SP election - initial results

national | politics / elections | news report Sunday June 13, 2004 16:49 by curious voter

CWI report of the initial SP results from the Council elections

Carried from the CWI site:

Victory for Socialist Party in local elections!

As counting proceeds, the Socialist Party in Ireland, a leading force in the anti-Bin Tax campaign last year, has already won four councillors in the local elections, doubling its representation in the process.

Councillor Clare Daly, imprisoned for a month last year for fighting the Bin Tax, topped the poll in Swords ward with 2771 first preference votes to rewin her seat on Fingal County Council (this represents more than a doubling of her vote since the last local elections). Together with the very creditable vote (443) of Michael O’Brien who stood in the same ward, the Socialist Party captured 20% of the vote in this area!

In Mulhuddart ward, Councillor Ruth Coppinger was elected to Fingal County Council with over 1800 votes. Together with Helen Redwood who stood in the same ward, the Socialist Party received 20% of the vote in this area as well!

Mick Murphy, a Socialist Party member who went to jail for three weeks for opposing the Bin Tax, was elected top of the poll in Tallaght ward, South Dublin Council, winning 2506 votes (17%). This is the first time the Socialist Party has had a councillor in this area and represents an excellent victory for the Party.

For the first time since its formation the Socialist Party now has a councillor outside Dublin. Mick Barry, a leading community activist, was elected top of the poll in his ward and will represent the party on Cork City Council. Mick received a fantastic 1390 votes which represented over 17% of the votes in the ward. This compares to the 4.9% he received in the same area at the time of the last local elections.

As we go to press, Lisa Maher, a Socialist Party candidate in the Dun Loghaire/Rathdown council in south-west Dublin is fighting to win the last seat in her Dundrum ward. She received 1289 first preference votes in the first round of counting.

CWI members internationally, will welcome these excellent results, and also the very good votes that other Socialist Party members got in Fingal, Dublin City, Drogheda, Limmerick, and Letterkenny.

[Local comment - congrats to all those involved in this campaign.
Now, a brief period to draw breath and it's back to business and fighting the bosses on the ground, and to prepare for GW Bush.]