I think that the first step towards turning this country around is to have a General Election before the Dáil rises for the Summer.
Then we will be facing our problems with 166 TDs in the Dáil with a fresh mandate to deal with the grave situation Ireland is currently in. I am not advocating voting for one party over another or for a change of government, all I am doing is calling for the people’s view to be expressed via a General Election.
I have a simple plan to use the Internet to bring about this election in an open and transparent way, but I’m going to need a lot of help if it is going to work. The plan is in no way endorsed by or connected to the 'Pin, but I’m hoping some Pinsters will be willing to lend a hand.
Firstly, my name is Cathal Furey. I live in Dublin and work part-time as a lecturer in Business & IT in Dublin City University. If anyone wants to contact me directly about this, PM me for phone number or email: firstname + lastname (all one word) at gmail.com. I’m not a member of any political party or movement and never have been. Any money I have spent or will spend on this project is coming out of my own pocket, I am not “backed” by anyone or seeking any donations. There is no hidden hand behind this, it’s just something I think needs to happen and my attempt to make it happen.
So what’s the plan?
Saturday April 24th is the day. Get as many people as possible to make as much noise as possible at 12 noon on Saturday 24th April to send a clear message to the Irish Government that the people want a General Election. One location will be outside the Government Buildings in Merrion Square, but hopefully there will be local gatherings in towns and cities around the country too. If enough people gather and make noise on the 24th in front of Irish and international media, if everyone posts pics and video clips of the event everywhere online, it should at least give the Irish Government something to think about.
In order to promote April 24th, I’m making a short video over the next couple of weeks which will be released online a few days before the event and will hopefully go viral. I am not a professional film maker, so the idea behind the video is quite simple. Record short video clips of people holding up a placard with their reasons why we need a general election. Video camera, tripod, blank A2 sheets and a pack of permanent markers. I’ll be spending the next few days in Dublin recording people, then taking a few road trips around the country to give as many people as possible the opportunity to take part.
The Irish Times have given permission to use images of headlines from the paper so some of those can be used to give a bit of context. The family of Mic Christopher have very kindly agreed to allow Mic’s song “Heyday” be used as the soundtrack for the video.
What help is needed?
Well any general feedback or suggestions would be helpful for starters. And yes I know I’m mad and might be wasting my time on this, but its a decision I’ve made and I’m going to give it my best shot.
I don’t post on Politics.ie or Boards.ie so if someone was prepared to spread the word on those websites I’d be very grateful.
I plan to do a trial run of shooting footage outside Merrion Square tomorrow (Bank Holiday Monday 5th) from 1-3pm if its not lashing rain. Then probably more shooting in Dublin on Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th April before hitting some towns and cities around the country. I’ll post my full itinerary once I’ve planned it out.
Obviously if nobody wants to stand in front of the camera and hold up a placard with their message to the government on it, there’ll be a whole video of my ugly face to look at so I need volunteers to take part in each shoot. Bring along your friends and family. Who knows, you might end up being a part of a piece of history!
It would be great if the collective brains of the 'Pin put their minds to suggesting text for the placards. Single placards or perhaps two or three placards to be shown in sequence. I can then print up and laminate the best of these and offer them as “stock” text that people might use when they are writing their own placards. I don’t want the campaign to be perceived as targeting certain politicians or parties, so ideally the text will avoid naming political parties or politicians directly.
(I might be asking the impossible on that last bit but think of it as a challenge…)
The camera I’ll be using is a Canon 7D DSLR with a 50mm lens. The image quality is amazing but I’m only learning my way around the camera and shooting video generally so any help on the technical side would be great too. More than one camera shooting at the same location would be great if a lot a people turn up.
Basically whoever wants to help and collaborate is welcome as there’s no way I can do this on my own. Just leave any party badges or ideology at the door please, it’s simply about calling for a General Election.
I’m planning to fire off a few emails to the national media about this tomorrow so hopefully it will pick up a bit of momentum.
In the meantime I’ll be posting any updates on this thread (if its not locked!) and at cathal.posterous.com
Cathal Furey
Skype: cathalfurey
firstname + lastname (all one word) at gmail.com
PM me for phone number
EDIT - Just wanted to update this post with the Itinerary for the Heyday Video Shoots:
Thursday 8th April - Dublin
12.30-2.00pm Merrion Square West - DONE
5.30-7.00pm Merrion Square West - DONE
Friday 9th April - Sligo and Galway
12.30-2.00pm JFK Parade, Sligo
5.30-7.00pm Eyre Square (Corrib Shopping Centre corner), Galway
Saturday 10th April - Athlone, Tullamore and Mullingar
10.00-11.00am Athlone Castle, Athlone
1.00-2.00pm Market Square, Tullamore
3.30-4.30pm Market Square, Mullingar
Second & Final Road Trip of Heyday Video Shoots:
Thursday 15th April 6.00-7.00pm TRALEE The Square (off The Mall),
Friday 16th April 1.00-2.00pm LIMERICK Bedford Row (O’Connell St end)
Sunday 18th April 12.30-2.00pm CORK Father Matthew Statue on St. Patrick’s St
And the final video shoot, Sunday 18th April 5.30-7.00pm WATERFORD The Band Stand in the People’s Park