A centralised count is giving democracy ‘the two fingers’

The decision to move the general election count for Cork South West to Mallow has been described as a “disgrace” by local councillors and one that undermines local democracy.

A motion was passed during Monday’s full meeting of Cork County Council calling on the County Sheriff to reverse the decision to hold all three general election counts for Cork county in the Mallow GAA Complex. The constituency votes set to be counted in Mallow are Cork South West, Cork North West, and Cork East.

Traditionally, the count for the Cork South West constituency would be held in Clonakilty due to its central location in the region.

Councillors argued that as it stands, anyone traveling to the count from the Beara Peninsula area is facing a two-and-a-half-hour drive to Mallow.

“I think it’s absolutely outrageous,” said Independent West Cork Cllr Daniel Sexton.

He added: “I think it’s giving democracy the two fingers up by taking it out of Clonakilty.”

Independent Cllr Finbarr Harrington said moving the Cork South West count to Mallow would be similar to moving the Mallow count to Dublin or Galway for the people of Mallow.

“A person on the Mizen or Sheep’s Head peninsula would have to drive two and a half hours,” he said.

“It’s a total disregard for the people of Cork South West to remove the count centre from Clonakilty which has been happening there since 1961,” he added.

West Cork Fianna Fáil councillor Patrick Gerard Murphy said the decision undermines local democracy.“There’s a grasp of power inside the Pale. I’m here 16 and a half years in this council and I just see it happening more and more, inch by inch, cut by cut, the dissolution of our powers again and again,” he said.

It wasn’t just councillors from deep West Cork opposing the decision. Fine Gael’s Bandon-Kinsale councillor Marie O'Sullivan said it’s now more important than ever to get young people interested in politics and that moving counts out of their constituencies goes directly against this. “I’ve been going to counts since I was about three years old and I think that we all like a bit of blood sport. Counts in our local areas are like going to a challenge match,” said Cllr O’Sullivan.

Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Joe Carroll agreed wholeheartedly with the motion and a letter has been sent to the relevant parties calling for the decision to be reversed.