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The Insider: Dixie puts off cancer treatment until after election
Dixie Doyle has prostate cancer and is not going to seek treatment until after the local elections are over. In his early 60s, he has been successful as an independent candidate in the last two County Council elections for the Thomastown area and chances are he will hold his seat again, against the odds.
Once he gets something into his head there is no turning him and he is adamant about not addressing the problem until after June 5. Insider heard that he is anxious that people know that he is sick, because he realises he will not be able to canvass as much as he would like due to the illness. He is not looking for sympathy and thinks his track record in delivering for the area will see him through.
"The people of Thomas-town know me and know that I have worked hard for them in the past and look forward to doing so in the future," he told some close friends recently.
He was in hospital for further tests last week and everyone in political life wishes the Independent councillor from Carrick-mourne, Thomastown, the best of luck.
The first person to come to Dixie's aid and ask if he could do anything for him was his number one opponent for the last nine and half years, Cllr Michael O'Brien of Labour, who is also in the Thomastown area.
It's good to see that people realise that there are more important things than politics which helps bring people together even those at opposite ends of the political spectrum.
Opinion poll
See where Sean Keane and the other political heads in the paper are running an internet poll to gauge party support in the upcoming local elections. It will be very simple. Those who log on to the Kilkenny People website (www. kilkennypeople.ie) will be given a choice of voting for FF, FG, Labour, Greens, Sinn Fin or Independents.
Officials under pressure as election looms
Have to feel sorry for the officials in city and county hall and the pressure they are now under coming up to the local elections.
Candidates, especially those in office, want officials to write letters to constituents telling them that their leaky roof, badly paved by-road or their planning application is being assessed as quickly as possible. Be advised, the letters sent out right before an election should be kept and used as evidence against those who wrote them, when in 12 months time there is no improvement or resolution.
Where is the Holy Land?
Think you know Kilkenny city well? Well then, where is the Holy Land located? Find out next week.
FG collection well up on last year
Fine Gael people were delighted with the response to their church gate collection held the weekend before last. Proceeds were up by 50% and there was a real feel-good factor from Massgoers as they went in to church.
Potential media personalities and elections
I wonder if any of the media people from Kilkenny were asked to run for a party in the local or European elections following the decision of RTE's George Lee, correspondent for anti-boom, doom and gloom to run for Fine Gael in the South Dublin Dil by-electing.
Sue Nunn would have been a certainty for Libertas, seeing as her son, Naoise, one of nature's gentlemen ran the party's successful campaign against the Lisbon Treaty last time around and also helped out John McGuinness TD prior to his appearance on RT's Late Late Show. Sue would be an ideal Euro candidate with a great listenership in Carlow and Kilkenny but Insider thinks she has more sense than to get involved in that chaotic existence.
One man who would, in Insider's opinion, certainly win a seat on the borough council is Johnny Barry of KCLR 96 FM. Very popular with the older citizens he would definitely be elected. And Edwina grace also of KCLR 96 FM with her gentle, lilting broadcast voice, huge family connections and her Fianna Fil background would win a seat on both the County and Borough Council.
Margaret Ward from Kilkenny is RTE's foreign editor and files a lot of stories from China. She would be a great Euro candidate for one of the parties.
Nickey Brennan
Now if ever there was man who would make it in national politics it has to be recently retired president of the GAA Nicky Brennan. From a Fine Gael background, he would be an ideal Euro candidate and remember, the man he replaced as president of the GAA, Sean Kelly is now running for FG in the Munster constituency in the EU elections.
This week's competition
This week's competition is two-pronged. Which candidate has the most election posters mounted and which has the least. Cllr John Coonan of Fianna Fil cannot be involved because he made a conscious decision not to put up any posters and is making a donation to a worthy local charity instead. Wish others would do the same, but it's too late.
Send your entries to insider@kilkennypeople.ie First prize will be a photo session with the candidate deemed to have the most posters and second prize will be a chance to go door-to-door with him or her on the hustings. Exciting or what?
Hobbs backs McGuinness
See where financial whiz, Eddie Hobbs has backed sacked trade minister John McGuinness on his criticism on Tnaiste and minister for enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlin. He said that he resigned from the National Consumer Agency because of the Minister's failure to deal with the situation of fellow director, Celia Larkin, former girlfriend of Bertie Ahern and the fact that she received a controversial €40,000 from Irish Nationwide.
In an interview on Newstalk radio station he said that he could no longer take cash for the paid position when he had been so critical of Minister Coughlin.
Insider apologises
Insider would like to apologise to all those thinned-skinned politicians and would-be candidates for suggesting they were not the best-looking bunch in the word. I thought elections were all to do with ability, ideas, principles and to help those who can't help themselves?
Posters, posters everywhere
And the posters around the city and county sprung up like mushrooms over-night. They are everywhere and you have to give credit to FF's Polish female candidate Anna Michalska for putting one of her posters outside the Polish food store near MacDonagh Junction.
And Insider will not accept any responsibility, liability, legal consequences, civil actions or otherwise if posters of certain candidates are defaced and have glasses painted on them or have other ghastly acts done to them. Putting hair on bald candidates (on their posters) should be treated like a form of graffiti.
Afraid to canvass?
Insider heard that a number of FF candidates had to withdraw from canvassing some areas in the city and county such was the negative reaction they received. It is a sad reflection on society when the people at the bottom of the political chain get blamed for the absolutely disastrous way the country has been run by the government and the big banks.
One FF candidate has claimed to have been intimidated and threatened with physical force at the doorstep. And don't start Insider off on the choice language being used by householders when the politicians ring the doorbell.
Who will win fourth seat in Callan?
Callan is a fascinating race in the upcoming local elections. Four seats and eight candidates. Fine Gael duo, Billy Ireland and Tom Maher, sitting councillors, are working hard to hold on their seats, while Matt Doran of Fianna Fil, also a sitting councillor, is also campaigning hard to hold on to his seat. The last seat will be a fierce battle between Dr Pat Crowley (Ind); Brian Harris (Labour); Joe Brennan (FF) and John Early (Ind).
National opinion polls often don't reflect the story in one particular area and if they are to believed, FF have no chance of taking the second seat with 23% of the vote. But Joe Brennan is very popular in Kilmanagh and in the north of the area, giving him hope. The smart money would be on either an Independent or Labour to take the seat.
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Weather for Kilkenny
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 4 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South
