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Fianna Fáil chief whip Sean O Fearghail Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

FF blocks members from one-off Norris support

The party’s chief whip, Sean O Fearghail, said that there is no room for Fianna Fáil TDs and senators to back individual candidates without full party support.

ANY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE seeking Fianna Fáil support will have to get full party support, the party’s chief whip said last night.

Speaking to Sean O’Rourke on the RTE television programme The Week in Politics, Sean O Fearghail said that the members would wait and would act collectively when nominations close.

When asked what the party’s position on David Norris is, he commented:

We don’t have a position on David Norris – the only information that we have that is concrete about the David Norris situation is that he has withdrawn from the campaign

He said that there had been two individuals looking for assistance in getting on to the ballot paper but denied that one of those was Norris, saying that “not one person indicated to me that they had any communication with Norris”.

When asked if there is any appetite in the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party for helping him back into the field, O Fearghail said the party met two weeks ago to discuss its position on the election.

..The decision we had to make was would we or would we not put forward an internal candidate. We decided that we would not. We further decided that we would wait until 27 September when nominations close and after that we would evaluate the situation in relation those people who are in the campaign and decide as a party whether or not we would offer our support

He did say however that “it is open to any of these people to approach us”.

O Fearghail further stated that he didn’t anticipate that TDs and Senators would be given the freedom on backing candidates that councillors have.

This would mean that David Norris would need to request the formal backing of Fianna Fáil if he is to get on the ballot paper.

An exclusive report by Jerome Reilly in yesterday’s Sunday Independent indicated that Senator Norris is on the verge of re-entering the race for the Áras.

Read: Fianna Fáil senator denies party support for renewed Norris bid>

Watch the Week in Politics on the RTÉ Player>

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37 Comments
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    Mute Ruairi Dowdall
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    Feb 28th 2020, 12:41 PM

    Portugal has 2000 isolation beds at the ready and dozens specialist teams ready to deal with an outbreak

    Ireland has……Advice

    173
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    Mute Rúraíocht
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    Feb 28th 2020, 12:52 PM

    @Ruairi Dowdall: and a hotline that doesn’t work

    72
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    Mute Who cares?
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    Feb 28th 2020, 12:58 PM

    @Ruairi Dowdall: we heard you the first time

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    Mute Paraic
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    Feb 28th 2020, 12:59 PM

    @Ruairi Dowdall: The advice is: Don’t bother wearing a mask, it’ll be grand.

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    Mute DERRY1973
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    Feb 28th 2020, 1:17 PM

    @Ruairi Dowdall: that’s nothing, Ireland organised it’s own storm for tomorrow to blow the corona virus out into the Atlantic.

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    Mute Kevin Farrell
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    Feb 28th 2020, 1:18 PM

    @Ruairi Dowdall: don’t worry, it was reported earlier in the week that the Mater Hospital has 12 isolation beds, and that they’ll be brought on stream if needed! You couldn’t make it up!!!

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    Mute Colette Kearns
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    Feb 28th 2020, 4:28 PM

    @Ruairi Dowdall: Yea , like “ sticking a note on your front door “ lol

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    Mute Sequoia
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    Feb 28th 2020, 12:23 PM

    Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop huffing glue.

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    Mute John Byrne
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    Feb 28th 2020, 12:31 PM

    @Sequoia: getting real tired of this now

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    Mute John O'Neill
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    Feb 28th 2020, 12:28 PM

    I’d say by mid next week buy as many stocks as you can, a lot of money to be made. All depends on these virus numbers slowing down by the end of the weekend !

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    Mute John Black
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    Feb 28th 2020, 12:41 PM

    @John O’Neill: or it could get worse as it’s spreads to other countries?
    Do you play roulette often?

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    Mute Bob Frapples
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    Feb 28th 2020, 12:43 PM

    @John O’Neill: Don’t try to catch a falling knife

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    Mute John O'Neill
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    Feb 28th 2020, 12:50 PM

    @John Black: no new cases in the U.S in the last 32 hours, Italy press conference at 5pm, 85% of Starbucks back open In China. The numbers don’t sound bad to me.

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    Mute John O'Neill
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    Feb 28th 2020, 12:53 PM

    @Bob Frapples: infodemic or pandemic?

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    Mute Looney Tunes
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    Feb 28th 2020, 12:59 PM

    @John O’Neill: on the money (: when this fecks off, which will over time, the only way is up for stocks

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    Mute cryptodon
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    Feb 28th 2020, 1:02 PM

    @Looney Tunes: literally cant go tits up

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    Mute Aidan
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    Feb 28th 2020, 1:03 PM

    @John O’Neill: maybe a few days longer, but yeah there will be a massive bounce back

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    Mute Shane Cormican
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    Feb 28th 2020, 1:35 PM

    @John Black: always bet on Black .. John Black

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    Mute barry sorensen
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    Feb 28th 2020, 1:40 PM

    @John O’Neill: What would you recommend? White stocks, black stocks, those little hidden ankle stocks, or full length knee stocks?

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    Mute Rocky Raccoon
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    Feb 28th 2020, 4:19 PM

    @barry sorensen: Index funds – they spread your investment over all the companies in whatever stock exchange you pick. Google “S&P 500 graph” and look at the last 30 years. It’s survived every global crisis and downturn over the last 60 odd years.

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    Mute Whoswho
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    Feb 28th 2020, 5:03 PM

    @Aidan: only fools buy on the way down

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    Mute barry sorensen
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    Feb 28th 2020, 7:48 PM

    @Rocky Raccoon: I was talking the piss

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    Mute anthony mcgowan
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    Feb 28th 2020, 1:47 PM

    Anyone know where I can buy stocks in a surgical mask company?

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    Mute Bitcoin Buddy II
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    Feb 28th 2020, 3:53 PM

    @anthony mcgowan: 3M

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    Mute Gerard Heery
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    Feb 28th 2020, 2:07 PM

    Bring back brexit the lesser of the two evils

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