FINE Gael party
members in Dublin 15 issued a warning to the leadership in advance of Tuesday night’s convention that they’d quit if a high profile candidate was
parachuted in for the upcoming by-election.
Cllr Eithne Loftus won the nomination but a delay in fixing a date for the convention had prompted fears among branch members that
head office would spring a surprise candidate from outside the area.
Fine Gael Dublin
West TD, Leo Varadkar, wouldn’t comment on possible contenders before the selection convention but said the
candidate would be chosen by members through a democratic vote.
“Anyone who
cannot accept the result is welcome to resign,
? he told Northside People.
Up to last
weekend, local councillors Kieran Dennison and Eithne Loftus were the party’s
only potential contenders for the by-election to fill the seat left vacant by
the late Minister Brian Lenihan.
But over the
past few weeks names like those of former European President Pat Cox and ex
Irish athlete Eamonn Coughlan have been mentioned as possible party candidates.
And last week
members of Fine Gael’s Blanchardstown branch told their leaders in no uncertain
terms that they would not support any third candidate nominated for the
convention at this late stage.
At a heated
meeting, about 18 members of the branch signed a petition to be sent to head
office warning that they would not be involved in the by-election campaign if
another candidate was chosen.
Several of those
present even threatened to resign from Fine Gael if the party pulled a
personality contender from the bag, like it did when RTÃ? broadcaster George Lee
was selected and won the Dublin South by-election back in 2009.
Speaking last
week, a member of the Blanchardstown branch told Northside People there had
been a lot of anger expressed during the meeting at the lack of communication
and
“dilly-dallying from head office
? about the by-election.
“No date was
given for a long time and the whole thing was dragged out so much that it’s
given rise to increasing speculation about an outsider being brought in,
although no names were mentioned in particular,
? said the member.
“The only other
possible alternative candidates were already out of the race. Eamonn Coughlan
ruled himself out, and people associated with Pat Cox said he wasn’t
interested, so we don’t know who they might be thinking of.
“There’s a
general feeling that there’s no point in Fine Gael winning this by-election
just for the sake of it – if they brought in a celebrity candidate it would
prove nothing, it would only make a mockery of the political process, and it
wouldn’t happen in any other democracy,
? he added.
“For example, if
the Conservatives in the UK decided to run Wayne Rooney in Manchester, they
would be laughed out of it, it would be seen as manipulating the electorate.
?
The Fine Gael
insider, who did not wish to be named, said there seemed to be some people in
the party who were only interested in winning the by-election, without caring
how it was achieved.
And, in a deep
jibe to the leadership, he said that choosing a celebrity candidate was
“the
kind of thing that Fianna Fáil used to do
?.
There was also
genuine concern among members that the party wasn’t leaving itself enough time
to canvas ahead of the by-election, which takes place on the same day as the
presidential election, October 27.
“Members are
aware that all the other parties out there busily canvassing already, and this
delay in the selection convention is wasting valuable time,
? said the Fine Gael
source.
Local Councillor
Eithne Loftus, from Castleknock, was not present at the local party meeting last week because she was attending a local residents’ meeting that night.
When asked about
the selection convention, she said that she would prefer not to comment because
she was friends with her rival contender Councillor Kieran Dennison.
“We work well
together, and I would not want to say anything to upset our friendship. I will
be going forward for selection, and I hope the party members will support me,
and I’ll leave it at that,
? she told Northside People.
Cllr Kieran
Dennison could not be contacted by Northside People for a comment.
The party also
declined to comment on speculation about a third candidate.
All other
parties had already named their candidates before Tuesday’s FG selection
convention. Cllr David McGuinness will run for Fianna Fail, Cllr Patrick Nulty
for Labour, Cllr Ruth Coppinger for the Socialist Party, Paul Donnelly for Sinn
Fein and Roderic O’Gorman for the Greens.