Cannon warned after switch to FG

DEFECTING Progressive Democrat leader Ciarán Cannon has been warned to forget his former policies if he wants to be a part of Fine Gael.

The Galway east senator confirmed his decision to join Fine Gael yesterday just days after signing off on his old party’s final set of accounts.

However, Fine Gael’s successful director of elections in the constituency, Cllr Peter Feeney, said he can only join on his new party’s terms.

“We are not short of talent in Galway east. We welcome Ciarán but this is not one of the more vulnerable Dublin constituencies where you might want to bring in a high-profile candidate.”

In 2007, Fine Gael won a second seat from independent Paddy McHugh and its two remaining unsuccessful candidates polled ahead of Mr Cannon, who ran for the PDs.

“If Ciarán Cannon wants to join Fine Gael it will be on Fine Gael’s terms. Certainly PD policies have to be left at the door.

“When we are talking about co-located hospitals or the likes of Michael McDowell’s old belief that a little bit of inequality was healthy, these are anathema to a Christian democratic party like Fine Gael,” Mr Feeney said.

Mr Cannon was unveiled as FG’s newest member by his party leader Enda Kenny outside Leinster House.

He said he chose the party because it had the same spirit of ideas that the PDs was born out of.

And while he praised his old colleagues he asked them to join Fine Gael.

“There are a huge number of Progressive Democrat supporters ... all the way back from 1985 and I think they got involved in the Progressive Democrats because there was a movement there, there was a rising tide of people who wanted genuine change for their country. I would say to them that rising tide is happening again and it is happening under this man [Enda Kenny] and I would certainly encourage them to row in behind Fine Gael in our efforts to see us through the crisis.”

Mr Cannon denied he was thrown out of the Progressive Democrat’s final executive meeting and said he left of his own accord.