FG battle for rights to Kate O’Connell’s seat
Constituency rivals eye up future nomination in party’s heartland
KATE O’Connell may barely have lost her Dáil seat, but in the wake of her Seanad snub a battle is going on in Fine Gael to secure the succession rights to her seat in Dublin Bay South.
The initial favourite to replace Ms O’Connell on the Fine Gael ticket is James Geoghegan, one of whose main campaign themes has been the securing of 2,000 votes in his first council election in the posh Pembroke ward of FG’s Dublin Bay South heartland.
Mr Geoghegan, who comes from a legal dynasty which includes a former chief justice and two Supreme Court judges is a barrister and political adviser who is perceived, according to a source, as being ‘close to the Leo brains trust... or so called brains trust’.
However, Mr Geoghegan is facing unexpected competition from fellow southside councillor Emma Blain.
‘Emma is political gold dust’
After a colourful early stint in the media, Ms Blain has been quietly carving out her political career, as a Fine Gael apparatchik and councillor, and is perceived to be a close confidante and protege of the quintessential FG southside TD Neale Richmond.
It is said within the party that whoever wins between Ms Blain and Mr Geoghegan ‘will be on the front foot to replace Kate in Dublin Bay South.’
Though Mr Geoghegan is currently the favourite to take any Fine Gael seat, a source warned: ‘Do not underestimate Emma. Of course, James is a barrister but we have loads of those. There isn’t a shortage.’
By contrast, they noted: ‘Emma is political gold-dust. A blonde southside wife and mum. A woman who bakes scones in the morning and has a career.
‘We don’t have too many of those.’
Another party grandee warned: ‘Do not underestimate Emma. She is an apprentice Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. Quiet-spoken but steely.
‘If she gets elected to the Seanad, then that will ensure Kate “Who?” shares the same fate as Maria “Who?”... which would be good business.’
They also noted of the pair’s constituency colleague Eoghan Murphy that: ‘In fairness to Murph, he has been scrupulously fair in canvassing for both. A case perhaps of any port in a storm being better than Storm Kate.’