Galway Advertiser 1979/1979_06_14/GA_14061979_E1_006.pdf 

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JALWAYADVERTi: 'tK I IbtRGALWAYADv E TS R A W Y D E TS R A W Y D E TS R A W Y D E TS R A W Y D E TS R A W R IE G L A A V R IE G L A A V R IE G L A A V R IE G L A A V R IE G I /

THE PEOPLE DECIDE
T h e great t h i n g a b o u t d e m o c r a c y is that at t h e e n d of t h e day, it is the people w h o d e c i d e . T h e p e o p l e of G a l w a y , like those t h r o u g h o u t t h e state, have b e e n d e c i d i n g last week in C o r p o r a t i o n and C o u n t y Council contests as well as the larger E u r o p e a n test. A n d what a decision they have m a d e ! It is difficult t o s u m m a r i s e all t h e implications of t h e results. Michael D . H i g g i n s of L a b o u r emerges t h e single most p o p u l a r c a n d i d a t e in t h e Galway city area b u t t h e party of which he is C h a i r m a n did not make corresponding progress throughtout the county. F i n t a n C o o g a n proves himself t h e kingmaker a n d teaches the F i n e Gael young b l o o d s a lesson--or t w o ! J o h n F . K i n g , o u r M a y o r , does n o t make it, a n d a n u m b e r of o t h e r city warriors b o w out. Fianna Fail, despite t h e r e t u r n of t h e w a r d s , d o n o t get a C o r p o r a t i o n majority. T h e y also lose control of t h e C o u n t y C o u n c i l for t h e first time in decades. T h i s will give s o m e consolation to official F i n e G a e l in G a l w a y despite t h e humiliating performance in t h e Corporation election itself. S o m e of the old warriors like Brendan Holland survive again in b o t h contests a n d n o less t h a n four of t h e twelve new Corporation m e m b e r s are n o n - p a r t y . T h e tradition of i n d e p e n d e n t politics, especially a m o n g certain sections of t h e Galway commercial c o m m u n i t y , survives in spite of t h e party machines. T h e q u e s t i o n s , issues a n d speculations arising from t h e results are legion. But t w o issues immediately arise. O n e concerns the office of M a y o r , t h e other is c o n c e r n e d with t h e balance of C o u n t y Council power. It is n o secret that Michael D . H i g g i n s , w h o also t o p p e d t h e city poll in 1974, has b e e n deliberately excluded from t h e Mayoral office over t h e past five years, mainly because Fianna Fail felt s u c h an h o n o u r would extend his base. T h u s they skilfully negotiated with t h e i n d e p e n d e n t s o n t h e Corporation to keep h i m o u t -- e v e n if that meant letting s o m e i n d e p e n d e n t s take t h e M a y o r a l prize from t i m e t o t i m e . I t is t i m e to change this and it is u p to t h e new n o n - p a r t y m e m b e r s of the Corporation to see to it that t h e L a b o u r e l e m e n t in o u r city gets its t u r n and its place in t h e s u n as well as everybody else. N e w i n d e p e n d e n t Corporation m e m b e r s w h o have Mayoral a m b i t i o n s s h o u l d r e m e m b e r t h a t this a t t i t u d e may also be in their o w n selfinterest. E v e r y b o d y can have their t u r n in d u e course. Deals, however, only w o r k for s o m e , a n d can t u r n into very bitter experiences if they d o not work o u t . T h e same lesson s h o u l d be learned from t h e C o u n t y Council. I t is t r u e t h a t Fianna Fail over t h e years has b e e n quite rigid in its use of Council p o w e r . Certainly their " p o w e r - s h a r i n g " record left little to learn from t h e old local g o v e r n m e n t traditions of Ulster U n i o n i s m . F i n e Gael, w h o have threatened in t h e past that they would m a t c h t h e F i a n n a Fail performance if ever they got t h e c h a n c e , may n o w b e t e m p t e d t o b e equally rigid. T h e balance of power, h o w e v e r , is held b y L a b o u r ' s H i g g i n s , I n d e p e n d e n t s Holland a n d Coogan, a n d t h e t w o Provisional S i n n F e i n m e m b e r s . It is a time for h a r d talking a n d h a r d bargaining. A package can be negotiated a n d t h e new majority can b e generous in its sharing of t h e spoils, if only because this would probably shame F i a n n a Fail into p r o m i s i n g t o d o t h e s a m e w h e n e v e r they regain their majority once again, as they p r o b a b l y
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TELEVISION GUIDE Jyg ~r
THURS. 14 JUNE 11.30 Bosco 3.30 South Riding 4.30 Bosco 5.00 Stingray 5.30 Dusty's Trail 6.00 The Angelus 6.01 Cartoon Time 6J15 News 6.25 Private Lives 7.00 Rockford Files 8.00 My Son, My Son 9.00 News 10.25 Nuacht 10.35 Pioneers of Modern Painting 11.10 Late News 9.00 News 10.45 Sports Scene 9.15 Smallest Show On Earth 11.45 Late News

