Terry Prone: Deserted polling stations evidence of poor political communication

Politicians who favoured a change to the constitution did a poor job getting their message across on the family and care referenda.

ARRIVING into Kent station at 5pm when you’re planning on boarding the 5.25 train to Dublin is cool and groovy. Gives you time to work on the “Mind the gap” anxiety. Kent station has a gap between train and platform that would suit you if you were an Olympic long-jump winner. Surviving it requires planning, a good throw (to get your wheelie bag on first) and prayer.

Usually, around 5pm, the train for Dublin is lined up directly outside the station building. Last Thursday, it wasn’t. After a while, an announcement was made apologising for the delay to that train and uttering the prophecy that it would be ready for embarking passengers in three quarters of an hour. This meant that the usual crowd in the station doubled. So crowded did it become that the volunteer pianist at the white-daubed piano began to look over his shoulder at the piled bicycles and buggies as if he expected them to topple on him.