Councillor appalled by "the neck of Fianna Fáil" grabbing control of Leitrim County Council

Cllr Des Guckian, Independent councillor in the Carrick-on-Shannon Electoral Area, railed against what he described as Fianna Fail "acting like cannibals eating up the rights of all the elected councillors."

Addressing the first meeting of the newly elected Council in Aras an Chontae, Carrick-on-Shannon today, and following the selection of Cllr Paddy O'Rourke (FF) as Cathaoirleach and Cllr Sean McGowan (FF) as Leas-Cathaoirleach, Cllr Guckian said he was "appalled by the neck of Fianna Fáil grabbing control of all important posts in our council" and said their vote did not warrant it.

After making a short speech against the election of the two councillors, Cllr Guckian said he could not agree to a takeover "by any cabal or any mafia" and was leaving the meeting in protest.

In his address to the meeting, Cllr Guckian said, "I'm very concerned about the low turnout at the recent council elections, it means that a lot of people are being turned off by the way that politics is being done here in Co Leitrim. People have lost faith in the political parties.

"I am yet again appalled by the neck of Fianna Fáil grabbing control of all important posts in our council. Their vote does not warrant this and yet again they are acting like cannibals eating up the rights of all the elected councillors. This is anything but democratic.

"I have to ask the question why are they doing this and what exactly are they covering up. They have been doing this for years and the results are that they are failing to stand up for the rights of the ordinary people which is what I believe we should all be doing.

"An example of this is the huge waiting list in the housing department and they are just deliberately looking the other way. Their messing will be remembered in the upcoming general election which I'm sure will be quite different from the last local election.

"They will have to be forced too to recognise the need for a new national school here in Carrick-on-Shannon.

"All the big parties were badly caught out and got a major rebuff in the recent referendum votes.

"My model in politics is the late John Hume; he believed in true power sharing. Grabbing power is the work of the Haughey-ites and has left this country beggared over the last 20 or more years.

"This is why I cannot agree to any takeover by any cabal or any mafia. I am leaving this meeting in protest.

Cllr Mary Bohan remarked as Cllr Guckian left the chamber, "That's the usual thing."

She continued, "Some of those remarks that Cllr Guckian has made, I know we were expecting them, but still nonetheless are not fair to either the staff or the elected members. He's walked out of every budget meeting, every AGM, since the councillor started, and if everybody did that you'd have a commissioner here running the county."