*Tánaiste Micheál Martin (FF) with Senator Timmy Dooley (FF), Cathal Crowe TD (FF) and Cllr Rita McInerney (FF).
TÁNAISTE, Micheál Martin (FF) has said there is no guarantee of a Clare Minister if Fianna Fáil elect two TDs in the county.
As part of their pitch to the electorate, the Fianna Fáil trio of Senator Timmy Dooley (FF), Cllr Rita McInerney (FF) and Cathal Crowe TD (FF) have been stating that if two of them are elected then the county is sure to be rewarded with a Ministry.
During a tour of Co Clare on Sunday, the Tánaiste told The Clare Echo that no such agreement has been reached or discussed. “The more TDs we elect, the more opportunities we have to put Ministers around the cabinet table so we have to win the two here for that to become a reality but I’m not sort of making it any commitments in every single constituency I go to, the bottom line is we need more seats. If we have more seats, we have more ministers”. Martin said both Dooley and Crowe “advocate all the time for Clare and they’re not shy”.
When addressing an Ennis Chamber briefing in June, the Tánaiste predicted a Clare versus Cork All-Ireland hurling final. Speaking in Lissycasey on Sunday with his General Election prediction for Clare, he commented, “I think Fianna Fail, are in a good position to win two seats. We take nothing for granted. It is a very competitive race. We have very strong candidates, we have three very strong candidates in outgoing deputy Cathal Crowe, Senator Timmy Dooley and of course Cllr Rita McInerney who is very strong here also, I just picked that up from the large crows that are turning out and she clearly has a strong support base in West Clare”.
Deputy Crowe believed if Clare elected two TDs that a Ministry was to be expected. “There have been some excellent outcomes for our county the last few years, but there are also been days I felt it would have been great if we’d had a Minister at the table to. I’m fortunate that I have a really good relationship with Micheál Martin, I’m able to ring him up and have a chat with him. I’m able to convey things at the parliamentary party, I’m able to as a back bench TD I have a bit more latitude to speak up in the Chamber. If you’ve a Minister you’re in the very hub of decision making and I think that would be quite essential if we’re going to have a Minister, I would love at some point to be a Minister because that is really the hub of decision making”.
On which Clare candidate would get the nod, the Meelick native commented, “I have no idea. I don’t think it should be an election fought on electing ministers or who might be ministers. It is important, of course, it’s important. It would help our county hugely if there was a minister in our county”. He added, “It’s the product of the party leader, many things, I think, are brought into consideration, geography comes into it, gender comes into it, years of experience comes into it, vote getting ability comes into it but I think above all, it’s, one’s personal ability to you need someone at cabinet who has leadership traits as well. Parties can of course aspire to have ministries and, I hope at some point in my career to be elevated to the office of Minister but right now my focus is on political survival here trying to get re-elected to continue my work in the county and I think in all honesty, that’s the focus of everyone in the county”.
Similarly Senator Dooley was confident the return of two TDs would give “a great chance of having a Minister, of course I’d like to be that but I’m conscious that either of the two candidates have their own strengths, I think any of the three of us could be a Minister but people will make up their own mind as to who might have the most experience in that regard and they will decide on that, that will be for the future, have we enough seats across the country to form a Government with somebody else. As a county if we want influence to deliver on the issues that we think are important for the people of Clare then we need to put our best foot forward in terms of attempting to have a Minister in the county, I think the best way to do that is to elect two Fianna Fáil TDs, let the people decide, I’m putting my hand up to be one of those, there are two others in our party doing the same thing, collectively we are offering the three of us in my view with the hope of winning two seats, I believe if we win two seats that we have a great chance of having a Minister which will give us the influence to improve the lot of Co Clare”.
