More from the frontlines May 10, 2007
Posted by canvasser in Irish Election 2007.trackback
Things the media considers important, but have yet to come up at a single, solitary doorstep I’ve been on since the election began:
Stamp Duty.
Immigration (To my own astonishment).
Bertiegate, all various strands.
Things the media seems relatively uninterested in, but come up very frequently:
Social Housing waiting lists.
Carers. The Means Test and the other restrictions on it.
Playgrounds/sporting facilities.
Most serious case raised by a voter:
An ongoing threat to her life, and that of her family, by a criminal in prison who falsely believed a member of the family had supplied information that had led to his arrest. The threat has so far led to three attacks on family homes and two serious assaults by his associates.
Least serious case raised by a voter:
“I travel a lot around the world and there are these six people, all Irish, who follow me everywhere. Two of them followed me to Thailand three weeks ago. It’s been going on for years and I don’t know why.”
Most heartbreaking case:
A late middle aged woman suffering from mild MS, married to a serious alcoholic who is the sole caregiver to her bed-bound alzheimer’s suffering mother and receives no state support.
Angriest voters:
Nurses. Pissed off and articulate with it. Often very cute too.
Weirdest voter:
‘What’s your party’s position on the Bilderburg Group and the New World Order?’
2nd Weirdest voter:
‘I’ll give you a vote. Me dog didn’t bark when you came in and he barked at the other ones so you must be alright.’
‘I’ll give you a vote. Me dog didn’t bark when you came in and he barked at the other ones so you must be alright.’
At least it isnt the case that he is just voting as he has always done. Some (odd) semblance of objective criteria is nice to see.
[...] issues and doorstep issues, then the Cedar’s have what your after. Their new poster ‘Canvasser‘ has been great reading so far and today’s post details [...]
Aborion abortion abortion.
“Stamp Duty.
Immigration (To my own astonishment).”
The sindo did a (proper for once) poll of issues deemed important by the electorate on April 22nd. Immigration and stamp duty came in equal last place of the 14 choices with 7% each.
Naturally most of the rest of the very same issue of the very same paper was concerned with crowing about how they had single-handedly made stamp duty the number one election issue. They just love democracy.
Immigration has come up for me a few times. Stamp duty similiarily, not every day, but both would come up in maybe 1 in 50 doors answered.