Tipperary FG Councillors poised to defy party line in Presidential vote

Fine Gael councillors in Tipperary will not be bound by the party whip in next Tuesday’s vote on whether the County Council nominates a candidate for the Presidential election.

Despite instructions from party headquarters to block independent candidates to contest the race for the Áras against the party’s choice, Heather Humphreys. The 10 local representatives say they will decide independently who, if anyone, to support for the nomination.

Councillors plan to meet before the special meeting to discuss their approach, which could include backing a candidate or abstaining, as they did seven years ago.

Party Whip in Tipperary Willie Kennedy says no whip will be applied despite what leader Simon Harris wants, but councillors won’t allow just anyone on the ballot.

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”We don’t want to put on people on the ballot for just for the sake of having people on the ballot. We want people who say they can offer something to the country as a President. We’ll discuss as a party among ourselves and there will be no whip. We’ll decide ourselves.”

Kennedy indicated that the councillors will take the decision seriously and weigh their options carefully ahead of next Tuesday’s vote.

When Asked will they vote as a block he replied.

”I would imagine we could. Yes. We’ve discussed that yet. I’m not going to pre-empt anybody’s decision yet.”

At least 17 candidates have sought the Tipperary nomination, including Peter Casey, who previously received it and submitted his request again just in the past few days.

Senior Executive Officer Ger Walsh confirmed that invitations are being sent out for next Tuesday’s Special Meeting, with prospective candidates required to demonstrate their commitment.

”Any candidate that wishes to address the members of that meeting will have to attend in person. We’ll be looking for them to submit a copy of their passport and a copy of their presentation three days in advance of that meeting. But as of today we have a total of 17 candidates that have made contact with the council – whether they’ll all turn up on the day to make an address to the council, we’ll have to wait and see.”

There is still no official word on how the 10 Fianna Fáil councillors will vote, leaving the Tipperary nomination potentially up for grabs.

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