Fine Gael members asked for their ‘date of death’
FINE Gael has been asking people who are renewing their membership of the party to predict the day they will die.
An online membership renewal form issued to some Fine Gael members in recent weeks contains a box asking them to specify their ‘date of death’.
This box was only intended for the party’s branch secretaries to update Fine Gael headquarters about members who had passed away and should no longer be receiving correspondence from the party.
However, ordinary Fine Gael members, who have been contacted by the party about renewing their membership in recent weeks, have been receiving the same form.
It is understood Fine Gael will amend the form to ensure only branch secretaries can see them.
A Fine Gael spokesman said: “That section is for branch secretaries to ensure an accurate record of membership is kept.
“Has a former member deceased... such a record helps to ensure the deceased person’s family or their estate are not receiving correspondence from the party.”
Fine Gael general secretary Tom Curran has been contacting party members in recent weeks, urging them to renew their membership online due to the Covid-19 crisis.
In his email, Mr Curran stressed to members that one of the reasons was to help the party fund election campaigns as all membership fees and income from the party’s annual super draw is ringfenced for election purposes.
“This helps the party get into government and importantly keeps other parties out,” Mr Curran’s email states.
Mr Curran’s email also noted that renewal protects a member’s voting rights in candidate selection conventions and elections to party leadership positions.
Fine Gael members will not have a direct vote on approving any programme for government. The party will instead use an electoral college system with the parliamentary party making up 50pc of the vote, constituency electors comprising 25pc, city and county councillors 15pc and its national executive 10pc.
It is understood Fine Gael will amend the form