Cork anti-electioneering

national | miscellaneous | news report Monday May 20, 2002 23:32 by Sxean - we are all individuals

news from the sidelines of the election in the rebel county

Anti-Electioneering in Cork

The run-up to the recent general election saw an upsurge in anti election activities around Cork. Indeed FG’s director of elections said he found the situation shocking. First on the hit-list was dodgy ex-Labour now Independent Joe O’Callaghan whose city centre campaign office window was on the receiving end of a well-placed brick. O’Callaghan seems to have jumped on the anti-immigrant bandwagon in a desperate attempt to shore up his flagging support. However it was that symbol of progressive enlightened Ireland, Fianna Fáil TD, Noel O’Flynn, who attracted the most vitriol. Local pub An Scailpin Fanach named their Capitalist Pig of the year ‘Flynnie’ in honour of the Ballyvolane man. Hundreds of stickers with a version of his election poster with the added title SCUM appeared around the city in the run-up to the election. O’Flynn was outraged and showing off the intellect he is famed for by claiming he had information that non-nationals were putting up the stickers. The thought that people of his own constituency, the underdeveloped Cork Northside whom he represents so well with his large silver Mercedes, could have anything against the people’s representative presumably never crossed his razor-sharp mind. O’Flynn famously made remarks earlier in the year calling immigrants spongers and free-loaders. The Evening Echo in its usual in-depth investigating reported that the stickers had appeared around the Shandon Street and Popes Quay area, coincidentally the centre of Corks immigrant communities, despite the fact that the stickers were placed all over the city centre. O’Flynn was again on the receiving end when his campaign car was attacked and the word ‘diūgaire’ (parasite as gaeilge) spray-painted across it. We await his statement blaming the Continuity GAA with bated breath. Large numbers of anarchist posters were also put up, urging people to spoil their votes, possibly the last chance we’ll get as the introduction of electronic voting will not make allowances for those that feel disenfranchised by the ticking of a box, or solitary push of a button every five years determining the outcome of their political environment. On a lighter note, brown envelopes were attached to the election posters of the candidates for the bigger parties, and a large percentage of the city centre rubbish bins were stencilled with the words ‘Ballot Box’. I think the best use I saw for the plastic faces staring down from every lamp-post was that of the group of kids near Blackpool, who were getting great enjoyment from sliding down a large grassy hill astride the airbrushed faces of those that would claim the right to speak for us all. Or at least those that could be bothered voting.