Mitchell: Public backlash may cost me Áras

GAY MITCHELL fears an anti-government backlash may prevent him becoming the first Fine Gael president — despite winning the party’s nomination against the odds.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny insisted he was not disappointed by the surprise selection of the Dublin MEP as Fine Gael’s candidate at a special delegate convention at the weekend.

Mr Kenny had been thought to favour political maverick Pat Cox for the role, but he trailed a poor third behind Mitchell and fellow MEP Mairead McGuinness in a poll of some 600 Fine Gael parliamentarians, councillors and senior officials.

Mr Mitchell conceded the Fine Gael-led Government may be unpopular by the October 21 presidential poll and moved to separate himself from Mr Kenny’s administration as he admitted voters may want to punish the Taoiseach by then.

“There is no doubt about it there may be some people who see this as a painless opportunity to kick back if you like ... but as a presidential candidate I will not be a candidate for government,” Mr Mitchell told RTÉ.

He also moved to play down talk of a rift between himself and Mr Kenny.

Referring to what was seen as a whispering campaign against him from the top of the Fine Gael party, Mr Mitchell said: “I really don’t know where all these people, speaking off the record, calling themselves “the leadership”, comes from.”

The MEP, who insists he will not resign his Brussels seat ahead of the presidential poll, also insisted his definition of himself as a Christian Democrat would not alienate more secular voters.

“I can boast of nothing — to use the Biblical term — but my feebleness. I’m not God’s gift to anybody but I do have belief,” he said.

Mr Mitchell made it clear he would put suicide prevention at the core of his presidency, indicating the issue had not been taken sufficiently seriously in the past.

The MEP won a convincing victory in the electoral college made up of 99 members of the FG parliamentary party, some 500 councillors, and senior party officials to beat Ms McGuinness by 55% on the second count.

Mr Kenny, who looked somewhat under-whelmed as Mr Mitchell’s victory was announced, denied he harboured disappointment at the choice, announcing “Am I supposed to be going around grinning like a Cheshire cat at everything?”

The nomination comes as poll frontrunner Senator David Norris continues his bid to secure a formal nomination for the race.