Bono running for East constituency?

By Grace Campbell

Okay, so obviously the U2 front man is a little late to be joining the European election rat race but lets face it, Bono is the only real contender to bring about interest in the area of global poverty. Star power was definitely missing at the Trócaire / Dochas debate on Tuesday 12 May where candidates for the East constituency battled it out to prove how much they cared about the issues of world hunger, child labour and human rights violations to name but a few.

It became apparent at the debate, which was taking place in the heart of Maynooth University campus, that the age demographic attending the debate did not match the demographic of the thousands of students studying in the college that day. Getting up close and personal with the running candidates for the European elections was as attractive to students as a bar with no liquor licence.

As the five candidates sipped on their Ballygowan sparkling water, one wondered what words of wisdom they would conjure. However it didn’t take long before figures and statistics started aimlessly spewing from their mouths. Current MEP Liam Aylward told the audience about a report he prepared on child slavery (brownie points if ever), Sinn Fein's Kathleen Funchion blamed the current government for poverty (ha, like we didn’t see that one coming) and Nessa Childers of Labour told us to stop moaning about our own situation. “We are still relatively privileged compared to other countries,” she said. (In other words, if you’ve just lost your job, have an apartment in negative equity and debt up to your eyeballs, think how lucky you are compared to the starving kids in Africa).

Fine Gael's John Paul Phelan compared the issue of poverty to a “political football,” which is kicked around from pillar to post. Quite frankly the comparison doesn’t end there. Cast your minds back to the World Cup madness of 1990 (or else ask your parents about it). Jack Charlton had the nation eating, drinking and sleeping football. Fast forward to 2009 and it is rugby Triple Crown glory that dominates public consciousness. Similarly to football, global poverty is not ‘en vogue’ at the moment so will make very little impact on the elections. And what’s worse, the potential MEPs know it.

Current MEP Mairead McGuinness acknowledged “What happens politically is driven by what the public perception is. We forget perhaps particular issues because of concerns of what is happening in our own catch. They get pushed aside until we can afford to be concerned.”
The suggestion that people do not care about global poverty may be harsh but at a time when job security has become a luxury can anyone really be blamed? If poverty is to be on the agenda it needs to be campaigned by someone like Bono. Love him or hate him, he knows how to attract attention to the issue. Similarly to the candidates, his self-indulgent rants become painful after the tenth statistical comparison, but unlike the candidates people actually show up to hear what he says. Perhaps they do so on the off chance he’ll belt out an acappella rendition of a U2 classic but regardless of motives, they are still there, which is a lot more than can be said about the turnout of young people for the East candidates in Maynooth.