Lee vows to make himself heard after maiden win

POLL-TOPPER George Lee said he is determined not to get swallowed up in the back benches once he takes his place in Dáil Eireann tomorrow.

But he will not demand a front bench position from Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny in exchange for his trouncing of Fianna Fáil in the Dublin South by-election.

“All I looked for was one job and that was [to represent] the people of Dublin South... I don’t need a front bench position to do that job.

“It is up to somebody else whether they put me on the front bench, but I am going to be there [in the Dáil] and I am going to make myself heard,” he said.

On Saturday, his transformation from RTÉ economics editor to political heavyweight was complete when he became the first by-election candidate to be elected on first count since Taoiseach Brian Cowen in 1984.

Collecting 27,768 votes, Mr Lee had a surplus of 1,749.

Ahead of his arrival into the Dáil, Mr Lee said he “definitely had not lost the plot” in the midst of his supporters’ unashamed ecstasy after his election.

His by-election victory denied first-time Fianna Fáil candidate, Shay Brennan, a chance to claim the seat vacated by his father Seamus’s death last year.

Remembering his father, Mr Brennan said Saturday’s count proved an emotional day – especially given the collapse of the Fianna Fáil support, from 42% to 17%.

While he is returning to his job with Anglo Irish Bank, he indicated his willingness to contest the Seanad seat vacated by the death of Fianna Fáil’s Tony Kett.

“I am in politics for the long haul, if it was offered to me I would certainly be very happy with that offer and give it due consideration,” he said.

Mr Brennan also said the result confirmed the Labour Party’s imminent revival in the constituency.

The Labour Party’s unsuccessful candidate, Senator Alex White, agreed.

He pointed to the party’s 19.7% as a niche for future elections.

“What we are doing is increasing the vote all the time. .. But these figures tell any objective, fair-minded, impartial observer we should win it in the next general election,” he said.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Lee thanked the two sitting Fine Gael TDs in Dublin South, Olivia Mitchell and Alan Shatter, for lending him their votes.

However, in reality, he created an entirely new base and doubled the 27% share that the pair had achieved in the 2007 general election.

Mr Shatter said he did not believe either existing seat was under threat and it was Fianna Fáil and Green Party Communications Minister Eamon Ryan who would suffer.

“If we replicated these figures in a general election, Fine Gael would have three seats, Labour would have one seat and Fianna Fáil would have one,” he said.

The poll reflected badly on the plight of the Green Party as Mr Ryan’s 2007 vote evaporated.

The party’s candidate, Elizabeth Davidson, was only marginally ahead of Sinn Féin after the first count.

Mr Ryan said it had been a “very tough” day for the party.

“It was always going to be very difficult. We were hoping we would be able to overcome that but we didn’t,” he said.