With the race to the Áras beginning to heat up, tempers flared during Monday's July Plenary Meeting of Galway County Council as local Fine Gael representatives announced they would only support their party's pick for president.
Discussions regarding Galway County Council's nomination for president during Monday's July Plenary Meeting raised hackles, following the announcement that the 14 Fine Gael representatives will only support the party's pick for president, Mairead McGuinness. Making up 14 out of 39 elected councillors, hopeful presidential nominees will have to win over the remaining 25 local representatives to secure the nomination.
As outlined in the Constitution, to be eligible for nomination, every candidate who is not a former or retiring president must be selected by at least 20 members of the Oireachtas or the councils of four local authorities. In recent years, Galway County Council has nominated a candidate for both the 2011 and 2018 elections, by supporting the bids of Mary Davis in 2011 and Joan Freeman in 2018.
Bun fight
Cllr Thomas Welby (Ind ) started discussions about the nomination, asking for his fellow councillors to keep an open mind when it comes to nominees.
"We all know how hard it is to get on the ticket, and I just ask that we give the discussion due care and consideration, and we will come to a solid decision and continue the tradition, as we did in 2011 and 2018. They were not elected, but we gave them the opportunity to run, and that is all I ask of members.
"If headquarters rings you about these things, just don't answer the phone."
In response to this, local party leader for Fine Gael, Cllr Jimmy McClearn, stated that in a break from previous traditions, all 14 of the party's councillors had decided independently that they would vote against anyone seeking their vote except for their party's chosen candidate.
"I think it is a bit ridiculous if we decide to have two candidates in the race," said Cllr McClearn. "We have supported people in the past, but we exercise our democratic right."
There were grumbles heard across two-thirds of the council's chamber upon hearing this, prompting queries about whether the decision was made under the party whip.
"If that is the party whip, elect and vote as you are told, that's fine, but if that is democracy, I would like to know about that," said Cllr Shaun Cunniffe (Ind Ire ), leading to sounds of disagreement amongst the Fine Gael cohort.
"It is not democratic."
Party whip
Cllr Cunniffe questioned if such a decision was fair to candidates who are seeking the council's vote, and if the other main party in the council, Fianna Fail, had similarly agreed upon such a strategy.
This theory was doused fairly quickly when Fianna Fail councillor Ivan Canning said, "If they want to put their name forward and their head on the block, as we all did, they deserve to come in and have their views listened to. I, myself, will be deciding on whoever comes in on the day.
"We decide on the person who comes in front of us and talks, like we did ourselves on people's doors trying to get votes, that is my own point of view. We won't be voting in a block anyway."
Rebutting allegations that their show of party solidarity was inspired by pressure or a FG whip, Cllr McClearn stated that the announcement was intended to provide clarity.
"I thought I was very clear, we are not under pressure from headquarters. In order to bring clarity to our situation, we met as a group. There is no whip."
The other side of the partition
Beyond party voting strategy, independent councillor Tomás Ó Curraoin shared his opinion on the matter.
"Not to be awkward, but it is my sound belief that we don't need a president because we don't have a full country. I don't recognise any president because we don't have a full country.
"Let's get our country first, and then we will get our president."
