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6 sure-fire signs that it's election time in Ireland
Brace yourself. Canvassers are coming.
IT’S BEEN SHOUTED and murmured about for almost a year – and so most of us are gearing ourselves up for a general election for quite a while.
And no one is preparing more than politicians of all different stripes and inclination up and down the country. Like a dog from a trap, they’re off… Here are the things we’ll all see and hear during #GE16.
1. Posters, posters everywhere
Soon we won’t be able to see traffic lights with the blanket proliferation of candidates’ posters bedecking our communities. In fact, by the time polling day finally rolls around, you’ll more than likely be thoroughly sick of the grinning faces of your elected representatives. (Well, either that or photos of their grinning faces kissing babies.)
2. Reduce, reuse…
And of course, recycle. Your recycling bin will be getting a huge amount of action with all the leaflets coming in through your door. Well, either that or you’re sorted out for kindling for the foreseeable future.
3. Knock knock
Your front door won’t have seen this much action well, er, since the last general election. Your local TD (and those vying for the job, of course) will appear for the first time in a long time, having not been seen for months prior.
4. The good times
You’ll never hear more about our economic recovery, sunny outlook for the future and general rainbows and birthday cakes than in the lead-up to a general election. Worth taking with about a kilo of salt, of course.
5. Bye by-laws
Those truly sick of the TD and would-be TD mugs will be measuring the height of posters off the ground to see if they’re breaking by-laws… Or waiting for the time limit after the big day to see if they’re taken down on time.
6. And finally…
You will see somebody standing on the back of a tractor trailer with a megaphone. It’s Ireland, after all.
Join Ivan Yates, Chris Donoghue, Pat Kenny, Jonathan Healy, George Hook, Colette Fitzpatrick, Shane Coleman and expert political analyst Odran Flynn on Newstalk 106-108fm throughout the election campaign to examine the spin, promises and manifestos to get to the heart of the issues.
For more on #RealityCheck and further details on our coverage, click here.