FF councillor defects to FG

A Cork Fianna Fáil councillor has defected to Fine Gael, it was revealed today.

Ten-year party servant Deirdre Forde, an ex-member of the Fianna Fáil National Executive and chair of the National Councillors’ Forum, claims that she quit over the handling of the economic downturn.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny branded the move symbolic and a telling comment on how the chief coalition party was taking the country in the wrong direction.

“When faced with the reality of a Government that was not listening to the people and was making bad decisions that hurt the wrong people, Cllr Forde decided to make a change,” Mr Kenny said.

“She recognised the strength and focus of the Fine Gael team both locally and nationally and decided that being part of that team was the best way for her to represent her electorate.”

One of Cllr Forde’s new election running mates in Fine Gael said he had some reservations about the news, the Evening Echo newspaper has reported, as Cllr Forde had recently complained about Fianna Fáil’s candidate selection, and in particular the decision to run Pádraig Martin (twin brother of Minister Micheál Martin) in her area.

Local election candidate Dave O’Byrne said while he welcomed Cllr Forde’s decision, he still had concerns about her motivation: “Obviously, I have concerns about the motivation of a Fianna Fáil councillor transferring in the current climate.

“There is a threat this move will be seen as opportunistic given the councillor’s recent comments about how she felt FF had abandoned their candidates,” he said.

It’s not yet known if she has ambitions to run in a general electon in the Cork South Central for Fine Gael.

A spokesman for Fianna Fáil said the party was not surprised by the move. “We haven’t had any formal communication from Cllr Forde.”

Ms Forde, who was first elected to the Carrigaline electoral area of Cork Co Council in 1999, claimed her qualms with the Government date back to the Budget.

“The Budget in October was the first time that this really struck me when I saw the attempt to take the medical card off OAPs,” she said.

“Subsequent decisions on education supports for special needs children and the provision of cervical cancer screening for teenage girls confirmed for me that the wrong people were being asked to pay the price for a faltering economy.”

Ms Forde said she had many numerous efforts to talk with party chiefs about her concerns, but realised nothing was going to change.