From the canvass trail

UT in Dublin Mid-West we have been out on the canvass trail since mid-November. The bad weather and dark nights aren’t the best conditions for electioneering but with a general election imminent every vote counts and every night is crucial.
People want change. They know who they won’t be voting for but haven’t yet decided who they intend to support. In many cases they are more open to argument and persuasion that at any stage in recent history.
As was seen in the Donegal South-West by-election, traditional voting patterns and perceptions are breaking down, and in the flux all sorts of opportunities are there for the taking.
Secondly, Sinn Féin spokespersons are impacting on the public debate and Sinn Féin policies are speaking to a section of the electorate like never before. On every canvass at least one voter mentions the media performances of our Leinster House team while others comment on aspects of party policy.
Sinn Féin’s alternative to the ‘Consensus for Cuts’ and opposition to the EU/IMF bailout is having an impact.
Having campaigned in three 26-County general elections, this is the most positive response I have found on the doors to date.
On the down side, however, people are wary of politicians bearing false hopes for the future. Decades of corruption and cronyism from both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael-led governments have taught voters, rightly, to be suspicious of all politicians.
But more than this there is a palpable mood of ‘anti-politics’ in the air. While people want change, their experience tells them that real change won’t come easily.
There is a danger that the depth of the recession and people’s disillusionment with politics in general will generate apathy rather than anger.
This is the challenge for Sinn Féin canvassers. We must transform people’s anger at the status quo into energy for change via the ballot box.
Apathy will only serve those in power. Walking away from politics means that things will never change. There are alternatives to the failed consensus of the Establishment parties.
As we said in our Lisbon campaigns, this election provides an opportunity for voters to turn their anger into action.
Sinn Féin is the only party standing in this election with a credible alternative to the failed social and economic policies of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
We stood firm in our opposition to the cuts to services and social welfare, the increased taxes on low-wage and middle-income families, and the EU/IMF bail-out.
More importantly, we have published radical, credible and costed solutions to the social and economic crises that Fianna Fáil and the Green Party have imposed on the people.
Everyone knows that Fianna Fáil’s and the Green Party’s days are numbered. The real question is what kind of government do we want to replace them with?
Sinn Féin is the only political party offering a real alternative. On the doors, our message is clear - if you want real change vote Sinn Féin.