Over the course of the general election, The Irish Times assembled a panel of readers, drawn from across the State and from a cross-section of age groups, to discuss the campaign. The panel gathered for the last time on Thursday evening to talk about their impressions of the campaign, what shaped their voting decisions, and what they think should happen next.
Jo Cahalan, from Abbeyleix, said she felt that Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin “did exceptionally well” and was also surprised by Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald. “I thought she came across better one-to-one in comparison to the debates.” She did not find the campaign “terribly enlightening. I did feel that there was an awful lot of cash being thrown around. I never think that’s a good thing.”
Robert Kennedy, a business owner, said he felt the campaign was “too short”. “I think Fine Gael will have to have a serious look at themselves in terms of how they ran the campaign. I think it was a disaster for them. The way that Harris handled himself was very poor. I think the Kanturk incident and the incident in the debate where he had a set-to with the interviewer with regard to whether he was Minister for Health at the time of the signing of the contract for the hospital ... silly stuff like that kind of got under his skin and showed who he really was.”
Rebecca Saunders, a primary schoolteacher, said she felt the Labour Party and the Social Democrats would regret not having a longer campaign. In terms of Fine Gael, she said, “I think it just felt a bit flat and [Simon Harris’s] inexperience showed.
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“From a Sinn Féin perspective, they have not done well. They’re talking about a historic mandate: you’re not fooling anybody. They lost 5 per cent of the vote that they had in 2020. I have severe reservations about Sinn Féin being in government, I really do. But part of me wanted to be convinced, I wanted to hear something convincing.
“The leaders’ debate was, I think, a turning point. Simon Harris came across as a muttering grump and very immature, with layers of insincerity – all of his political energy is very performative. But Mary Lou McDonald just couldn’t get out from under the realness of the questions. She didn’t have answers.”
Aisling O’Reilly, a 29-year-old tech worker, said for Opposition parties it was “easy to poke holes at things that have gone wrong, particularly in hindsight. To me this election result was less that people wanted to vote for the same and more just a lack of a viable alternative option that people could get behind. I think that’s why Labour and the Social Democrats have done well.
“To me, Sinn Féin are the real losers and they’ve let themselves down in the campaign. I thought the Kanturk thing was the most overblown 45-second clip. I thought Simon Harris really let himself down in the three leaders’ debate. He was just so immature – he could have come off a lot better. For me anyway, that was a bit of a turning point in terms of likeability.”
Catherine Bergin, a public service worker living in Dundalk, said she felt the campaign was “artificial in that it was real auction politics”. She also felt the Kanturk incident was overblown. With regard to the leaders’ debates, “It really astonished me just how weak Mary Lou McDonald was.” She felt that Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin was “totally in command”, while Fine Gael leader Simon Harris delivered “cringy” lines.
Tommy Cole, who lives in Tralee, Co Kerry, felt that Sinn Féin did well in their efforts to make change for younger people who are stuck in a box room and can’t afford rent or finance for a home. He highlighted the number of professionals who are leaving Ireland because of issues with housing and infrastructure. “Do you really think that the same government will fix the same problem that they haven’t fixed in the last 100 years?” he asked.
Seán Ryan, who lives in rural Co Limerick, said it was not a campaign that majored on any big ideas. “There was no big topic that grasped the debate – it wasn’t about left or right. I think the campaign was about who would be competent enough to lead the country through the next five years. When this government leaves office, Trump will have been gone for six months so we were picking people who are going to steer us through choppy waters.”
Kim Walshe, a 26-year-old communications worker who lives in Drimnagh, Dublin, also felt the campaign was a bit short. “I was really disappointed in the low turnout, especially for the younger age group. I’m 26 and I just can’t comprehend not going and using my vote.” She felt if more younger voters had come out, Sinn Féin may have done better. On the leaders’ debate, she said she felt that Mary Lou McDonald “didn’t come across as well as I’d say she had hoped. There were some really obvious questions there that she didn’t have answers to that I feel like she should have at least been briefed on, should have had something to say. Simon Harris came across really badly. He was just constantly mumbling, it was constant noise.”
How they voted
Rebecca voted for the Greens, the Social Democrats and Labour.
Robert gave Micheál Martin his number one, and then an Independent and Labour.
Sean gave his support to a local Fianna Fáil candidate and then transferred to the Labour Party, the Social Democrats and the Green Party.
Catherine voted for the Labour Party and the Green Party and continued her preferences down the page.
Aisling voted Green, Labour and Fine Gael as they were the candidates who canvassed her door and answered her concerns.
Jo voted Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and then an Independent, saying she didn’t see anything else that really impressed her.
Kim voted Sinn Féin, Labour and the Social Democrats.
Tommy voted for Sinn Féin, Social Democrats and People Before Profit.
What should happen next?
Kim said she felt it would be Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Independents in power.
Robert said he felt that “middle Ireland” would not vote for Sinn Féin in sufficient numbers to get them into government, “so the best alternative is for the Labour Party to grow and develop into a party that would represent most of Ireland instead of just the socialist element. The best way they can do that is to be in opposition.”
Sean warned that there was a “huge risk” in Independents entering power and questioned whether Labour should grasp the opportunity in front of them. “What’s the point in being in politics when you’re thinking about the next election in five years’ time? Why not take the opportunity?”
Catherine forecasts a Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Independent coalition.
Rebecca said she believes Fianna Fáil would prefer Independents.
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