Friday, March 16, 2007
SDLP criticise Sinn Fein of ‘over canvassing’…
On our last Slugger Radio outing Sammy noted that Sinn Fein’s electioneering techniques were miles ahead of the field. Unfairly so, say several senior SDLP MLAs.
Dolores Kelly:
“We were getting reports of Sinn Fein going twice to the same doors on the day of the election asking if people had voted,” she said. “People were complaining to us that there were up to 10 men standing outside the voting station and that they found it quite intimidating.” She said there were also cases of republican ballads being blasted at SDLP candidates when they arrived at polling stations.
SDLP MLA for Newry and Armagh Dominic Bradley had a similar story: “Some people I know of were canvassed up to four times during the course of the campaign,” he said. “I think they were selected. In other words, anyone that was not convinced, they would revisit.” One nationalist source said she saw Sinn Fein members holding an elderly man’s hand and putting the voting card into it to show him who he should vote for. She said party members had a colour-coded register defining whether voters were definite Sinn Fein, possible Sinn Fein, SDLP and those who didn’t vote last time.
But there is hardly any secret about this method. Slugger was told during a Sinn Fein campaign in Oldpark in North Belfast in the last Assembly elections in November 2003, that they categorise voters in core areas as either green (definite SF) or yellow (possible converts). It’s methodical, and in the heartland areas it seems to deliver. It may be one reason Sinn Fein are the only party with five seats in a single constituency. And, most importantly, it’s entirely legal.
In fairness, the real problem may simply be that other parties are under canvassing.
Mick Fealty @ 06:44 PM
Why losing elections isn’t our fault. SDLP excuse 140:
We aren’t very good at fighting them.
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 06:59 PMMy heart bleeds for them.
Imagine the cheek of another party trying to maximise their vote.
It’s so unfair.Snivelling
Downcast
Losing
Party.They will just have to try harder/do better next time around.
And I wish them well; I’m not a supporter of any particlar party. But crying in your cups will get you nowhere.Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 07:11 PMThese people have obviously never been involved in a political campaign in England where these mathods are entirely routine. In fact, a big parliamentary by-election in England makes this stuff look tame!
This is nothing but a giant whinge and Alliance do many of the same things as SF but, sadly, with less manpower.
I don’t intend to say anything more about this as some rivals seem incapable of joining dots and putting two and two together and I’d like it to stay that way. Suffice to say… whinge of the century! There’s a possible argument for limiting personnel at and around polling stations, but certainly no need for an oughtright ban or any other restriction at all on polling day activity.
This doesn’t even begin to touch on some of the more sophisticated stuff that people can and do implement… again, don’t ask because youse won’t be told!
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 07:11 PMWell if this is the attitude it looks like the SDLP fully intend to learn nothing from this election
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 07:34 PMI’ve cringed listening to the SDLP and UUP complain that their rivals weren’t playing fair, coz, like, they were organised!
However...I would like stricter controls around the pollong centres. I heard one story of the DUPers directing their voters to leave the DUP literature - with the suggested 1-2-3 - in the polling booths.
Sammy - stop being a tease!
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 07:34 PMSammy - stop being a tease!
My lips are sealed. Never underestimate the preceptiveness of the electorate or the stupidity of your opponents!
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 07:37 PMThey probably complain that the manufacturers of popular products use “advertising”, too.
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 07:43 PMI note this doesn’t appear on their website which hasn’t been updated since 6th March.
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 07:51 PMThese people have obviously never been involved in a political campaign in England where these mathods are entirely routine. In fact, a big parliamentary by-election in England makes this stuff look tame!
I second that. I did a small bit of canvassing for Labour in the 1992 election, and they were using the same techniques then.
Brid Rogers made some comments on the BBC’s election coverage to the effect that the voters had inflated expectations about the amount of canvassing politicians could do. It was quite telling in a way she obviously didn’t intend.
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 08:12 PMI did a small bit of canvassing for Labour in the 1992 election, and they were using the same techniques then.
The basic techniques have been used all over the democratic world for at least 100 years.
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 08:19 PMCarlsberg don’t do feeble excuses, but if they did....
A priceless gem courtesy of the modern ‘No-Nothing’ party of Irish politics.
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 08:21 PMThere’s an historical inevitability about the decline of the SDLP. It has fulfilled its political role in the development of the peace process and the transformation of NI society.
The nationalist electorate has now passed the majority mandate onto Sinn Fein.
However the SDLP should be allowed to die with dignity and with some grace.. Complaints about Sinn Fein electoral tactics from the few remaining SDLP MLAs is pitiful and embarrassing to watch. It also further alienates its fewremaining members within the nationalist community.Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 08:39 PMfirst it was impersonation, and the sdlp and unionists got legislation on that with stricter regulations for voting: result? their votes dropped! who truly was the big impersonators in the good old days?
sinn fein do a professional canvass on top of being available for peole at both local and national levels. result: people see them as a genuine party of the people, not a wind-bag of moaning middle class lickspittle.
