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You are > Home > Fine Gael in territory battle
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Thursday, May 07, 2009
Fine Gael in territory battle
MCGUINNESS isn’t good for you.
These were the thoughts of EU MEP-hopeful Sen. John Paul Phelan upon discovering that two days after his party told all candidates not to canvass in any area outside their own constituency, Ireland East MEP Mairéád McGuinness took out advertisements in the local media in County Wexford, without even mentioning him.
Under party rules, Sen. John Paul Phelan can canvass in South Kildare, Laois, Wexford, Wicklow, Carlow and Kilkenny; while Ms. McGuinness has the Dáil hinterland of North Kildare, Offaly, Meath and Louth.
Sen. Phelan said he was he was surprised to learn that Ms. McGuinness had stepped into his territory, not just two weeks ago, but on other occasions recently.
The 30-year-old former Good Counsel student – from across the bridge in Tullougher told The Echo that he feels Wexford is vital for his campaign.
He has been on the campaign trial in the county several times over the past month, working tirelessly with outgoing MEP Avril Doyle in the hope of securing her coveted seat. To learn that his party colleague had broken party rules by running advertisements in Wexford, without even mentioning his name, was a bridge too far for him.
“It wasn’t nice to see that. It’s her own business what she does...There was an agreement. Candidates’ home constituencies were deemed to be off-limits,” Sen. Phelan said.
In the last European election posters of Ms. McGuinness had to be taken down by disgruntled Fine Gael supporters in Wexford, as it was felt she was trespassing in Ms. Doyle’s home turf.
Monday week ago a party edict announced that campaigning was only allowed in a candidate’s own constituency.
Sen. Phelan and his campaign team are taking the moral high ground on the issue.
“We won’t be breaking any rules. The bottom line is about winning two seats for the party. Any information I put out will have both our names on it,” he said.
Director of Fine Gael’s European and local elections, Deputy Phil Hogan said the close off date for campaigning in another person’s territory was Monday, April 20th.
He said he was aware that Ms. McGuinness was going to have ads, funded by the European People’s Party (to which Fine Gael are aligned in Brussels), in all provincial papers in that week.
Deputy Hogan said he is hoping Ms. McGuinness will stick by the party edict in the forthcoming six weeks, by which time he foresees both candidates on a plane together to Brussels but possibly not in neighbouring seats.
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