‘Oughterard effect’ race to the bottom

What impact will the Direct Provision debacle in Oughterard have on local politics, with a general election on the horizon? Anyone with an interest in the Galway West constituency, or politics in general, will be eagerly waiting to see how the Connemara village votes. The Oughterard ballot boxes will be the most scrutinised in the country on count day next year – the national media’s political observers will be glued to the tallymen’s number-crunching. At a public meeting about the now-former proposal to locate a Direct Provision centre in the town, Independent Galway West TD, Noel Grealish, described Christian refugees fleeing Syria, as “genuine”, but African Asylum Seekers were “economic migrants” who come to “sponge” off the system. The comments were ill-judged but rather than row back, Grealish bunkered down, initially ignoring any contact from media, and lapped up praise online from the (very many) people who hold the same opinion. So, how will the whole episode sit with the electorate, outside of the Facebook bubble? Some say Grealish’s hard-line, right-wing stance on migrants will play well with the PD-voters who elected him in the first place. He could even top the poll with a populist strategy straight from the Peter Casey playbook. Then again, Michael D Higgins was a runaway winner in the Presidential election, despite the swing to Casey on the back of anti-Traveller sentiment, and there must be a part of Grealish’s support that will think twice about giving him a tick. Is there a silent majority, who aren’t metaphorically slapping Grealish on the back on social media, who are appalled at his remarks, and who will now vote for someone more welcoming to migrants? Seán Kyne, a Fine Gael TD in neighbouring Moycullen, must be worried, too. Whether it was his fault or not, all sides have pinned the blame on the Department of Justice for the entire debacle . . . can the Government Chief Whip avoid collateral damage? Joyless Joe Loughnane, of People Before Profit, who has been prominent as spokesperson for GARN (Galway Anti Racism Network), has been boosted by a higher profile during the controversy. The only other one who waded into the debate with reasoned argument was Independent Catherine Connolly . . . the fact that the likes of Éamon Ó Cuív and Hildegarde Naughton held their whist shows just how unsure they were of how it might play, electorally.

For more Bradley Bytes, see this week's Galway City Tribune