FG insists it will win two seats though poll data is bleak

FINE Gael insists it will win two seats in the crucial Cork South Central constituency, but won’t reveal the polling data it has to support that contention.

The party holds one of the constituency’s five seats in the shape of Simon Coveney. Winning a second seat there on May 24 is absolutely crucial to Fine Gael’s hopes of returning to power.

The party has long identified Cork South Central as a “definite” gain. It is running two candidates alongside Mr Coveney with a view to achieving this — former Cork Lord Mayor Deirdre Clune and Councillor Jerry Buttimer.

Given Fianna Fáil’s slide in the national opinion polls, it had been assumed that Ms Clune would win back the seat she lost in 2002.

Last week, however, a Red C poll conducted for the Evening Echo showed surprisingly weak support levels for Ms Clune.

Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin led the poll on 20%, followed by Mr Coveney and Green Party TD Dan Boyle, both of whom were on 14%.

Fianna Fáil TD John Dennehy was on 11%, as was the party’s third candidate, Cllr Michael McGrath.

They were followed by Labour Cllr Ciaran Lynch on 9% and Sinn Féin’s Henry Cremin on 7%.

Ms Clune had a mere 6% of the vote, according to the poll, the same figure as Fine Gael’s third candidate, Mr Buttimer.

But yesterday, Fine Gael director of elections Frank Flannery insisted the party was likely to win a second seat in the constituency.

Asked if he was worried about the Red C poll, he replied: “Not in the slightest, I’m happy to say. We will win two seats in Cork South Central and Fianna Fáil will lose a seat.”

He cited internal polling data to support that contention, but wouldn’t reveal that data.

Nor would he say which of the two Fine Gael candidates for the second seat, Ms Clune or Mr Buttimer, had the best chance of winning.

Despite the fact that Mr Buttimer is a first-time general election candidate, the fact that he received the same support level as Ms Clune in the Red C poll suggests he could be outshining her on the doorsteps.

“We have three very good candidates and we’ll win two seats,” was all Mr Flannery would say when asked which of the candidates was performing better in the party’s private polling.

“You might say they’re our polls, and so they are, but we’re not in the business of trying to fool ourselves, we’re in the business of getting the best information we can,” he said.