Fianna Fáil moves to protect Bertie on constituency plan

FIANNA FÁIL’S local organisation in the Taoiseach’s constituency claimed last night that Bertie Ahern was not behind the demand for Dublin Central to remain unchanged in the electoral boundary revisions.

Details in the Irish Examiner yesterday of submissions to the independent body responsible for setting the boundaries caused tension in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, as party headquarters did not inform TD’s or members of proposed changes in their areas.

The Constituency Commission sided with Bertie Ahern in the ‘Battle of the Tolka’ with his brother Noel Ahern over the possible carve-up of the Taoiseach’s Drumcondra power base. The revelation of a letter yesterday from the Taoiseach’s constituency office calling for no adjustments in the area led to calls for the Commission to be held to account for its final recommendations. The Taoiseach is renowned for the control he wields over his constituency organisation, yet the local Fianna Fáil official, in whose name the letter was sent from St Luke’s in Drumcondra, said the party grassroots acted independently.

However, FF Dublin Central Comhairle Dáil-cheantair chairman Des Garvin conceded that he believed Mr Ahern would share the views expressed.

“Our conclusion would have been to stay within the boundaries as much as possible, using the Liffey as the boundary. I’m sure he [the Taoiseach] feels the same.

“The Comhairle Dáil-cheantair operates independently. It would have been discussed by the Comhairle as a whole,” he added.

A spokesperson for the Taoiseach reiterated the Government’s line that the Constituency Commission is entirely independent.

After putting forward a forceful argument, backed up by FF headquarters, to move 5,500 people into his Dublin North-West constituency, Noel Ahern, the Minister for Housing, said he was not upset that his plea was ignored.

However, opposition parties said the affair called for a greater level of accountability from the Constituency Commission.

Fine Gael environment spokesman Bernard Allen said the bowing to the will of the Taoiseach’s organisation throws a major question mark over the credibility of the Commission’s recommendations.

Endorsing the independence of the Commission, Labour environment spokesman Eamon Gilmore said it would help if the body were to explain more fully the rationale behind the conclusions it drew.

But Independent Dublin Central TD Tony Gregory said there was no chance the changes in the Taoiseach’s constituency would be initiated by the Commission, even if it was supposed to be independent.

“Believe you me, if the Taoiseach lost Drumcondra he would have been very upset. I predicted beforehand that the Constituency Commission was not that independent,” he said.