However there are some candidates who say "No" to Dublin rulling the South. None more so than Diarmuid O’Flynn. This man would be a national hero if he lived in Iceland, one of the few people to speak out in opposition to the banking bail out and he actively organised protest against it. He also has plenty of political experience acting as parliamentary assistant for MEP Luke Ming Flanagan's. Diarmuid has also stood before the Oireachtas Finance Committee looking to establish a cross party committee to campaign against the bank debt taken on by Irish State following the ECB-IMF bailout. This fight isn't over in the eyes of those still suffering from austerity and if you want to continue looking for a better deal Diarmuid O'Flynn is the right candidate to support.
Mick Wallace could be described as an anti imperialist and it will be interesting to see how he fairs with the suits in Europe if he's elected. Still shrouded in the controversy of having an outstanding tax bill from the Celtic tiger years, he's more secretive about his dealings with the revenue than Donald Trump. However he's proven his worth in the Dail speaking up for whistleblowers, condemning military flights from Shannon, and being a strong critic of NAMA. Mick Wallace is a fighter and if he was born in the 19th century he'd be leading the pikemen of the East in a stand against the bureaucrats of the pale.
'Fight the Pipe' revolutionary Liam Minehan wants to decentralise Dublin and empower the country with the sense of fairness that's missing from the domestic arena. A pinup farmer from Tipperary he's likely to take a scalp off of the FG vote, and if he can get the IFA vote he could very well be first past the post.
Liadh Ní Riadh could have been president if she had advanced notice of being nominated as the SF candidate. A poorly run campaign resulted in a distant second place. Her love of the Irish language, her experience, and her strong connection with rural Ireland should see her having a more prosperous MEP election.
Grace O’Sullivan is a sitting senator for the green party. I hope all of Waterford get behind her because she has a great track record of fighting for and protecting the environment. In 1985 Grace joined the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior, to prevent nuclear tests in the Pacific. She speaks fluent Dutch and Spanish, basically a ready made MEP waiting for your vote.
Adrienne Wallace represents Solidarity/People Before Profit and has also adopted a two front strategy by running for local council as well. Based on the overwhelming support for repeal in the South she could swing a vote but she has a lot of work to do to swing the masses. A young voice with a fresh attitude, at 28 she is one of the youngest political candidates in Ireland and it's easy to see her representing a disenfranchised generation who feel locked out of the housing market, the job market, and the political sphere.
Breda Gardner is an interesting candidate, based on her manifesto she's pro culchie and wants to put housing, health and the environment back on the agenda. She also prefers books to bombs and thinks 5G is one g too many.