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FORMER TD AND MEP Avril Doyle has decided to withdraw her application to run as Fine Gael’s candidate in the Presidential election.
In a statement, she said that it was “in the best interest of the Fine Gael party” that she pull out. This would allow the Fine Gael selection convention on Saturday to focus on the three other Fine Gael potential contenders for the Aras. These are Pat Cox, Mairead McGuinness and Gay Mitchell.
She said this lunchtime:
Having come into the race late, and being a realist, I now realise that I am unlikely to secure the nomination, not withstanding the fact that I retain the support of a sizeable number of the Parliamentary Party, the National Executive and Councillors nationwide.I am not going to disadvantage any of the three remaining candidates by endorsing one in particular. The candidate of choice will have my full support.
To my many loyal supporters and friends in the Parliamentary Party, among the Councillors, the National Executive and to my dedicated campaign team, my sincere thanks for all of their encouragement and commitment.
Former MEP Pat Cox joined Fine Gael in June to strengthen his chance of becoming their candidate. In a Sunday Independent/Quantum research poll at the weekend, he had a lead on McGuinness and Mitchell. Former Taoiseach John Bruton has been a high-profile supporter of Gay Mitchell to become Fine Gael’s candidate. A poll by Millward Brown Lansdowne for the Irish Independent on 23 June had Mairead McGuinness leading Cox, Mitchell and Doyle in the overall race for the Aras.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael party chairman Charlie Flanagan has been declared director of the party’s presidential campaign.
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How many new social (not refurbished) and affordable accommodation units will be constructed from 30th October 2017 to 31st December 2018 as a result of public funding?
Was Angela Merkel laughing when she gave it to yis?
Where do you get the ideas for your sermons?
Property was profit making, entrepreneurial business a decade ago. Now they’ve made a total dogs dinner of the property industry, with their bloody taxes, to the point last night where they didn’t know if they are applying stamp duty to agriculture land or residential land or not. They makes a total dogs dinner of everything they think they can make money from!
would just like to give a shoutout to everyone who works there bo–ock,s off helping the ill and needy ,your greatwork is really appreceated . may you have good health and a long life
Lies!
With the recent ethnic cleansing in a Sth Belfast housing development of Irish folks does the government support the British governments policy of employing loyalist paramilitaries/drug dealers/pimps/extoronists to act as paid ‘community’ workers in places like Sth Belfast?
What came first the chicken or the egg?
‘That’s all we have time for. We couldn’t get to all your questions’. Why not? It’s not like there’s another program straight after.
2 years free pre-school is a falsehood. The changes they’ve made mean I will have to pay for the full 2 years due to what month my child was born…
What would you have done differently and how to fund it?
have your say