Dana’s hopes fade as councils reject bid

‘HITLER’ taunts were shouted at county councillors yesterday who refused to give Dana Rosemary Scanlon a nomination to contest the Presidential election.

The former MEP was rejected by Kerry, Tipperary North, Monaghan and Longford county councils and now turns her attentions to Galway, Carlow and Donegal, as her chances of getting onto the ticket narrow by the day.

Despite a number of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors breaking party ranks to vote for Dana, a nomination motion at Kerry County Council was defeated by 14 votes to eight.

After the vote was taken, there were heated comments by some of Dana’s supporters in the public gallery and some councillors leaving the building in Tralee at lunch time were heckled by a crowd of up to 20, some carrying placards.

Dana’s supporters, who included pro-life campaigners, cried “shame” and Hanna McCarthy, from Caherciveen, shouted at the chamber: “Hitler is alive and well here.”

The sons of Independent TD Jackie Healy-Rae, Cllrs Michael and Danny Healy-Rae, were loudly heckled on their way out of the building by Dana’s supporters. The brothers were told their father, who had supported Ms Scanlon in 1997, was “a real man”.

Accusing the political parties of deliberately blocking her nomination and stamping on the rights of local councillors, Dana said she was concerned for the democratic process.

“If you go to sleep in a democracy, you will wake up in a dictatorship,” she remarked.

Although Fine Gael councillors were among those to support Dana’s nomination in 1997, despite having their own candidate in Mary Banotti, this year party headquarters has directed its councillors not to nominate the former MEP.

Defending his party’s stance, Fine Gael’s Phil Hogan said he found his party colleagues’ decision seven years ago quite strange. He made no apologies for laying down the law and letting councillors know Enda Kenny’s decision that the party would not oppose Mary McAleese.

“This is about setting out the Fine Gael position,” he said.

The motion to nominate Dana in Kerry was moved by Independent Cllr Brendan Cronin and backed by Fianna Fáil’s local election poll-topper and general election candidate, Tom Fleming, and subsequently supported by his FF party colleague Ted Fitzgerald, along with Fine Gael’s Liam Purtill, Pat McCarthy and Séamus Cosai Fitzgerald and Labour’s Terry O’Brien and Pat Leahy.

Tipperary North Riding County Council members unanimously rejected a request from Dana for a nomination, while Longford County Council also voted against holding a meeting to nominate candidates for the Presidential election. Monaghan County Council also refused to back her candidacy.

Also yesterday, heritage protection campaigner Vincent Salafia announced his intention to seek a nomination for the election.