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JACKIE, A 52-YEAR-OLD mum of one from Dublin 2, is currently undecided as to how she’ll vote in the presidential election.
She thinks the lack of choice on offer is “anti-democratic” and that the election “should be called off”.
Sitting outside the Bald Barista Cafe on Aungier Street, she explains her reluctance to vote for Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys after the government last week rolled out what she saw as an “austerity budget”.
“Look at this,” she says, pulling out a flyer for Christmas packages from a local butchers.
Jackie points to the classic Christmas hamper which includes a medium turkey breast, half a ham fillet, butcher’s sausages, rashers, stuffing and pudding for €69.
“That was €49 last year, and the supreme hamper that’s €119 this year, that includes a turkey and a full ham, and that was €79 last year. You have to wonder how people are going to be able to put food on their tables this Christmas, and that’s what people are talking about now – how are they going to be able to afford Christmas this year, full stop?” she said.
“This is the most undemocratic election I’ve ever seen in Ireland and I think if it goes ahead it destroys democracy in Ireland. We had different people to choose from in the past, this time we just had three, and now it’s down to two,” she added.
She said she does not feel sure about voting for Catherine Connolly either.
“I read some reports of things she’s done on trips abroad and I just don’t fully understand her agenda. I’m worried about what that could mean for the office of the president. But if I don’t vote, or I spoil my vote, as far as I understand it, that will actually help or hurt one of the candidates too… I’ve made a point of voting in every election, but I don’t know what to do here,” she said.
Her friend Debbie, who was out with her grandson, says that she won’t vote at all.
“She [Jackie] tries to convince me to, but I don’t see the point,” she said.
The most recent opinion poll (from the Irish Times/Ipsos B&A yesterday) found 18% of voters are still undecided, while 12% say they won’t vote and 6% are planning to spoil their vote.
During the lunchtime rush in Dublin city centre, quite a few voters said that they felt the lack of choice in this election is in some way undemocratic. Ten people The Journal spoke to – who came from all walks of life – said that they weren’t sure who to vote for or whether they would vote at all.
John, the owner of an antiques shop on Camden Street, said that he doesn’t feel the position of president of Ireland is an important one.
“I think they should have abolished it when they got the chance,” he said.
“There’s a lot of disappointed people over the fact that we only have two choices, and people are saying that the system is probably quite antiquated.
“I also don’t think it’s right that people under 35 can’t run, because lots of voters are under that age. I don’t think I’ll be voting, but I usually would in a general election,” he said.
Trinity College Dublin students Keelan and Ellie, who are both 18, said that they don’t have their minds made up on who to vote for, and that most of what they’ve seen of the election has come via social media.
“I found out about Jim Gavin dropping out that way before my dad even did. But I wouldn’t know who to vote for. I feel like it’s a weird selection of candidates, and I’m surprised there are so few of them. When I talk to my parents about it, they don’t have an obvious person they would vote for either, so I really don’t know who to go for,” Keelan said.
“People in Trinity are saying that they are voting for Catherine Connolly, but I feel like she has views that are maybe very far left, as in to the extreme from what I have seen online, but I need to read more about it,” she added.
“I think she sometimes doesn’t think before she speaks, she just says what’s on her mind and then clarifies it later, and that could have repercussions if she is president. She speaks Irish though, and I think that should be a necessity, so I’m leaning towards her,” Keelan said.
Her friend Ellie said that she feels like she needs to tune into the final debate before making her mind up.
“On social media I’ve just seen a lot of Catherine Connolly playing sports and stuff, that doesn’t really tell me much about anything,” she said.
A group of young workers in tax services stopped to chat about how they are voting in the election, and most of them were either undecided, or not planning on voting at all.
Daniel, a Dublin graduate, said that he feels there are “bad candidates”.
“It will probably come down to whoever is the better of two evils. It’s annoying that there’s so little choice. Jim Gavin shouldn’t have been a candidate in the first place with the €3,300 [owed to a tenant]. I don’t feel sorry for him or Fianna Fáil, I don’t know why they picked him – his background is in GAA not politics and he didn’t do well in any debates,” he added.
Two of Daniel’s co-workers said they were undecided and needed to do more research. One said that he’d be voting for Connolly because she can speak Irish.
Bridie, a mother of three from Donegal, was in Dublin for the day with her daughter Mia, who is studying film and broadcasting.
Both of them felt that the quality of the political discussion around the race for the Áras has been poor.
Mia said: “It’s been so daft, honestly. Obviously it’s good craic seeing Catherine Connolly doing keepie uppies or whatever, but at the stage where Heather Humphreys is being asked about that in an interview and being asked what her party piece is, you start to wonder what we’re talking about here”.
Bridie, who has voted in several presidential elections, said that between Conor McGregor winning headlines for his short-lived interest in running a campaign and Jim Gavin having to drop out, the race has made “the whole country look stupid”.
“I feel I need to vote for someone who speaks Irish, and there is now only one candidate that speaks Irish.
“Micheál Martin made a mistake opting for someone who he shouldn’t have. Other people wanted to run and he didn’t let them, but even for them to be scrambling to choose someone so close to the end, they all looked unprepared for it,” she said.
Bridie said that she finds the debates “cringe-worthy” because none of the candidates “actually listen to each other and reply properly”.
“What I find is, I lived and worked in England for a long time, but I’ve raised three children here who are all contributing to the Irish economy and Irish life in their own way. I’m now recovering from cancer and I have seriously bad arthritis as a result of treatment.
“I’m disabled, and I’ve lived at home for a very long time, but because the only work I did here [in Ireland] was raising children I am entitled to nothing. I think that is wrong. And then it is wrong that the next generation are struggling to afford the basics, so how would they even have a house, or have children for that matter if they want to. It’s not easy,” she said.
Bridie added that she doesn’t feel the presidential election will address those issues she cares about.
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