European Parliament Elections 2009

**pete** · 11/05/2009, 5:41 PM

Full Candidate List confirmed.

Incumbents *.

Dublin 3 seats, down from 4.
Byrne Eibhlin (FF)
De Burca Deirdre (GP)
De Rossa Proinsias (Lab) *
Higgins Joe (SP)
McDonald Mary Lou (SF) *
McKenna Patricia (Ind)
Mitchell Gay (FG) *
Ryan Eoin (FF) *
Simons Caroline (Lib)
Sweeney Emmanuel (Ind)

East 3 seats.
Aylward Liam (FF) *
Byrne Thomas (FF)
Childers Nessa (Lab)
Funchion Kathleen (SF)
Garvey Paddy (IND)
Grealy Micheál E (Ind)
McGuinness Mairéad (FG) *
O'Malley Raymond (Lib)
Phelan John Paul (FG)
Sharkey Tomás (SF)
Tallon Jim (Ind)

North West 3 seats
Gallagher Pat "The Cope" (FF)
Ganley Declan (Lib)
Harkin Marian (Ind) *
Higgins Jim (FG) *
Higgins John Francis (Ind)
King Thomas (Ind)
MacLochlainn Padraig (SF)
McCullagh Noel (Ind)
McNamara Michael (Ind)
Mooney Paschal (FF)
O'Keeffe Susan (Lab)
O Luain Fiachra (Ind)
O'Reilly Joe (FG)

South
Boyle Dan (GP)
Burke Colm (FG) (held Simon Coveneys seat since he resigned in 2007)
Crowley Brian (FF) *
Ferris Toireasa (SF)
Kelly Alan (Lab)
Kelly Sean (FG)
O'Keeffe Ned (FF)
Sexton Maurice (Ind)
Sinnott Kathy (Ind) *
Stafford Alexander (Ind)

Northern Ireland 3 seats.
Agnew Steven (GP)
Allister Jim (TUV) *
De Brún Bairbre (SF) *
Dodds Dianne (DUP)
Maginness Alban (SDLP)
Nicholson Jim (UUP) *
Parsley Ian (Alliance)

**Battery Rover** · 14/05/2009, 8:13 PM

Plenty of info on sitting MEPs from Ireland including speeches and attendance records etc

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/member...IE&language=EN

**irishultra** · 15/05/2009, 3:12 AM

I'm sort of blindly voting in these European elections, I mean what exactly are they about? Probably as I heard on the radio during the week European Union transperancy isn't really relevant to many people in these economic times.

I'll be going for Labour who are alligned with PES.

**Dodge** · 15/05/2009, 9:07 AM

Attendance records for the MEPs

Dublin
Mitchell - 88%
De Rossa - 83%
Ryan - 83%
McDonald - 56%

East
Aylward - 91%
Doyle - 87%
McGuinness - 87%

North West
Harkin - 87%
Higgins - 86%
O Neachtain - 94%

South
Burke - 85%
Crowley - 94%
Sinnott - 93%

Pretty good records by everyone but Mary Lou McDonald in fairness

**The Good Son** · 15/05/2009, 9:32 AM

Originally Posted by Dodge

Attendance records for the MEPs

Dublin
Mitchell - 88%
De Rossa - 83%
Ryan - 83%
McDonald - 56%

East
Aylward - 91%
Doyle - 87%
McGuinness - 87%

North West
Harkin - 87%
Higgins - 86%
O Neachtain - 94%

South
Burke - 85%
Crowley - 94%
Sinnott - 93%

Pretty good records by everyone but Mary Lou McDonald in fairness

Does attendance mean just signing in, I wonder? If you sign in, like Sinnott,
http://www.independent.ie/national-n...e-1425236.html
and leg it straight back out on to the next flight home, are you still recorded as being in attendance.
If this is the case then Mary Lou is either the stupidest or most honest of the lot.

**holidaysong** · 15/05/2009, 9:40 AM

With Dublin down to 3 seats, it's hard to see McDonald holding on to her seat anyway. If people actually used the EP elections to vote on European issues, the anti-Lisbon transfers might see her through but that's not very likely as EP elections are always just used as opinion polls on the government of the day.

**Dodge** · 15/05/2009, 9:41 AM

Originally Posted by The Good Son

Does attendance mean just signing in, I wonder? If you sign in, like Sinnott,
http://www.independent.ie/national-n...e-1425236.html
and leg it straight back out on to the next flight home, are you still recorded as being in attendance.
If this is the case then Mary Lou is either the stupidest or most honest of the lot.

Click battery Rover's link above and you can read all you like about their attendance, what committees they're on etc etc

**holidaysong** · 15/05/2009, 9:58 AM

By the way, it should be pointed out that McDonald was on maternity leave for some of that time. This would explain part of that low attendance and it isn't factored into those figures which Dodge put up.

