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THE MAN BEHIND ‘Ballyhea Says No’, an anti-bailout group based in Cork, is to run in the Ireland South constituency in May’s European elections.
Diarmuid O’Flynn made the announcement yesterday at a march to mark the third anniversary of the ‘Ballyhea Says No’ campaign which is against payments to bondholders and has held weekly anti-EU/IMF bailout protests since 2011.
O’Flynn admits he faces stiff competition in the election, but insists he’s “in it to win it”. He is the first independent to put his name forward in the expanded constituency.
“In Ballyhea we’ve been campaigning for three years. It is not a symbolic campaign. We’re determined to write this wrong. I’m not [running for election] as a symbolic gesture.”
He will be pitted against Fine Gael’s sitting MEP Sean Kelly and his party colleague, Senator Deirdre Clune; TD Simon Harris; sitting Labour MEP Phil Prendergast; sitting Fianna Fail MEP Brian Crowley; Sinn Fein’s Liadh Ní Riada and Grace O’Sullivan of the Green Party.
O’Flynn called on all MEPs to forget “Civil War politics” and work together to secure a debt write down for Ireland, saying that those from different parties “waste time battling against each other and while they’re doing that the people suffer.”
“A lot of Irish MEPs were simply asleep when [the bailout] debt was put on us … Germany and France used their power and size to bully and browbeat Ireland.”
O’Flynn says he is “very, very pro-Europe” but believes the euro currency has been “disastrous” and that there is a “major case” to abolish it.
“Sometimes to make progress you have to go back.” Referencing his 25 years working in the construction industry, he said: “When you reach crisis, you have to demolish and start again.”
O’Flynn added that Ireland’s relationship with Europe shouldn’t be a “one way street”.
“People have spoken ad nauseam about how Ireland has benefitted from being in the EU, but how much has Europe gained from our fishing grounds?”
O’Flynn, who is also the Irish Examiner’s chief hurling correspondent, said he will continue writing for the paper until after the hurling league final, before taking annual leave in the weeks running up to the election.
He admits that his campaign, which will be promoted through social media rather than election posters, does not have a lot of funding behind it.
O’Flynn says he knows he is inexperienced and “wished I got involved in politics a long time ago.”
“If anyone wants to contact me with advice, I’m wide open. The genie’s out of the bottle. I’ve no idea what’s ahead of me. It will be a lot of work, but work has never frightened me.”
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Fair play to Diarmuid O Flynn and all in Ballyhea for your sustained and dignified protest at the looting of this country to pay for the gambling losses of financial speculation. The ECB utterly exceeded its authority in coercing the Irish government into the repayment of private banking debt in the bondholder bailout. As the disastrous 2 year blanket bank guarantee was close to expiring during the summer of 2010, the ECB forced the Irish government into full repayment of all bank bondholders from senior secured right down to junior unsecured under threat of withdrawal of liquidity funding from the Irish banks. The ECB exceeded its mandate in this and a legal case needs to be taken to the European Court of Justice in relation to this blackmail of a sovereign state. Payment of all outstanding banking debt should be withheld pending the verdict of the ECJ.
The past and present governments have betrayed their people and abjectly surrendered to the demands of the ECB and the financial elite. In the face of this dereliction of duty, I applaud the people of Ballyhea and Diarmuid for attempting to defend the interests of the Irish people and hope he is rewarded at the ballot box.
Unfortunately Coddler there isn’t a hope in hell of winning that case..
Why? Do you know something that the rest of us don’t Killjoy?
That, unfortunately, nothing was done illegally or unconstitutionally. The Irish government paid €5 million in legal advice when installing the banking guarantee; not to mention what the ECB spent. There is no way they made a mistake, both sides had the best lawyers in the country making sure all the guarantees wouldn’t be challenged successfully.
Michael Noonan has publically admitted that the promissory notes were illegal so these munificently remunerated legal minds are far from infallible.
Let the government publish all the correspondence from Trichet and Lenihan if they are that confident that nothing illegal or unconstitutional was done.
I hope Diarmuid O’Flynn wins a seat at the European parliament. It would be great for Irish politics and democracy. Well done Ballyhea.
