Embattled Labour targets Fianna Fáil in struggle to win final Dublin seat
A number of senior ministers went on the attack against Fianna Fáil’s record in Government, while all but ignoring Sinn Féin, which is now uncatchable as it powers ahead in a series of opinion polls.
Sinn Féin is likely to take at least two, but probably three, European parliament seats after Friday’s vote, with the previously relatively unknown Lynn Boylan poised to top the poll in Dublin.
The party’s deputy leader, Mary Lou McDonald, said the results are “promising”, but they are not taking anything for granted.
“The message is being sent very clearly to this Government that their policy direction has to change, that the austerity orgy that has been visited on people is now at a tipping point,” she said.
“Trauma and great difficulties have been brought to families right across the State by this Government. People are saying to us they are at a point that they simply cannot cope with another bill landing on the mat.”
But Labour was more focused on Fianna Fáil, whose candidate, Mary Fitzpatrick, is expected to battle with Ms Costello and the Green Party’s Eamon Ryan for the third seat in Dublin.
“With one-third of the people yet to make up their minds how they’re going to vote we will certainly be drawing to people’s attention the choice that they face on Friday,” said party leader Eamon Gilmore. “It’s a choice between voting for the party which got us into the crisis, Fianna Fáil, or voting for Emer Costello who represents the party getting us out of the crisis.”
Pat Rabbitte, the communications minister, said the Government had a plan for economic recovery, while Fianna Fáil had wrecked the economy and Sinn Féin would do the same if given the chance. “I don’t think that the people will forsake the Government. The country is sovereign and solvent again.”
The latest opinion poll shows Brian Crowley (Fianna Fáil) and Liadh Ní Riada (Sinn Féin) will top the poll in the four-seat Ireland South European electoin constituency. Other weekend polls show Sean Kelly (Fine Gael) likely to succeed, with the final battle, possibly between Fine Gael’s Deirdre Clune and Grace O’Sullivan of the Greens, depending on transfers.
Máiréad McGuinness, Fine Gael, is likely to top the poll in the vast, 15-county, Ireland Midlands North West constituency, followed by Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy. The final two seats will be between Independents Luke Ming Flanagan and Marian Harkin, and Fianna Fáil’s Pat the Cope Gallagher,
