FF grassroots try to resist Grealish joining ticket

GRASSROOTS members of Fianna Fáil in Galway West have written to party headquarters in an attempt to resist any move to allow Noel Grealish automatically join the party when the Progressive Democrats wind up.

A number of local branches have met since it emerged that the PDs are planning to formally close their party in November leading to increased speculation that Mr Grealish — one of their two remaining TDs — is to join Fianna Fáil. Party members are annoyed that part of Mr Grealish’s deal involves his sharing a three-party ticket with Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Éamon Ó’Cuív and Frank Fahey at the next election.

This would mean that Fianna Fáil’s third candidate in last year’s election, Councillor Michael Crowe, would not be able to stand. A party activist in the area said: “Some of the members are not over-awed about this. Most of these members have served the party for 20 to 30 years, most are middle aged and they were all around when Des O’Malley started the PDs. They are still bitter enough about that and there is going to be some resistance to attempts to bring these PDs back into the Fianna Fáil party.”