Foot-soldiers offer lifeline to struggling Dana and Norris

DÁIL SKETCH:THEY ARE the overlooked footsoldiers: those men and women who put in the hard yards at the unglamorous end of politics.

Sometimes, they feel unappreciated by the party colleagues they helped send through to the Premier League in Leinster House. But yesterday, the county councillors of Ireland enjoyed a satisfying measure of justice for the forgotten. Suddenly, their existence was being discussed by deputies and Senators in a manner seldom witnessed on Kildare Street.

At the start of the week, the final line-up for the presidential election seemed to have been settled – five in the fray and a polite refusal to David Norris and Dana, who had hoped to join them.

It was a dull day around the House. Much of the political contingent had decamped to the ploughing festival and the ones left behind looked and sounded like they were on a one-day go slow.

The place was noticeably quiet for a working Wednesday.

Leaders’ Questions was an uneventful affair, and had it not been for the klaxon contribution from Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDecibel (standing in for Gerry Adams), the small attendance in the chamber could have properly enjoyed their lie-in.

The most exciting aspect of the session was the proliferation of blue around the benches. Deputies had been asked to wear the colour to mark Blue September – the worldwide campaign to raise awareness of cancer in men.

Fine Gael’s Mary Mitchell O’Connor was the driving force behind the successful wearing of the blue, bringing together two things for which she has become famous: driving (her car) and colour (her clothes).

Enda Kenny rose to the occasion, wearing a tie in two shades of blue. Micheál Martin sported a red tie, but he has a lot on his plate.

Then the day snoozed on.

Senator David Norris was the exception as he bustled around the building, all business. The reason for this burst of activity soon became clear – his chances of getting on the presidential election ticket appeared to be enjoying a small revival.

This might best be explained by what one parliamentarian – not associated with the Norris list – remarked when asked if he might consider nominating him: “I think I’ll have to do something, if only to take the pressure off the secretary.”

He then explained that his office was inundated with phone calls and e-mails from people who want Norris to be given a chance to run, and his assistant was finding it hard to cope with the onslaught. As the afternoon wore on, Leinster House succumbed to the delicious pastime of discussing possibility and permutation. There is nothing politicians and journalists like more than an electoral fight.

Was Norris – having once withdrawn his name in controversial circumstance only to return from his holidays with a change of heart – about to do a Lazarus?

Dana’s chances of getting the 20 nominations needed were ruled out by everyone. But, and public opinion was cited as the reason, TDs and Senators still in a position to nominate were suddenly starting to talk about the interests of democracy and how they must have regard to the great honour and privilege thrust upon them when granted the right to decide what names will go the people.

And they are afraid of the people and the phones were hopping and the e-mails belting in.

The man in question appeared in the canteen late in the afternoon, trying to look inscrutable and failing miserably. News came through that Senator Fiach Mac Conghail had signed his nomination papers, bringing his tally of signatories to 13 with at least a couple more looking likely to materialise.

All he would say was that he will battle to the end for the chance to put his name before the electorate. In his distracted inscrutability, petrified to tempt fate, he hugged one of the waitresses, kissed another and declared it was a wonderful autumn day before exiting on cloud nine in a lather of sweat.

But still. Seven more names? It seems like a big ask. And yet, if he got near the 18 mark, some of those who previously signalled they wouldn’t sign for him were indicating they didn’t want to be the one to go down as the politician who blocked him in the teeth of public opinion.

Then came the gamechanger. It arrived at teatime in the form of independent challenger Seán Gallagher, one of the favoured five who has already booked his place on the starting blocks with four nominations from county councils in the bag.

Gallagher, lagging behind in the polls, got far more than the number required. Yesterday, he repeated his call for those councils who backed him after he secured his four nominations to nominate a new candidate.

In the process, he highlighted the approach taken by fellow Independent, Mary Davis, who also got the backing of more than four councils. Unlike Gallagher, she continued to hoover up the nominations, and also went on to address Independent deputies and Senators, even though she was already home and dry.

”I would hope Mary Davis would follow my lead and constructively assist the two other Independent candidates by ensuring that the process is inclusive” he said, selflessly rising above the politics and stealing a march on Davis, still clinging to her surplus.

With that, the overlooked foot-soldiers on the councils jumped into action, offering a lifeline to Norris and Dana.

In the process, they rendered their superior officers in Leinster House irrelevant. A week to go, and it’s all to play for.