'Not a dancer, or a jockey, or a shock jock or a chancer': Barry Cowen on his bid for an MEP seat

Barry Cowen canvasing in Ardee this week

FIANNA FÁIL TD Barry Cowen has said he hopes the upcoming European election will be measured on “more than name recognition or celebrity status”.

In February, the Laois-Offaly TD won his party’s selection race to stand as a candidate in the Midlands-North West constituency in next month’s election.

Fianna Fáil haven’t won a seat in this constituency since Pat Gallagher lost his seat a decade ago.

However, in a surprise move, Fianná Fáil last month added Senators Lisa Chambers and Niall Blaney to the ticket.

At an election canvas in Ardee, Co Louth earlier this week, Cowen said he didn’t “expect” the addition of two candidates.

“I was glad to have won that convention and to be the lead candidate,” said Cowen.

“I certainly expected one to be added, not two if I’m being brutally honest, but I do recognise the vastness and the size of the constituency.”

At a public meeting in Cavan on Thursday night in support of Niall Blaney’s European election bid, former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was the guest speaker.

When asked by The Journal if Ahern might be stumping for him in the future, Cowen said “that’s a matter for each candidate”.

“Niall speaks with authority on the issue of cross-border cooperation, on the Good Friday Agreement, and he wishes to have Bertie there to reiterate much of what we all speak to in relation to the successes of the Good Friday Agreement,” said Cowen.

Meanwhile, Cowen was asked if he agrees with Senator Lisa Chambers, who this week called for a “decisive break from the Green Party” and that the “relationship with the Green Party is no longer tenable”.

Cowen told The Journal that he “acted in the interest of my party when negotiating the programme for government”.

“There’s nothing in the programme that wasn’t agreed by three parties,” he added.

“Issues will arise from time to time where there are tensions, sometimes you think with 12 seats (of the Green Party), maybe they’re punching above their weight against the combined forces of 70.

“That’s the commentary and the drama of politics, but irrespective of who’s Taoiseach or who is leader, they have an obligation to implement a programme for government.”

While Cowen noted that “issues may arise”, he added that “stability is important and it’s important this government runs its term”.

When asked if Chambers’ comments may have been an attempt to garner media attention ahead of the elections, Cowen said he’s “not out to bash anybody”.

He added: “She (Chambers) can speak for herself. I’ve told you what my candidacy speaks to.

“I will try to win support for my candidacy in my respective areas, and Lisa and Niall will in theirs and if we can win transfers, one of us, if not two of us, should be competitive and that’s the goal.”

The European elections have gathered a lot of interest this year, with broadcaster Niall Boylan and former jockey Nina Carberry among the candidates, in the Dublin and Midlands-North West constituencies respectively.

When asked if he was surprised by some of the candidates across the constituencies, Cowen remarked that he’s “not a dancer, or a jockey, or a shock jock or a chancer or anything like that”.

However, he added: “I do recognise that the majority of the constituents don’t get to meet their candidate, despite our best intentions, so there is a lot to do with name recognition.

“Can you push the door open and go through the door, that’s determined by virtue of the strength of your campaign and the ability to gain support, and I would hope that will be measured on those issues, rather than simply name recognition or celebrity status.”

Cowen told The Journal that he decided to run for the European Parliament because it’s an “opportunity arises once every five years, and even at that, it might only arrive at my door once”.

He also pointed to counties Laois and Offaly moving back to the Midlands-North West constituency as being a boost for his run.

He said there are issues that his candidacy speaks to, such as the rural economy and the role of farming and agriculture in it, as well as “power and security and tax and innovation”.

“It’s likely I’ll be able to address those issues in a different way in Europe, and might have a better result for the region,” he added.

Cowen was also asked what an unsuccessful European campaign might mean for his political future and if it could signal the end of his political career.

“I’m not contemplating post-election,” said Cowen, “I will deal with that if and when that arises.

“My firm, total and committed focus is that I believe my candidacy is a strong one, it speaks to something, it’s easily identifiable, I can see ways in which I can make a difference and I’ll leave nothing on the pitch anyway.”

‘Talk openly on immigration’

Earlier this week, Cowen called for the “urgent expansion of Ireland’s ‘Safe Countries of Origin’ list”.

Counties who are deemed safe by the State means the Department of Justice understand that there is generally no systematic persecution, no torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or no threat of violence from an armed conflict in that country.

While citizens from those countries can still seek International Protection in Ireland, it is done so under personal grounds.

Cowen noted that Ireland’s list includes ten countries, while the Netherlands has 18 countries on its list.

Cowen added that this would “deter thousands of people who are economic migrants simply looking for the best opportunity”.

When asked if immigration will play a big role in his candidacy, Cowen said: “People will raise matters that are of concern to them, and the issue of immigration is something that people want to talk about.”

He added that it’s “healthy to talk about it and talk openly, in order to be in a position to understand what’s required”.

Cowen also remarked that he doesn’t “begin any conversation without recognising we too as a nation suffered persecution from famine, forced emigration”.

“We were afforded an open door in many parts of the world, and not in some others,” said Cowen.

“But essentially, those people who went before us forged our identity, made an imprint, and it stayed with the reputation we have worldwide.

“Secondly, 20% of our workforce today are foreign nationals, they play a huge role in ensuring we have an economy that can generate income and jobs.”

However, Cowen said “there are issues around immigration”.

“Initially, of course, we were very welcoming of immigration into the 90s and there’s an innate decency in the Irish people, but we never expected it to go on as long, we never expected huge pressure to come on our own accommodation.

“There are costs associated too with being in a position to provide the relevant services and facilities and that creates its own pressures.”

He added: “There’s no doubt that the manner in which government and certain departments have handled it hasn’t been fantastic.

“We have to work together to ensure we have a fair, firm and fast system in place, which people need to get confidence in as soon as possible to ensure we don’t allow the far-right to take hold because that’s dangerous.”

While Cowen said that the “EU migration pact will seek to address that”, he questioned whether “it’s happening quickly enough”.

The pact, which has been under negotiations for years, aims to get EU countries to act together on migration.

“I don’t know and that’s something I need to investigate to ensure that as quickly as possible we get solidarity across the union in terms of systems and appeals.”