GE2024 conscious uncouplingKATE O’CONNELL HAS described her split from Fine Gael as a “conscious uncoupling”, but the issue is still coming up for her on the doorsteps in Dublin Bay South.
When The Journal joined O’Connell on a canvass in Dublin 6 this week, one man said he looked forward to voting for the pharmacist, but asked:
“Were you tempted to run for Fine Gael, am I allowed ask that?”
“Of course you are,” replied O’Connell.
“I suppose I wasn’t taking the seat if I wasn’t going to be the lead candidate. There’s only one Fine Gael seat, you know how it falls,” she said.
“I was always the liberal-wing of Fine Gael, so that was always a battle. So it’s working out, people are receptive to the independent thing,” O’Connell added.
The voter asked would she join any group of independents if she were elected, for which O’Connell explained that they are so broad and varied, she would have to study their plans.
“The anti-climate and anti-immigration are not things I could associate myself with,” she replied.
The ex-Fine Gael TD is now running as an Independent in the general election after missing out on selection for the party.
The party is instead running James Geoghan and Emma Blain in the four-seater constituency which is known as a Fine Gael stronghold in one of the wealthiest areas of the country.
The constituency stretches from Terenure to Sandymount and includes Rathgar, Rathmines, Donnybrook, Ringsend and the South East Inner City, though there have been some slight boundary changes in the redraw.
After the scenes Fine Gael Ard Fheis in Galway earlier this year, where the new party leader embraced O’Connell, it seemed like a certainty that there was a path back to the party for the former TD.
O’Connell previously told The Journal that the former party leader Leo Varadkar was always considered by her as a “barrier to re-entry” to the party.
One woman, referring to Varadkar as the “great offender”, questioned why O’Connell had left the Fine Gael fray.
“I was very sorry when you left Fine Gael but understood why, but the great offender isn’t there anymore, you wouldn’t consider going back?” she asked.
O’Connell explained to the woman that the most likely way of taking a seat in the constituency is running as an independent.
“I do really need number one votes to stay in the game,” said the pharmacist.
O’Connell comes from a family that is drenched in Fine Gael.
Her sister Mary Newman previously ran as a Fine Gael candidate in Tipperary while her other sister Theresa, works as an adviser to Fine Gael’s Higher Education Minister Patrick O’Donovan.
So, does O’Connell have the support of her extended family in leaving Fine Gael and going out on her own?
“Oh god yeah,” she told The Journal, speaking fondly about her supportive family members.
O’Connell laughed describing how her mother and her friend had a chat in the kitchen about her leaving Fine Gael, where her mother said she felt she was losing her religion.
“My parents are really supportive of it,” she said, stating that her sister Mary canvasses for her, and so does her husband’s family.
“My brother, John, put up a load of posters and his son is coming up next week to help,” she said.
The Rathgar pharmacist explains that while many people are asking her about Fine Gael, some are telling her that they didn’t vote for her the last time because she was a party member, so she feels it is all balancing out.
The sense is that O’Connell feels somewhat liberated not being beholden to a party. She has spoken in the past about the party not being the most welcoming to her, so the feeling appears to be why would she return.
While she doesn’t have the party machine behind her, she said it can be easier as you don’t need party approval as to where you can and cannot canvass.
Former housing minister, Eoghan Murphy, was her running mate previously, and there were strict boundaries that neither were to cross while campaigning, which she said were largely adhered to.
But now she doesn’t have such restrictions, stating that in areas like Sandymount, where she couldn’t previously canvass in, she is getting a great reception.
Asked about what she made of Murphy’s book, which has caused somewhat of a headache for Fine Gael, she said:
“I feel as a former colleague, I feel sad that he was suffering in silence. I think it’s regrettable that the leadership structures within the party failed to identify his level of distress, as is evident in the book, and the personal pressures he faced.
“It sounds like he’s in a better place now, but it is very important that people that are in cabinet positions, as assigned to them by the Taoiseach of the country, are fit and capable to do the job. I wish him the best of luck.”
Back on the doorsteps in Dartry, a small suburb between Rathmines and Milltown, O’Connell touches on the issue of immigration and climate change.
“We all have to play our part,” she said, stating that in fairness to the Greens they have managed to change people’s mindsets.
“People aren’t shouting at me at the doors now, saying, ‘Oh, it’s all whoever’s fault. I’ll burn my fire. I’ll drive my whatever’. People have been educated,” she added.
The plastic bottle deposit scheme is brilliant, not least because it shows you how much fizzy drinks you are drinking, she laughed.
And then in terms of immigration, she tells one householder on his doorstep that she has “no time” for anti-immigration sentiment.
“I don’t care what anyone says, Ireland is not full. In my shop, half the staff are not Irish, and that’s the way it is, because those people are the people who come and do the hours and do the work. Also, if we’ve a multicultural society, you need to multicultural staff.
“I just see it as a positive enrichment, people coming into the country. No one is saying it is all perfect. The government is good at emergency responses, but not the bit afterwards,” she said.
