Fine Gael TDs and senators face a harrowing four weeks as the three-way fight for the party’s presidential nomination continues.
During the week, Leinster House was heaving with potential candidates. Spotted at various times in the canteen and corridors were Fine Gael’s Mairead McGuinness and Pat Cox, while David Norris bustled around with great purpose and Labour’s Kathleen O’Meara seemed to be everywhere.
“We’ve been inundated,” wailed one Fine Gael deputy on Thursday.
“Pat has launched a charm offensive. Gay hasn’t stopped phoning and I couldn’t even go into the bar without being cornered by Mairead.”
Cox strolled around on Wednesday looking relaxed and radiating inner peace. He said he enjoyed last week in Spain when he walked part of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.
He said the trip had been arranged before he resolved to seek the Fine Gael nomination. “I switched off my phone and it was great,” he said.
Meanwhile, David Norris raised a few eyebrows when he arrived at Brian Lenihan’s funeral Mass on Tuesday morning. It was probably just poor timing on his part, but Senator Norris drew up to the church just after the President arrived. Like Her Excellency, he was also driven there in a large car.
On Monday, when he addressed a number of county councils to seek their support for his nomination, he travelled in a shiny new Skoda Superb with his own driver.
However, he hadn’t lost the run of himself. The driver is a volunteer, who signed up on his norrisforpresident.ie website.
“One area in which it’s vital we get more volunteers is transportation. If you have a car, and can give a day every now and then, or even just one day, then please get in touch,” it says.
The most memorable quote of the presidential nomination campaign came in Carlow from Labour councillor Jim Townsend, who was strongly in favour of Norris getting a chance to be on the ballot paper. “David Norris hasn’t a bad bone in his body, but he has some quare ideas,” he said.
