TD misses out in bid for Fine Gael nomination for Euro elections
LAOIS-OFFALY TD Marcella Corcoran-Kennedy has lost out on a Fine Gael nomination for the European elections.
Sitting MEPs Seán Kelly and Deirdre Clune secured nominations to run for the party in Ireland South, with Wicklow-based minister of state Andrew Doyle named as the third candidate.
The Fine Gael leadership was out in force for the selection convention at Hotel Minella in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, which was attended by more than 1,000 delegates yesterday.
Among those attending the convention were Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Simon Coveney, Health Minister Simon Harris, Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan, Agriculture Minister Michael Creed, former finance minister Michael Noonan and former Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald.
Addressing delegates, Mr Varadkar said Fine Gael’s priority at the European elections was to hold on to the four seats it won in 2014, and to challenge for gains, particularly in Dublin and Ireland South which have an extra seat each this time around because of Brexit.
“I think it’s possible to make gains, with two extra seats available,” he said.
Meanwhile, trade union leader Sheila Nunan has been selected as the Labour Party’s candidate to contest the European elections in the Ireland South constituency.
Ms Nunan won out over former Labour TD for Clare, Michael McNamara, who also contested yesterday’s selection convention in Cork.
She is a former general secretary of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) and is president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
A Labour statement said Ms Nunan was “a strong advocate for decent work, decent pay and quality public services”.
“The tide is turning in this country. Ordinary people see the need for strong Labour values at the heart of government decision-making, here and in Europe,” Ms Nunan said.
“Brexit has exposed the fragility of our relationships with our neighbouring countries and the need to ensure Europe delivers for the many and not just the few. I’m standing in this election because I believe in the EU, but it needs to do better. We need to tackle rampant inequality, those who lost so much during the recession and still wait for the recovery to mean something to them,” she added.