A High Court case over Fianna Fáil's use of An Post's post mark advertising service is looming, following a threat of legal action by a Fine Gael election candidate for Dublin. Mr Colm Mac Eochaidh said he has called on An Post and Fianna Fáil to stop using the scheme by 5 p.m. today.
"If I don't get an undertaking from them by five o'clock tomorrow, I will proceed to seek relief in the High Court as soon as I can thereafter. It will be a matter for my lawyers as to how soon they can bring an application that would seek an interlocutory relief," he said yesterday.
As a candidate, Mr Mac Eoch- aidh said he would be using the postal system to communicate with voters and party members.
"I am advised that the action of putting the Fianna Fáil logo on my envelope is a violation of my constitutional right to freedom of expression and freedom of political expression and also a violation of my constitutional right to freedom of assembly, which means to be associated with a political party of my choosing and not to be associated with parties or people I don't wish to be associated with," he said.
"I don't wish their political message to appear on my private mail, in particular when the private mail is to do with an expression of political views and in the run-up to a general election."
An Post was required to act in accordance with the law, he said.
He said his opposition was not based on annoyance at a political party having stolen a march on its rivals. "I am annoyed they are adulterating my political message and infringing my freedom of expression." A spokesman for An Post declined to comment.
A Fianna Fáil spokesman said: "We would feel this is a commercial service offered by An Post to any interested party, commercial or otherwise, willing to take up the offer and we were happy to take up the offer and we would be concerned that a Fine Gael candidate would try to place a gag on us."