Symbolic Irish emigrant vote gives Fine Gael victory

DARA KELLY,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Saturday, February 26, 2011, 8:50 AM

Updated Saturday, February 26, 2011, 8:50 AM

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Enda Kenny leader of Fine Gael

Irish emigrants voted Fine Gael as the biggest party in Ballotbox.ie’s poll of Irish abroad. Enda Kenny’s party won 63 seats in the symbolic survey of 5,580 emigrants.

The Labour Party is the next biggest winner with 51 seats.

Sinn Fein came in with 23 seats, the third biggest party in the poll.

Fianna Fail received a resounding thumbs down from the Irish diaspora, retaining just two seats – those of Micheal Martin and Brian Lenihan. Their coalition partners, the Greens, on the other hand increased their Dail representation to 10 seats.

Independent candidates also did well, winning 11 seats.

Carried out over ten days, 5,580 Irish emigrants in 124 different countries voted in the poll. IP technology was used to block voters in Ireland, and passport information was used to discourage non-Irish people from voting. This is the first time such a poll has been attempted.

The aim of the site was to highlight that Irish emigrants are immediately disenfranchised upon leaving the country. This is in stark contrast to many other democracies, including the United States, the UK, Australia, Canada, and most EU countries.

An estimated 3.1 million Irish passport holders live abroad, with 800,000 being Irish-born. Nearly 28,000 citizens left Ireland in the year ending April 2010, and at least 60,000 have left in the last three years.

People Before Profit returned three candidates – including Richard Boyd Barrett – and the Socialist Party won two seats.

Other notable winners include Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams, the Green Party’s Dan Boyle, and Independents Mick Wallace and Dylan Haskins.

Notable losers include former Cabinet Ministers Mary Coughlan, Batt O’Keeffe, Mary Hanafin, Eamon O’Cuiv and Pat Carey, Junior Minister Conor Lenihan, Independent TDs Jackie Healy Rae and Michael Lowry, and Ciaran Cuffe, the only Green incumbent not returned to be the Dail.

Breakdown by party of emigrant vote :
** Fine Gael – 63 seats
** Labour – 51 seats
** Sinn Fein – 23 seats
** Independents – 11 seats
** Greens – 10 seats
** People Before Profit – 3
** Socialist Party – 2
** Fianna Fail – 2

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Cranleigh | Feb 26, 2011, 01:39 PM EST

I don't think it was a waste. It shows that emigrants want a greater say in Irish politics.

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jimmybb | Feb 26, 2011, 01:36 PM EST

travellingman it hink most irish people with half a brain knew it would all end in tears but they expected their govt voted representatives to look out 4 them this could have been curtailed had they listened but they were drunk on their own power 4 so long and as a person who left ireland 20 yrs ago we knew it before ireland knew it but seriousally where were their elected reps they were asleep at the wheel living high on the hog and still are in retirement wheres the oversight there is none as R.T.E the irish national tv station were in cahoots with the govt in their reporting of the dismal faliures in the irish economy except for a few economists who told these treasonous people the truth wheres the democracy??in a lot of other countries fianna fail bankers senior civil sevants including R.T.E senior staff would be in jail or even worse ireland a democracy who exports her best n brightest when it suits her lets her priosoners vote in elections but not her emigrants who r forced to flee the only other country in the euro americas australias part of the world is greece that dosent let her x people vote so its no suprise to me that ireland and greece are the countries in the most turmoil ;;mother eire;; will rise from the ashes but not without a bloody civil disturbance of some kind as the great people of eire can only take so much internal an external pressure unlesss there is massive changes with this new govt ;;fact ;; right or wrong

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CanadianPat | Feb 26, 2011, 01:27 PM EST

At this early point in the count(first count not yet complete) it looks like a mirror image of what the true vote count looks to be! Odd that ,as I would have expected otherwise.

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Travellingman | Feb 26, 2011, 12:15 PM EST

The interesting part to all this, is that when a bubble bursts like they always do and have always done so historically, whether it’s the evil South Sea Bubble of 1720, or the somewhat irregular Tulip Mania Bubble which peaked in about 1637, where the price of Tulip Bulbs became extraordinarily valued at insane levels, we always have a tendency to blame others for what we ourselves do. In fact if any, even the hyacinth when this was first introduced, looked at one stage as if it would go completely off the off the radar with speculative pricing, however this managed to dramatically fall in value, thank goodness ….But we never seem to learn as to how this can have a life shattering effect to an Economy and peoples lives. If any, I love Ireland, the people and this beautiful country. Living in Clonmel as I did during the Boom in early 2002 where I have Family, I could clearly see this approaching. So the very best of luck to all my friends in Ireland.

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maryemoore | Feb 26, 2011, 11:04 AM EST

Thanks to Ballotbox for allowing us to express our votes and opinions. Hope the results reach the new govt. so it can see the unity of Irish citizens desires both in Ireland and abroad.

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cillowen | Feb 26, 2011, 10:54 AM EST

the exercise was/is a waste.

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Nelsonbarry | Feb 26, 2011, 10:37 AM EST

Thanks for allowing our votes to at least be known. Shame on the rest of the passport holders for not casting a vote.

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Cranleigh | Feb 26, 2011, 10:23 AM EST

It was a great idea. I voted. Of EU countries, only Greece and Ireland exclude their emigrants in this way.

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