Adrian Kavanagh, 19 December 2011

OK, for better or worse here is the list of the nominees for the Irish General Election 2011 Facts and Figures’ Golden Goose Awards. There is without doubt going to be some glaring omissions here, but what is an awards contest without a bit of controversy!

• Best individual electoral performance by a Fine Gael candidate: Enda Kenny (Mayo), Peter Mathews (Dublin South), Sean Barrett (Dun Laoghaire), Regina Doherty (Meath East), Brendan Griffin (Kerry South)
• Best individual electoral performance by a Labour candidate: Roisin Shortall (Dublin North West), Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East), Michael McNamara (Clare), Pat Rabitte (Dublin South West), Michael D. Higgins (Presidential Election)
• Best individual electoral performance by a Fianna Fail candidate: Michael McGrath (Cork South Central), Lisa Chambers (Mayo), David McGuinness (Dublin West by-election), Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath), John Moloney (Laois-Offaly)
• Best individual electoral performance by a Sinn Fein candidate: Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly), Kathryn Reilly (Cyavan-Monaghan/Seanad), Sandra McLellan (Cork East), Jonathan O’Brien (Cork North-Central), Pearse Doherty (Donegal South-West)
• Best individual electoral performance by a United Left Alliance candidate: Seamus Healy (Tipperary South), Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West by-election), Joan Collins (Dublin South-Central), Claire Daly (Dublin North), Declan Bree (Sligo-North Leitrim)
• Best individual electoral performance by a Green Party candidate: Mark Dearey (Louth), Dan Boyle (Seanad/Cork South Central), Roderic O’Gorman (Dublin West by-election), Trevor Sargent (Dublin North), Eamonn Ryan (Dublin South) 
• Best individual electoral performance by a non-party candidate: Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow), Shane Ross (Dublin South), Mick Wallace (Wexford), Luke Ming Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim), Catherine Murphy (Kildare North), Victor Boyhan (Seanad/Dun Laoghaire), Sean Gallagher (Presidential)
• Best individual electoral performance by an election candidate: Michael D Higgins, Robert Troy, Shane Ross, Seamus Healy, Stephen Donnelly, Pearse Doherty, Roisin Shortall, Joan Collins, David McGuinness, Kathryn Reilly, Regina Doherty.
• Best individual electoral performance by a candidate who did not win a seat: Lorraine Higgins (Galway East/Seanad), Catherine Connolly (Galway West), John Brady (Wicklow), Pat Burton (Cork North-Central), Mary Fitzpatrick (Dublin Central/Seanad), Mary Moran (Louth), Seamus Walsh (Seanad: Cultural and Educational panel), Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny) 
• Luckiest election candidate: Sean Kyne (Galway West), Cait Keane (Seanad), Colm Keaveney (Galway East), Billy Kelleher (Cork North-Central), Sean O Fearghail (Kildare South), Michael D. Higgins (Presidential)
• Unluckiest election candidate: Mary Fitzpatrick (Dublin Central/Seanad), Catherine Connolly (Galway West), John Brady (Wicklow), Sean Gallagher (Presidential), Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath/Seanad)
• Best performance by a political party in a general election constituency: Fine Gael (Cyavan-Monaghan), Fine Gael (Dublin South), Labour (Dublin North-West), Fine Gael (Dun Laoghaire), Fine Gael (Mayo)
• Best performance by a political party in a national contest: Fianna Fail (Seanad Election), Labour (Presidential Election), Fine Gael (General Election), Labour (General Election), Sinn Fein (Presidential Election)
• Most surprising electoral result: Late swing from Gallagher to Higgins in the Pesidential Election, Robert Troy winning seat in Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail Seanad performance, extent of Fianna Fail wipeout in the general election, Colm Keaveney wins Labour seat in Galway East
• Most surprising event to happen during an electoral campaign: Gallagher surge in polls in middle of presidential election campaign, Mary Moran builds up strong Labour vote base in north Louth in space of few weeks, Fine Gael push towards the overall majority in opinion polls in run up to election day
• Biggest electoral miscalculation ahead of an election campaign: Fine Gael presidential election strategy, Fine Gael and Labour only running one candidate in Kildare South, the Labhras O Murchu saga and Fianna Fail’s approach to the presidential election, Fine Gael running only one candidate in Dublin North-East, Fianna Fail and Reshufflegate ahead of calling of the election
• Biggest electoral miscalculation during, or after, an election campaign: Dick Roche calling for a recount in Wicklow, Sean Gallagher not “doing an Enda” on night of Frontline debate, Fine Gael and Labour attacking each other in opening weeks of General Election 2011 campaign, the Martin List, Fine Gael making too many promises during general election campaign, Labour making too many promises during general election campaign, Labour going into government after general election
• Best use of internet/social media by an election candidate: Dylan Haskins (Dublin South East), Lorraine Higgins (Galway East), John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny), Dan Boyle (Cork South-Central), Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid-West)
• Best use of internet/social media to comment on/cover the 2011 elections by a non-politician: ElectionsIreland.org, The Irish Election Literature blog, Politweets.ie, The Journal.ie, Maman Poulet 
• Best use of tweeting/Twitter by an election candidate: Dennis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim), Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid-West), Dan Boyle (Cork South-Central/Seanad), Aodhán Ó Riordain (Dublin North-Central), Alan Farrell (Dublin North)
• Best use of tweeting/Twitter to comment on the 2011 elections by someone who was not an election candidate: Ken Curtin, Suzy Byrne, Johnny Fallon, Richard Columb, Ryan Meade, Andrea Pappin, Valerie McDermott
• Best use of tweeting/Twitter to comment on the 2011 elections by an academic: Elaine Byrne, Fiona Buckley, Jennifer Kavanagh, Ciaran McMahon, David Farrell, Eoin O’Malley, Theresa Reidy, Jane Suiter, Gary Murphy
• AK’s favourite radio/TV interviewer in relation to 2011 elections’ media coverage: Jonathan Healy (Newstalk), Mary Wilson (RTE), Claire Byrne (RTE), George Hook (Newstalk), Will Faulkner (Midlands Radio 3)

Good luck to all the nominees and may the best woman/man/party win…