FF election machine up and running in Kerry

IT may be relaxation time for Fianna Fáil chiefs at Galway Races, this week, but the party’s campaign for the next general election is underway in Kerry.

Upwards of 25,000 leaflets are being distributed throughout the Kerry South constituency by Arts, Sport and Tourism Minister John O’Donoghue detailing his long list of “achievements” for his voters.

And, in Kerry North, the sitting FF TD, Tom McEllistrim, has started knocking on doors to let people know he’s going forward again.

Around 20,000 leaflets have been dropping through post boxes in the Killarney electoral area and some 4,500 bilingual leaflets in the Dingle Peninsula.

There will be more to come, according to Mr O’Donoghue’s personal assistant, Colin Miller, who said: “’We’re trying to get the message across to show what’s being done for the constituency.”

He said FF had to keep “hammering the message home” as other people in the constituency might be claiming credit for things they had not done.

“’We want to keep the public fully informed about what’s happening. There will be further leaflet drops in the coming months to keep the public up-to-date,” Mr Miller, also a FF councillor, said yesterday.

The leaflets are also being used to introduce Mr O’Donoghue’s running mate, Cllr Tom Fleming, to voters.

According to the leaflets, more than €200m has been invested in Kerry by the Government, including €70m in school buildings and €37m in the Institute of Technology, Tralee.

Last year, €35m went into Kerry roads, while €23m has been given in grants to sports clubs in the county since 1998, the leaflets say.

Credit is also claimed for providing additional gardaí, a 31% cut in unemployment and €21.5m for childcare.