Edit: SF claim that when maternity leave is taken into account that her actual attendance record is 73%..

http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/stateoftheunion/

**dahamsta** · 15/05/2009, 10:02 AM

The wife told me that yesterday, plus she wouldn't have been able to travel before she gave birth. Crazy that wasn't included in that dataset.

**pete** · 15/05/2009, 10:21 AM

If people really care about the Lisbon Treaty it shoudl really see a large vote for Libertas.

First flyer in the door this week for Caroline Simmons who is running in Dublin. The most noticable thing about she was having a pop at all the toher candidates for various things but told me nothing about herself. Had to google her to find bio on her web site. No chance I will vote for Libertas but I have seen her on TV & she comes across very poorly. I don't like Ganley but he is sharp on TV.

**Dodge** · 15/05/2009, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by holidaysong

By the way, it should be pointed out that McDonald was on maternity leave for some of that time. This would explain part of that low attendance and it isn't factored into those figures which Dodge put up.

Edit: SF claim that when maternity leave is taken into account that her actual attendance record is 73%..

http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/stateoftheunion/

Fair points. I didn't know anything about her pregnancy and took the figures at face value

**Bald Student** · 15/05/2009, 2:11 PM

The professor who put the statistics together was on the radio the other day and accepted he had made a mistake and apologised to Mary Lou.

**Dodge** · 15/05/2009, 3:02 PM

Originally Posted by Bald Student

The professor who put the statistics together was on the radio the other day and accepted he had made a mistake and apologised to Mary Lou.

The statistics on the Euro parliament site?

**Bald Student** · 15/05/2009, 3:13 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

The statistics on the Euro parliament site?

No, he was some British professor who put together a website to do with the European Parliament.

**pete** · 15/05/2009, 10:47 PM

Irish Times

Fianna Fáil is set to hold at least three of its four seats in the European Parliament, despite the slump in the party vote, but Libertas founder, Declan Ganley, is unlikely to be elected, according to the latest Irish Times /TNS mrbi poll.

Percentages from IT.

North West
Jim Higgins (FG) 20%
Pat “The Cope” Gallagher (FF) 19%
Marian Harkin (Ind) 18%
Padraig MacLochlainn (SF) 10%
Declan Ganely (Lib) 9%

Dublin
Gay Mitchell of (FG) 26%
Proinsias De Rossa (Lab) 21%
Mary Lou McDonald (SF) 14%
Eoin Ryan (FF) 11%
Patricia McKenna (Ind) 8%
Joe Higgins (Soc) 7%
Deirdre De Burca (Green) 6%
Eibhlin Byrne (FF) 5%
Caroline Simons (Lib)1%

FF 1st preference vote down 1/3 from 23% in 2004. FG up from 21%. Labour had 2 candidates with same percentage. SF also on same number. McKenna had 9% as official Green candidate - would they get seat if vote not split?

**sligoman** · 16/05/2009, 1:15 PM

Originally Posted by pete

First flyer in the door this week for Caroline Simmons who is running in Dublin. The most noticable thing about she was having a pop at all the toher candidates for various things but told me nothing about herself.

Ganley's one is the same. Must be a Libertas thing.

**holidaysong** · 16/05/2009, 2:33 PM

EU citizens would have to apply for a 'blue card' to allow them to work in other EU countries for a maximum of 2 years. Someone from Newry wanting to work in Dundalk would also have to apply for this (although Simons doesn't initially seem to realise that Newry and Dundalk aren't in the same member state)..

Listen here - From 8 minutes, 40 seconds in.

**OneRedArmy** · 16/05/2009, 4:49 PM

Originally Posted by holidaysong

EU citizens would have to apply for a 'blue card' to allow them to work in other EU countries for a maximum of 2 years. Someone from Newry wanting to work in Dundalk would also have to apply for this (although Simons doesn't initially seem to realise that Newry and Dundalk aren't in the same member state)..

Listen here - From 8 minutes, 40 seconds in.

As I said in the other thread, this puts Libertas' assertion that they are pro-European in true context.

Free movement of labour is probably the core tenet of the EU.

Blatant populism and opportunism given the economic situation.

**pete** · 17/05/2009, 2:59 PM

Originally Posted by holidaysong

EU citizens would have to apply for a 'blue card' to allow them to work in other EU countries for a maximum of 2 years. Someone from Newry wanting to work in Dundalk would also have to apply for this (although Simons doesn't initially seem to realise that Newry and Dundalk aren't in the same member state)..

It seems Libertas are following a similar policy as the Lisbon Treaty. There is no cohesion to their policies & they will jump on any populist campign to win a few votes. During the Lisbon Treaty I could never figure out why they were against due to the miriad of stances on the issues.

**OneRedArmy** · 17/05/2009, 6:58 PM

The only coherent link in their rag tag assortment of candidates across Europe appears to be disaffection with the EU. When you look into it in a bit more detail, some of the candidates are disaffected by the same issue from polar opposite views. Unless they can get get beyond general disaffection and negativity into developing real policies they will die out, regardless of how many votes they get in this election.