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FIANNA FÁIL HAS denied that senior figures in the party have approached the former Progressive Democrat and current independent TD Noel Grealish about joining the its ranks.
However, Grealish himself said he would be making no comment when specifically asked this week if he was interested in joining the country’s main opposition party.
Talk of the former PD joining Fianna Fáil arose out of a recent report in The Connacht Tribune that senior figures within Fianna Fáil were to approach Grealish in the hope that he would join the party.
But a party spokesperson said this week: “While we are currently welcoming membership applications from across the country, there is no truth whatsoever in media reports suggesting that independent TD Noel Grealish has been asked by ‘senior figures’ to join the Fianna Fáil party.”
When contacted by TheJournal.ie, Grealish described talk of him joining Fianna Fail as “pure speculation” and said “no” when asked if he had been approached by the party.
But when asked if he would be interested in joining Fianna Fáil he added: “I am making absolutely no comment whatsoever on that. I am elected as an independent and I am working as an independent.”
Grealish was first elected in Galway West in 2002, replacing the long-serving Bobby Molloy, and was one of only two Progressive Democrats who was returned at the 2007 general election along with former health minister Mary Harney.
Towards the end of that year he admitted to having had discussions with Fianna Fáil about the possibility of joining the party but he subsequently decided to stay with the PDs becoming the party leader in March 2009 until it disbanded in November of that same year.
As an independent he supported the Fianna Fáil-Green government until September 2010 when he withdrew his support over health cuts.
Running as an independent in 2011 he came fourth in a five-seat constituency with 10 per cent of first preference votes. Grealish is among only three independents in the Dáil who is not in the Technical Group.
A Fianna Fáil spokesperson added: “Our organisation in Galway West is one of the most energetic and fastest growing in the country and it will be working hard, along with its colleague organisations across the country, to increase its electoral presence at both local and national levels through strong local community activity and effective representation with candidates drawn from the local organisation.”
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It anazes me how short some people’s memory can be. All of our current problems can be traced back to ff. You can’t just give huge pensions to a few guys at the top and add a few young people at the bottom and say you’re a brand new party!
Hugh..I hate saying this, but you are factually incorrect there in at least one place… but the glaring one is that he was not PD leader. Ciaran Cannon in Galway east was PD leader at disbanding. Cannon is now a junior minister with FG. Might I respectfully suggest you double check all the facts in your article.
What does it matter the Pd’s could have had a meeting of the whole party in a phone box at that time!n
Poor accuracy in reporting does matter though…
It’s just that no one cares.
Hi WestsAwake,
Cannon left the party and joined Fine Gael in March 2009 while the PDs did not officially disband until November of that year in which time Grealish was caretaker leader.
Hugh
Hi Hugh..
There is a subtle difference. Cannon wound up the party.. and at that point the party ceased to exist as the documents would (or should) have been presented to that effect. since he also ceased to be a member, a new “general manager” of “PD’s ltd”. So to speak was required to wind down at the CRO. I believe that was the case, and that he was never leader.. and if he was, he led himself. I will ask around but im pretty certain Cannon’s tenure saw the vote to wind down.
I will double check the finer points this week and pop you a message on twitter..
I have dealt with Noel on several local / community issues and each time he did what he said he would do unlike some of the other local TD’s ( both past and present). Personally I hope he stays as a true independent
Given that he spent the best part of a decade helping to prop up Fianna Fáil governments, he is already part of Fianna Fáil in all but name.
I certainly wouldn’t consider him to be independent. Continuity Fianna Fáil would be a more accurate description.
He will probably wait a few months to see how FF do in the opinion polls. If they look like a worthwhile coat tail to hang from then he will join. A politician who keeps jumping ship at the first sign of trouble is guttless. And that applies to all the labour defectors as well. Do people seriously think they are taking a principled stand? They are enhancing their own relection prospects….no1 priority!
What ship? the PD’s have been disbanded and he is a non aligned Independant. From what ship would he jump?
From his indie ship!
If somebody is elected as an independent, they should have to see out their term as an independent. If they want to switch to a party, a by-election should be called because they might not have got elected in the first place if they were standing for a party. And the same should happen if somebody is elected for a party and switches to independent or another party.
What did he do Liam?
He did what a TD promises to do: help local people with local issues from schools to roads etc. Nothing extraordinary, just an honest, open and approachable T D.
Other local TD’s were approached with same issues; initial interest but no follow up or action
This is precisely the sort of thing that county councillors should be doing, not members of the national legislature.
Noel Grealish is just a glorified county councillor. “Sure he fixed the roads” is part of the narrow minded, I’ve got my own so screw the rest of the country, mentality which is at the root of why Irish politics are awful.
Your comment about him is intended as praise but it is in fact an indictment of how bad Irish politics and Grealish as a TD are.
€1,782 basic per week for fixing potholes which would’ve been fixed anyway. So like all T.D.’s he’s an unnecessary expense in a country that borrows €300million per to survive.
The system is certainly tainted. But let not your distain for that setup skew your idea of the man in question. He will continue to be re-elected because he serves his constituents no body else. Right nor wrong, factual.
To the poster who mentioned getting pot holes filled, I have never asked Noel to get any fixed. He is a damn good local TD and gets elected because he works for his constituents. Don’t knock him because your own TD may be useless.
That’s a TD’s job though. Their job is to legislate and to hold the government to account, i.e. is is in performing this job that they should be working for their constituents. It is not to get perks for their constituency or effectively act as a glorified social worker. TDs should be focused on national issues and we should elect them on these grounds. I’m not saying Grealish is the only one to do this, of course he isn’t. They’re all at it. But it’s because of people focusing on local rather than national issues that allow people to say “I hate his party but he’s a good lad so I’ll give him a vote” and therefore the party gets in anyway.
My local T.D. isn’t useless, he’s powerless . He just “works hard ” at getting re-elected . It’s an expensive and pointless system .
He can join the KKK, for all I care? It’s getting re-elected, will be his problem!
we dont care!!
Well he’s hardly going to join FG or Labour,he does want to get re-elected.
Is this the bi annual will Noel Grealish join Fianna Fail story? One of these years it might just come true!!!
He is useless anyway.
Grealish that is.
I would not be surprised.That Galway West TDs would join either FG or FF.
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