Another week, another row in the Midlands Northwest contest

With just two weeks to go until the Local and European Elections, Independent MEP, Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, appears to be leading the race in the Midlands Northwest on 11 points.

There are five seats in contention and Ming is just one point ahead of MEP Maria Walsh (FG) and Fianna Fáil hopeful Barry Cowen, according to the latest Irish Times/IPSOS poll.

It put Fianna Fáil’s Lisa Chambers and Fine Gael’s Nina Carberry on nine per cent each; while Sinn Féin MP Michelle Gildernew is on eight per cent, just one ahead of Independent Ireland candidate and former RTÉ journalist Ciaran Mullooly.

The retired broadcaster posted on X over the weekend: ‘I will stand up for farmers if I am elected on Friday, June 7… When you look down your ballot paper at the long list of candidates remember this: No farmers = no food.’

Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil’s Senator Niall Blaney and Tánaiste Micheál Martin became embroiled in a public disagreement at the party’s European election launch on Friday. Senator Blayney - who is campaigning on the necessity of a candidate who understands the needs of people in the border region - claimed he isn’t getting the same level of support. “I have never gotten any opportunity to be on national television yet. I’m the only candidate of six that has been the case. And that’s not just about me. That’s about the people I represent in the border counties and Connacht.”

Elsewhere, the Green machine was in full swing at the launch of the ‘Amuigh Faoin Spéir’ fund, which aims to boost biodiversity on public land with outdoor sports facilities.

Party Senator and MEP candidate, Pauline O’Reilly, told those gathered that it is “a win-win for nature and sports facilities”.

Over in Mayo, Michelle Smith is running as an Independent candidate where she has expressed “concern” about the large number of young people leaving Ireland because of the lack of affordable housing. She is adamant that the situation is being exacerbated by the scale of migration into the country. Ms Smith is opposed to the EU Migration Pact, which, if passed, will overhaul European migration law.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Co Longford, EU hopeful James Reynolds (National Party) has called for a relaxation of planning regulations to address the housing crisis. He says urgent action is needed to reduce the cost of building a new home and “current and proposed government initiatives and tax incentives do not solve the core housing issue”.

Elsewhere, Independent candidate Peter Casey has called for the Irish army to be deployed to help resolve the refugee crisis “before it spirals further out of control”. He pointed out that a recent poll revealed that 74% of people believe Ireland is a ‘soft touch’ on immigration and they want a tougher approach. “It seems to me that the only way to send a tough message to the rest of the world that we won’t tolerate bogus asylum seekers is by deploying the army on the Irish border to prevent any illegal crossings, as is being done in other countries,” he contended.

And speaking of the border, MP Michelle Gildernew says the EU has a role to play in “preparing” for Irish Unity. She has called for greater interest within the EU institutions in planning for Irish Unity. “The debate around unification is happening on a cross-community basis and the people are ahead of the political system in this regard,” she said.

“The EU has indicated that it is open to the north rejoining the EU in the event of a successful border poll but I also feel they can do more. It is in the interest of the EU to begin discussions around what a United Ireland might look like from its perspective, and I want to be a leading light in advancing that discussion during the next Parliamentary term.”

Elsewhere, Senator Lisa Chambers (FF) was one of the very few candidates this week to highlight the impact of a General Election in the UK. She’s calling on the Government to actively engage with UK party leaders to seek assurances on migration policy that respects Irish jurisdiction.

“While the British policy might be termed a Rwanda policy, the reality is that they are effectively sending people to Ireland, not Rwanda. This situation necessitates an all-island approach to migration policy,” she said.

Another MEP hopeful, Hermann Kelly from the Irish Freedom Party, called on the Irish Government to give Irish children the chance of “a job, a house, and a life in Ireland”.

For those already overseas, he pleaded for them to be afforded a chance to come home. “We’ve got to change the laws on taxation, welfare and housing to put Irish people first,” he added. “We’ve had enough of being Paddy Last.”

And…finally for this week, Independent John Waters who was at Drumshanbo Mart & Horse Fair in Co Leitrim highlighted the “amazingly positive response” he received from farmers, whom he added, “are as exercised about the mortal dangers facing their country as they are about their fears for their livelihoods and way of life”.

“For me it’s the same problem; bad politics and bad politicians,” he concluded.