Reports on the elections

by Joe Blogz - PbP Sat Jun 06, 2009 13:47

1.30pm tallies update PBP candidates
PBP candidates top the poll, set for at least 3 seats possibly up to five or six

In Dun Laoghaire, Richard Boyd Barrett is topping the poll. Ballyfermot Brid Smith tops the poll

Joan Collins (Crumlin/Walkinstown) looks set to hold her seat with 16% of tally 2nd behind Lab in 4 seater

Ballybrack (5 seater): Hugh Lewis is on 15.8% with 2131 votes and looks strong to take last seat in a battle for the last seat with one of the FF candidates (Lab 41% between 2 candidates FG 25% between 2; Greens on 5%, SF on 4%

Gino Kenny (Clondalkin) on 1070 votes is running 7th in a six seater on 1st preferences, ahead of other independents but behind 2 SF. This will be a nail biter depending on preferences.

Tina McVeigh (Dublin South West InnerCity) beat the Greens with 640 votes on the tallies giving a terrific 8.3% for a first time out.

Bryce Evans in Rathmines with 620 votes is on about 4%

Martin O'Sullivan running a creditable 3% for first outing in Artane/Whitehall

Colm Stephens a disappointing around 2% Dublin North Inner City in very crowded field

Syd Stevens in Dundalk will unfortunately be eliminated early on.

by Jolly Red Gaint - Socialist Party / CWI Sat Jun 06, 2009 14:14

Dublin:
Mitchell 26.43%
De Rossa 18.4%
Eoin Ryan 14.1%
MLM 13.2%
Joe Higgins 11.1%
PMK 3.4%
EB 4.4%
CS 3.6%
DDB 4.4%

Joe Higgins is taking over 22% in Fingal

Socialist Party Local elections -

Clare Daly to top the poll in Swords

Mick Barry to top the poll in Cork North Central

Mick Murphy on 10% in Tallaght Central with two LP candidates - the three are fighing out the last two seats.

Socialist Party will win one seat in Mulhuddart - haven't heard about the second one.

Jow Higgins will to the poll in Castleknock.

by anorack Sat Jun 06, 2009 14:51

The radical left is polling well, both PBP and SP, well done all.
swp.ie is giving rolling coverage on its website

by Darren C Sat Jun 06, 2009 15:05

The left look set to win a seat in Cabra/Glasnevin also. Cieran Perry is on 14.2%, ahead of the FG candidate on 13.5% and the SF candidate on 10% . He's looking good for the third seat, with Maurice Ahern and the SF candidate fighting for the final seat.

Any word on how John O'Neill (ISN) is doing?

by anorack Sat Jun 06, 2009 17:24

Accordng to swp.ie JO'N is on about 450 (2.something%)

by Peter - SP Sat Jun 06, 2009 23:17

Terry Kelleher (SP) elected to the Balbriggan Town Council. Frank Gallagher (SP) in a fight for the last seat in Drogheda North Borough Council.

by PBPA - People Before Profit Alliance Sun Jun 07, 2009 01:50

Well done to Terry and to all SP candidates. Hope there is more success tomorrow with European Election.
In a local election which saw the left perform extremely well, the People Before Profit Alliance won 5 Local Election Seats.

http://www.peoplebeforeprofit.ie/node/146

by punter Sun Jun 07, 2009 02:44

Results from the local elections are indeed good, with numbers of radical small groups and independents getting in as a reward for their dedication to local issues that matter. Good also that Dublin North Central voters have endorsed the community ideals of the late Tony Gregory by electing his long-serving election agent. And Joe Higgins, not yet elected at this moment, has received more votes than predicted in those questionable opinion polls.

Celebrate over your pints and cuppas, in pubs and cafes; but please please please get a sense of proportion about your influence in Irish society, which huddles in the middle of a FF-FG lower case conservatism.

I was pissed off by sectarian comments on a few threads of indymedia during the electioneering. Small groups expend too much time and verbal energy criticising each other and plotting against each other's potential influence on a range of issues. Sometimes I think wryly that CIA funding fuels this inter-group bickering and rabid suspicion. Think carefully about this as you chat over coffee and pints.

by Sean - WP Sun Jun 07, 2009 11:27

Cllr. Davy Walsh (WP) Waterford North held his seat and former councillor Ted Tynan finally got re-elected in Cork North East. Recounts ongoing in Cork North Central (Jackie Connolly) and Waterford East (Joe Tobin). Willie Moore (Waterford South) missed out by 50 votes.

by PBPA - People Before Profit Alliance Sun Jun 07, 2009 12:27 info at peoplebeforeprofit dot ie

Joan Collins (PBPA) & Brid Smith (PBPA) celebrate their election to Dublin City Council for Crumlin/Kimmage and Ballyfermot/Drimnagh in the RDS yesterday.

Joan Collins (PBPA) & Brid Smith (PBPA) celebrate their election in the RDS

by Dancer Sun Jun 07, 2009 14:11

Looks like Joe has a good chance.

"Please tell me which one of the following was the main reason why you decided to give your first preference vote tothat candidate in the European Parliament elections"

Joe Higgins:

Personality / qualities - 48%
Policies - 29%
Party - 18 %

by P Sun Jun 07, 2009 14:58

Dermot Looney took the 4th seat in Tallaght Central. Unfortunately Mick Murphy lost out.

Cian O'Callaghan took the 2nd seat in Howth-Malahide.

