All eyes on Dublin Bay North

SENATOR Averil Power’s shock resignation from the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party last week has added a new dynamic to the constituency of Dublin Bay North for the next general election.

This new constituency, which will elect five TDs to the 32nd Dáil, is set to be one of the most fiercely contested in the country, with Power’s decision adding more political intrigue to what’s likely to be an intense battle for seats.

At the time of going to press, Senator Power had not confirmed whether she would run as an Independent candidate. However, the likelihood is that she will take her place in a line up that will comprise some of the heaviest hitters in local politics, including two other high profile Independent candidates, current and former Government ministers, six sitting TDs, three former Lord Mayors of Dublin and a number of Dublin city councillors.

Tommy Broughan and Finian McGrath, two of the best-known Independents in the country, will be looking to retain the seats they first won in 1992 and 2002 respectively. This will be Deputy Broughan’s first time to go it alone since his acrimonious departure from the Labour Party in 2011.

Prior to Senator Power’s bombshell last week, the constituency already experienced a slice of drama at the Fine Gael selection convention, when Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, failed to win a nomination.

Cllr Naoise Ã? Muirí and Stephanie Regan were selected, with Fine Gael’s executive council hastily adding Minister Bruton to the ticket the following day. Red faces all round!

Minister Bruton will be hoping that the significant drop in unemployment, from a high of 15.1 per cent at the beginning of 2012 to under 10 per cent last month, will put him in a strong position to retain the Dáil seat he first won in 1982.

Minister for Equality Aodhán � Ríordáin and Deputy Sean Kenny have both confirmed to Northside People that they will be seeking to run when Labour holds its selection convention, although it is understood that the party has not yet decided how many candidates it will field in the constituency.

However, all political eyes will be on the Fianna Fáil selection convention when it takes place, possibly this month. A spokeswoman for the party’s press office said a date for the convention has yet to be decided.

Sean Haughey and Deirdre Heney, both councillors for the Clontarf Local Electoral Area (LEA), confirmed to Northside People that they would be seeking the nomination to get on the ticket.

Tom Brabazon, a Fianna Fáil councillor for the Beaumont-Donaghmede LEA, whose opinion article in this newspaper in March on the subject of gender quotas caused quite a stir, also intends to seek a nomination.

Terence Flanagan will be flying the flag for Lucinda Creighton’s Renua party and will be bidding to hold onto the seat he won for Fine Gael in the 2007 General Election.

Deputy Flanagan was expelled from the Fine Gael parliamentary party in July 2013 when he defied the party whip by voting against the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill.

There was something of a surprise in Sinn Féin when one of their biggest vote magnets in recent years, Cllr Larry O’Toole, opted not to go forward this time around. Micheál MacDonncha and Denise Mitchell, both Sinn Féin councillors for the Beaumont-Donaghmede LEA, will contest Dublin Bay North.

The water charges will no doubt still be a major issue when the candidates get down to the nitty-gritty of knocking on doors.

Cllr John Lyons (People Before Profit) and Cllr Michael O’Brien (Anti-Austerity Alliance) have already declared that they will be contesting this constituency and will be looking for votes from those still seething over years of austerity.

The Green Party has yet to hold its selection convention in the constituency but former Dublin city councillor Donna Cooney confirmed that she would be throwing her hat in the ring.

Fingal councillor David Healy is also expected to put his name forward for the Greens.