Local Elections 2014: What issues will you be raising with candidates on the door?

muffler · 10-03-2014 11:49pm #1

The local elections are coming up on May 23rd. So with that in mind, what are the local Donegal issues that are important to you and that you would like to see your local candidates address?

If someone knocked on your door looking for your vote, what would you ask them? What local issues affect you? Do you think local government is effective? Are you satisfied with your current local government? What can a candidate do to win your support?

Over the course of the campaign Boards is going to try to engage with local election candidates and run Q&A sessions with them, so this is your first chance to tell them what you'll be asking them should they call to your door.

Obviously there's potential for this thread to become contentious, so a couple of ground rules:

NO politician bashing - this isn't about slagging off X candidate or Y party, it's about getting proper discussion going on what issues face the Donegal area and what the candidates can expect to be grilled on.

NO politicians - feel free to keep an eye on this thread, but you'll get your chance later. This thread is for your potential future constituents only.

Political affiliations - if you're going to be involved in campaigning for a candidate or in the organisation of any party/group's campaign, you must declare this in your first post in this thread.

We'd like this thread to focus on the issues you feel are important in your area, as such, if you wish to debate an issue raised by another poster, please create a separate thread here in the Donegal forum.

TroutMask · 11-03-2014 1:45am

recycling plastics, accountability, Joe 90

Broxi_Bear_Eire · 11-03-2014 9:36am

What are they doing to bring jobs to the area and what do they see that needs done to improve the infrastructure and how they would go about achieving it

Flibbles · 11-03-2014 3:41pm

Will they follow through on their promises?

Is there any point voting one over the others?

Are they going to blindly follow the policies of whatever political party they've decided to be a part of, then claim it's out of their hands?

Will they threaten us with things like turning off street lights at night, then waste ridiculous sums of money on nothing?

These can apply to general elections as well.

TroutMask · 11-03-2014 6:46pm

fluoride

muffler · 11-03-2014 11:55pm

Note to self: Always check content of someone elses post before copying and pasting

guttenberg · 12-03-2014 12:03am

You had me confused there!

Flibbles · 13-03-2014 2:06pm

Does anyone know where we can get a list of candidates, and some kind of press release/statement of their views on various issues? Even just a list of candidates would be useful.

muffler · 13-03-2014 2:17pm

Flibbles wrote: »

Does anyone know where we can get a list of candidates, and some kind of press release/statement of their views on various issues? Even just a list of candidates would be useful.

The final date for nominations is still a few weeks away....3/05/2014 to be exact so there wont be an official list as such until after that date. - see here

However a couple of the parties have already selected their candidates for the various electoral areas and the respective party websites may contain the list.

But I think we are going to see quite a few independents running this time so it will be May before we know the starting lineup.

annascott · 14-03-2014 1:06am

potholes

ednwireland · 14-03-2014 10:27pm

is it time for this yet ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjl8OIZijjY

actually i don't know what to ask them as they will all lie through their teeth n the doorstep so anything they say will be irrelevant

supersonic64 · 19-03-2014 10:33pm

Ask them if the circus that was the council meetings will continue.
I will also ask any Independent candidates if when elected, they will jump
ship to one of the main parties ala O'Domhnaill last time out.

.17hmr · 20-03-2014 11:31am

Ask them why they didnt read the sign at the gate (before setting my dog on them.

Penfailed · 23-03-2014 10:36pm

TroutMask wrote: »

fluoride

That's my big issue of the moment...along with fracking.

opiniated · 23-03-2014 11:05pm

I'll put it this way - they're likely to run away before I get halfway down the list!:D

I'll start with the number of junior doctors in Letterkenny Hospital, move to unemployment, educational opportunities - and if they're still on the doorstep, enquire whether they're going to represent the people who elected them/toe the party line/forget every promise they made while on the election trail.

If they're still around after that lot, the economy is next up!:D:D

echo beach · 24-03-2014 12:25am

opiniated wrote: »

I'll start with the number of junior doctors in Letterkenny Hospital, move to unemployment, educational opportunities - and if they're still on the doorstep, enquire whether they're going to represent the people who elected them/toe the party line/forget every promise they made while on the election trail.

