National executive: Newly-elected Progressive Democrat leader Michael McDowell emphasises the need for internal unity when he addressed the party's national executive last night.
Calling for "unity, focus and determination", Mr McDowell has decided not to make any immediate changes to the party's trustees in spite of sharp criticism of the outgoing leader, Mary Harney, from one of them. Despite some expectations, Mr McDowell did not raise the possibility of replacing the party's three current trustees, Paul MacKay, Brendan Malone and Noreen Slattery.
Meanwhile, one of the trustees, Paul MacKay, who caused annoyance among some of his PD colleagues during an interview on RTÉ's This Week programme, last night denied that he had criticised Ms Harney. Speaking from Lourdes, Mr MacKay said he expected to be reappointed as one of the party's trustees.
The new party president, Minister of State Tom Parlon, acknowledged that the comments of Mr MacKay, one of the co-founders of the party in 1985, had created problems.
Mr Parlon insisted that he had made "no deals" with Mr McDowell in return for Sunday's agreement, adding: "I am very, very conscious of the necessity to get elected. Any presumption that I would seek any office after the election would be out of line altogether."
