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Ryan and Tedstone seek FG nod
02.12.10
FRIDAY is the deadline
for nominations for a place on the Fine Gael ticket
in Donegal North East for next year’s General
Election and the party is still undecided on whether
to select a running mate for sitting TD Joe McHugh.
Two Inishowen-based councillors, John Ryan and Lee
Tedstone, are understood to be interested in seeking
a nomination, with a final decision to be made at
the party’s selection convention in Letterkenny on
Sunday evening.
Fine Gael ran four candidates in the Inishowen
electoral area in the 2009 local election, winning
5,589 – or 35% of – first preference votes. Cllr
Ryan won 1,338 first preferences in the county
council election while Cllr Tedstone topped the poll
in the Buncrana Town Council election with 420
votes.
The party’s strong performance in the local
elections, and Fianna Fáil’s poor showing in opinion
polls and the Donegal South West election, has led
some Fine Gael members to believe they have a chance
of taking a second seat.
“Joe McHugh will put in a strong performance in the
Letterkenny electoral area, and it would make sense
to run an Inishowen-based candidate with him,” a
well-placed source said. “We definitely won’t win
two seats if we only run one candidate. At any rate,
there’s no danger of Fine Gael losing its seat even
if we do run two candidates.” |
Neither Ryan nor
Tedstone were available for comment yesterday, but
sources have said that both men will allow their
names to go forward – should the convention decide
to run two candidates.
“Our national executive will decide on the strategy
in consultation with the constituency organisation,”
Fine Gael |
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John Ryan and Lee Tedstone. |
regional organiser
Darragh Kelly said yesterday.
“The party is re-energised in the constituency and
we had an excellent vote in the 2009 local
elections, but I don’t want to speculate on how many
candidates might be chosen as that’s a matter for
the national executive and the membership.
“There are arguments for and against two
candidates,” long serving councillor Bernard
McGuinness said. “The national executive will issue
a directive and we will have to wait and see what
that is, but it’s a democratic party and anyone
could put their name forward seeking a nomination.”
Cllr McGuinness ruled himself out of contention. “I
had come under pressure to run, but I’ve done my bit
for the party at that level and I’m happy to
continue my council work and my role as chairman of
the North West Cross Border Group of councillors.”
Cllr Mickey Doherty also ruled himself out of
contention, saying that he is happy to concentrate
on his role as a county councillor.
“There are different opinions on whether we should
run one or two candidates, but I support a one
candidate strategy.”
Deputy McHugh topped the poll in the 2007 general
election, claiming more than 8,700 – or 22% of –
first preference votes. Last month, a Red C opinion
poll published in the Sunday Business Post suggested
Fine Gael was on course to increase their share of
the vote in Donegal North East to 30%.
The estimates contained in that Red C opinion poll
for Donegal North East were: SF 31.1%; FG 30.6%; FF
23.1%; Ind 8.8%; Lab 5.5%; Greens 1%, with the
pollsters projecting that Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and
Sinn Féin will take one seat each.
Cllr Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has already been
nominated to contest the election for Sinn Féin,
while Cllr Jimmy Harte is the Labour party’s
nominee. Sitting TD Niall Blaney will get a
nomination for Fianna Fáil, with Senator Cecilia
Keaveney and Councillor Charlie McConalogue battling
it out to join him on the FF ticket. |
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