The thread is about the local elections. Do you think the people elected will any ANY power to deal with the issues you mention?
To mention just the first - the lack of doctors to fill posts in Letterkenny hospital. The Minister for Health, who is the person responsible, has basically thrown up his hands at this. The money is there to pay them, the posts are approved but nobody wants them. This is a national problem, with many other hospitals affected, although most not as badly. It is a consequence of years, decades even, of poor planning and lack of foresight.
How to you suggest a single county councillor would solve it?

Firblog · 24-03-2014 10:36am

I'd like to see they way that business rates are charged being changed. Instead of charging the business that's operating in a building, charge the person/business that owns the property.
If the building is empty the rates should still be collected, this will incentivise the owner of the building to rent for a reasonable amount as they will be incurring costs all the time it is empty. This should help revitalise town centres/main streets (should perhaps bring about lower the rents). It also has the added benefit of enabling the council collect all monies owing from rates as a lean can be put on the building when rates are outstanding; although this money will probably be wasted anyway.

Also the council should have to publish the name of any company and the amount paid on tenders for goods/services. A bit of transparancy here would be good, and none of the 'sensitive commercial information' crap should be allowed to block it, if you don't want to this information known, don't compete for the contract...

donegal11 · 24-03-2014 3:43pm

Firblog wrote: »

I'd like to see they way that business rates are charged being changed. Instead of charging the business that's operating in a building, charge the person/business that owns the property.
If the building is empty the rates should still be collected, this will incentivise the owner of the building to rent for a reasonable amount as they will be incurring costs all the time it is empty. This should help revitalise town centres/main streets (should perhaps bring about lower the rents). It also has the added benefit of enabling the council collect all monies owing from rates as a lean can be put on the building when rates are outstanding; although this money will probably be wasted anyway.

That all very well but I'd say some units could be rent free and you'd still find it hard to make a living wage. People just don't have the money to spend these days.

Firblog · 25-03-2014 10:50pm

donegal11 wrote: »

That all very well but I'd say some units could be rent free and you'd still find it hard to make a living wage. People just don't have the money to spend these days.

Don't know where I said that it would be a panacea for all business ills, but perhaps you would agree that these ideas would do no harm and might even help things a little...

Oh and hope things brighten up for you

opiniated · 13-04-2014 9:28pm

echo beach wrote: »

The thread is about the local elections. Do you think the people elected will any ANY power to deal with the issues you mention?
To mention just the first - the lack of doctors to fill posts in Letterkenny hospital. The Minister for Health, who is the person responsible, has basically thrown up his hands at this. The money is there to pay them, the posts are approved but nobody wants them. This is a national problem, with many other hospitals affected, although most not as badly. It is a consequence of years, decades even, of poor planning and lack of foresight.
How to you suggest a single county councillor would solve it?

Firstly, apologies for the delay in replying. I'm having a lot of firsthand experience of hospitals recently due to serious illness of a family member.

I haven't suggested that any one councillor can solve the problems - I just want to know that one of them actually cares!
When LGH was flooded, we had a steady stream of politicians strolling around the place. Just because the A&E has re-opened doesn't mean that the problems are all solved.
Realistically, there are a lot of doctors in the country.
No other hospital seems to have as much difficulty as LGH in recruiting junior doctors. There's a reason for that - and I want to know what it is.
That will require some hard questions - and the current politicians, of all political persuasions seem to be content to let Dr Reilly throw his hands up, as you phrased it yourself.
It's true that councillors have limited power - but is that a reason for them to ignore the situation? Or is it a reason to seek cross-party consensus to put pressure on the government?

echo beach · 16-04-2014 10:52pm

opiniated wrote: »

Firstly, apologies for the delay in replying. I'm having a lot of firsthand experience of hospitals recently due to serious illness of a family member.

Sorry to hear about your relative. It is only when you are forced to spend a lot of time around hospitals that you see how bad the situation is.

I haven't suggested that any one councillor can solve the problems - I just want to know that one of them actually cares!

I'm sure they care but it is only when you have experience that you know what you need to care about and you are right to say that those of us who have been there must bring it to the attention of those who want to represent us.

It's true that councillors have limited power - but is that a reason for them to ignore the situation? Or is it a reason to seek cross-party consensus to put pressure on the government?

