Category Archives: Dublin

Constituency Revision, Dublin, Uncategorized

What The Electoral Commission might do – North Dublin

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In this post, I will be gradually working through the possible permutations of constituencies that the recently formed Electoral Commission might consider.

Unfortunately I’m slightly shooting blind, as the Terms of Reference merely state that “the total number of members of the Dáil, subject to Article 16.2.2° of the Constitution, shall be not less than 171 and not more than 181”. Apparently, the precise number of members the Dáil will not be set until after the Central Statistics Office releases the final population figures (sometime in the summer months) and will not be revealed until the Constituency Review report is released probably in the Autumn.

However, there seems to be a general concensus amongst people wiser than myself that the final number is likely to be somewhere between 176 and 181 in order to “future-proof” whatever scheme of constituencies is arrived at.

Continue reading What The Electoral Commission might do – North Dublin →

Dublin, Maps

Christy Burke – If at first you don’t succeed….

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Veteran Dublin Inner City activist and politician Christy Burke has been contesting national elections for the past forty years, but the closest the former IRA man and Concerned Parents Against Drugs activist came to being elected was in 2020 on his tenth attempt when he was beaten on the last count by 220 votes.

As a young man, Christy Burke was in the IRA and sided with the Provisionals in the 1970 split. He later spent some time in Portlaoise prison as a consequence.

His first electoral outing in Dublin Central for Sinn Féin  was in February 1982, when he took 1,458 (3%) of the vote and was eliminated on the 6th count after only gaining 47 votes in the intervening counts. It has to be said by way of mitigation that he was fishing out of the same pond as the late Tony Gregory (who won a seat for the first time at this election taking 4,703 votes) and Michael White of Sinn Féin the Workers’ Party (who took 1,672 votes). Nearly 60% of his transferred votes went to Gregory (36%) and White (23%)

Continue reading Christy Burke – If at first you don’t succeed…. →

Dublin Central, Maps, Socio-Economic Analysis

Neasa Hourigan : The Green who saw Red

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Neasa Hourigan has – at least temporarily – departed the Green Party fold and now represents Dublin Central as an Independent. This means the total number of years that Dublin Central has hosted a Green TD is just over two – it remains to be seen whether Hourigan will come back under the party whip to augment that total.

Dublin Central wouldn’t hitherto have been considered natural territory for the Greens as it historically has a strongly working-class population in the Inner City and in Cabra, but in the last two decades there has been an increasing younger middle-class presence.

2016 DC Middle-Class

Continue reading Neasa Hourigan : The Green who saw Red →

Dublin, Maps, Socio-Economic Analysis

Dublin Bay North – What a (possible) Carve-Up!

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Recently the Phoenix published an article about the possible ramifications of the census – in particular population growth – on the redrawing of boundaries when figures become available. This is particularly pertinent because of the current constitutional requirement that there be that ratio of TDs to population be no more than 1:30,000 – which limit we were only just under in 2016. The population growth since then probably means that up to 10 extras seats will be required.

I’m going to take – roughly – the possible redrawing of boundaries proscribed by the Phoenix article, and look at the possible outcomes in the two putative constituencies – which I’m calling Dublin North Central and Dublin Fingal South – that would arise from the ashes of Dublin Bay North.

Continue reading Dublin Bay North – What a (possible) Carve-Up! →

2016 General Election, Dublin, Dublin South-West, Socio-Economic Analysis

SCENES FROM THE CLASS STRUGGLE IN DUBLIN STH-WEST

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Dublin South-West is a constituency of contrasts – nearly one-half of voters live in predominantly working-class areas, while one-third of voters live in predominantly middle-class areas. And there are sharp contrasts in how the votes fell in the different areas. Continue reading SCENES FROM THE CLASS STRUGGLE IN DUBLIN STH-WEST →

2016 General Election, Biggest Parties, Dublin, Dublin South-West, Maps

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE AAA-PBPS

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After the 2011 Election, Sinn Fein seemed set to dominate the Tallaght vote and quite possibly take 2 out of the 5 seats in the new Dublin Sth-West.

However their failure to win the by-election in 2014 telegraphed that their dominance was far from assured – although even that result failed to presage that their vote in 2016 would in fact slip back from their 2011 vote (they took 17% in the old South-West constituency area in February versus 20% in 2011). Continue reading RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE AAA-PBPS →

2016 General Election, Dublin, Dublin South-Central, Maps, Socio-Economic Analysis

SCENES FROM THE CLASS STRUGGLE IN DUBLIN STH-CENTRAL

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SCENES FROM THE CLASS STRUGGLE IN DUBLIN SOUTH-CENTRAL

Dublin South-Central is a predominantly working-class constituency – two-thirds of voters live in areas here where less than 30% of the Households are headed by a middle-class earner – but there were significant differences between how working-class areas and middle-class areas voted.

For instance in mainly working-class areas (ie less than 30% of middle-class Household heads), Sinn Fein took 28% of the vote, Independents… For Change (Joan Collins) took 17%, Fianna Fail and People Before Profit took 12% each, and Fine Gael were fifth with 10%. Labour took 6%.  Continue reading SCENES FROM THE CLASS STRUGGLE IN DUBLIN STH-CENTRAL →

2016 General Election, Dublin, Maps

Dublin Bay South Maps now on sale….

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Maps for the Dublin Bay South are now for sale on the main site.

Each package contains a map – an example of which is shown below (Kate O’Connell’s share of the Fine Gael vote).DublinGeneral Elections 2016Dublin Bay SouthO'ConnellKateOfParty

 

Each package also contain several Google Earth screenshots which focus on particular areas of the map and show the geographical areas underneath – the example is one of the screenshots of Kevin Humphreys’ vote.

DBS Kevin Humphries 3

Finally each package contains a spreadsheet showing how the vote was cast in each polling station.