TellUsWhy.ie - Irish website tries to move presidential race beyond a soap opera
By: Daniel O'Carroll | Published Tuesday, November 1, 2011, 7:06 PM | Updated Tuesday, November 1, 2011, 7:06 PM
Here's a great idea that got noticed a little late in the day to maximize its potential.
TellUsWhy.ie departs from a simple premise: that candidates for the presidency need to tell us
why they're fit for the job rather than engage in a mud-slinging contest trying to unearth the latest scandal.
The website seems to have got going around January (see an Irish Independent piece dated around that date,
here) but hasn't received the attention it deserves.
With just a little over a week left until ballot day, most of the electorate, myself included, are left with that frustrating feeling that while we understand what kind of letters David Norris wrote, what boards Mary David sat on, and approximately what sort of role Martin McGuinness played in the IRA's bloody past, we know precious little about what each of the respective candidates actually stand for.
'
Tell Us Why' could have been more than a website -- it could have become a national slogan for a disenfranchised and under-informed electorate left bewildered by the media sandstorm.
The website, the brainchild of Trinity College politics student, Daniel Philbin Bowman (a son of veteran RTE broadcaster John Bowman) has managed to post four questions to candidates so far, and received a response from each, but four dozen questions (and perhaps a nicer layout) would have been more helpful.
Nevertheless it's a great idea, and one which could have really engaged the public had people not been so distracted by the often lurid allegations flying back and forth.
And the fallout from those lurid allegations is now the largest reason why many may choose not to vote come election day.
As the official literature comes flying in the letterbox and the canvassing draws to a close, making an educated decision as to who to vote for seems extremely difficult -- particularly as the fact that there are also two referenda to vote on gains public attention.
One commentator pointed out that as the Irish president essentially assumes a figurehead role there are no real policies or manifestos to advance and counter-- thus the race for the job has become little more than a thinly glorified popularity contest involving desperate attempts by each candidate to denigrate the others.
That may be the case, but after three months of the 'soap opera' as it's now often dubbed, myself, and most of the country, are still at a loss as to who to vote for on election day. Perhaps someone could have told us why!
3 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.jacersagain | Oct 23, 2011, 08:49 PM EDT
(..more) Secularisation is not good news, despite what the press would have us believe (wait until the Press Council of Ireland sits on the Council of State, or worse, the Muslim Council of Ireland). It plays into Satin’s (sic) hands and, as all know, ‘Satin’ does not believe in democracy. Sorry to blot yr Monday morning, Townie. I challenge you to be presidential in spreading the Good News of Christ instead of calling for the demolition of a grand building (An Áras) and the crawling out from under “Mother England’s skirt”. Instead, I think you should be encouraging people to crawl to Mother Mary’s skirt’s hem, where all who trust in her Son’s message and sacrifice find the greatest of solace, peace of mind and happiness. At least two of the candidates – Scallon and McGuinness – know that already. But they, like the others would rather play the secular card of the "eejit meedja".
jacersagain | Oct 23, 2011, 08:45 PM EDT
Good article by Danny and an interesting post by Townie. Thanks to Danny for link to Tell Us Why, which I didn’t know about. I’ve read the responses the candidates gave to the questions (except for Dana Scallon, who has not yet responded) and, from them, my estimation of Mary Davis has hugely shot up. Except for her strong comment on the secularisation of Ireland, that is. She clearly does not recognise that Jesus Christ died for her and all and asked that all (including a President of Ireland) should "go tell everyone" The Good News. Any presidential candidate that is prepared to stand up, at home and abroad, to say “Ireland is grateful to be a Christian nation because it knows Christ died for us all; let us all respect that.” will get my vote. From the Tell Us Why presidential candidates’ answers to obviously loaded questions, it is clear that they are ignoring The Good News of Christ and don’t want to be “embarrassed” in talking about it at home or abroad. (More...)
Towngate | Oct 19, 2011, 12:17 PM EDT
Ah, Danny, the gombeens and chancers have got you where they want you: Dazed and Confused, Hopeful and Despairing, Deluding yourself that the election is important. Lookit! so long as any free Irish are almost killing themselves for the honour of residing in the former British Vice Regal Lodge (very unconvincingly renamed), the Office of President should be suspended until a "'66 Pillar Job" is done on 'the Aras'; and a new IRISH home fit for an Independent Irish Republic born President (No non-Irish need apply!) is elected by all the adult Citizens of the Republic of Ireland, is built! ~~~ The Office if the President of the Republic of Ireland should reflect our true Independance and demonstrate clearly to the world that we have finally crawled out from under Mother England's skirts! ~~~ Hope this helps! Slainte!