Talk:Dana Rosemary Scallon

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1 Requested move

I don't think she went to America in the eighties and didn't return until 1997 - her son was at my primary school a few years below me. I attended that school until 1993 and I clearly remeber going to her house in the late 80s/early 90s when a younger friend was attending a birthday party.

I thought her name was Rosemary Brown. Is one of these her married surname? Deb 21:21 Feb 22, 2003 (UTC)

Yes, she is married to Damien Scallon and has used his surname rather than her maiden name since their marriage in the 1970s. During the 1997 presidential election, to ensure people recognised her, she got onto the ballot paper as Dana Rosemary Scallon JTD 21:44 Feb 22, 2003 (UTC)

I have problem with the following line:

Most political experts predict that she will lose her European Parliament seat when in the next European election the number of Irish seats is reduced from 15 to 13.

Whoever wrote this doesn't understand what a political comeback is. STV aside, there is always A chance that Dana could make a comeback and be reelected as an MEP in 2004. Whoever wrote this doesn't remember the comeback of Bill Clinton in 1996. When the GOP won Congress in 1994, the "political experts" predicted that Clinton would lose in '96. As history shows, Clinton won a strong victory in 1996 by defeating Bob Dole by eight points in 1996.

Bottom line: This line is POV. It is removed.

Actually it isn't and the above writer is completely missing the point:

1. Clinton was from a mainstream political party with a party organisation behind him to deliver votes. Dana is an independent without party affiliations or an organisation with a haphazard coterie of backers.

2. Most of her support base relied on pro-life voters. She has since alienated much of them by siding with extreme pro-life elements in a referendum on abortion. In the referendum on abortion mainstream anti-abortion groups supported what they regarded as a weak anti-abortion amendment but one which not merely was the best they could get but the last they were ever likely to get. A few fanatics on the far right fringe rejected it as too weak and promised they would get a better one. A combination of extreme pro-life, pro-choice and pro-abortion groups separately but on the one side united to defeat the mainstream pro-life group. Public opinion is overwhelmingly against any more votes on the issue and she personally is blamed by mainstream pro-lifers for the defeat of what they believe was the last ever chance to strength the law from a pro-life perspective. (A fact proven to be correct by a blanket refusal of any politician to call for another vote, while the third largest national party is now supporting the introduction of abortion) She support base has collapsed, as shown in her performance when she ran for Dáil Éireann in the 2002 general election, where she humiliatingly lost her deposit. Though very high profile as an MEP and a former presidential candidate, and predicted to be in the running for the last seat in the constituency, he bombed spectacularly badly, limping in with a tiny vote that had no impact on the outcome and made her election in that election an impossibility.

3. In 1999 she entered the race as a political newcomer with few negative traits, having got good exposure in the 1997 presidential election. In 2004 she will go into the race as a controversial associate for far right pro-life organisations. So the novelty factor that was her appeal in 1999 won't exist in 2004. In 1999 she was able to pick up over 72,000 votes in a large euro-constituency. In 2002 in a far smaller general election constituency, where 1999 she had picked up tens of thousands that went to her final euro vote tally, she got a miserable 1600, so back she humiliatingly lost her deposit, the ultimate political humiliation that for a once successful electoral candidate usually spells the deathknell of their electoral career.

3. With the reduction in seat numbers from 15 to 13 (and 12 the next election after that), the boundaries in all the Euro-constituencies are expected to be changed, with Meath moving from Leinster to Dublin, her strongholds of Monaghan and possibly Cavan moving to Leinster, and Clare, where she has no organisation but where her biggest challengers for the third seat, Fianna Fáil have a very large one, moving to Connacht-Ulster. (Fianna Fáil often wins of out of four seats in that Dáil constituency. It was a Fianna Fáil seat she took in Connacht-Ulster. For her to win again, she needs

(a) Fianna Fáil to do exceptionally badly (a possibility given the current Irish public conviction that they lied to win he last general election, their popularity now plummeting as a result, but the inclusion of Clare if it comes about should strengthen its Connacht-Ulster challenge);

(b) Fine Gael to do badly (a possibility given the electoral drubbing it got in the last general election, as the fact that its longterm MEP Joe McCartain is retiring, though they may have a strong replacement);

(c) Sinn Féin not to enter the race and if they do not to do well. (They will and probably will, possibly making them a challenger for the third seat);

(d) No strong alternative independent to arrive on the scene. (Her rival in 1999, Marian Harkan, is now a TD and unlike Dana has broadened not narrowed her appeal. If she runs, it probably means curtains for Dana.).

All four are unlikely to happen but without all four, Dana is in deep electoral trouble. In 1999, as a good speaker who has impressed in the presidential election, she had a strong cross party appeal that helped earn her crucial lower preferences. In 2004, her achievements in the presidential election have been overshadowed by the widespread belief that she has marginalised herself since, supporting the losing side in the abortion poll and associating with groups that most supporters of most parties would not want to associate with. So her transfer appeal has been severely limited, in contrast to some like Harkan who has broadened not narrowed her appeal since 1999.

In the circumstances to compare Clinton or other comback kids, with a professional organisation and vast resources, to a situation of an independent candidate, alienated from most of her original supporters, in a competitive constituency with different boundaries, thanks to a reduction in the number of seats, and in which her declining electoral appeal is also evidenced by her disastrous electoral bid in 2002, is misleading. The fact that her own remaining supporters are already questioning whether she should even run again shows the status of her appeal and the fact that her re-election is unlikely. In view of that I am re-inserting the line, which is simply an accurate summary of the consensus across all parties and none and including her own few remaining sypprters. FearÉIREANN 21:56, 29 Jul 2003 (UTC)

Two more issues:

The EP site has a nice photo of Dana here:

http://wwwdb.europarl.eu.int/ep5/owa/whos_mep.data?ipid=0&ilg=EN&iucd=4389&ipolgrp=PPE-DE&ictry=IE&itempl=&ireturn=&imode=

I think it would be good to add it if C/R issues are worked out. I am hoping to add the results of her election in '99 if I can find them.

hoshie

[edit] Requested move

Dana (singer) → Dana Rosemary Scallon. This article was unilaterally moved by a user. Dana was once just a a singer. However for over a decade she has been primarily a politician who was an MEP and ran for the presidency of Ireland. Calling her just a singer is no longer accurate. Many people who know of her today aren't aware of his old musical career and only know her as a politician. FearÉIREANN\^{(caint) 18:37, 27 August 2005 (UTC)}

Move to Dana Rosemary Scallon instead. If she is better known as a politician, it doesn't make sense to list her under her former stage name. -- Naive cynic 19:27, 27 August 2005 (UTC)
Support alternative of 'cynic, with similar reasoning. This is the first bold title in the article, and is how she's generally referred to in reportage, at least on a "first reference". Alai 06:31, 29 August 2005 (UTC)

I've renamed the proposed rename to that. That is a good option. It is her politician's name and includes her musical career name. FearÉIREANN

\^{(caint) 07:06, 29 August 2005 (UTC)}