The problem is that if everybody supports improved healthcare (and what wantabee politician will say that they don't?) who do you vote for? FG and Lab say vote for us because we are in power and can do something. Everybody else says vote for us because they are the shower causing the problems.
It isn't easy to know what to do but the successful campaign to retain a children's diabetic nurse proves that the public, not politicians, can change things. However it took an enormous amount of work and it isn't easy to mobilise that sort of support for other issues.

muffler · 16-05-2014 10:06am

The full list of candidates in all Electoral Areas in Donegal can be viewed here

One little thing that I have noticed. Not one of the sitting councilors has yet to visit my door but instead they have sent others out on their behalf. Poor form I have to say.

L1011 · 16-05-2014 10:13am

muffler wrote: »

The full list of candidates in all Electoral Areas in Donegal can be viewed here

One little thing that I have noticed. Not one of the sitting councilors has yet to visit my door but instead they have sent others out on their behalf. Poor form I have to say.

Are you registered at that house? Most of the sitting councillors would have access to the full electoral roll and skip houses with nobody registered; new candidates don't. I'm registered at my parents still due to sheer laziness and as a result have had SF, FF who've nobody in around here (twice! didn't get enough of an earbashing the first time clearly), PBPA and Ronan Mullen's people around but no FG or Labour; however my parents have had both.

muffler · 16-05-2014 10:46am

MYOB wrote: »

Are you registered at that house?

I certainly am and have been for longer than I care to remember.

I would know 4 of the 5 sitting cllrs personally and Im disappointed that they have failed to call in person. Its not just me as none of them have called with the neighbours either. To date, the sitting cllrs have all sent others out on their behalf. Im not saying that they aren't out themselves but they haven't visited my area.

It's a little sad when you see one particular cllr sending 4 or 5 girls (teens / early 20's approx) to the doorsteps. How would we expect to get answers from them?

danniemcq · 16-05-2014 11:00am

muffler wrote: »

It's a little sad when you see one particular cllr sending 4 or 5 girls (teens / early 20's approx) to the doorsteps. How would we expect to get answers from them?

...

ummmmm

L1011 · 16-05-2014 3:30pm

There's also the issue of sheer size of the new areas now for actually pressing the flesh in person across them. Old wards were smaller.

muffler · 16-05-2014 5:58pm

MYOB wrote: »

There's also the issue of sheer size of the new areas now for actually pressing the flesh in person across them. Old wards were smaller.

Same size as they were in 2009

opiniated · 17-05-2014 10:02am

I haven't seen one candidate in person, either - and one of the candidates lives a mile down the road! (Mind you, he also knows I'm not going to vote for him.:))

I've had canvassing material for three candidates through the post - the same three who had canvassers come to my door.

Otherwise, it's been remarkably quiet!
I've never seen such a low-key campaign, which is surprising considering there are two elections.

Maybe none of them really want the job. :P

solas111 · 21-05-2014 12:00am

There are numerous local issues such as lack of infrastructure and poor services that I am raising with the canvassers......... I have seen plenty of elections over the years where many people didn’t care and often did not bother to go out to vote but this time people are angry and rightly so.

Mod note: Post edited to remove a national issue.

L1011 · 21-05-2014 9:00am

solas111 wrote: »

There are numerous local issues such as lack of infrastructure and poor services that I am raising with the canvassers......... I have seen plenty of elections over the years where many people didn’t care and often did not bother to go out to vote but this time people are angry and rightly so.

Mod note: Post edited to remove a national issue.

Neither council nor European candidates can actually do anything about water charges and any of them that claim they can are lying to you for your vote. It is a national issue only.

Banjoxed · 21-05-2014 9:30pm

We have a few banner type posters in Inishowen from Sinn Féin with the candidates. They must have superhuman powers over and beyond the average County Councillor because one has "Axe the Property Tax!", another "Turn off the Water Tax", ironically a near copy of a Workers' Party poster I remember from the early 1990s, and "Are you being educated for emigration? Stop the Brain Drain!"

Well quite. It's as if an overenthuastic newbie, having just recently drank the Kool-Aid and joined the Movement thought of the dumbest possible slogans that even if every SF candidate in the local and Euros got elected, hadn't a chance in hell of being implemented. Talk about raising the expectations of your voter base beyond any reasonable point. Stupid politics.

Local Elections 2014: What issues will you be raising with candidates on the door?

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