FRI. 15 JUNE 111.30 Bosco 4.30 Bosco 5.00 Space : 1999 6.00 The Angelus 6.01 Cartoon Time 6.25 Bailey's Bird 729 Wildlife of Dapna New Guinea 9.00 News 9.40 Frontline 10.15 Late Night Cinema 111.45 Late News

MON. 18 JUNE 11.20 Bosco 11.30 Sesame Street 4.30 Bosco 5.00 The Life and Times of Grizzly Adamson 6.15 News 6.25 Mark and Wendy 6.55 Hardy Boys 7.55 Poldark 9.00 News 9.25 Frontline 9.55 Barnie Miller 10.00 Nuadht 10.35 Executive Suite

THURS. 14 JUNE 6.50 Switch On 7.00 Cartoon Time 7.20 Top of the Pops 8.00 Pot Black 8.30 World Week 9.00 Pioneers of Photography 9.20 Potter 10.00 Positively Healthy 10.30 Musical Hour 11.25 Newsnight

FRI. 15 JUNE 6.40 Switch On 6.55 A Place in Europe 7.25 Nurse of the Year 1979 8.00 Geronimo's Children 9.00 World Sportsman 9.25 Sea Tales 9.55 Festival 10.45 Newsnight SAT. 16 JUNE 5.50 Cartoon Time 6.00 The Virginian 7.15 Generation Game 8.10 Coldite 9.00 Americans 10.40 Portrait of the Artist SUN. 17 JUNE 6.20 Cartoons 6.45 Just William 7.10 Taste for Adventuer 7.40 Salvage I 8.30 Sikes 9.00 Cartoon Time 9.15 Russell Hardy 10.05 Prisoner MON. 18 JUNE 6.45 Switch On 7.00 Indoors Outdoors 7.25 Coronation Street 8.00 Call My Bluff 8.30 Tomorrow's World 9.00 Fort Apache 11.00 Newsnight TUES. 19 JUNE 6.55 Switch On 7.00 Celebrity Squares 7.25 The Tribal Eye 8.25 And Mother Makes 3 9.00 Streets of San Francisco 9.50 A Sense of Place 10.20 The Governor 11.15 Newsnight WED. 20 JUNE 6.50 Switch On 7.00 Hunting Power 7.30 Coronation Street 8.00 KAZ 9.00 Second Channel 9.30 Summer House 10.25 Love for Lydia 11.05 Newsnight

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THE BLANEY TOUCH

SAT. 16 JUNE 11.30 Sesame Street 12.50 Man From Atlantis 1.40 Sports Stadium 5.05 Scooby Doo 5.45 News 6.00 The Angelus 6.01 Cartoon Time 6.15 Return of the Saint 7.15 Nuacht 7.20 Jeneve--Film 9.00 News 9.15 Rain Tree Country 11.30 Late News

TUES. 19 JUNE 5.00 J ana of the Jungle 6^15 News 6.25 Young Fisher of Bay Bull 7.00 Dublin 7.30 Make Mine Country 8.00 St. John's Eve 8.30 For Your Pleasure 9.00 News . 9.20 Duchess of Duke Street 10.25 Nuacht 10.35 Ridack 11.05 M.A.S.H. 11.30 Late News 11.35 Mart & Market

