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The last weekend

7th March 2011

Although the election took place on Feb 25th, there were some loose ends to be tied up this weekend. At the local level we had a poster removal blitz which involved a number of ‘flying teams’ roaming through the constituency to take down all remaining posters.   Climbing lamp posts has become second nature to some of our team and we are confident that we have done a clean sweep.  However, if you spot an errant poster please do let us know.  Apart from the posters we also collected several bags of unsightly plastic ties which had been left on many lamp posts.  I am strongly of the view that we need to review election postering with a view to at least limiting the number of posters and making it absolutely obligatory that all ties are removed when posters are being taken down.

On saturday afternoon we rewarded ourselves with a delicious lunch in Michael’s of Mount Merrion.

Sunday at the O’Reilly Hall at UCD- in the heart of Dublin South- was a big day for the Labour Party.  More than 1,000 delegates from all over Ireland met to debate the merits of the Programme for Government hammered out between Labour and Fine Gael over the last week.  I felt immensely proud of our Party’s thoughtful and deliberative approach to the question in hand, whether or not we should enter into a partnership government.  The atmosphere in the O’Reilly Hall was electric.  After several hours debate, the special delegate conference voted overwhelmingly to enter government.  I believe that the Labour Party now has a historic opportunity to shape the recovery of this country.  I am confident that we will demonstrate  to the people, why the Labour Party is entirely worthy of the trust that has been placed in us.

Thank you

27th February 2011

I am delighted and privileged to have been elected to represent the people of Dublin South in Dail Eireann. I am well aware of the enormous responsibility this carries, and will work hard to repay the trust that has been placed in me.

The final countdown

23rd February 2011

Out and about in Rathfarnham today with a terrific team of canvassers.  They are pictured below with an Alex White poster salvaged from a garden where it has languished for the duration of the campaign.  After weeks of canvassing I feel a little bit of empathy with the sign posted in one householder’s window, which reads “Attention chien en psychanalyse”!

We are coming to the end of a difficult, challenging but very rewarding few weeks. I am really grateful to all of the constituents who took the time to share their views, debate the points and offer words of support to  myself and members of the campaign team.

Canvassers with Alex White poster Rathfarnham

Candidate identifies with dog

‘Feel good’ moments

20th February 2011

 

A lot of people ask me what it is like canvassing. It is an intensely social activity in which the object of the exercise is to meet with as many people face to face as possible. Political scientists have confirmed that the single most important factor influencing voters is whether they have met the candidate in the flesh.  Our campaign has largely been built around door to door canvassing along with shopping centre and Luas appearances.  It is a bit of a slog- especially in inclement weather- but it is also hugely rewarding.  Everyone on a campaign loves the “feel good” moment.  Here are some of mine.

 

I met the boys of  St. Mary’s N.S. Rathfarnham on Thursday, February 17th as they poured out thee school gates  and their energy, enthusiasm and eagerness ‘to meet the candidate’ literally bowled me over.  I couldn’t get near the parents as I was prevailed upon to sign journals, hand out canvass cards and give ‘high fives’ to my junior fan base.

 

Outside Rathfarnham Church on Sunday morning, February 19th a woman approached me and gently said “ You take care, we’ll get you there.”  After another service elsewhere in the constituency an army officer recently returned from a stint abroad told me proudly that he had already cast a postal ballot and voted Alex White number 1.

 

In Whitechurch estate, Sunday afternoon, February 19th a bunch of us were moving down the street. A man crossed the road, held out his hand and said “This is your time, this is your election. You have my number one vote.”  It’s moments like those that keep the bounce in my step, and that also remind me of what a privilege it is to be out on the stump, seeking a mandate from the people of Dublin South.

 

 

 

 

Cakes and Kids

13th February 2011

I spent a leisurely hour on Friday morning at the Whitechurch Parish  Cake sale and coffee morning jointly hosted by the Whitechurch Parish Mother & Toddler and Whitechurch Parish ‘Drop in’ Centre. Whitechurch parish church is located on a narrow, tree lined road, in a part of the constituency that retains its rural feel.  This rural feel was evident in the warm welcome we received and general feeling of high energy about the place. For the record, I came away with a cheese loaf, six chocolate éclairs, an apple tart, a madeira cake and a bag of homemade doughnuts.  A decent haul of goodies but not all for me….my son Fintan devoured the whole bag of doughnuts within minutes of my arrival home.

 

Later on Friday we met the kids from St. Patrick’s N.S, Ballyroan.  I really enjoy doing the ‘meet and greet’ outside the schools. The children are full of enthusiasm for the election and they love to meet the candidates in the flesh.  It’s a measure of the interest that parents and teachers impart that our young people are so civically engaged.  I must admit it’s a bit hard to keep your feet on the ground when lovely young school girls come up to tell you that they “love you.”   But being viewed as an object of affection certainly makes a change from acting as a ‘shock absorber’ on the doorsteps’ of irate constituents!

