Rob Carry: Grassroots Nationalist Challenges Constituency of Death in Wicklow

As Wicklow braces itself for a fiercely contested general election, one name stands out among independent candidates aiming to shake up the political establishment. A seasoned community advocate, business owner, and first-time general election candidate, Rob Carry brings a fresh perspective to a constituency grappling with challenges like housing, healthcare, and immigration.

Having narrowly missed out on a seat in the local elections, being eliminated on the last count, Carry is back with a more robust campaign, bolstered by lessons learned and a passionate desire to deliver meaningful change for people living in his community. 

Speaking to the Burkean, Carry explained his decision to run for public office: “I wasn’t very happy with what I was seeing in terms of how the country was being led. At the same time, things were settling down in my business life, and I had a bit more time on my hands. I thought, ‘Maybe I can go back to my original interest in politics and broaden what I can do in terms of community work.’”

During the last local elections Carry threw his hat into the ring, running a grassroots campaign with limited resources. Though he didn’t secure a seat, he gained valuable experience. “I was totally new to campaigning, and I was up against some of the big boys, so I was quite happy that I managed it,” he said.

For his general election campaign, Carry has significantly upped the ante, with a larger team and budget. “It’s a much bigger operation this time,” he explained. “There’s something going on every day, every evening, and I’m tapping into a pool of like-minded people. It’s all about learning from the rookie mistakes I made before.”

“’I’ve been getting a lot of support from other politicians in the area, people who are either elected councillors now or were councillors in the past or have stood in elections in the past,” Carry added.

Carry’s platform resonates with the frustration many feel towards traditional political parties. “This is going to be the election of the independents,” he said confidently. “When I say I’m independent, it’s almost like a look of relief crosses people’s faces. I’d hate to be standing under a party badge right now.”

Carry’s campaign is anchored in addressing the pressing concerns of the Wicklow constituency. Among his top priorities are housing, healthcare, mental health, and immigration. He is vocal about the failures of the current system, particularly in healthcare and mental health services, areas he has engaged with personally through his community work.

“As someone who has run a martial arts club for the last 10 years, I’ve seen the mental health crisis firsthand,” Carry shared. “We’ve had suicides and numerous suicide attempts among our members. The waiting times in the public system are a disgrace. That’s why we fundraise to provide private mental health services to young people in our club. It shouldn’t fall on local volunteers to fill the gaps where the government is failing.”

Carry admonished the government for its inability to provide mental health services and how he has helped his local community by taking on this responsibility. “I set up a committee, and there’s a big group of us there, and we’re working on rolling out services to our young people around Bray, we got beyond my club, and we’ve been able to fundraise to the extent that we can be tied in with a local community centre, and they’re all there. All their young people also have access to this free care,“ he said.

Immigration is another key issue on Carry’s radar, particularly as it relates to the pressure on housing and resources. While advocating for a respectful approach to discussing this issue, he acknowledged the challenges of integrating large numbers of new arrivals into a system that is already stretched extremely thin. “We’ve had over 150,000 new arrivals in the last year alone, but we’re only building homes at a rate of about 30,000 per year,” he noted. “That imbalance is creating real problems.” 

Wicklow’s electoral constituency is unique, with government heavyweights like Taoiseach Simon Harris and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly competing alongside a mix of party candidates and independents. Carry believes the tide is turning against the establishment.

Following the redrawing of electoral boundaries, Wicklow was split, reducing the number of seats in Carry’s constituency from five to four. “It’s quite a difficult time to run. I do think those seats are vulnerable, and that there is a seat there for an independent.” 

“There’s broad discontent with the political establishment,” he observed. Highlighting the vulnerability of Green Party TD Steven Matthews, and Fianna Fáil TD Stephen Donnelly in the constituency.

“I’m seeing loads of posters down here for Fianna Fail, but they all have Micheal Martin’s face on them, as opposed to Stephen Donnelly’s face. So I think that tells you all you need to know. In his own constituency, that they think a Micheal Martin vote is stronger than a Stephen Donnelly vote, for somebody who’s been a government minister for so long, that’s a shocking state of affairs,” Carry said.

While Carry respects his fellow independents, Joe Behan and Shay Cullen, Carry believes his strong ties to the community give him an edge. “I’ve been out there coaching kids, running sports clubs, and standing with communities like those in Newtownmountkennedy against poorly planned asylum centres. That kind of grassroots connection matters.”

Regarding the topic of immigration and Newtownmountkennedy, Carry spoke of his support for the community in protesting against the housing of asylum seekers in a field in the area, and how locals responded positively to his campaign. “I have a big campaign team down there, and they’ve been really brilliant. They’ve been so supportive. And if that’s indicative of the kind of broader mood around Wicklow on that particular issue, I think that is something absolutely that will make me stand out versus the other candidates” 

Carry’s campaign is driven by a vision of a fairer, affordable Ireland that supports communities and responds to their needs. His policy proposals include abolishing the Universal Social Charge (USC), introducing free childcare, and overhauling mental health services.

“The USC was brought in as a temporary measure during the financial crisis, but it’s still here,” he said. “Instead of the government taking money in the form of the USC our people and spending it on a bike shed or what have you, it’s far better spent put back into the pockets of voters.”

Carry advocates for free childcare, arguing that such a policy is a necessity for working families and improving their quality of life. Carry added that, if the government could afford to make the cost of childcare cheap for low-income families, there is no reason why it cannot be made free.

Carry reflected on government parties’ responsibility for the decline of his local area. “It’s almost comical to see the same parties that created these problems now positioning themselves as the solution.”

For Carry, this election is about giving voters a real alternative, and as Wicklow voters prepare to head to the polls, his campaign serves as a voice for reasonable policies that put people’s tangible needs first.