Dublin Central: A Crucible of Political and Social Concerns
Immigration remains a major concern for residents in Dublin Central, with people on both sides of the debate voicing their worries as candidates knock on doors. Voters in Dublin Central and Galway West will head to the polls next Friday, with two seats to be filled after former finance minister Paschal Donohoe and President Catherine Connolly vacated last November.
Currently a four-seater, there are a plethora of candidates hoping to join Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, Social Democrats Gary Gannon and Labour’s Marie Sherlock as a TD for the constituency. Taoiseach doesn’t expect leadership challenge after by-elections despite low Fianna Fail support. Jobseeker’s Allowance overhaul: What government plans mean for Irish claimants.
Green Party candidate Janet Horner, who has been a councillor for the area for seven years, is hoping to give her party leader Roderic O’Gorman a mate in the Dáil. On a sunny Tuesday evening 10 days before constituents cast their votes, Janet arrived by bike at Home Farm Road in Drumcondra. A mixed constituency, Dublin Central takes in the north inner city and surrounding suburbs including Drumcondra, Cabra, Phibsborough, Glasnevin and East Wall.
Her campaign team is organised and prepared, with around 20 volunteers being given clear instructions on how to tackle the doors. It’s a left-leaning area with the only previous Government TD now gone, with Janet trying to hammer home that there is already a Sinn Féin, Labour and Social Democrats TD - so she should take the fourth for the Green Party.
The majority of voters who answer the door are warm and welcoming, and keen to discuss issues. By-elections are always difficult for Government party candidates, but there appears to be a particular dissatisfaction following the recent fuel protests. “There is a frustration with the Government,” Janet says after being asked what is coming up at the doors. The fuel protests exemplified the fact that we’ve got a massive, obvious problem and then instead of rising to it it got muddled around.
"People who were on the side of the protestors weren’t happy, and the people who weren’t on the side of the protestors weren’t happy. One man who answers the door to Janet says he has taken his name off the register to vote- citing that the “Government is doing nothing”. Another woman brings up her concerns over Ireland’s immigration policies, with the Green Party candidate remaining calm and voicing her empathetic views- but saying that things do need to be more efficient. Transgender concerns came up at one door, with a voter saying that the Greens “have lost her” for that alone. She says “women’s spaces aren’t for any kind of man” with Janet's campaigners swiftly moving on, keen to quell an argument and get on with calling at other houses.
While a Green wave was certainly seen before the Covid-19 pandemic in the 2019 Local Election and 2020 General Election, climate change concerns are not at the top of voters' minds. According to a poll for The Irish Times and TG4, the cost of living is the biggest concern for constituents, with 33% citing this as their most important issue. Following that, 24% cited house prices, 12% immigration, 11% the cost of renting and 7% health. Just 1% of the 659 adults in the area surveyed said tackling climate change is their main worry. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t coming up at all, with one woman living near Home Farm Road bringing up food security, with Janet firmly placing herself as the candidate with the strongest voice on those issues.
Asked if this comes up at the doors regularly, she tells me: “No, but what is interesting is you do get the diversity of issues that people are interested in. People trust you with bringing up sort of left of field stuff and it’s really positive, food security, animal welfare, positions on the energy grid… You do get all these different quite niche interest areas, but it’s always really educational.”
The youngest member on Janet's campaign team is 11-year-old Ben Sheils, an environmental activist who wants more Greens in Government, but he himself wants to be the next David Attenborough. “I want a full Green Government,” he says while handing out leaflets and knocking on doors with his mother Aisling. "I want a ban on fox hunting, I don’t see why people like it, it's not nice." A group of children are then ecstatic to see Janet, with their mother Elaine Haverty saying they love all the election posters- hoping to meet all the candidates they have deemed mini celebrities.
On the other side of the political ladder, architect Ian Noel Smyth is hoping to take a seat for the constituency for Aontú- joining party leader Peader Tóibín and Mayo TD Paul Lawless in the Dáil. He takes to the same streets as Janet in Drumcondra on a Wednesday afternoon nine days before voting day, with three of his team in tow. It’s noticeably quieter than the previous day with people out at work, but those who do answer the doors are again largely happy to engage.
Immigration again comes up at the doors on the street, but this time a voter is voicing the opposite concerns to what Janet received the previous day. “I’m not an Aontú voter, you’re not in my top five sorry,” she tells Ian Noel. “I’m in favour of open immigration so we’re not going to agree on that topic.” The Aontú candidate, who is from Cabra, says that is no problem and moves swiftly on, then says to me: “That’s actually a very rare comment. I say overall it’s the opposite, it’s more like 70% to 80% of people that speak about it are not in favour of the Government’s immigration policy, which I think is shambolic. There needs to be more accountability and stricter controls, that’s our position.”
Resident Terry Glavin brings up immigration with Ian Noel, saying he has no time for Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, adding: “I am concerned that Irish people aren’t being treated equally. They must be treated equally. You can’t have people coming from other countries, and I’m not talking about people fleeing war. I’m talking about economic migrants.” Ian Noel tells the voter Aontú has a strong policy on immigration, saying: “You can’t be bringing in people when we don’t have the facilities to look after our own as it stands right now. You need to have the infrastructure, it’s not just about the houses.”
At another door, John Higgins is happy to tell the Aontú candidate he will be giving him his number one, saying the party’s stance on abortion is the main reason why. “Life is sacred,” he says, “We believe that life is sacred, and I think Aontú believes that life is sacred.” The party was founded in 2019 by Peadar Tóibín, who resigned from Sinn Féin due to his anti-abortion views. While Aontú firmly places itself as a party against abortion which it says is being “normalised in Irish society” there appears to be a move to distance itself from being a one-party issue.
Before Ian Noel starts canvassing I ask him if it is an issue that is coming up regularly at doors, and he says: “Not a bit. Not at all. There obviously is a pro-life part to our party but the main issues are immigration, cost of living and housing.” At another door, a woman cleaning her front garden is happy to chat to the candidate and have a bit of a laugh, but candidly says she is giving Social Democrats Daniel Ennis her first preference. When he pitches himself, she asks: “Are you as good a football player as Daniel Ennis?” but Ian Noel says he is more of a GAA man himself.
The Social Democrats candidate is a frontrunner in the race, with opinion polls released last Thursday revealing Sinn Féin’s Janice Boylan as the favourite with 21% of first preference votes, followed by Daniel with 18%. But the Social Democrats candidate could fare well with transfers, as when respondents were asked about their second preference he topped with 15%, followed by Janet on 14% and Janice on 10%.
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