Independent Alliance candidate Carol Hunt canvassing in Dun Laoghaire
The threats of chaos from Fine Gal and Labour are too late.
What people are saying on the doorstep would make you weep.
Carol Hunt writes:
You’re not supposed to cry when you go canvassing. It doesn’t look good. Particularly if you’re the candidate. You’re meant to have a bright, open smile, a warm demeanor and a cheerful manner when you present yourself at a person’s doorstep.
Which is all very well, but what happens when you hear, not one, two or three, but a veritable avalanche of tragic stories from the people who open their doors to you?
What do you do when a woman tells you about her son who died by suicide, because there was no care available for him when he presented in distress?
How do you react when a couple shake their heads and ask what was it all for? Their children and grandchildren forced to emigrate, themselves struggling to remain in the family home that was once their pride and joy, now just a reminder to them of all they have lost.
What does one say when tired, frustrated mothers tell you they have no hope that their disabled child will ever get the help they so need and deserve; when elderly retired people, who worked all their lives and paid exhorbitant tax rates, reveal that they can pay their electricity or their property bill but not both, and that they’re living in fear of Revenue taking every penny from their pensions.
How do you react when you hear, over and over again, stories from people – ordinary people, of all ages and classes – who are truly suffering, who have been, not just let down but ravaged, destroyed, chewed up and spat out by the system, tell you the most personal stories about their lives?
What you don’t do is cry. And so last weekend I found myself walking away from a door and unable to knock on the next one. At least not until I could compose myself. Not until I could ensure that I wasn’t going to erupt into a volcano of emotion at the whole bloody injustice of it all.
A woman had told me her own story, that of her son and her family and their awful tragedy – which could have been averted if only our public services were fit for purpose. This was not a story in isolation. The morning had been dominated by tales of tragedy, and by angry, frustrated people explaining to us why they had no belief, no trust and no faith in the current political system.
Our public services are in chaos. Mental health services, in particular are not fit for purpose. The squeezed middle – those hundreds of thousands of families, couples and individuals who seem to pay for everything but qualify for nothing – are raw from the scalping they have received.
Elderly people wonder how a government can get away with taking their pensions and leave them terrified about the future. Parents pray that their disabled child is deemed bad enough to qualify for some level of treatment and care. So many homes, so many hurt people with different stories to tell us. And boy, do they want someone to listen to them.
Initially we wonder why? Why are these people – who have never met us before in their lives – opening up to us, showing us their wounds? Eventually we understand. Because no one else is listening. Because they know what the government will say to them – they’ll list off all the reasons they have to be thankful for the wonderful work FG and Labour are doing on their behalf, and then they’ll tell them to stop whinging.
“Keep the recovery going”? Vast swathes of middle Ireland have seen no recovery, thank you very much, just more bills, fewer services and a disenchantment with Irish democracy that has never been so articulately or so passionately expressed before.
Some people tell us that will never vote again, that there is no point, they are just too sick of the whole charade of lies and broken promises. Most people tell us that they are voting independent and yes, I admit, initially I was surprised at the number of people who told me this.
But hell hath no fury and all that. The sense of betrayal is enormous. Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Labour; voters count them off their fingers and spit out insults. Fool me once, they say, but not again. And yet the mainstream media and politicians seem surprised at the trend toward Independents.
Enda Kenny is complaining that “sometimes I find that people find it difficult to see any good anywhere anytime”.
I dare him to come and say that to the faces of the distraught victims of his austerity programme I’m meeting every day. I dare him come and tell mothers of children with disabilities or elderly people who cannot get a hospital appointment, that they should stop whinging and count their blessings. Fine Gael and Labour are now trying to terrify people with threats of chaos if they aren’t voted back in.
What they don’t understand is that so many people are already living with the chaos meted out to them by previous governments.
What they do not understand is that even those who have not suffered so much – who perhaps have felt some of this infamous recovery – are shocked at the treatment of other Irish citizens; of the sick, the disabled, the homeless, of vulnerable children. Ultimately, what they don’t seem to understand is that most Irish people are not complete self-serving bas***ds.
Who knows, this time we actually get our democratic revolution. Until then, I’ll keep listening – and try not to cry.
Carol Hunt is an Independent Alliance candidate for the Dun Laoghaire constituency. Following Carol on Twitter: @carolmhunt
Pic: Paul Sherwood
She’s right
Have often heard Carol on the radio and read in the newspapers. She is a good woman of the utmost integrity, of that I have no doubt, though I wouldn’t agree with all of her positions.
All of the issues above are real and do require focus – but I have to say, you’ll get nothing done as an independent. You’re talking about cross society issues like suicide and immigration, the only hope of effecting any policy that you think could help would be as part of a party who could push the agenda, push for government policy, push for legislation.
