Down but not out!

AFTER losing out to Deirdre Heney in the Fianna Fáil Dublin Bay North selection convention, Cllr Seán Haughey said he will decide in the next few weeks whether he wants to contest the next general election.

In an exclusive interview with Northside People, Cllr Haughey claimed that internal research carried out by Fianna Fáil showed that he was the only one who could win a seat for the party in Dublin Bay North

“at this time

?.

“I expect that Fianna Fáil party headquarters would like to add me to the ticket as they encouraged me to run for the general election in the first place,

? he said.

“It was on this basis that I decided to contest the selection convention. I responded positively to a direct request from the party to run.

“I will have to decide in the next few weeks if I now want to contest the general election given the outcome of the selection convention.

“I think I could have taken a seat as I am well known across the whole of the constituency and have previously represented large parts of it as a TD and city councillor.

Cllr Haughey, who lost his Dáil seat in the 2011 General Election, said Fianna Fáil will now have to reconsider its strategy for Dublin Bay North following the outcome of the selection convention.

“This will be a work in progress,

? he stated.

“Fianna Fáil has a huge battle on its hands to win a seat in Dublin Bay North and will be fighting for the fifth and final seat.

?

Senator Averil Power caused huge turmoil in the party in May when she resigned from Fianna Fáil.

Referring to this, Cllr Haughey added:

“At the outset I believe the plan was to run myself and Averil Power [on the Dublin Bay North ticket].

“I believe Senator Power, if she runs as an Independent, will take votes mostly off other parties and Independents rather from Fianna Fáil.

Although Deirdre Heney won the nomination by an extremely tight margin, there is a strong possibility that her council colleague in the Clontarf Local Electoral Area (LEA) could be added to the ticket at a later date. Cllr Haughey, a former Junior Minister (Education and Science) and Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1989, was strongly fancied to win the nomination over Heney after Cllr Tom Brabazon and Aileen Woods withdrew from the race.

Cllr Haughey said he was

“not too disappointed

? following his defeat.

“I take political victories and defeats in my stride and will get over this quite quickly,

? he added.

“Life is too short to worry about things like this.

?

Deirdre Heney, a native of Drumcondra and now living in Killester, has been a Dublin city councillor for 15 years.

She was re-elected in the Clontarf LEA at last year’s local elections for the fourth consecutive time.

Speaking at the convention in Clontarf Castle, Cllr Heney said she was

“truly honoured and humbled

? to be chosen by Fianna Fáil members to contest the election in Dublin Bay North.

“I look forward to visiting every home in the constituency over the coming months,

? she said.

“I want to pay tribute to Cllr Tom Brabazon, Cllr Seán Haughey and Aileen Woods who were also nominated for this convention.

“All of them are extremely hard-working representatives in this constituency and I look forward to working closely with them throughout the election campaign.

?

Cllr Heney said the next election will determine the future direction of Dublin and the country.

“We are constantly being told about the strong recovery that is being experienced in Dublin, and yet so many people across the city are seriously struggling to see a single improvement in their quality of life,

? she stated.

“There is a much fairer way forward – a way that rewards hard working families, that gives back to communities and that supports pensioners who have spent decades paying their taxes.

?

Cllr Heney added:

“There are thousands of households across Dublin Bay North who are being strangled by mortgages, exorbitant interest rates, the highest childcare costs in Europe, property taxes on the brink of increase, water charges and household bills that are mounting every single day.

?