THE hair-pulling has begun as public representatives express extreme frustration over the moving of the Cork South West election count from Clonakilty to Mallow.
The subject was the first order of business at a meeting of the West Cork Municipal District on Monday.
Cllr Danny Collins (Ind Ire) raised the issue and every councillor rowed in, expressing their absolute disgust that the count – one of the most exciting and thrilling events in the political calendar – is to be moved one hour and 44 minutes away, a distance of 87.8km one way – to Mallow.
Cllr Collins, whose brother Michael is seeking re-election, said they were left waiting for an hour to enter the Mallow count centre during the local elections in June. He said it was a far cry from the immediate access to local governance in Clonakilty.
‘It’s a long-enough campaign, and having to get up at 6am to travel to a count centre is a bit Irish,’ he said.
‘The count is a massive boost for the town of Clonakilty,’ added Cllr Collins, who insisted that they send a letter to the minister and the county sheriff demanding the decision be rescinded. He also wants the subject tabled as a motion at the County Council meeting next Monday.
Cllr Finbarr Harrington (Ind) said he, and others interested in attending the count, will now have to make a two-and-a-half-hour trip to Mallow. ‘Bring it back to Clonakilty and no more about it. It is beyond bizarre to take an area as big as Cork South West and bring it to Mallow,’ he said.
Cllr Deirdre Kelly (FF) described the decision as ‘absolutely ridiculous’ while Cllr Daniel Sexton (Ind) expressed his frustration questioning ‘savings’ versus ‘carbon footprint’. Cllr Joe Carroll (FF) said this is another stupid idea, like the millions spent on electronic voting machines that were never used.
‘We have been told that this is an economic decision, but the election count is a very human thing. And if they are moving in this direction, what’s to stop them moving it to Citywest in Dublin altogether?’ he asked.
Cllr Noel O’Donovan (FG), the only member of the West Cork Municipal District seeking election to Dáil Éireann, said the relocation of the count would erode local democracy. ‘It’s moving local government away from people. They got rid of town councils, and that hasn’t worked. Now, they are saying this is for cost savings reasons, but it’s not the right thing to do,’ he said.
Cllr Patrick Gerard Murphy (FF) agreed saying: ‘This would be a bad day for local democracy.’
Cllr Finbarr Harrington called for the decision to be reversed because ‘if it goes to Mallow once it will stay there’, he stated.
In conclusion, Cllr Danny Collins said he wanted to know the exact cost, and savings made, during the local election. ‘I want to know what they are basing their decision on,’ he said.
