“PUT IT THIS WAY, I don’t know the chap. I know him to see, I know some of his family, but if you look at the government that’s running the country for the last few years, let’s face it, they have ripped people off at the lower end and they’re all for the millionaires.”
That was the opinion of one prospective Hutch voter this afternoon in Dublin Central, after the man known as ‘The Monk’ made it official yesterday and lodged his papers to run in the general election.
The notorious gangland figure, who is running as an Independent candidate, has yet to outline his main priorities in the election other than to tell the Sunday World’s Nicola Tallant that he “won’t be taking bullshit”.
Earlier this week, he was doorsteped by reporters as he arrived in Dublin Airport from Lanzarote, where he had just been released on a €100,000 bail by Spanish police investigating alleged organised crime activity.
“I’ll take any seat,” Gerry Hutch told them when asked whose seat he thinks is most at risk in the constituency.
Hutch will be competing with some of the most well-known names in Irish politics, with Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and Fine Gael’s Paschal Donohoe both sitting TDs in the area alongside Social Democrats’ Gary Gannon and the Green Party’s Neasa Hourigan.
Also hoping for a seat in the hotly contested constituency are former MEP Clare Daly and anti-immigration councillor Malachy Steenson.
A diverse area, Dublin Central takes in the capital’s north inner city neighbourhoods of Ballybough and Summerhill as well as wealthier areas like Phibsborough and Drumcondra.
This afternoon, The Journal hit the streets in the constituency to see what people make of Hutch’s late entry into the race.
In Summerhill, the area where Hutch grew up, most voters who spoke to us said they didn’t think he had a chance of getting elected.
“It’s hysterical,” was one man’s response when asked what he made of his candidacy.
Aged in his fifties, the man identified as a Social Democrats’ voter but didn’t want his name published.
“Dead man walking like,” he added as he crouched and pretended to shield his head, “he’ll be going around like this”.
But does he think he has a chance of getting in?
Not at all. I wouldn’t vote for him.
Another man, who didn’t want to be named, said he thinks his candidacy is “a stunt”. “He’s some bleedin’ neck,” he said, before adding that he will probably do okay in terms of votes.
An older lady from the area, who also didn’t want to be named, agreed that Hutch was unlikely to take a seat.
When asked what the main issues were for her in this election she said street lighting and a lack of gardaí in the area.
“We never see a guard on patrol. Write that down,” she said.
On Hutch, she said he’ll only be “scattering the vote”.
Would she vote for him? “No, no, no.”
Meanwhile, Ciara McGrath, a younger lady living in the area, said she believes Hutch has been emboldened by the blurring of lines “between truth and lies”.
“I can imagine him getting some support, I don’t imagine he’s going to be elected,” she said.
McGrath, whose main concern is housing in this election, said she is a Green voter and will vote for the party again.
“I think that they are brave because they go into government. They got punished the last time, and they’ll probably be punished again but I think we need Greens in there to try and steer things in the right direction,” she said.
“My biggest issue will be housing. I think the crisis in housing at the moment is ruining lives.”
McGrath also voiced concern over what she sees as the scapegoating of immigrants by some political representatives.
“I think the blaming of migrants for issues surrounding all the social ills is misplaced, and it has been hijacked by the right, and it is being used to create an othering of people and to create division,” McGrath told The Journal.
She also specifically raised concerns about the treatment of international protection seekers.
“They are being scapegoated,” McGrath said.
“The treatment of them at the moment, where [the Government] are not providing them with accommodation is entirely, entirely wrong. Where people have left terrible situations, and regardless of whether they’re here as economic migrants or if they deserve their cases to be heard, they deserve to have some dignity and some respect while that is happening.”
‘Probably won’t vote’Not everyone shared McGrath’s view though.
Bernie, who didn’t want to give her second name, said she is hoping that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael don’t get re-elected because she feels like they are “handing money and medical cards” to people who come to Ireland from other countries but not looking after Irish people.
Bernie retired last year from a public service job and has ongoing health difficulties.
“I’m not entitled to a medical card. I’m not entitled to fuel money, I’m not entitled to anything other than the state pension, which is disgraceful, because I’m after working [my whole life].
“And there’s a lot of people in my situation. It’s just ridiculous,” she said.