Independents are good for single issues and for local issues, and have their place in that respect, but with regard to the issues above, they will only be addressed from a local perspective as an independent. Which is fine if that’s what your after.
Nonsense Harry, yes it may be harder as an Independent but never say never, win your seat and raise your voice until you are heard. It’s party politics that has us in this fine mess.
for single issues, like Luke Flannagan and turf cutting (bad example as he was unsuccessful) I would agree with you. But not so much the macro problems.
anyway, am happy to be proven wrong :)
Point taken Harry, I hope you are proven wrong too :) , as Same old same old below says “slow disintegration of national party politics”, the right sort of political reform could shorten the war by years and save hundreds of lives.
Well no, the Government cut peat and burn it.
And the whip system
What we are looking at in fact is the slow disintegration of national party politics
Its not like the party system has done anything over the past decades. Time for change, maybe it might just work! Pity I’m not in your constituency Carol. Best of luck on Friday
To vote for an independent who will find it difficult to do anything, or a party who have shown that they won’t do anything.
Good Luck Carol Hunt, I hope you win a seat – a small bit of empathy and common sense goes a long way in this election (and in this world)
If only her empathy extended as far as the unbearable suffering the Palestinians people are enduring over in Gaza and wider Israel, I’d find her much more credible. Yet when Irish people declare that Israel has become an apartheid state it’s “an insult to all people who have suffered under one” according to Carol. Nevermind these days you even have articles entitled “It’s Time to Admit It. Israeli Policy Is What It Is: Apartheid” in Israel’s oldest daily newspaper Haaretz. http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/a-special-place-in-hell/1.671538
An important and highly relevant point well made. Give yourself as many hard slaps on the back as you can. Or punches in the face, whichever.
take the kufiya off and have a shower, hippy.
ah, the carpet bagging C Hunt
Lives beside Croke Park
does not send her kids to local schools, no they are shipped across to the southside for their education
now their momma wants to live on the taxpayers dime as the designated rep for Dun Laoighaire
Carol do you tell everyone where you live?
Quick everyone, she’s getting away with trying to make things better!!! Burn the witch!!
Who does she think she is?
OH ok. That’s a bad word but slut and bitch aren’t?
You are wrong at swearing BS, wrong
Haha I wanted to use bitch as well :)
For someone who swears all the time, I find having to censor my self on BS really hard. It makes me very cross* when other people get things through and I dont!
*not my original words
*Can Tank R Us
where she sends her kids to school baz has no bearing on how she highlights the plight of those in society. Its akin to saying you saw Richie Boyd Barret shopping in marks and sparks, how dare a socialist do that…in other words its inane b0llocks
True Fluffy… like when people had a go at him, Richard, for having the neck to buy a coffee in Starbucks. I thought that was a funny one…. :)
Lol, going from one side of Dublin to the other makes her a carpet bagger….you’re gas.
Baz eh?
Walsh I’m guessing..
socialism in fairness is all made up innit, I mean deep down they all want more and more money, you’re living in a dream world.
Actually,’Baz’ Carol’s children go to school on the Northside of Dublin. Her eldest went to primary school within walking distance of her home – there isn’t a girl’s secondary school within walking distance but she does attend one on the northside! If you’re going to slag someone off for where they live, get your facts right! And, on the radio the other day Carol actually stated she doesn’t live in the constituency of Dunlaoghaire. Its no secret!
“Dún” Laoghaire.
Yes, of all the issues raised in this article, the case of the missing fada is the one of prime importance.
Dun with that sorta thing!
All canvassers are getting an earful right now.
She’s not alone in hearing how difficult it is for people. It may come as a shock to her, but there are politicians who are trying to do the right thing.
She may be one of them who is trying to do the right thing.
It may come as a shock, but some don’t seem to care.
This rings true based on stories I hear every day, as opposed to the sh!te from Enda & Co about the recoveriee.
When she talks about the worry that revenue would raid oaps pensions she must be referring to the SF proposal to tax the bum part out of them. Some government voters there…good to see
I’m embarrassed for you you pathetic clown
Loving your faux moral outrage.
Hunt never clarifies the voting intentions of people she doorstepped. Maybe that elderly couple were worried about SFs proposal to standardise occupational pension employee tax relief down to
20%??
Wasn’t long ago when she was propagandising for Israeli government in the Sunday Independent. That will tell you all you need to know about how much she cares for the downtrodden.
Just because its a different belief to your own doesn’t make it propaganda dude!
That would mean the papers are overwhelmingly full of Palestinian propaganda to many ☺
Good luck to her!
She must have been repulsed having to go into a council estate.
albeit one in Dalkey
Just like Richard Boyd Barrett was?