*Hilary Tonge (SD) with Eugene Fawl and Seรกn McMahon. Photograph: Joe Buckley
SOCIAL DEMOCRATS โare on the map in Clareโ 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, โI think it was brilliant, Iโm very proud of myself, Iโm 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 wellโ.
Despite not hitting her intended target, Hilary outlined, โIt’s improvement as in we’ve never had a Social Democrat candidate ever in Clare for a General Election, Iโm the first and Iโve done extremely wellโ.
Co-founder of the Mid-West Hospital Campaign, she is not confident that returning Fianna Fรกil and Fine Gael TDs will help health services in the county. โFianna Fรกil 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 Iโve them done proud, we really need to continue this campaignโ.
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. โIโm totally exhausted but very happy,โ she remarked of her two campaigns.
She is adamant the Social Democrats will continue to grow in Clare. โOnwards and upwards. We’ll keep working here, build a party, it has doubled its numbers, so that’s great, and keep working awayโ.
Part of that building is to be in a strong place come 2029 to try elect a county councillor for the first time. โI 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 heartโ.
On how they can be engaged, she told The Clare Echo, โStart talking. Start talking. Start going into schools. Educationโ.
When asked if thereโs more elections to come from Hilary Tonge, she replied, โAlwaysโ.
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 Fรกil and Fine Gael. โOur 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 canโt doing the same things and expecting different outcomes, weโve 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 wonโt compromise our red lines. Personally I think Fianna Fรกil and Fine Gael will grab Independents formerly of those partiesโ.
Mountshannon woman Fiona said the focus is on growing the branch in Clare and is โcautiousโ on a coalition โbut we donโt want to stay in opposition foreverโ.