 

 

 

 

 

Ever had a bad hair day?

11th February 2011

One of the talking points in my electoral campaigns over the years has been hair.  Many people reach middle age and face a hair shortage.  I, on the other hand, have volumes of it.  It grows like wildfire and can be very recalcitrant.   Keeping it in check is sometimes a full-time job.   A couple of weeks ago, I was on television commenting on the implosion of Brian Cowen’s regime.  Many of the comments I received afterwards made some covert or overt reference to my hair.  My wife asked me why I had brought a toilet brush into studio with me. Others suggested that my hair formed a kind of halo around my head.   Not wishing to be thought of as St. Alex it was straight down to  the hairdressers for not so much a trim, as a major cutback!.  The hair (yes, it is spoken of in the third person from time to time) is sitting back in place again temporarily but no doubt, I will have to get it seen to again before Election Day.

 

 

Inspirational moment on the campaign trail

9th February 2011

On Monday evening, Feb 7th, I was at the Iona Centre to meet with a Knocklyon networking group whose concern is unemployment in the locality.  The group aims to do something practical about the problem as it affects themselves and their community. They are focusing in the first instance, on contacting existing agencies and organisations that may be able to help them get back into the workforce as employees or to start small businesses.

There was a palpable feeling of anxiety and frustration in the meeting room but this was tempered by a powerful sense of people coming together “to do something” because they refuse to give in to the idea that “It can’t be done.”   These are the people- committed, hard working, creative and focused on the task in hand- who will make our country strong again.

They expressed concern about the fact that unemployment is affecting people across the life course:  young people’s job prospects have diminished but people who have spend decades in the workforce now face the prospect of long-term unemployment. I spoke to them about the Labour party’s commitment to providing training and upskilling for people who have lost their jobs.  The Labour Party has also outlined plans for creating jobs, stimulating overseas trade and promoting small business through a focus on the export market, innovation and start up incentives.   They feel frustrated by a welfare system which requires them to attend several different offices in pursuit of their entitlements.  They are 100% right when they say the welfare system needs to be rationalised and made much more accessible.

I left the meeting feeling much more optimistic about the future of our country.  People like those in the Knocklyon networking group- doing what they can in the face of adversity- are the unsung heroes who have gotten us through difficulties in the past and will get us through the difficulties of the present.   If elected to the Dail, it would be a privilege to work with the group to help them achieve their goals.

Yellow House goes Red

7th February 2011

We had a fantastic turnout on Sunday, Feb 6th to our campaign launch and fundraiser.  The Yellow House in Rathfarnham was the venue.  Our top floor room gave supporters  a bit of a workout on the stairs but also provided us with a bird’s eye view of the other candidates plying their wares at the Rathfarnham Church gates.   Liz McManus T.D. very kindly did the honours.  A few hardy souls departed for a bracing walk on the Three Rock mountain after high tea was served.  Many thanks to each and every one of you for your support so far.  Now, let’s make it happen.

Spring cleaning

30th January 2011

Last Saturday we canvassed some of the estates that nestle at the foothills of the Dublin mountains. It’s a backdrop that creates a very special sense of place in this part of the city. On Saturday you could actually feel spring in the air. The sun struggled to break through the clouds. People pottered about their gardens, readying the ground for planting or washing cars. We came across one young man out batterin’ a large rug into submission.

This election is about doing some long overdue spring cleaning. Think political version of “How clean is your house”. To get our political house in order we need to sort out what is worth keeping and what needs to be turfed out. We need to identify strategies for making the house work better. We need to work systematically, cleaning, repairing and renewing, room by room. Only then will the house begin to function properly again.

One woman with whom we spoke on Saturday provided an astute and incisive critique of what is wrong with the system. A public service worker herself she observed that “if I ran my home the way the HSE is run, I would be homeless years ago.” She feels strongly that bureaucratic layers absorb resources that should be targeted directly at service delivery. “Why should seriously ill people have to go through A & E in order to access hospital services when they require them?” she asked. Why indeed. It is a serious dysfunction in our system that the route to accessing quality health care is often experienced by users as a veritable minefield.

The same woman has also had experience of accessing services for children with disabilities and her encounters with Department of Education officials over the years did everything but inspire confidence. Through persistent advocacy she managed to improve the situation for her own child, but she remains outraged that so many of our educational services continue to fall short of optimal standards of professionalism.

This woman and her like are the backbone of our country, the unsung heroes who through their work, home-making, advocacy and volunteering immeasurably improve the quality of life of others. If she was in politics- if she was your public representative or mine- I have no doubt that this country would be a much, much better place.

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