Another Failed bid by Casey
td rules out tycoon joining party after losing aras race
PETER Casey’s plans to become a Fianna Fail TD have been shot down by the party.
The outspoken presidential candidate, buoyed after coming second in the election, sensationally claimed he was going to join the Opposition and become Taoiseach.
But FF’S foreign affairs spokesman Niall Collins said no one can “just rock up to parties” and expect to join.
He told RTE’S The Week in Politics: “Peter Casey said a lot of things. He did say he would look at joining Fianna Fail and running for us as a TD in Donegal.
“There’s bad news for Peter in the sense our ticket for Donegal is complete. Charlie Mcconalogue and Pat ‘the Cope’ Gallagher are our two sitting TDS there.
“Peter would want to realise that you can’t just rock up to political parties and think you can get your way.” Derry-born millionaire Casey saw his support surge from 1% to 23% after critical comments about Travellers and people on benefits.
Mr Casey’s strong showing on the back of a campaign rivals branded “populist”, has prompted speculation about his next move in politics.
He told the Sunday Independent: “I am joining Fianna Fail.
“I intend to run in the next General Election in Donegal. And I am going to become a TD – with a view to becoming Taoiseach.”
Earlier, party leader Micheal Martin had claimed Mr Casey lacked a “coherent or cohesive” vision.
Fianna Fail TD Timmy Dooley tweeted: “Ah, we’re okay thanks.”
During the campaign, Mr Casey said Travellers were simply people camping on someone else’s land and Ireland’s recognition of the community as members of an ethnic minority is “a load of nonsense”.
Yesterday Culture Minister Josepha Madigan insisted those views were not reflective of the majority of people.
She added: “We have to make sure we don’t become a country where divisive rhetoric that has been propagated around the world is replicated here.”
Meanwhile, Sinn Fein TD Eoin O Broin said the party needed to take a “hard and honest” look at its presidential election campaign.
He said: “The result is very, very disappointing for us and I think anybody in the party who is being honest will be very, very unhappy with the result that we got.”
You can’t rock up to parties and think you can get your way Niall COLLINS FIANNA FAIL TD ON RTE YESTERDAY