T h e farmers have spoken. T h e one sector that clearly u n d e r s t a n d s a n d has directly benefitted from E . E . C . m e m b e r s h i p is t h e farming c o m m u n i t y a n d naturally keen to protect their interests have e n s u r e d they are well r e p r e s e n t e d . M a n y people expected Galway to b e a deciding area in t h e C o n n a c h t / U l s t e r Constituency. I n t h e event, t h e city hardly c o u n t e d at all. It was a big n a m e election. " P u t t i n g s o m e o n e you k n o w " i n t o E u r o p e favoured personalities o u t s i d e this county. Even t h o u g h there was a considerable protest vote t h e electorate were s h r e w d enough to e n s u r e that they could m a k e their protest while at t h e same t i m e providing Ireland with a good E u r o t e a m . Yet D e p u t y Neil Blaney's extraordinary victory in this constituency m u s t have b e e n the final insult to t h e injury F i a n n a Fail suffered in this sensational election. His amazing first preference total--which contains a h u g e Fianna Fail v o t e -- makes this Donegal former M i n i s t e r for Agriculture a force that has to b e reckoned with. Q u i t e w h a t M r . Blaney is h o p i n g to achieve by his e n t r y into t h e E u r o p e a n Assembly is not clear. T h e r e is p r o b a b l y m o r e involved t h a n simply his desire to impress F i a n n a Fail with his vote-catching g e n i u s , t h u s paving t h e way for his r e entry into the party. Jack L y n c h c a n n o t ignore t h e voice from t h e N o r t h / W e s t t h a t shouts for Blaney. T h e m o n t h s ahead could see d r a m a t i c developments within F i a n n a Fail. I t is to b e h o p e d , however, that n o one imagines that ' c o w b o y ' or emotional reactions t o very serious issues will necessarily be in t h e c o u n t r y ' s best interests.

SUN. 17 JUNE 11.00 Mass 1.30 The Garden 2.00 To the Water and Wild 2.40 Charlie Chaplin 2.55 Necka 4.25 European Champs Athletics 5.45 News 6.00 The Angelus 6.01 Black Beauty 7.00 Nuacht 725 Gather Your Dreams 8.55 Mallia A Forethought PII

WED. 20 JUNE 11.30 Bosco 4.30 Bosco 5.00 Inch High Private Eye 5.30 Vision On 6.00 The Angelus 6.01 Garda Patrol 6.15 News 6.25 The Ghost of Motley Hall 6.55 The Garden 755 Flambards 8.30 Hall's Pictorial Weekly 9.00 News 9.25 Mrs. Columbo 10.25 Nuacht 10.35 States of Munich 11.05 Greyhound Racing

T.V. Trophies

11.35 Late News

O'Connor
GALWAY'S O W N T.V. C O M P A N Y

television
S H O P ST. T E L . 6 1 1 7 3 / 4 / 5

A CARELESS DEMOCRACY?
T h e long c o u n t s , which dragged o n over t h e weekend, p r o v i d e d a feast for political p u n d i t s w h o s w o p p e d theories a n d speculations i n t o t h e short h o u r s . I t was, of course, a trying time for Jh e candidates themselves. N o matter how they are p o r t r a y e d in t h e media either as r u n n e r s in a race o r participants in a m o c k heroic battle--elections are also t h e arena for h u m a n d r a m a a n d defeated candidates m u s t feel d i s a p p o i n t m e n t a n d frustration'. T h e m e n and w o m e n w h o offer themselves for election t o local councils k n o w t h e r e is n o financial gain whatsoever b u t d o so sincerely believing they have something to offer their c o m m u n i t y . I t is a generous a n d public spirited gesture o n their behalf and all candidates w h e t h e r they were successful o r n o t deserve o u r congratulations a n d c o m p l i m e n t s . T h e y also deserve o u r vote. I t is disheartening, t o say t h e least, w h e n a low poll is recorded--and there was a particularly low youth poll in the city. Obviously the postal dispute inhibited many people's right t o vote; a n d examinations at this time gave young voters other things to think about. But surely a great deal more could b e d o n e to encourage young people to take more interest in local and national affairs. W h y wasn't, for example, a film recording m a d e of one of t h e city council c o u n t s which was a superb o p p o r t u n i t y t o show school students democracy in action in J p i r own area. And it is high time something was done to give students the right to a postal vote in their own h o m e areas. N o politician need fear t h e youth vote. Since the vote at 18 was introduced t h e r e was n o significant change from traditional patterns in this country o r elsewhere. Issues alone will not b r i n g o u t the voters. Every effort should b e m a d e to encourage the voter and not to intimidate him or her with misplaced polling booths and poor information which allow impressionable young people to feel t h a t democracy is taken for granted to the point of carelessness.

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