AMONG THE SEVERAL councillors who have joined Renua Ireland is Ronan McMahon.
Yesterday he denied he broke a pledge made on campaign literature that he would not join any political party.
The South Dublin county councillor joined Lucinda Creighton, Eddie Hobbs and others at the launch of the new party yesterday morning in the Science Gallery.
Around the same time this section of a McMahon campaign leaflet was tweeted by the former Young Fine Gael president Dale McDermott.
As you’ll see in the literature, McMahon made a clear commitment to remain as an independent if elected and said he will not join any political party.
McMahon was elected for the Templeogue-Terenure ward in the the local elections last May having controversially run as an ‘Independent Fine Gael’ candidate.
He was also an unsuccessful independent candidate in the Dublin South-West by-election last October.
When we put it to him at yesterday’s press conference that he’d broken a promise to voters by joining Renua, here’s what he had to say:
“I did run as an independent. At that stage, there was no alternative choice, there was no home for me. I felt running as an independent would be best. I’ve spent 10 months now on the council and I’ve realised you need to be on the inside to effect change. I thought I’d go in as an independent, full of gung-ho, and effect change. But I must say I find it very difficult as an independent to effect change. Renua wasn’t around in the last local elections last May. So, I had no choice there.”
Speaking to TheJournal.ie after the press conference, McMahon insisted: “Every time I canvassed on doors I said I will not join Sinn Féin, I will not join Fine Gael, I will not join Labour, I will not join Fianna Fáil.”
He insisted:
“I haven’t broken a promise. Renua Ireland wasn’t around at that time. Renua Ireland is a new movement. It’s not about the old style party politics. There’s so much room in Renua Ireland to effect change. As an independent you can’t effect change.”
When we pushed him on the fact that he appears to have broken a promise to voters. Here’s what he said:
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