Renua two return: FG targets FF’s Donnelly

THE former deputy leader of the floundering Renua party, Billy Timmins, is poised for a shock return to the Fine Gael election ticket in Wicklow – and he will be targeting the seat of Fianna Fáil’s high-profile health spokesman Stephen Donnelly.

The veteran ex-TD narrowly lost his seat in 2016 after leaving Fine Gael for Renua. He is the second high-profile former Renua TD linked to a return to the electoral fray with their old party. Terence Flanagan is also being heavily touted to stand in Richard Bruton’s constituency of Dublin North Central.

Opinion though is split on the virtue of Mr Flanagan’s return, with one Fine Gael source snorting: ‘Sligo will win

Sligo will win the hurling before he’s forgiven

the hurling championship before we allow nervous Terence any greater responsibilities than stamp-licking.’

But other, more practical voices, say: ‘Even on his worst day, Terence is good for three thousand votes. He is worth the gamble.’

Sentiment is significantly warmer for Timmins, who retired from politics after losing his seat in 2016. His family is still associated heavily with FG and a brother is a party councillor.

The party convention for Wicklow is next week and sources say there will be three nominees: ‘the two TDs and Billy’. The two TDs are Health Minister Simon Harris and Andrew Doyle.

One FG strategist said: ‘There are two Fianna Fáil seats in Wicklow and that is one too many. We will be targeting Donnelly with a balanced ticket.’

Stephen Donnelly was elected for the Social Democrats but he left and joined Fianna Fáil. The source said: ‘Billy and nervous Terence never really left us. They were lost sheep who had their heads turned by that one [Lucinda Creighton] but they are back home now. All is forgiven… if not forgotten. They pledged to be well-behaved from now on. Who knows, we might even get Lucinda for a run for Europe. That would wake up [current MEP Brian] Hayes.’

Another source observed: ‘The cruel truth is that there isn’t anyone better around. We are so short of candidates we are literally approaching strangers in the street. We are getting like those charity chuggers.’