A FINE GAEL councillor in Lucinda Creighton’s constituency has thrown her support behind the former junior minister amid calls for her resignation from the party in the wake of her public opposition to a number of government measures in recent weeks.
Edie Wynne, a councillor for the Pembroke-Rathmines ward, has said that Creighton retains support among members in the local Fine Gael organisation in Dublin South East and has accused those against the local TD of “speaking more loudly” than those who support her.
“I hope and wish that matters will be resolved,” Wynne told TheJournal.ie yesterday, adding that it is her wish that Creighton, who lost the Fine Gael whip over the abortion vote last July, remains in the party.
Her comments are in contrast to those from her Fine Gael colleague in the same Dublin City Council constituency, councillor Paddy McCartan, who has called on Creighton to resign from the party.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1 on Monday, McCartan cited Creighton’s opposition to the abolition of the Seanad and her criticism of some Budget measures last week as being “incompatible” with Fine Gael.
Creighton has previously told this website she will run at the next general election and insisted that she has the support of a lot of Fine Gael members in her constituency since she lost the party whip.
She faces having to run in the next general election as an independent or Reform Alliance candidate with Fine Gael not likely to allow her back into the parliamentary party.
It has already been suggested that the Fine Gael leadership will look to run Senator Catherine Noone in the new Dublin Bay South constituency along with sitting TD Eoghan Murphy.
However Noone is understood to be reluctant to run in that constituency if Creighton, a close friend, also runs as an independent or other party candidate. It is also unclear if Creighton will be allowed run as an independent if she is still a member of Fine Gael.
Wynne said yesterday that she regretted what has happened since Creighton’s decision to vote against the abortion bill last July which saw her and four other TDs expelled from the parliamentary party.
Wynne said: “I’ve known her [Creighton] since when she was in Young Fine Gael. She was always very bright and articulate and a hardworking TD, popular in the constituency and admired.”
Wynne said a lot of people in the local Fine Gael party are “confused” about the current situation.
“They like somebody as a person but are not liking the action she is taking at a moment when the government is working so hard to get the country back on its feet,” she said.
“They have mixed feelings based on allegiances to Fine Gael and allegiances to her. There are some people who are strongly against her, and other people are very committed to her.
Asked about what level of support Creighton has, Wynne said: “I’d say people who are against her speak more loudly [but that] doesn’t necessarily mean there are more of them.”
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