to vote for a candidate who sends gifts.

This person added that a lot of candidates also go down the avenue of promising councillors they will work to improve their pay.

“Auction politics at its finest,” they said.

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30 Comments
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    Mute Bernadette Dunne
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    Nov 20th 2011, 4:13 PM

    Best of Luck to all and do not give up keep the pressure on even when yea feel like giving up this government are going away the people are not Best wishes

    67
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    Mute John Woods
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    Nov 21st 2011, 2:13 AM

    If they are looking to close down a “house” to save money, I can think of one or two places which could be shut instead of this nursing home. Senate, Farmleigh, even Aras an Uachtarain for god sake.

    23
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    Mute iWmTN8uK
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    Nov 20th 2011, 7:05 PM

    To those of you against this and other cuts, where do you propose money is going to majestically fall from? The trees?

    22
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    Mute elaine
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    Nov 20th 2011, 8:47 PM

    Cut management who are clearly failing at their jobs, cut back office nobodies, do not take the homes out from under innocent vulnerable people!!

    68
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    Mute John McHugh
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    Nov 20th 2011, 11:29 PM

    I would hate to burst your bubble Micheal but the Euro is a fiat currency.
    So although it doesnt grow on trees, it is made from trees and holds as much value as there is nothing backing it.

    So ironically enough value wise it may as well grow on trees.

    But hey, karma’s a bitch.
    When you grow old and have your pension used as collateral for greedy gamblers so that they don’t have to put their hands into their own pockets, maybe your mark on society will leave you high and dry and out in the cold to die.

    40
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    Mute Declan Carroll
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    Nov 21st 2011, 12:29 AM

    Meanwhile our last Minister for Health, Mary Harney, is in receipt of E130,000 a year pension. Not bad for someone who’s very political philosophy lead to the ruination of an entire nation. What does that work out a week ? FFS !!!

    34
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    Mute John
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    Nov 21st 2011, 12:44 AM

    So…in your world, we all just lie down and let the establishment cut us back to a third-world society. I guess the “those of you” you refer to don’t come from the Banking World?

    24
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    Mute Niall Mulligan
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    Nov 21st 2011, 1:15 AM

    Attaboy, Declan.

    The biggest problem I see at the moment is that cuts and taxpayer pain seems like a soft option to our leaders, only way to make them change course is to have them fear the electorate. We need to seem more protests, hopefully this is only the start.

    22
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    Mute Bernadette Dunne
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    Nov 21st 2011, 3:54 AM

    There is money going out on HUGE SALARIES TO TD’s Ministers Senators county Councillors an Tanaiste Bankers and top Civil Servants management teams etc etc etc it is time that their wage be cut with a very sharp cut and now they are way overpaid

    15
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    Mute Carr Barnes
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    Nov 21st 2011, 8:11 AM

    What if the government told you you had to move out of your home to another area? And while imagining that take into account u.at you can’t just hop onto a bus or into a car to go see friends or family meaning you would be isolated in a place you don’t know with people you don’t know. These are people not boxes of junk.

    9
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    Mute Daniel Dunne
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    Nov 21st 2011, 2:41 AM

    I attended this march today and it is sickening to see what those in power are willing to do to very elderly citizens. But reading between the lines, there is planning permission granted for a private nursing home within 100m of the current public hospital. It seems the “brown envelope” culture is still strong in our nation.

    22
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    Mute Bernadette Dunne
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    Nov 21st 2011, 3:58 AM

    Is the private nursing home connect to James Reilly by any chance in abbeyleix

    14
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    Mute John Ryan
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    Nov 21st 2011, 1:11 AM

    Michael, where did the money come from to pay back the bond holders? Seems there was no bother there. Let’s get our priorities straight and look after our own first instead of accepting our politicians arse-licking the fat cats in Europe who are effectively running the show now and it’s people like this who get left in the shit. Good Luck to them, I hope justice prevails!

    18
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    Mute CMD
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    Nov 21st 2011, 5:46 AM

    Bernadette you have probably near enough hit the nail on the head. There is some vested interest involved – some fat cat will benefit from this closure. And the frightening thing is that ordinary people really have no power against this sort of thing for another 4 and half years till we get a chance to vote this shower out. I’d bet the next government will be made up of a lot of independents. People just won’t trust any party from now on.

    12
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    Mute Dave O'Doherty
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    Nov 21st 2011, 6:37 AM

    CMD, it’s a pity that some people think that the people only have power once every five years. We have it all the time, 24/7.

    Problem is, we have such a short memory that our next government will probably be a coalition of FF and FG who will both still (amazingly) have enough support to get in after Labour are butchered like the Greens.

    We’re a country of lambs and lambs get slaughtered. Simples!

    11
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    Mute John
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    Nov 21st 2011, 2:34 AM

    Current Government Minister with an ‘Overwhelming Mandate’ in a rare moment of humble contemplation: “Hmmm…Imagine if the referendum on Oireachtas inquiries had passed and then we could have made an example of these obstinate protest march organisers (in matters of general public interest of course, and with little or no recourse to the Courts) for defying this Governments’ agenda on the Privatisation of Everything.”…Maybe in the next Referendum?!

    11
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    Mute Frank McMahon
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    Nov 20th 2011, 10:25 PM

    the sign wouldve been more effective if it said “im NOT a celebrity, you cant get me out of here..”

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    Mute CMD
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    Nov 21st 2011, 11:20 AM

    Dave I agree with you about the “sheep” who will still vote FF or FG regardless of what either party do while in office. My point is that we really have no power at this moment to stop the closure of nursing homes, barracks or hospitals. They will be forced on us, we will be told it’s for the good of the economy or health and safety and in 4 years time a lot of these actions will be forgotten and the same merry-go-round of promises, speeches and bulls….t will start again. And most people will fall for it all over again. I’m long enough around to have seen it all many times. I just despair of this country. Then we have so many young people who won’t even vote – ach sin sceal eile!

    2
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