Gloves off as contestants push for final seat

THE gloves came off for the first time on the Euro election campaign trail yesterday, as Independent Kathy Sinnott and Fianna Fáil MEP Gerry Collins slugged it out for the third seat in the South constituency.

Ms Sinnott said if people choose between a Fianna Fáil candidate or herself, she will get the vote. This was nothing personal against Mr Collins, just the fact that she was attracting more of an anti-Government vote, she said.

"People in his (Gerry Collins's) own home town have come up to me and said: 'It's time for him to come home, we need a change', and this has been totally spontaneous," Ms Sinnott said.