Shoppers run gauntlet as former minister hits comeback trail

Like the mantra of the property market, canvassing is all about location, location, location. It's Saturday afternoon, and Niamh Bhreathnach is at a prime site: beside the traffic lights which control the busy consumer rat-run across the Blackrock dual carriageway, between the Frascati Centre and the Blackrock Shopping Centre in south county Dublin.

Ms Bhreathnach, a former minister for education who lost her Dail seat in the last general election, is seeking a seat on Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

The canvassing strategy is a simple military one - cover all fronts. Kaye Fanning, Maeve Barry, Richard Humphreys and Chris O'Malley - all members of the Labour Party - have turned up to help proffer the leaflets and waylay the Saturday shoppers.

Two stand on either side of the pedestrian bottleneck into the Frascati Centre, while the candidate floats around in the middle, answering questions and listening to what issues people are raising. "Traffic, a new playground for Blackrock, traffic and traffic," she reports.

Every time the lights change it is like the parting of the waves. Hordes of people suddenly go scampering past, clutching bags of shopping, babies, mobile phones, ice creams and, in the cases of several young couples, each other.

When they see the canvassers, some put their heads down and keep scampering. Others suddenly look utterly fascinated by the cracks in the pavement. But quite a lot of people actually do look interested, and stop for a brief reconnaisance.

It's mostly women who accept the leaflets; the men tend to look either furtive or terribly preoccupied.

"Will I take a leaflet? I will not," announces one man, wearing a T-shirt that says, "I Can't Be Wrong - I'm a Chef".

One woman tells Ms Bhreathnach she's a teacher and that she'll be voting for her. "You might speak well of me to other parents and teachers," the candidate replies immediately, and the woman says she will.

Two lads take a leaflet each. "Elections, what elections?" one says to the other, looking astonished.

Nobody seems to be dropping the literature - at least, not within sight of the canvassing party. They get put into shopping bags, or tucked down the sides of buggies. A woman fans herself with one; another gives it to her baby to play with.

He amuses himself by reading it upside-down, and then attempts to eat it.

As the afternoon goes on lots of people seem to be walking past without stopping, saying they've no vote here, that they've just come to shop. "I thought the Frascati Centre attracted local shoppers," Ms Bhreathnach frets.

It's going on for half past four and the canvassing team has been here for well over an hour now. There's a general feeling that it's time to wrap up. One of them says something about watching the match.

As for the candidate, the next stops are the local churches for evening Masses.