*Hilary Tonge (SD) with Eugene Fawl and Seán McMahon. Photograph: Joe Buckley
SOCIAL DEMOCRATS “are on the map in Clare” following the General Election, unsuccessful candidate Hilary Tonge (SD) maintained.
Hilary had targeted hitting six percent of the vote in Clare but had to settle 3.5 percent after securing 2,144 first preference votes before her elimination on the tenth count.
Reflecting on her performance, the Ennis woman said, “I think it was brilliant, I’m very proud of myself, I’m very proud that the Soc Dems are on the map in Co Clare. We had a great team, a small team but a great team and they were a big help to me. I want to thank them very, very much and thank the party for supporting me as well”.
Despite not hitting her intended target, Hilary outlined, “It’s improvement as in we’ve never had a Social Democrat candidate ever in Clare for a General Election, I’m the first and I’ve done extremely well”.
Co-founder of the Mid-West Hospital Campaign, she is not confident that returning Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs will help health services in the county. “Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have basically done nothing up till now, that is why the Mid-West Health Campaign endorsed me to be a voice for them, I hope I’ve them done proud, we really need to continue this campaign”.
With two elections under her belt since June including a run for Clare County Council where she polled 598 votes and finished ninth where seven candidates were elected. “I’m totally exhausted but very happy,” she remarked of her two campaigns.
She is adamant the Social Democrats will continue to grow in Clare. “Onwards and upwards. We’ll keep working here, build a party, it has doubled its numbers, so that’s great, and keep working away”.
Part of that building is to be in a strong place come 2029 to try elect a county councillor for the first time. “I think we have to get the young voters out. I haven’t seen all the results, but I reckon we had a low turnout, and we need young people voting because young people are Social Democrats at heart”.
On how they can be engaged, she told The Clare Echo, “Start talking. Start talking. Start going into schools. Education”.
When asked if there’s more elections to come from Hilary Tonge, she replied, “Always”.
Chair of the Social Democrats branch in Clare, Fiona Levie (SD) told The Clare Echo of the parties chances of entering into a coalition with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. “Our stance is there are red lines particularly on health and housing that we will not cross, we look at it at as a poisoned chalice, it is a double edge sword, we know we can’t doing the same things and expecting different outcomes, we’ve seen it with Labour and the Greens and what happened, the temptation to go into Government and make a difference on health and housing is clearly there but at the same we won’t compromise our red lines. Personally I think Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will grab Independents formerly of those parties”.
Mountshannon woman Fiona said the focus is on growing the branch in Clare and is “cautious” on a coalition “but we don’t want to stay in opposition forever”.
