High-profile councillor set to defect

A HIGH-PROFILE Fianna Fáil councillor is expected to defect to Fine Gael within days.

Against the backdrop of disastrous poll results, outspoken Cork-based county councillor Deirdre Forde is jumping ship following a row over the parachuting in of the Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin’s twin brother to contest the June local elections in her area.

The chairperson of the National Fianna Fáil Councillors’ Forum spoke out in January after Mr Martin’s twin, Padraig, was selected to contest a council seat in the Carrigaline electoral area.

“I am upset and extremely disappointed by this decision and worried about retaining my seat,” she said at the time.

“It makes the next election extremely difficult for me because... [Padraig] Martin and myself will be looking for the same votes. He will get first-hand support from his brother, whereas I have very limited resources.”

She also criticised the party last week, accusing it of having failed its candidates ahead of the local elections by offering inadequate support and communicating poorly.

It is understood that negotiations between Ms Forde and Fine Gael have been ongoing for several weeks and that an announcement is imminent.

Senior Fine Gael figures declined to comment officially yesterday but it is understood that a deal has been agreed and the arrangements on the timing of the announcement have been finalised.

Ms Forde did not answer phone calls to her house or mobile phone over the weekend.

She played a key role when the party’s councillors and grassroots members were threatening revolt at the height of the over-70s medical cards crisis last year.

She chaired an emergency forum meeting in Co Galway which agreed to give Taoiseach Brian Cowen space to reexamine the issue.

Following a string of disastrous poll results, Fianna Fáil is facing meltdown in the local elections.

Party members on Cork City Council have privately conceded that the party will lose several seats across the city.

And just last week, the party’s leader on Cork County Council, Alan Coleman, said he expected defections.

“I have been a councillor since 1991 and was out canvassing for other people long before that. In all that time I have never seen such a negative response from the public,” he said.