Canvassing experiences

[The Analyser]

My neighbour's dog (a tiny wee thing) has just attacked some Sinn Féin canvassers who came around to my house and my neighbours. I've never seen people run so fast. (I bet they were sorry they decommissioned their weapons!)

It set me thinking about experiences people have had canvassing.

A friend of mine, Tommy, is a FF activist, in Sligo-Leitrim. He was doing his leaving cert in 1992 but under pressure from his FF-mad family he agreed to go out on the canvass on the afternoon before his first exam for an hour. On his second house, the door as opened with a man shouting "get those ************************************s". A large dog rushed out and bit Tommy rather badly in the arse. He rushed away from the house. As he got to the footpath he lost his balance, fell alkwardly and broke his leg. He missed his exam!

In 1997 he went out canvassing again. It went well for a while (no dogs anyway). When he knocked on one door it was opened by a rather embarrassed man, with a woman shouting very agressively. She charged at the man and hit him. Tommy tried to say something but the woman turned, looked at him, screamed that it was none of his ************************************g business and that he didn't know what a waster her husband was, and then hit Tommy hard in the face. He ended up with a black eye and a bloody nose.

Needlesstosay Tommy doesn't canvass any more. And his local cumann joked that they they don't want him to canvass, telling him that the insurance on him would be too big.

What experiences have other people had or heard of?

[CookieMonster]

Witnessing a minister hopping over a wall which was lower on the far side than it was on the near side causing him to fall is a spectacularly hilarious fashion.
I broke my hole laughing and it was the last time I was asked to canvas.

[Corcaigh33]

Alsatians standing like sentinels outside the front door who if u touched the gate handle snarled impressively - I didn't canvass there.

My number one canvassing story is from a bye-election in Cork in the early 90's. A very prominent former FF TD was allocated to the pair of us from UCC to go canvassing in the Dillon's Cross area. While going into a cul-de-sac we noticed an elderly lady peering out from behind her curtains. The TD turned to us and said - leave this lady to me I am very good with the elderly. The lady came out to her porch and the TD went into canvass spiel automatically to which her reply was :

"I am 85 years of age and I have only ever voted FF my entire life."

To which the TD replied - "isn't that marvellous, we can count on your support so...."

SHe then said " and I have a twin brother and he has only ever voted FF his entire life......"

To which the TD said "....isn't that marvellous lads, imagine voting for FF all that time....so tell me ....how old is your twin brother???"

And the lady innocently said " oh he's 85 too.."

That is as true as I am sitting here typing this. I have tons more but won't monopolise the thread :wink:

[The Analyser]

I heard a great story from a while ago about a FG canvasser who went around to houses. He went to one house where the letterbox was full. He pulled the most recent leaflet one from the letterbox. It was a FF leaflet. He then put in a FG one.

He ran to the next house, in the gate and then down a slope. As he ran he noticed that it was getting harder and harder. It was only as he got to the door and saw and irate man waving frantically at the door that he realised the problem. He had just run down through a man's newly concreted driveway. The FF canvassers who had been a couple of minutes earlier had, as they told him later, removed the barrier at the gate knowing that FGers were coming just behind.

As he got to the irate customer, he picked out the FF leaflet that he had put in his pocket, and said "vote Michael Mulcahy of Fianna Fail number 1". The irate man screamed back "You've ruined my driveway, you pillock. I'll not vote for your man. I'll sue him. I'll vote for Fine Gael's guy, Mitchell. You'll get no vote from me after what you've done."

So Mitchell got a vote, and Mulcahy lost one.

[Ireland2007]

In the European Elections in 2004 a local SF Cllr was in a housing estate close to my house and he got attacked by a bulldog... nearly ripped the shoe clean off him.

[Coles]

Alsatians standing like sentinels outside the front door who if u touched the gate handle snarled impressively - I didn't canvass there.

My number one canvassing story is from a bye-election in Cork in the early 90's. A very prominent former FF TD was allocated to the pair of us from UCC to go canvassing in the Dillon's Cross area. While going into a cul-de-sac we noticed an elderly lady peering out from behind her curtains. The TD turned to us and said - leave this lady to me I am very good with the elderly. The lady came out to her porch and the TD went into canvass spiel automatically to which her reply was :

"I am 85 years of age and I have only ever voted FF my entire life."

To which the TD replied - "isn't that marvellous, we can count on your support so...."

SHe then said " and I have a twin brother and he has only ever voted FF his entire life......"

To which the TD said "....isn't that marvellous lads, imagine voting for FF all that time....so tell me ....how old is your twin brother???"

And the lady innocently said " oh he's 85 too.."

That is as true as I am sitting here typing this. I have tons more but won't monopolise the thread :wink:

Ah, I think that'll do for now. It was a bit dull. :wink:

[Corcaigh33]

A "Could do Better" on my canvassing stories...............

[The Analyser]

I was visiting someone in Meath during the last election. I got a lift in to Kells to get a bus. I opened the car door not realising as I did so that someone nearby had come over to canvass me. I hit him with the door and sent him flying. It was the local TD and Minister for Electronic Voting Debacles, Noel Dempsey. (For those who don't know him, 'wee Noel' is a bit on the tiny side. He is like a large dwarf.)

I don't think he actually went down, just went flying. But as I got out of the car I heard a voice from nearby saying "************************ it. Why didn't you kill him while you had the chance?" Even some of the FFers burst out laughing. But Noel just went on canvassing.

[rockofcashel]

Just a few here too...

was canvassing for myself at the last locals, when a very nice elderly lady answered the door and started chatting to me. A minute later, her irate husband came out and started roaring at me about how SF wrecked the state, and howling about how great a man Kevin Higgins was, and I'll get no votes in this house .. the wife went quiet...

When he finished, he stormed away and she turned and said.. don't mind that oul eejit. he votes for no-one, and I'm voting for you, just to annoy him

Thanks missus

[rockofcashel]

As for the attack dog story at the start, I've never had problems with dogs canvassing, but ...

If one did start to attack me, I'd walk slowly backwards out the gate, and if he followed, he'd get booted back in over the wall.

When he's on his own property he's entitled to attack.. on the street, he's fair game