Fine Gael expect FF casualties in Cork election battleground

A POLITICAL row blazed between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil yesterday over claims that the country’s biggest party will lose several seats in Cork in next year’s general election.

Phil Hogan, FG’s director of organisation, said he expects his party to win at least eight of the 19 seats in the city and county; and FF to lose at least four seats, restoring FG’s Dáil representation to 1997 levels.

A spokeswoman for Fianna Fáil said the party didn’t accept that it was going to lose that number of seats. “We are challenging Fine Gael to publish the full details of their polls,” she said.