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 08:47 PMThe poor old SDLP arn’t getting much sympathy here
Give the stoops a break, they are already in disarray !!!
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 09:02 PMI’ve often found it kinda strange talking to some folks from the north who seem to ascribe almost magical powers to the SF canvassing and vote management effort. Speaking as a member of Fine Gael, none of the things I’ve heard of SF doing are anything that any of the parties in the south wouldn’t be doing.
Where some intimidation does appear to happen is in people’s heads. SF can’t know how you voted so drop down to the polling station and vote for whoever you want. All the parties know is if you voted or not.
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 09:03 PMI don’t really see the point in complaining to the media- you’ll just get the kind of responses seen on this thread. There are two options-
a) approach the authorities with your concerns and lobby for changes to the system e.g. banning party activists from the building except when they are themselves voting. I know that information is passed out from polling stations, and this would perhaps address that problem. I also know that staff are not trained, resulting in incidents such as them trying to tell people sporting party logo badges that they have to take them off in the voting area (when in fact only paraphernalia endorsing an actual candidate or telling people to vote a certain way is forbidden) and not being aware of how people can work the system to pass info out about who hasn’t yet voted. A tightened system would go some way to addressing these concerns.
Alternatively,
b) if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 09:06 PMReminds me of the complaint the stoopers made at another recent election that the Shinners were making their own ballot papers. Turned out it was the sample ballot papers which are given to electors at polling stations which were a different colour, had printed numbers against the Shinners candidates, were not stamped like official ballot papers and had a large “SAMPLE BALLOT PAPER” written on them.
Sammy
Could you tell me what happens to the ballot papers after the counts and who wants to know who everyone actually votes for? (hence the stamps on ballots above!)
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 09:15 PMI can well understand why Ms Kelly might be worried. She will lose her seat next time out.
As for Bradley, he thought that canvassing with Enda Kenny was a good idea. The Fine Gael leader recently said that giving northern elected representatives speaking rights in the Dail would be an insult to unionists. Bradley got elected but his running mate Sharon Haughey failed to make it despite a lot of hype.
I predict that after the forthcoming 26 county election Fine Gael will be looking for another leader. The SDLP should be looking for another leader but who have they got??
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 09:31 PMI know that information is passed out from polling stations, and this would perhaps address that problem.
El Matador,
Why’s that a problem? It happens in elections all over the world.
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 09:37 PMCould you tell me what happens to the ballot papers after the counts and who wants to know who everyone actually votes for?
AFAIK, it’s in case of a disputed election, so the election court can examine disputed papers.
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 09:49 PMRoisin-
“Why’s that a problem? It happens in elections all over the world.”
It’s illegal.
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 09:50 PMNo intmidation here, just sour grapes
If you are looking for sinister intimidation -
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/northernirelandassembly/story/0,,2035537,00.html
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 09:53 PMJust pipping in to agree with Sammy. The “complaints” that the SDLP are referring to are all standard stuff.
It’s not only the Stoops who suck at elections. I was surprised when a UUP individual canvassed my house before the election. All he had in his hands were leaflets, no notebook or pen, or records of any kind. I watched him canvassing the rest of the street, and he made no notes that I could see of what response he was getting on the doors. Are the political parties here really so crap that they don’t have a clue about how to actually run an election campaign ? No wonder they lost so heavily. They have always been able to bank on their tribal vote coming out to the extent that they never had to run a proper campaign.
That said, it’s not as if Sinn Fein are above dirty tricks. Mark Devenport’s book on Gerry Adams records some of the staged techniques that were used against Joe Hendron in the run up to 1997. Sinn Fein’s vote-stealing tactics and methods of fiddling with postal votes are legendary. They can’t do any of that stuff any more though, and this makes their effort at legitimate vote gathering in the past number of years even more remarkable.
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 09:54 PMRoisin and El Mat:
It is quite specifically illegal but very difficult to enforce. In other parts of the world, it’s not even legal for party workers to record the information of who has or has not voted - an extension of the idea that the ballot should be secret. Though it is the accepted standard in Britain and Ireland.
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 09:55 PMIf this is what the SDLP analysis of their performance, over the past two elections, has come up with, well to be honest, it’s not worth their while standing in a third.
Is the UUP analysis going to be something similiar?
Of course the SDLP got everything right, it was those nasty chappies in Sinn Fein that lost them votes… with their policies and statements and decision making processes, their structures and organisational abilities. How very very dare they.
Posted by on Mar 16, 2007 @ 09:58 PM