When asked who she would vote for in this election Bernie said she probably won’t vote but if she does she will vote for an Independent.
“I used to vote for Labour years ago until a couple of them retired and new ones got in and people like me… were left at the bottom of the pit,” she said.
And what does she think about Hutch?
“I’d probably vote for him,” Bernie said.
Why?
“Put it this way, I don’t know the chap. I know him to see, I know some of his family, but if you look at the government that’s running the country for the last few years, let’s face it, they have ripped people off at the lower end and they’re all for the millionaires.
“They give themselves massive, massive pay rises. So to me, they’re like white-collar criminals. They look after the hierarchy and forget about the ones that are doing all the work, the little foot soldiers, as I would call ourselves, doing all the work, even all through the pandemic.
“We were cleaners. We kept the country going.
“And we got nothing at the end of the day for it just our wages.
“So you take the Monk, who’s supposed to be a criminal… He’s never harmed anyone that anybody knows of, because he’s never been found guilty of harming anyone.
“I don’t know him so I can’t say I like him but maybe he’ll do a better job,” Bernie said.
“I’m not saying I will vote for him, I’m just saying when you actually look at the bigger situation maybe a new face would be much better at running the country than the ones who have been running it for years because they are running it into the ground,” Bernie said.
Another voter, Noel, said he believes Gerry Hutch’s decision to run is a “good idea”.
When asked what the big issues were in his mind during this general election, Noel said the drug problem locally and pointed to what he deemed an “epidemic” of street tablets, crack and heroin in the area.
Noel said he would like to see the gardaí do more and “get the drug dealers off the street”.
He also pointed to delays in the justice system as an issue he wants to see politicians focus on.
On Hutch, he said he thinks it is a “great idea” for the local area.
Why?
“Because he is born and bred in this area and he’s well respected.”
Noel suggested Hutch, as a TD, could act as a “sort of mediator” in local drug disputes, adding: “I know that’s not part of his job.”
He said he “definitely” believes Hutch would work to get drug dealers out of the area.
Over in Drumcondra, the reception to Hutch was more negative.
One older gentleman, John Devlin, responded: “Who? I don’t know him” when asked what he thought about his candidacy.
Devlin said his big concern in this election was “probably immigration, too many foreigners”.
When asked if he had decided who he would vote for he said: “I might vote for the far-right, I don’t know. I haven’t completely made up my mind.”
‘Gimmick’Rachel, a mother of four girls, told The Journal that her two biggest concerns in this election were housing and immigration.
“Housing. And then there’s too many asylum seekers coming in,” Rachel said.
She added that she would like to see more public spaces for children in the local area.
“When I was growing up there were so many parks. I’m from the inner city and at the moment it’s just concrete city,” she said.
On Hutch’s candidacy, Rachel said she believes it is “a gimmick”.
“As I do say, the [politicians] that we have in are white-collar criminals. He’s just known as a criminal. So that’s the difference between them.”
Despite this, Rachel believes he has a good chance.
“I’m telling you now, he’ll be elected,” she said.
When asked what she thinks people like about him, Rachel said it’s because he’s “not hiding behind closed doors”.
“We all know from the inner city that he is a criminal. Everybody knows he’s a criminal. So why not put the criminal in instead of a white-collar criminal?”
On who she will vote for, Rachel said it will probably be an Indendent like Clare Daly or the Social Democrats’ Gary Gannon.
“I’m not going to vote for Sinn Féin again,” she said.
She added, while pointing to a poster of Paschal Donohoe and one below of Fianna Fáil’s Mary Fitzpatrick: “I wouldn’t be voting for Paschal, he’s done nothing. Mary Fitzpatrick, I think I will give her a little vote. She’s very good.”
Meanwhile, Oisín Ryan, 25, said his big issue in this election is housing.
“The prospect of having a house just seems impossible at the moment, it would be my biggest concern,” he said.
Ryan, a renter, said he had decided who he would vote for but would prefer not to say.
On Hutch running, Ryan said it was “a bit of a joke”.
“If you’re serious about it, fair play, but I’ve no time for messing in that regard when there’s serious issues to be dealt with.”
Does he think he has a chance?
“You never know, anything can happen these days. People have mad views.”
