FINE GAEL says it has been “overwhelmed” by the response to its online campaign to hear the views of the electorate.
The party shut down its main website yesterday and replaced it with a single page, inviting comments from the public on the economic crisis and failings in the political system.
A party spokeswoman said last night that it had received nearly 1,000 online responses yesterday, most of which were posted on a scrolling screen-ticker on the page.
“We weren’t quite sure what to expect, perhaps 100 or more on the first day, but we were inundated and overwhelmed,” said the spokeswoman.
The party said it filtered the responses but excluded only those that were profane or utterly nonsensical. The spokeswoman said the party included many comments critical of Fine Gael and of its leader, Enda Kenny. She said the volunteers monitoring the site estimated that 80 per cent or more of the comments were non-party-political in nature.
However, a small number of people said their comments were not posted. One who contacted The Irish Times said his comment supporting the anti-gaspipe campaign in north Mayo was not listed. A sample of the comments included complaints that county councillors were getting paid “ridiculous money for doing nothing”; a call for an end to political cronyism; a Nama (National Asset Management Agency) for homeowners; and a call for all Fianna Fáil Ministers to be deprived of their pensions.
Several Fianna Fáil politicians critcised the initiative.
Minister for Social Protection Éamon Ó Cuív described the web site as a “gimmick” and claimed it proved Mr Kenny was determined to put party politics ahead of real policy.
“Fine Gael has repeatedly announced it is “ready for government” yet today begins its election campaign by removing all its policies from the public domain!” he said.
Meath East Fianna Fáil TD Thomas Byrne claimed Fine Gael had deliberately kept Mr Kenny away from the media in recent weeks. He welcomed back “virtual Enda” – a reference to the video message from Mr Kenny.
“I am glad to see Enda Kenny is back on the scene, albeit in virtual format only. I look forward to seeing whether this latest Enda is an interactive model and whether he will be available for political debate on the real issues facing Ireland today,” Mr Byrne said.
