North West battle shaping up

Written by Staff Reporter

Wednesday, 06 May 2009

The battle for the North and West constituency is shaping up, with Fine Gael candidate Jim Higgins last week taking advantage of Fianna Fail uncertainty to canvass Galway with a horde of supporters.

Fine Gael candidate in Galway City West Ward, Hildegarde Naughton and Jim Higgins MEP pictured at Ms Naughton's campaign launch in the Salthill Hotel on Monday.

Sinn Fein has also been visible in the area, with a high profile visit to Ballinasloe by Gerry Adams last week. The party is encouraged by the results of a Sunday Business Post Red C opinion poll, which placed Sinn Féin in third place in the North and West constituency.

However, the poll was conducted before the surprise resignation of Sean O Neachtain, and does not take account of the disarray caused by the Fianna Fáil scramble for a candidate.

An announcement was expected towards the middle of last week, but both Padraig O Ceidigh and Joe McDonagh, two of the high-profile candidates approached, have ruled themselves out. The party is now looking to convince a sitting TD as the only other high profile players in the Galway area.

However, Galway West's Frank Fahey did his duty in this regard in 2004, and Noel Treacy has also been there and failed. Former junior minister Micheal Kitt has indicated his interest, but there is a strong possibility that Fianna Fail would not win an election in Galway East with a threat from Fine Gael's Dr John Barton. Most commentators believe there is no room for a third Fine Gael seat in Galway East, but bye-elections are a different ballgame, and anger over cutbacks at Portiuncula Hospital and widespread job losses in Galway East could see Fianna Fail suffering if Kitt does decide to head for Brussels.

Commenting on Sinn Fein's positive results in the poll, the party's candidate, Cllr Padraig MacLochlainn, said: "If voters want an alternative to the politics of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, which have got us into the current economic mess, then in the North and West EU constituency, Sinn Fein is the only realistic option. On a range of issues affecting people across the constituency - regional development, job creation, agriculture - Sinn Fein has put forward clear alternative policy proposals.

"Sinn Fein can secure a seat in the North and West EU constituency. The regional breakdown of the Sunday Business Post/Red C poll, which placed Sinn Fein in third place (ahead of independents and Labour and well ahead of Ganley), indicates that this is the case. While opinion polls always come with a health warning, the findings of this poll are in line with the feedback which the party has been getting on the ground across the constituency."

Comments (0) »