The article was created as part of the Voices of Europe 2024 project, carried out with 27 editorial offices from the European Union. task coordinates Voxeurop.
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A man comes out of the polling station, holding the hand of his ten-year-old son. It is simply a sunny summertime afternoon in the green suburbs of Dublin. A man, like only half those entitled to vote, has just taken part in a referendum on the revision of the Irish Constitution and in elections to self-government and the Euro-Parliament. I asked if he would like to tell the readers of the Irish Times who he voted for. He gladly responded by giving me a fewer words of reason why he chose these alternatively than another councillors.
What about the elections to the Euro-Parliament?
He looked at his boy with consternation. - Who did we vote for? I mean, who did you vote for?
Elections to the European Parliament have been utilized by politicians in Ireland to call 'secondary' elections. Despite the widening of EP competences in fresh years, voters inactive do not take Euro-Election seriously or Parliament itself. No wonder, then, that the father left the decision in the hands of a 10 - year - old.
To encourage people to vote, on the same day there are other, more crucial elections. In 2019, overall attendance was 49.95 percent. This year's elections are no different: the parties will want to mobilise their voters to participate in local elections in the hope that this will aid them push their own candidates to Strasbourg. The lower the turnout, the better the chances are gained by independent eccentrics or candidates for 1 postulate, like Greens with pro-climate slogans that declassified the Dublin counter-candidates in 2019. In the eyes of voters, the game is besides tiny for conventional parties to bother with campaigning.
Nevertheless, the June elections will be a general effort before the parliamentary elections at the beginning of next year. And they will surely not be able to express their opinion on the direction in which EU policy is going, nor will they be the laurels exposed to Euro-Parliamentarians for their work. Frustrated by this state of affairs, Dublin Euro MPs Barry Andrews and Ciarán Cuffe note with frustration that it is hard to talk about EU themes even in tv debates organised specifically for these elections.
Candidates effort to separate themselves from others, drawing the attention of voters to what their organization does in government or opposition, or by addressing issues related to housing or surviving costs – due to the fact that according to the polls it is the electorate that is most interested. What cannot be said about the powers of the European Parliament.
For observers, however, the most interesting results of this year's opposition, fundamentally the Social Democratic organization of Sinn Féin (in the European Parliament in the Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left), or the erstwhile wing of the political armed organization of the IRA, which in the polls is well ahead of the 2 conventional government parties of Fine Gael (FG, European People's Party) and Fianna Fáil (Renew), and if nothing changes, it is likely that it will lead the next government.
By a summary of the surveys prepared for the European abroad Affairs Council Sinn Féin will double his 2019 score, so he will win not 1 but 4 tickets. The triumph of this organization will not only lead to crucial changes in the dynamics of Irish policy, but may besides have repercussions at EU level. It is speculated that in the Euro-Parliament Sinn Féin may be more along the way with the centre-left Socialists and Democrats (SD). If she is in charge of the future government, she will have her typical in the European Council and in the meetings of influential SD leaders.
Fine Gael was a large winner in 2019, covering 5 out of 13 tickets. Now that there's an extra ticket to take, the polls propose that FG could lose up to 3 seats. The Greens will gotta work hard to keep their 2 tickets.
The elections will take place in the light of the hot EU debates on Gaza, the destiny of Green Deal and migration, but it is vain for Irish Euro MPs to look at differences of views or attempts to separate themselves from competition. Everyone defends the Green Deal, climate solutions, the FG in the uncommon revolution towards the EPP even voted for the fresh rules on the restoration of natural resources, which many Irish farmers opposed. They besides powerfully supported the Irish opposition to the Israeli attack on Gaza and the support of the president of Ursula von der Leyen. With the exception of respective independent parliamentarians, Irish MEPs powerfully supported efforts to support Ukraine.
Despite the negative local sentiments associated with the accommodation of asylum seekers and refugees in cities and villages, there is virtually nothing to indicate that any political sphere will appear here, like the ultra-right populist forces present in many parts of Europe. Irish Euro MPs support government and EU asylum efforts, encouraging solidarity in sharing the burden and responsibilities involved. To ask whether immigration from outside the EU creates affirmative feelings, polls 48% of the Irish public replied yes. Therefore, this issue will not be a conflict in the upcoming elections.
Irish public opinion is inactive powerfully optimistic (83%) about the future of the EU. This is the best score of all 27 EU countries (average 61%). Yet, in the face of the upcoming Euro-elections it seems to stay indifferent.
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Patrick Smyth spent 10 years in Brussels as a European correspondent for the Irish Times. He was besides a Washington correspondent, editor and writer of the abroad department.
From English she translated Dorota Blabolil-Obrębska.