He hasn’t a hope I’m afraid.
We can only hope that people give him their number 1 be it as protest or because they support what he stands for. We need more “ordinary” people to run in politics rather then the entitled sons, daughters or other relations we get now from the main stream parties.
Huge credit to this man. A breath of fresh air to hear about him. Loads of hurlers on the ditch sitting at the bar counter and posting on blogs the length and breadth of the country. Simon ‘it’s my proud honour’ Harris’ arrival on the FG ticket is a deeply cynical move to gain the Leinster vote. Need to find out more about O Flynn but pretty sure he’ll get my first choice. The establishment parties need an annihilation in these elections. Kenny is beginning to think he can walk on water. Maybe we fly him out to mid Atlantic and put the theory to the test.
Looking at the list of contenders I see no reason why this good gentleman cannot succeed. More power to him. He and his colleagues have got off their arses whilst the rest of the country sat on theirs. It makes no difference that they will not succeed – at least they have tried and we should be proud of Mr. O’Flynn (whose bondwatch makes terrible reading) and his cohorts.
He is getting my number one.
Ditto he is getting my no 1
Best of luck
The German Constitutional Court as referred matters relating to it’s constitutional independence and the powers of various EU agencies to the European Court; our village idiots would never dream of standing up like that. Oh, Enda that promise the EC gave to you about looking at restructuring our debt taken on due to the bailout – well they knew you were weak and stupid enough to believe in it.
CMac59, There never was a promise given to Enda from the EC about looking at restructuring our debt taken on due to the bailout, as your mixing up the retro recapitalisation of the banks and that possible deal and the troika bailout, even when Greece got a write down none of there bailout loans were written off only their other Bondholders got burned who were mostly the Cypriot Banks and there depositors the local people they got burned.
Have great respect for Diarmuid and the Ballyhea Says No group. Was hoping he would stand in this election. Really hope he does well and the Ballyhea Says No group get the media attention and respect they need and deserve!!
One thing you have to give Diarmuid is he has a proven track record in standing up for what he believes in. Three years campaigning. He’s learned about Europe by going in there arguing Ireland’s case with the rest of us in the Ballyhea group- in the European Parliament, the Euro Comission, the Council of Europe, the ECB. Like the rest of us, he’s done it in his own time, at his own expense.
Good luck to him, but being an MEP is worth about as much a as bag of snot.
It’s worth a lot to the person elected. Set for life.
You think the votes they cast on banking union, CAP, EU budget, data protection aren’t important? And at least MEPs aren’t whiped like Irish TDs, so there is some chance of them being independent.
The man goes out marching every day..rain hail or snow…making a valid case in the hope of a brighter future for us and kids. Do yee really think hes in it for the money
good candidate, hope he gets in.
He wont win, but I suspect he’ll do very well in the polls despite his underfunded campaign. In the absence of any left leaning candidate in Munster whatsoever, he has my vote.
I wouldn’t completely rule him out.
One thing he will do is banjax Sinn Fein’s campaign. They had already damaged themselves by their candidate selection. Now the presence of a prominent Independent will cause them to haemorrhage votes.
Seeing that FG and FF are guaranteed a seat and the government has enough votes for a 2nd seat (with the party that gets it open to question), then if he can finish ahead of Sinn Fein, he should pick up enough transfers to challenge for the last seat.
Seeing as FF, FG and Labour are traitors who repeatedly sold us out to European interests, it makes plenty of sense to vote for this guy. Mainstream parties only care when they lose votes, so punish them. Seeing as all FF, FG and Labour are likely to do is nod their heads and agree with whatever the big powers want, there is no way you can lose by voting for this guy or someone like him.
I ll be voting for him
Well done my friend some one has to make a stand, other than just talking about it .
I will certainly give him my number 1 vote.
The head on him.
I admire his taking part in democracy and, along with other people in Ballyhea, expressing their discontent about the cowardly, tragic handling of the financial crisis. However, his desire to abolish the Euro coupled with a self-confessed lack of experience in/knowledge of politics is a disconcerting mixture. What monetary framework does he propose to implement instead and what is his program for action on this front? I hope he’s got some very close friends with deep knowledge of macro-economics.
