ON THE CANVASS with DAN BOYLE:THE MUGSHOTS used by candidates for their posters can sometimes employ a tad of artistic licence. Take the one used by Dan Boyle, the Green Party's torchbearer in the South constituency, writes HARRY McGEE
You watch Boyle shift batches of posters from his office near Cork city centre to the boot of his (very) compact car. And it's a little like observing the famous split-characters, Gar Private and Gar Public, from Brian Friel's Philadelphia, Here I Come!in action.
The Dan Boyle of the poster isn’t even flattering. It’s Dan Boyle alright but not as we know him.
The haircut is incredibly tight, the expression is severe. But it is the glasses, with their thick frames, which stand out most. As fashionistas might say they make a statement. In this instance it goes something like: “I am a painfully-cool German existentialist.”
The real Dan Boyle is wearing his everyday glasses and his hair is at normal Dan Boyle length and mussiness.
He is apologetic about the poster, describing it as too serious. There is method behind it: intended to reflect Boyle’s status as the Green’s guru on the economy.
In one sense, the idea of more than one political persona suits. For despite being in Government, Boyle has assumed a kind of Greek chorus role, questioning and challenging policies. Notably, in Tralee last weekend he bluntly criticised the failures of the Government.
“In the early stages of the campaign, my strategy has been not to promote myself as a European candidate per se but to build a national profile on the economy.”
But that strategy may have backfired. His absence from the ground war might have led to his lower-than-expected 3 per cent showing in last week's Irish Timesopinion poll.
“It was a bit upsetting to me, getting 3 per cent. But it was taken before the campaign has started properly, before any real hustings or debates,” he says.
Yesterday Boyle headed for the de rigeur canvassing grounds of Cork city – the colourful English Market with its amazing array of food stalls.
He stops for a cappuccino and a chat with Mary Rose-Daly at her landmark Coffee Central. A bundle of cheer and charm, Mary nevertheless doesn’t pull her punches about the grimness of the situation.
“It’s worse than in the 1980s. The twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings have never experienced anything like this.
“This market was half empty in the 1980s. When things were bad, you could not give places away here,” she says.
Boyle responds that he himself was made unemployed twice in the 1980s and argues that Fine Gael and Labour “would not change anything if elected”.
As you walk around, echoes of Dan Boyle the Poster return. For a politician who is such a relaxed performer on TV and radio, it’s surprising to see apparent diffidence emerging on the canvass. He walks through the English Market, goes upstairs, and retraces his steps without accosting anybody. He is clearly reluctant to intrude or disturb people as they shop.
By contrast, a few hours later, Toireasa Ferris retraces the same route through the market. But the Kerry Sinn Féin councillor leaves no stone unturned and no hand unshaken as she storms through.
To be sure, Boyle has no team around him and his only comfort blanket is a sheaf of brochures. But for all his other strengths, this is not his forte.
Still there’s a high recognition factor. “There’s Dan,” many people salute warmly as they pass. A small number approach him. Two have constituency clinic issues; the third is a student who wants to know his policies on energy. He patiently explains how the Greens want Ireland to be a centre of excellence for renewable energy.
His schedule is gruelling, mostly travelling alone and relying on local volunteers where he visits. He is therefore confining himself to the major urban areas: Cork; Limerick; Waterford; Killarney: Tralee: Clonmel and Thurles.
“It’s a shoestring operation. The total spend is €60,000. We are depending on voluntary effort. But Greens have got elected on shoestrings before.” Boyle says there has been some reaction from those who disagree with its continuation in Government.
In a Limerick hotel the previous day, a man came up to Boyle in the lobby. “I recognise your face. Are you Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael?” he asked.
“I’m Dan Boyle from the Green Party,” he responded.
“I liked the Green Party at one time but I have a feeling that you are propping up the Government now,” replied the man.
“Well people do not want the Government to collapse. They want it to carry out the necessary measures and reform,” said Boyle.
“Be careful you don’t end up like the PDs,” the man replied.
Boyle says the exchange was typical of the negative reaction. “It has not been angry, it has been disappointment. There is goodwill towards Greens,” he argues.
He nonetheless accepts there may be electoral “collateral damage”.
“It might affect the critical mass. My role is to stress our distinctiveness. We are not going to take responsibility for failed policies in the past but we will take responsibility for what’s been done since 2007, including the failures of communication,” he says.
For all that, you suspect that, as of now, it will be an uphill struggle for him to assume yet another persona: that of Dan Boyle MEP.