This election is very quiet, isn’t it? OK, there was the fun bit where Sammy Wilson was heckled and called a traitor and a Lundy, but that was more an anti-protocol meeting than an electoral campaign event. And as you know, Doug Beattie isn’t going to any more of those meetings but he is campaigning. At least I think he is.
The Alliance Party canvasser rang the bell several weeks ago and smiled and said she was going around canvassing and would I be voting in the election. I told her I certainly would be’ (and I do hope every person reading this, whatever their choice, gets out and votes. It is one of the gravest stains on Western democracy that huge chunks of lazy, unthinking people can’t be bothered to get their rear off their couch and vote.)
But back to my charming Alliance canvasser. When I told her I would be voting, she said “Very good – and would you mind if I asked you who you’ll be voting for?” I told her I didn’t mind one bit her asking me my voting intentions, but that didn’t mean I’d be telling her my intentions. She looked a little sorrowful but passed me the Alliance leaflet and said she hoped I’d keep them in mind on the day. I will of course keep them in mind but I won’t be voting for them.
Is door-to-door canvassing effective? Does it change minds, incentivise voters? I’m not sure. Hardened campaigners will tell you that it’s all-important – nothing beats a face-to-face chat to get people voting for you. I’m sure they have a point.
I think myself that it’s like Guinness. There can be few people in Ireland – in the world – who don’t know about Guinness, and yet Guinness spend millions on advertising their product. That’s not because people don’t know about it already, but because if they stopped advertising, people would begin to conclude that there was something wrong with Guinness and it might become an overlooked liquid.
It’s the same with political parties. We all know they exist, but it’s only when they come to your door, are as polite and friendly as they possibly can be, that many people will give them their vote. The more visible the party, the more likely it is that people will vote for them.
As to this election, clearly bread-and-butter issues will be to the forefront. But I’d just remind nationalists and republicans: if you call yourself a nationalist or a republican, that means you forefront concern for the nation, concern to create a republic. That’s what it says on your party lid. So while of course we value attention to jobs and housing and health, we also expect you to live up to your name and work flat-out to create an Irish nation and/or an Irish republic.
If you think nations and republics and constitutional change don’t matter, and jobs and housing and health are what really count, maybe you should call yourself the Jobs Party or the Housing Party or the Health Party…No, Virginia, I think maybe not the Workers Party. That’s been tried and found a wee bit wanting.
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