No point in Diarmuid running for Europe as nobody knows who he is or what his agenda is. What we need is a strong honest candidate with integrity and balls! Someone who has the backing of the Irish people and has their trust. A candidate like Brian Hayes fits this bill.
…..don’t know how I typed that with a straight face :-)
Readers of de paper know him as a GAA reporter. Could take votes from Sean Kelly.
If you want someone ‘with integrity and balls’ you need look no further than this man.
I predict he will be come in last place unless a worse candidate surfaces!
Let us know when a better candidate surfaces.
In Munster it will be the labour Party candidate who will have a battle to break 8% even though she is a sitting MEP.
Totally suppirt Mr Flynn in Ballyhea. If only i was in his constituency.
Hope he makes it. Good Luck.
I knew that this guy was a journalist with the Examiner but didnt realise he was in the property game. Has he debts from that involvment?
We seem to be pretty set on the road to paying down our debts, however many years it takes. Whether that is good or bad who knows?
He said he worked in the building industry for 25 years. That could mean anything.
Qualified as Land Surveyor with the Ordnance Survey, 1973; back to college to do Civil Eng, Cork RTC (as it was then), 75-77; Middle East 77-80 on pipelines (Iran), road network (Benghazi, Libya); home to Ballyhea to win Cork Intermediate hurling championship 1980 (and we did!); to New York with that wave of emigrants 1984-90, worked as concrete labourer in Manhattan high-rise for two years before having Engineering/Surveying credentials recognised, then on to high-rise Engineer, thence to Highway Engineering; home in 1990, Contracts Manager for small construction firm in Dublin; New York again 1995 & 96, Highway Engineering again; home for good in 97, with the Examiner full-time since 98.
Was a trouble-shooter on many of those jobs, problem solving. The property game? Debts from that involvement? Built my own hut here on the hills, the only ‘property’ I have, and the ‘debt’ on that will be paid off next year (hopefully).
I need neither the money nor the pension from this job, am getting more than enough now to meet my needs. This job, however, is a job I feel qualified to do, a job I now feel compelled to stand for after three years of damned near full-time campaigning.
Best of luck to you Diarmuid.
Thank you; going to need that luck, but an extra five or six hours in the day wouldn’t go amiss, and a few thousand in the bank to pay for flyers etc! It’s a challenge, but doable, very doable.
Best of luck Diarmuid Ireland needs more of the person you are willing to stand up an say stop. Sadly the main stream parties in Leinster house and those they send to Europe will not defending the Irish citizen and will do nothing for us or Ireland.
Fair play for replying. That is a nice work record you have there. You have been about the place.
You seem to be genuine but does anyone truly understand what would unfold if bondholders were burnt. It is an easy thing to say and will catch the vote but the burning the bondholder boat seems to have floated. Whether we are better in or out of the euro who knows. We dont seem to be very good at managing our own affairs.
When it comes to bank debt/bonds/bondholders Diarmuid knows what he is talking about. Diarmuid and I sat across from ECB officials and discussed this. At present we have bonds sitting in Central Bank waiting to be sold in. About 28bn. These replaced the promissory notes. These could be easily destroyed without affecting anyone. The ECB broke its own rules in allowing the p notes to be written. They can break a rule to allow this part of debt to b destroyed. Problem is this gov is ruled by fear. And believes its own hype. On our behalf the technical group presented a motion on Nov 27 asking gov to ASK ECB for write off. It was supported by SF and other independents. Gov response? No! Will not ask.
Diarmuid our country needs people like you so badly as a new breed of public serving representative as opposed to the self and elite serving ones that have been in situ for many a year now.i give you my very best!!
No 1 and
I’m leaving it at that.
Hope you make it
and thanks anyway.
Could’nt make my
mind up ’till last night !
His got my vote and a I believe a great chance of been elected
A great reporter and would make a great MEP.
Snowballs chance in hell and IF he does lets say Ammm my Agenda is to abolish the Euro..Germany response is sit down and go with the flow..nice pension
Diarmuid must be out of his mind.An abolition of the euro will have disastrous consequences for Ireland and the rest of the eurozone.
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