SUNDAY INDEPENDENT

Patrick Maphoso mulls over the question. “About once a week,” he says at last. “Yeah, I’d say I experience racism of some sort here every single week.”

The South African has lived in Dublinsince 2001 and stood as an independent in last year’s local election. He failed to win a seat in Dublin City Council but he achieved nationwide coverage when he spoke of the racism he experienced on the campaign trail.

» Read More

RTÉ RADIO 1 – CURIOUS EAR

In May 2009, Colin Murphy hit the roads of Ireland on the campaign trail with some of the 40 immigrants who ran in the local elections. In Dublin, Limerick, Monaghan and Donegal, he talked to candidates and the people they were canvassing about the issues and the practicalities of local politics in Ireland. From Patrick Maphoso’s activist independent politics on Dublin’s northside to Anna Rooney’s staunch support for the Government in Clones, this project charts the diversity of experience and opinion amongst an emerging group of politicians. Ultimately, the experience was a sobering one for many…

» Read more and listen to the audio segment at the FOMACS site

» Visit the Curious Ear site

Dublin Community Television’s Insight programme interviews two candidates in the 2009 local elections: Patrick Maphoso (Independent) and Tendai Madondo (Green Party). Patrick talks about his background and experience of standing as a candidate, includingbout the racist abuse he faced while campaigning.

The Insight presented by Ethnic Minority Forum – Episode 3 from DCTV on Vimeo.

Thankyou to everyone who voted today, whoever you gave your preferences to.

With polling stations just closed, we should now have the results within 24 hours (except for the EU elections, which will come on Monday).

Counting begins at 9 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday.

Tomorrow is finally your chance to have your say.

Thankyou to all who have helped with this campaign and to everyone who has committed to – or is considering – giving me their vote tomorrow.

My team and I have been busy delivering my campaign message all across the North Inner City, so I hope this is already familiar to you…

With thanks to Mel Cannon

I’ve been very heartened by feedback following the broadcast of Prime Time on RTÉ (see below) with it’s segment on racism during the election. The number of well-wishers has always far outweighed any hostility I’ve encountered on this campaign.

If you missed the programme you can watch it online. It particularly addresses the very important issue of government plans to tighten work permit rules that, if passed, could force people out of Ireland who’ve made their lives here and contributed enormously to our economy.

A SAMPLE OF THE FEEDBACK RECEIVED FROM WELL WISHERS…

Wishing you every success

Having watched on Prime Time the level of ignorant abuse you have to tolerate on the doorsteps of Dublin I felt compelled to contact you and wish you every success in the upcoming elections and beyond.

Carol

Best of luck

I saw you on Prime Time recently and then saw your posters on the quays for your election campaign. I wanted to wish you the best of luck in your campaign and I hope you get elected. We need more and not less difference in this city of ours.

Never mind those bigots who equate your candidacy with the economic downturn this government had led us to.

Beir bua

Eoin

All the best

As an Irishman living in London, I was appalled to watch the recent RTE ‘Prime Time’ report documenting the racism you have experienced on the streets of Dublin. Despite its reputation for being a welcoming society, Ireland has always had a problem with racism, which is ironic given the numbers of Irish people who have settled in countries all around the world, always expecting to be welcomed. If I lived in Dublin, you would have my vote and I wish you the best of luck in the forthcoming elections. Do not let the ignorance of some get you down – the man who talked off camera of you “making him sick” on the Prime Time programme was a disgrace to all Irishmen – he would be considered a racist idiot in any country.

Fergal

Prime Time

I just wanted to say that I thought you handled the abuse you got from the incredibly ignorant and rude guy featured on Prime Time with dignity and composure.

I think that you are a brave man for getting out there and putting yourself forward for election in these difficult times when unfortunatley people become unreasonable and paranoid in relation to immigrants.

I wish you the best of luck in your campaigning sir and keep up the good work. We need honest people in politics in this country.

Alan

Racism and local organising against it

Paddy, great to see you standing up for yourself and others in the inner city. I used live there and am aware of growing violence against friends. I passed on your info to others organising in and outside inner city Dublin against racism

Good luck.

Dunk, a Dub now in Barcelona

… and there’s still just enough time to register if you haven’t already done so.

My campaign team is now in the last phase of our voter registration push, up against the 18th May deadline.

After that, we’ll be putting all our efforts into going door-to-door to deliver leaflets and speak with voters. I hope to meet you along the way!

Expect to see my posters in your area from next week, too.

Lots of people in the local community – Irish and immigrant alike – have wanted to get involved in our campaign and I really appreciate all the offers of help and support that have been coming our way.

If you’d like to help, too, then please get in contact. With just three weeks until polling day, this is the crucial time.

After a recent incident where I was threatened, I’m pleased to report that all of my latest canvassing has met with a positive reaction on the doorsteps. It proves again that the racists are a tiny minority and that the stereotypes of attitudes in so-called ‘problem areas’ have it all wrong. I’ve been meeting really good people and receiving a very warm welcome.

Everywhere I hear frustration with this government, perhaps nowhere more than in O’Devaney Gardens. When McNamara builders pulled out of the ‘public-private partnership’ scheme, things were left in a terrible state, totally unacceptable. Now the council has to move quickly on plans to pick up the pieces and especially make sure there are good facilities for children to avoid storing up problems for the future.

Yet even in simple ways and without delay the council could do so much more to improve people’s lives. I met a lady who had just had a serious operation, struggling to walk up to the fourth floor. It took her almost an hour. But despite her best efforts, she couldn’t get moved to ground level. This makes no sense and benefits no-one. As your councillor, I’ll be a champion for common sense and will be pushing for more responsiveness from the council.