Candidate in race for extra Offaly seat admits uphill battle but says 'Bring it on'
THE Green Party Minister of State in Offaly, Senator Pippa Hackett, says she will contest the next general election on her record in Government.
Minister Hackett was speaking after the Electoral Commission recommended that Offaly becomes a three-seat Dail constituency on its own in the next election, which is due by early 2024 at the latest.
At the last election in 2020 Offaly was part of the Laois-Offaly five seater and the county returned just two TDs, Fianna Fail's Barry Cowen and the Independent, Carol Nolan.
“I was proud to come sixth in the five-seater Laois-Offaly constituency in the general election of 2020, and I was immensely grateful to those who voted for me. I was elected to Seanad Eireann in April of 2020, and I’ve enjoyed working with communities across both Laois and Offaly since,” said Minister Hackett.
The senator, who runs an organic farm near Geashill with her husband, the Green Party councillor Mark Hackett, added: “Whilst I am disappointed by the outcome for my own constituency of Laois-Offaly, I am fully aware that the establishment of An Coimisiún Toghcháin, the Electoral Commission, represents the most important reform of the electoral system in decades.
“The Green Party made a submission in favour of the greater use of larger constituencies, as we believe these promote more diversity, gender balance, and ensure all views are represented in the Oireachtas.
“I fully intend to run in the next election as the Green Party candidate for Offaly – with three seats this will be an uphill challenge, but I’ll dig deep, and will stand on my proven record of representing the people of the Midlands as a Senator, as a Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture and as the only Minister at Cabinet for the area.
“Some politicians may wish for the people of Offaly to stay forever tied to the past. That is not my vision, nor is it the vision of the many amazing communities I have met across this county, who are fully aware of the potential that the future green economy holds for this county and region. And I am ready to deliver on those opportunities.
“I believe Offaly needs that faithful and effective representation - someone who will maximise the benefits - for business, for communities, for inclusivity and for nature. Bring it on!”
After the general election of 2020 Ms Hackett won a seat in the Seanad and was subsequently appointed Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture in the new Government.
Along with that, she was appointed as one of the so-called 'super junior' ministers, meaning that she sits at cabinet meetings without having the right to vote in Government decisions taken at them.
The Co Mayo native had been elected to Offaly County Council in 2019 and following her elevation to Seanad Eireann her husband was co-opted to fill the vacancy in the Edenderry Electoral Area.