New Vision (electoral alliance)
Encyclopedia
New Vision was an electoral alliance
of independent candidates
formed to contest the 2011 Irish general election.
The formation of the group was announced at a meeting in Dublin organised by the economist David McWilliams
on 31 January 2011. Eamonn Blaney, son of a former Independent Fianna Fáil
Teachta Dála
and minister Neil Blaney
, stated that he was launching "a movement called New Vision" and that the group would run candidates in the upcoming general election. He stated that New Vision already had the allegiance of "several strong Independents who will unite around four principles".
The group held a press launch on 9 February 2011 where they revealed the 19 candidates that had agreed to run under the New Vision label. Each candidate had committed to vote en bloc on four issues, but were free to campaign on other national and local issues as they wished. As well as Eamonn Blaney, prominent candidates were his brother MacDara, and Luke 'Ming' Flanagan
.
The four core issues which each New Vision candidate agreed to support were described by the group as:
The number of independent candidates in the New Vision alliance subsequently rose to 20.
New Vision are not to be confused with a separate party Fís Nua
, which translates from Irish
as "New Vision". Fís Nua also ran candidates in the 2011 general election. Eamonn Blaney stated that he was "unaware of the existence" of Fís Nua when he registered the business and domain names for New Vision.
Electoral alliance
An electoral alliance may take the form of a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc. It is an association of political parties or individuals which exists solely to stand in elections...
of independent candidates
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
formed to contest the 2011 Irish general election.
The formation of the group was announced at a meeting in Dublin organised by the economist David McWilliams
David McWilliams
David McWilliams is an Irish journalist and economist. McWilliams has worked with as an economist with Central Bank of Ireland and as a banker with UBS bank and the Banque Nationale de Paris...
on 31 January 2011. Eamonn Blaney, son of a former Independent Fianna Fáil
Independent Fianna Fáil
Independent Fianna Fáil was a splinter republican party created by Neil Blaney after his expulsion from Fianna Fáil following the Irish Arms Crisis . It ceased to exist on 26 July 2006...
Teachta Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
and minister Neil Blaney
Neil Blaney
Neil Terence Columba Blaney was a senior Irish politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1948 as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála representing Donegal East. Blaney served as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs , Minister for Local Government and Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries...
, stated that he was launching "a movement called New Vision" and that the group would run candidates in the upcoming general election. He stated that New Vision already had the allegiance of "several strong Independents who will unite around four principles".
The group held a press launch on 9 February 2011 where they revealed the 19 candidates that had agreed to run under the New Vision label. Each candidate had committed to vote en bloc on four issues, but were free to campaign on other national and local issues as they wished. As well as Eamonn Blaney, prominent candidates were his brother MacDara, and Luke 'Ming' Flanagan
Luke 'Ming' Flanagan
Luke 'Ming' Flanagan is an Irish independent politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Roscommon–South Leitrim constituency at the 2011 general election. He was previously a county councillor and Mayor of County Roscommon...
.
The four core issues which each New Vision candidate agreed to support were described by the group as:
- The separation of bank debt and sovereign debt
- A viable strategy to create jobs
- The overhaul of politics and the public service
- A better deal for the country’s natural resources.
The number of independent candidates in the New Vision alliance subsequently rose to 20.
New Vision are not to be confused with a separate party Fís Nua
Fís Nua
Fís Nua is a minor political party in the Republic of Ireland.The party was formed in June 2010, mainly by former members of the Green Party who were unhappy with that party's participation in the then coalition government with Fianna Fáil...
, which translates from Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
as "New Vision". Fís Nua also ran candidates in the 2011 general election. Eamonn Blaney stated that he was "unaware of the existence" of Fís Nua when he registered the business and domain names for New Vision.
Results
The candidates in the New Vision alliance received the following votes at the 2011 general election. One candidate, Luke 'Ming' Flanagan was elected.| Constituency | Candidate | 1st Pref. votes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cavan–Monaghan Cavan–Monaghan (Dáil Éireann constituency) Cavan–Monaghan is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies... |
John McGuirk | 1,708 | Eliminated after second count |
| Cork East Cork East (Dáil Éireann constituency) Cork East is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies... |
Paul O'Neill | 1,056 | Eliminated after second count |
| Cork North Central Cork North Central (Dáil Éireann constituency) Cork North–Central is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies... |
Padraig O'Sullivan | 1,020 | Eliminated after sixth count |
| Cork South Central Cork South Central (Dáil Éireann constituency) Cork South–Central is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies... |
David McCarthy | 880 | Eliminated after fifth count |
| Cork South West Cork South West (Dáil Éireann constituency) Cork South–West is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies . The method of election is the single transferable vote form of proportional representation .- History and boundaries :It was... |
David McInerney | 493 | Eliminated after first count |
| Paul Doonan | 239 | Eliminated after first count | |
| Donegal North East Donegal North East (Dáil Éireann constituency) Donegal North–East is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies... |
MacDara Blaney | 1,228 | Eliminated after fourth count |
| Ryan Stewart | 203 | Eliminated after first count | |
| Donegal South West Donegal South West (Dáil Éireann constituency) Donegal South–West is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies... |
Ann Sweeney | 255 | Eliminated after second count |
| Dublin North East Dublin North East (Dáil Éireann constituency) Dublin North–East is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies... |
Eamonn Blaney | 1,773 | Eliminated after seventh count |
| Dublin North West Dublin North West (Dáil Éireann constituency) Dublin North–West is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies... |
Michael J Loftus | 217 | Eliminated after third count |
| Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire (Dáil Éireann constituency) Dún Laoghaire is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies... |
Mick Crawford | 394 | Eliminated after third count |
| Kerry North–West Limerick | Mick Reidy | 357 | Eliminated after third count |
| Longford–Westmeath | David D'Arcy | 159 | Eliminated after first count |
| Louth Louth (Dáil Éireann constituency) Louth is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies... |
Thomas Clare | 2,233 | Eliminated after eighth count |
| Mayo Mayo (Dáil Éireann constituency) Mayo is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects five deputies... |
Martin Daly | 893 | Eliminated after third count |
| Meath East | Sharon Keogan | 1,168 | Eliminated after first count |
| Roscommon–South Leitrim | Luke 'Ming' Flanagan Luke 'Ming' Flanagan Luke 'Ming' Flanagan is an Irish independent politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Roscommon–South Leitrim constituency at the 2011 general election. He was previously a county councillor and Mayor of County Roscommon... |
8,925 | Elected on fourth count |
| Sligo–North Leitrim | Alwyn Love | 779 | Eliminated after third count |
| Tipperary North | Billy Clancy | 1,442 | Eliminated after second count |