Compiled by
MARIE O'HALLORAN
Bertie leaves nothing to chance for Maurice
One wonders if Paddy Power’s odds on Maurice Ahern to win in Dublin Central – currently at 20/1 – will improve after a glossy thank you letter from Bertie was issued to all voters. He was “so grateful to the people of this area for the support they have given me in election after election”. He added that as Maurice was “also one of a small group that has organised my campaign and assisted me greatly over the last 30 years, I would appreciate your number one vote for him in the forthcoming byelection.” The only photo on the letter was that of the former taoiseach.
Fine Gael’s Paschal Donohoe is on 4/5, while Independent Maureen O’Sullivan is on 7/4.
Meanwhile, well-known Galway bookie and Fine Gael city councillor John Mulholland is offering odds for candidates in the city elections, including himself, putting his own chance of getting elected at 2/7. One surprised candidate, Independent AJ Cahill, went to put a bet on himself at odds of 4/1 to find his chances of election had improved to 3/1. There are no odds on former Labour, now independent councillor Catherine Connolly to get elected, while her sister Colette Connolly is running for Labour with odds of 1/5.
Libertas fires off bizarre press release as campaign heats up
In the last days of an election campaign, paranoia can go into overdrive. And so it proved for Libertas, who admit a press release sent out yesterday was, to say the least, “over zealous”.
It concerned a fire at the party’s office on Dublin’s Baggot Street. “The cause is unknown,” said the breathless release, which quoted the party’s Dublin candidate Caroline Simons as “shocked that something like this would happen. The basement of our office building is on fire. I hope that this is not the action of some political crank. I know the political establishment are against us, but this is highly unusual. If this fire is found to be the action of an opposing political party – we will seek prosecutions. Fires are dangerous things.”
According to press officer John McGuirk, the release was issued by an overzealous subordinate. It was in fact a small fire caused by an electrical fault and there were no injuries. The candidate herself was unaware of the details. She was out canvassing in North Dublin.
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