MEPs should serve full term, says Ahern

FIANNA FÁIL’S European election candidates should pledge to serve their full five-year term and not substitute their position to run in the next general election, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said yesterday.

Speaking at the launch of his party’s European election campaign in Dublin Mr Ahern stressed he would not like to see candidates leaving their elected role early.

“Nobody should really be expecting to get elected and then take off,” he said. “I think people standing in the election should pledge that they will stay the full five-year course.”

Fianna Fáil has eight candidates running in June’s European poll including Seán Ó Neachtain who was co-opted to the European Parliament to substitute for Pat “The Cope” Gallagher who was elected to the Dáil in 2002.

Although no party rule currently forbids substituting MEPs, Mr Ahern said he expected the matter to be considered soon so, barring exceptional circumstances, MEPs would serve their full five-year term, during which could not run for a Dáil seat.

Mr Ahern said the Fianna Fáil manifesto focused on a positive agenda and detailed the achievements FF MEPs hoped to reach in Europe.

But he attacked what he called the negative campaigning of others: “This stands in marked contrast to others, who have launched campaigns based only on what they are against and that appears to be everything. I don’t believe that the electorate will fall for this agenda,” he said.

Mr Ahern also complained at the negative press he gets, saying Fianna Fáil was the only party in Europe without a paper to print everything it says.

Mr Ahern said FF had successfully steered the country through its best ever economic period.

“As a Government in Europe heading into this election, there is no country in the 25 that has a better economic position, that are putting more money into infrastructure, that have taxes that are so attractive. Therefore, the only thing I have to fight is an unfair position where people say that I broke promises,” he said.

Sports Minister and Fianna Fáil director of elections John O’Donoghue said opposition parties would do untold damage to Ireland’s foreign and defence policy.

Mr O’Donoghue rejected as ironic criticism from Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny that the government was reluctant going into elections, since FG had not won a general election in 22 years.

Fianna Fáil’s European policies include: the protecting and building of employment, direct funding towards communities, co-operation in the fight against international crime and the protection of the interests in Irish farming.