FG rivalry over candidates in Dublin
CABINET young guns Simon Harris and Eoghan Murphy have been placed at loggerheads over the European elections in Dublin.
Health Minister Simon Harris has been appointed director of elections for Fine Gael candidate, Frances Fitzgerald.
And Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has been appointed director of elections for her running mate, former SDLP leader Mark Durkan.
Mr Harris and Mr Murphy have never been close and there is a fear that the enmity could spread to the candidates.
Already senior Fine Gael figures believe Mr Murphy’s appointment will do him no favours, as there is a fear the party’s electoral strategy may have been overly optimistic and could end up with the party failing to win even one seat.
The problem is connected to Brexit, as the EU had granted Ireland two extra seats, one of them in Dublin, in its redistribution of the UK’s seats post-Brexit. It was assumed that the UK would have left the EU by now. That means Dublin, which was expected to be a fourseater constituency, could now revert to its original three seats, making it far harder to get elected.
Mr Durkan was appointed as Ms Fitzgerald’s running mate to much headscratching. He has no track record in the Republic and admitted at his opening press conference that if elected to represent Dublin he would continue to live in Derry. Now, in the early campaigning days, there is a belief that Mr Durkan is making little impact and has no hope of being elected. The real worry now is that he could suck vital votes away from his running mate and leave the party with no seats. There is also uncertainty over how many seats to compete for in the Dublin constituency. ‘Many of us thought it was a bit of a publicity stunt putting Mark on the ticket,’ said a Fine Gael minister. ‘But it was viewed as harmless. Now, when you’re into the teeth of the campaign and survey the election landscape from the ground it’s no joke.
‘Right now, with the British likely to be in the EU until June 30 at least, there are only three seats to compete for in Dublin, which makes our election strategy look a little foolish.’
The Government understands that this would mean the fourth candidate elected in Dublin would go into some sort of ‘cold storage’ until Britain leaves the EU, its MEPs stand down and the suspended non-UK candidates take their seats.
A Fine Gael TD said of the conflict between Mr Harris and Mr Murphy: ‘Rivalry is fine, but that isn’t great for any hoped for co-operation between the two camps in the upcoming election campaign.
‘Harris might come across as all cuddly and friendly but he is a ruthless political operator, so I would bet that from here on in you can see Durkan’s candidacy trampled into the mud by Fine Gael operators.’