Shatter boldly goes on mission to Klingon to seat
Fine Gael’s Alan Shatter, who at the next general election will attempt to reclaim the Dáil seat he lost in 2002, has distributed a unique newsletter to voters in Dublin South.
On the cover of the four-page newsletter, which is apparently designed to resemble a glossy celebrity magazine, Mr Shatter is pictured in Star Trek uniform alongside a photograph of the original star of the TV series, William Shatner.
“Only one of these men needs your number one vote!” the headline declares. The accompanying article inside warns would-be constituents that if their first-preference votes are not forthcoming, Mr Shatter “may resort to his phaser weapons”.
It suggests he adopts his canvassing style from the “We come in peace (shoot to kill)” mantra attributed to William Shatner’s character, Captain Kirk, in the hit song of the 1980s.
Elsewhere, the newsletter takes a stab — quite literally — at Health Minister Mary Harney. In a cartoon depicting “The Tánaiste Job Interview”, Ms Harney is shown lying inert on the ground, a knife in her back.
The assailant is not made clear. But in the background, doing a rather disastrous interview for the job, is Ms Harney’s successor, Michael McDowell.
In between the various comic book elements are sober sections outlining Mr Shatter’s local and national policies. They include a promise to enhance capacity on the Luas light-rail system for Dublin South residents. “I’ll make it happen,” Mr Shatter declares.
Fine Gael headquarters was clearly bemused by the newsletter last night. The document did not receive official clearance from headquarters, and the party logo used in the newsletter is an old one. But a spokesman tried to accentuate the positive.
“It’s a good thing for politicians to be talked about,” he said.
Whether it will help Mr Shatter Klingon to his political hopes, though, remains to be seen.
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