Moving to another house, she outlined how she saw herself possibly getting a seat, stating that Fianna Fáil’s Jim O’Callaghan and Labour’s Ivana Bacik would retain their seats. However, with former Green Party Eamon Ryan stepping down and with Sinn Féin’s dip in the polls of late, Chris Andrews’s seat might be for the taking.
The issue of what an independent can do in government was raised with O’Connell on occasion. She reassured voters that she would make her mark, regardless of not being in one of the larger parties.
“I will support a Fine Gael-Fianna Fáil-led government or a reasonable variety of that and I would if they needed the SocDems and Labour, I would be okay with that too,” he told one man.
“Lie down with anybody,” the man joked. “No, not Sinn Féin, no Jesus no,” said O’Connell.
She stops at another residence, here another voter has concerns about O’Connell’s independent status.
“I’ve got a bee in my bonnet about this country’s inability to to deliver big capital projects, to move the country forward. It’s a country I’m very fond of, I’ve been here 20 years, I’m becoming an Irish citizen in December, and it just drives me insane. And so I’m slightly concerned that I will vote for you on a local basis, but because you’re an independent, how that transfers, if you were to get in,” he said.
“You never know how elections are going to fall. So more than likely, it will be a Fine Gael- Fianna Fáil, and a slice of independents, is how I would see it,” she said.
“I have made it very clear that I would be constructive in the sense that I would support a reasonable programme for government. However, I’m as annoyed as the next person,” she said, outlining that she is particularly angry about Children’s Hospital overspend.
“But would your voice be heard?” asked the man.
“Yes, it would be heard, absolutely,” replied O’Connell.
“I just feel the country just feels hamstrung, like we can’t do this because some councillor said this or that… we are a wealthy country, and we are a growing country, but if we don’t start to show that sort of capital expenditure on a big scale, I think things could reverse. People will move away, companies will move away,” he told O’Connell.
Speaking about the Eamon Ryan’s seat, and whether Hazel Chu might hold on to it, O’Connell said Ryan got 20% of the vote last time around.
“It was huge, you just don’t know, and he was really well respected. He has been around a long time, the Greens have always done well here,” said O’Connell.
Right after making that point, O’Connell knocked on the door of one woman, who said she would give her a number two vote, but would be voting Greens number one.
“Have another think on it,” appealed O’Connell.
So, what are the main issues coming up on the campaign trail in Dublin Bay South?
“It’s actually more housing this time than the last time.Whereas the last time, I think people were prepared to let the government deliver, now they’re going ‘hello, where’s the houses?
“Another thing that is coming up everywhere is the once-off payments, the auction politics of out-bidding each other every day, that’s the main thing. Another thing, services for children. So if you have a child that needs medical intervention, it doesn’t matter how rich or poor you are, you can’t get it. People hate fighting for services, they just feel that everything’s a battle. And early intervention. If you’re fighting a battle for three years, that window for early intervention is gone,” said O’Connell.
This was a point made by one woman who works in child services. Her anger was visible, as she said the system is “shambolic”.
She explained that she works with a cohort of children that don’t meet the threshold to go into care, but said, speaking bluntly they should be.
“Ultimately, though, it is better to keep them with their families,” she added.
“So we have loads of kids we are trying to give early trauma services to, they have someone once a week, but there is so much trauma. It is a complete disaster, utter disaster,” she told O’Connell.
“Apart from the emotional side of it, it doesn’t make economic sense. One child I know of has gone into care, the services should have been there for them when they were younger. He is going to end up in residential care and truth be told, he is going to end up in prison and how much is that going to cost the state,” she said.
“This is coming up across the constituency, the lack of services for children. I see it in the pharmacy every day, the depravation,” said O’Connell.
Knocking on another door in Dartry, a man tells her he was once before her in the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
“You were hard, but fair. We need people like you in there,” he said, before outlining that for him housing is a real concern.
“Housing is just huge, it is crazy. There is no future for the young people if they can’t afford a house. There are so many problems, for a rich country, it’s embarrassing,” he said.
O’Connell agreed, stating that she was speaking to a builder recently who said the A rated spec for new builds is slowing down builds and making them too expensive.
Another man O’Connell called on gave out that he and his wife are away on polling day, stating that it wasn’t properly advertised how people can get postal votes.
“Housing is a disaster,” said the man. “There needs to be a ten-year cross-party get over yourselves plan, because it is too serious,” said O’Connell.
“I’m looking at my 14 year old going, Oh, my God, is he ever moving out,” she said.
“I am fan of the current government,” he said, stating that if he was in the country to vote, he would back Fine Gael.
“I will support them if they change their ways on a few things,” said O’Connell, outlining such things as how they “spend our money, promise everything and delivering things that are overpriced”.
With Simon Harris and Micheál Martin both moving to rule out parties they would do business with, indications are that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael might be eyeing up Independents to form a government.
If that is the case, and O’Connell does win a seat in Dublin Bay South, she has made it more than clear to her constituents that she is willing to support such a government.
The issue is now, can O’Connell retain brand Fine Gael, while running as an Independent and feast on Fine Gael’s lunch come election day.
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