There are many rumblings in the aftermath of the Local Elections as to the internal health of Fine Gael in east and north Mayo and recent mayoral and cathaoirleach elections are adding to the ether.
Fine Gael had a series of trump cards in its control over who gets to be the Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council between now and 2014. This is a highly prestigious post, and in terms of profile, it really is unrivalled. Over the course of a year, the Cathaoirleach accesses every part of the county on more than one occasion. While on this point let me digress a little. Seamus Weir and Al McDonnell spoke perfect sense at the council AGM last week in relation to expenses. When we consider the demands of the Cathaoirelach’s job in particular, and the manner in which Mayo incumbents over recent times have handled the position, they are entitled to every cent.
However, back to the main point. In distributing of the trump cards, Fine Gael made strange choices in its selection of Cathaoirleach and has stored up geographical and gender problems for its members. Michael Bourke, Cyril Bourke, John O’Malley, and Austin Frances O’Malley will succeed John Cribbin over the term of this council. In this choice, Fine Gael has excluded the east and north of the county, instead choosing two from the south (Claremorris LEA ), two from the west (Westport LEA ), and one from Castlebar. Michelle Mulherin, Eugene Lavin, and Jarlath Munnelly have been overlooked in spite of having the same service as the two O’Malleys and Bourke, who gets the chair in spite of having lost his seat in 2004. Fine Gael will argue that the selections were by lot. However, surely given that either Mulherin or Munnelly will have to face Dara Calleary in the next general election, one of them could have been given the second Claremorris slot to help beef up their profiles across the county? And given their relatively poor performance in the Swinford LEA, where yes they held their seats but where Fianna Fáil matched them in first preferences, Lavin could have had one of the Westport slots? Fine Gael seems either unwilling or unable to break the monopoly that the three existing TDs have on the party in Mayo.
And finally, now that Fine Gael has such a historic majority on Mayo County Council, why are members happy that in the 110 year history of Mayo County Council, only one woman, Annie May Reape (Fianna Fáil ), has served as cathaoirleach? By selecting Michelle Mulherin, Fine Gael could have changed that; they must be happy to keep the big jobs for the big boys! It doesn’t reflect well on Enda Kenny as taoiseach in waiting that he allowed this to happen on his home ground. Mná na hÉireann beware!
However when we examine the town council scenario, maybe we can understand how north Mayo in particular seems excluded from the centre of FG power in Mayo. While FG had massive results in Westport and Castlebar town councils, it only made half a breakthrough in Ballina. The party gained a seat in the hugely popular Barry McLoughlin but managed through ineptitude to exclude its councillors from power on the council for the next five years. For this, FG members must look at themselves locally and ask the hard questions. The high votes achieved by FG candidates demanded that they take a lead. They seemed unable or unwilling to do this in the aftermath of that election, how did Michelle Mulherin in particular manage to lose the support of Mary Kelly, who has supported Mulherin over their shared 10 year career on the council? How was FG unable to conclude a deal with Gerry Ginty, given his very warm words towards Michelle Mulherin at the AGM? Can we take it from FG’s failure to lead this effort that it cannot be sure of bringing its entire team on either Ballina Town Council or Mayo County Council on any occasion?
Where do all these events leave us in relation to the next general election? The three outgoing Fine Gael TDs have the safest seats in Ireland, no change there. There’s one Fianna Fáil seat, too early to call it, and expect a mighty battle with FF and probably Michael Kilcoyne for the last seat. This writer cannot see FG getting the fourth seat unless members are willing to whip their team into line and divide the honey pot that is their vote in Mayo. They failed to do this in 2007 and given their behaviour post elections 2009, they don’t seem to have learnt their lesson.