Good result for two first time candidates

by Mayowatcher Sun Jun 07, 2009 15:24

I am looking at the Mayo Council results and seeing mostly FG and FF (no surprise there, honestly).

There's one or two SF'ers, but what are the independents like? Are they in favour of the terminal?

by Fergal Sun Jun 07, 2009 15:55

Seamus Healy's list of five Workers and Unemployed Action Group all got elected onto Clonmel Borough Council.The WUAG and Labour now control 7 of the 12 seats there.
2 WUAGs elected onto Sth Tipp Co. Council.
1 WUAG elected to Carrick-on-Suir town Council as far as I Know

by Godot Sun Jun 07, 2009 16:44

Frank Gallagher (SP) has been elected in Drogheda.

by Mayoman Sun Jun 07, 2009 18:22

Thanx alot Paul Williams et al, your BS has worked its magic in Erris Co. Mayo.

by SP - SP Mon Jun 08, 2009 06:31

Higgins takes third Dublin seat as MEP
Higgins takes third Dublin seat as MEP
Higgins takes third Dublin seat as MEP, beating Eoin Ryan shortly after 5am this morning.

by Statistician Mon Jun 08, 2009 10:58

In the Dun Laoire ward of DLRD CC PBPA got 22.8% of the vote but only one seat. Labour got 16.2% of the vote but two council seats!

If RBB had taken a running mate rather than go for being elected on the first count then PBPA, going on the figures, would very likely have won two seats in that ward.

by Sean Mon Jun 08, 2009 11:10

That result for PBFA illustrates the quirky mathematics that sometimes surfaces in the PR multiseat system. Anyway, good luck to all those left and antiestablishment candidates who did so well.

by Mark P - Socialist Party (personal capacity) Mon Jun 08, 2009 12:32

Statistician, I don't think that you can just go on the number of votes received by a left candidate and assume that a second candidate could have been brought home.

There are a number of wards where the left topped the poll by a very long way, including Dun Laoghaire, Swords, Castleknock etc. Unfortunately converting that into a second seat is extraordinarily difficult for parties with limited resources. "Vote management" along the lines routinely employed by the main right wing parties is a tricky thing to pull off and you'd be surprised by how many people won't necessarily transfer to a second candidate.

I suspect that Richard would have crushed a second People Before Profit Alliance candidate on first preferences and then the transfer would have been too patchy to pull the second candidate into the reckoning. It still would have been worth trying though, and at the very least would have helped get a second candidate some profile for the future. It is however easy to be wise in retrospect.

Congratulations to Richard and the other candidates of the PBPA and of the Workers Party who managed to get elected, by the way.

by Dermot Murphy Mon Jun 08, 2009 13:43

Dublin Central elected 2 left Independent candidates in O'Sullivan & Perry. A very good result.

by Den Bun Mon Jun 08, 2009 15:04

Seems that PBPA cost the SP a council seat inTallaght. Dunne who stood for PBPA was never in with a chance of winning a seat and if he had not stood then SP councillor would have been re-elected.

by Mark P - Socialist Party (personal capacity) Mon Jun 08, 2009 15:18

Den Bun:

Pat Dunne had every right to stand, given that he had a base in Greenhills and that base was moved into the ward. It is much too simplistic to suggest that the people who voted for him would necessarily have voted for Mick Murphy, apart from the people who transferred on to him anyway. Elections are not that simple.

The Socialist Party and People Before Profit had a voting pact in the ward and encouraged their supporters to transfer to each other.

by Lebowskilite Mon Jun 08, 2009 16:34

The ward boundaries were redrawn and Mick Murphy had never previously represented Greenhills. Pat Dunne had previously run there and was a popular local candidate. The other popular local candidate in the area was (now Cllr) Dermot Looney of Labour, running for the first time. In areas were Dunne did well Looney typically did better, with the two of them getting up to 60/70% of the local boxes.

Dunne's transfers went to more to Looney than Murphy, and if he hadn't ran those #1 votes in Greenhills would've most likely gone to Looney than Murphy.

Both Dunne and Looney ran excellent campaigns in Greenhills and the surrounding areas, putting SP in the shade there. Looney and Dunne both deserve praise for their work on the ground, both in and out of electoral politics.

Both of them had every right to run in that area, and they are both a credit to the area and their respective organisations. Unfortunately Greenhills is too small to get a council seat out of it, and Looney's #1 vote spread right across the constituency (partially thanks to his leaflets, internet campaign and his membership of the Labour Party)

by Marie-Bray woman - none Tue Jun 09, 2009 00:43

He missed in the South by 50 no1s to get the transfers. His mate died a few days before the election so he stopped the campaign Wednesday I think. Lovely young man. Marie

by Election Counter Tue Jun 09, 2009 02:00

In the South Ward Quota was 746 Mr. Tobin only reached a total of 249 before he was eliminated on the 4th count. He was short of the quota by 497 votes.

In the West Ward Quota was 776 Mr. Tobin only reached a total of 164 votes and was eliminated after the 2nd count. He was short of the quota by 612 votes.

The facts can be checked out by going to google and entering "local election results 2009" and Wicklow comes up as first on the list.

We should all congratulate the other young person who did so well in the elections SIMON HARRIS of Greystones who topped the poll in Greystones and won a seat on the Greystones and Wicklow County Council and also in the Greystones Electoral Area.

by Simon Harris Fan Club Thu Jun 11, 2009 14:56

Great to see a young 22 year old and his running mate age 20 having such great success in the local elections.

We need new fresh young people like that. They are our future.