You know the way they say the Irish are late for everything, even their own funerals? Well so it seems is any major campaign aimed at mobilising the youth vote in Ireland.

Maman Poulet would usually have no problem in supporting anything that mobilises young people to stick their number 1 (and other votes) on the ballot paper. However Rockthevote.ie with lots of money and no sense it seems are launching in April 07 – that’s one month before the general election folks. Whilst young people are being turned off voting in their droves by crap debates and crapper posters, this crowd aim to break through all the noise in 43 constituencies complete with a Constituency and Community Director and get young people out to vote. Oh yes and when the electoral register is closed and supplemental registration is extremely difficult to do.

You’d think they might have been at colleges throughout the country last September, or at the Oxygen festival last summer or at the GAA finals in September, rocking the vote… Just an idea like…

It would seem that they have money to burn and lots of fancy job titles and descriptions. Would the American who wears a cheap watch and travels economy have anything too do with backing it? Honestly I thought AP had more sense on what they got involved with since the other problems in the past 18 months. In fact wouldn’t any funder of this non partisan initiative have said ‘nice idea but you should have launched last year’?

One wonders if this is aimed at giving a group of mates a cushy job for a few months. Where else other than the website are the jobs being advertised? And if those behind it are trying to keep it hush hush until they launch (that’s right in April!) who’ll get to know about how to apply for a job?

Well now you have read Maman Poulet you might get your CV ready for the easiest money you might ever make. It’s a shame as it could have been such a good idea if executed in a timely manner. Actually thinking about some other private philanthropist funded projects I know about this is probably how they like to organise – ie. tell no-one, give the jobs to your mates and launch late and effect no change.

Or maybe with it’s April Launch date this whole thing is an April Fool’s joke????