‘Not engaging is why nothing changes’: Boylan warns apathy fuels status quo

Sinn Féin Councillor Janice Boylan believes working-class communities have the power to enact "astronomical" change if only they would truly harness the power of their vote

News Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 16:19, 28 Aug 2026 Updated 08:53, 29 Aug 2026 View Image Sinn Féin Councillor for North Inner City Janice Boylan (Image: Robbie Kane)

Dublin’s working-class communities have the power in their hands to enact real change if they would only channel the true power of their vote according to Sinn Féin Councillor Janice Boylan.

Having run as a candidate in the Dublin Central by-election last May , North Inner City Cllr Boylan knows first-hand the pitfalls of voter apathy. With a voter turnout of 43.5%, she pointed out that over half the constituents did not have their voices heard, which results in their views not being properly represented.

“People need to know and start concentrating on the power of their vote, it’s in their hands, they all hold all the answers to all the problems,” she said recently on the ‘What If You Didn’t?’ podcast.

“If they took that little bit more of considered input into it and thought about how powerful they can be by going and using their vote at the ballot box to vote, the difference would be astronomical, particularly in working class communities. In the North Inner City, we have a really high percentage of people who don’t engage.”

Voter turnout is "really, really low,” but Cllr Boylan said “I don’t blame people”. “They get to the stage where they think, ‘Nothing ever changes, why should we engage?’” But, she believes “not engaging is the reason nothing changes” and wanted to remind people “the power of the vote is in your hands”.

Ultimately, it was the Social Democrats candidate Daniel Ennis who won the by-election with 19.7% of the votes. Cllr Boylan followed closely behind with 17.5% and Green Party Cllr Janet Horner placed third with 11.7%.

This by-election also marked Fianna Fáil's worst performance ever, as their candidate, Cllr John Stephens got just 4.3%. The results of this election showcased that, in Dublin Central at least, there is an appetite for non-government party candidates and, as Cllr Boylan explained, if this voting power was harnessed by a larger proportion of the population then Ireland’s political landscape could look a lot different.

Voter turnout in the last general election was larger than the by-election, as is traditionally the case, standing at 62.7%. Yet, this still leaves four out of every ten people’s preference unaccounted for.

Apathy appears to be becoming an increasing problem within Irish politics, people need only look at the results of the Presidential Election last year to see frustration in action. While Galway ’s Catherine Connolly ultimately became Ireland’s head of state with 63.36% of votes , almost 13% of people spoiled their votes on the day.

That represented 213,738 people who felt they would rather throw their vote away than give their support to any of the candidates presented to them. People feeling their views are not being heard or they are not being properly represented was a key point that Cllr Boylan discussed with Tallaght-based podcaster Chris Evans.

She said this was prominently seen through the fuel protests, which saw farmers and hauliers cause widespread disruption around the country in response to rising fuel prices and the cost-of-living crisis. Cllr Boylan said that, although some may disagree with how the protests were carried out, that they came as a result of the government not listening to the people.

"The way they handled the fuel protests - if they had listened and engaged with people, there would have been no need for them. Instead, they focused on blaming people,” she said.

“Take a step back; you knew this was coming - people on the street, in the Dáil, and councillors warned you. While people are upset about the protests, at the end of the day, they wouldn't have protested had they been listened to, had they felt their livelihoods and their contributions to the community were valued. We’ve seen it time and time again."

Cllr Boylan believes that class divides and a sense of detachment among government party politicians and those in working-class communities contributes to this sense of apathy. She said there are too many people from privileged backgrounds making decisions about life experiences they don’t truly understand.

“They don’t get what it’s like. But I can honestly tell you there were times in my life sitting on Wednesday waiting for payday on Thursday. They don’t care because it doesn’t affect them."

While Cllr Boylan did not gain a seat in Leinster House last May, she explained that is her ultimate ambition as she believes “I bring a different dynamic to the Dáil” and that she will run again “if the opportunity presents itself”.

She said politics is “where I find myself the most fulfilled” and that representing working-class people is what she was born to do. “Even though there’s days when I literally want to bang my head on the door,” she joked.

“It is frustrating. If I could give homes to everyone that needs them, I would in a heartbeat. Some of the stories you hear, I have people coming into my clinic and sobbing their eyes out, you can’t not take that on board.”

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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