Parties criticised for not reaching out to migrant groups

Political parties are doing “a terrible job” at reaching out to immigrants, a public debate organised by Polish community groups has heard.

Prof Bryan Fanning, head of UCD's school of applied social studies, said parties had less interest in fielding migrant candidates this year than they did at the last local elections in 2009 and this was partly due to a belief that migrants were unlikely to vote in big numbers.

Nine Polish candidates are standing in this week’s local elections – the same number as in 2009. But whereas most Polish candidates were attached to political parties five years ago, this year all are Independents.

Prof Fanning said the onus also fell on migrants to join in the "entrepreneurial" business of politics and encourage others to vote. "It's a bottom up process as well," he told the meeting on Sunday night.

Shift away from parties

The shift away from parties was a reflection of what was occurring more widely in society, he added. “All immigrants are doing is what Irish people across the board are doing.”

Jaroslaw Plachecki, chairman of the Irish Polish Society, which organised the event jointly with Forum Polonia, said Polish candidates drew important lessons in 2009. "They learned how you need to work hard, and not necessarily expect help from the parties," he said. "You have to pitch wider than the Polish community, and I think they have learned that."

Agnieszka Wieczorkowska, a Ballymun-based psychologist and charity worker who is standing for election three years after moving to Ireland, said it had been "an amazing experience" so far. "In Poland there is no canvassing at all. I have had to conquer my fears to knock on people's doors and tell people why I would like to represent them," she said.

'Say in what happens'

Ms Wieczorkowska said the reception was not always positive, but she drew “great satisfaction” from encounters that ended in the promise of a vote. “I decided

I have to send a message to my community that, ‘we are here, we pay our taxes, we would like a say in what happens in our community’ . . . I don’t care if I don’t get a seat or not. This is a process and we have to start it now.”

Campaigns by immigrant organisations to spread awareness of voting rights have met limited success to date. In the 2009 elections, for example, just 16,000 immigrants were registered to vote, even though 54,000 were eligible.

All residents are entitled to vote in the local elections, unlike the general election which is restricted to Irish citizens.

Barnaba Dorda, an organiser with Siptu, was involved in a campaign called 'Vote – You Are At Home', which aimed to encourage Poles and other migrant groups to cast their ballots.

Parties lost interest
He said parties had lost interest in migrant candidates because they couldn't seen an immediate return on the investment. "If parties think short-term it won't work," he said.

“You have to work long-term. With our campaign, we feel it’s only the beginning of a long effort.”