A Fine Gael letter signed by EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan has been distributed in his old Carlow-Kilkenny constituency asking voters to give a first preference vote to one of the party’s candidates.
Fine Gael is running three candidates in the five-seat constituency: outgoing TDs John Paul Phelan and Pat Deering, along with councillor Patrick O’Neill.
Mr Hogan was a TD for Carlow-Kilkenny until he left to take up a position with the European Commission in 2014. He was nominated for a second term as Ireland’s EU commissioner by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar last year.
Mr Hogan was close to Mr O’Neill’s father, former Fine Gael senator Pat O’Neill, and the Fine Gael letter was signed by the EU Commissioner and another local councillor Mary Hilda Kavanagh.
“As you know,voting takes place in the general election next Saturday,” the letter says. “We are asking you to strongly support the three Fine Gael candidates to represent you for the next five years and to continue the massive progress that has been made economically and socially by our Government since 2011. It has not been an easy time for anyone and we should not throw away the gains made.
“In North Kilkenny (which includes your area) we are asking you to vote Number 1 Patrick O’Neill, No 2 John Paul Phelan, and No 3 Pat Deering.”
“This strategy has been agreed by the candidates and director of elections, and we are endorsing this strategy fully. This will help to maximise the number of seats in this constituency.
“We would ask you to contact voters to ensure that this strategy is implemented,” it continued. “Thank you for all your help and support over the years. Hopefully, with your votes from family and friends, we can get a good result in this election.”
Local Fine Gael sources said the other candidates were not aware the letter was being sent.
Intervention
An election row broke out last week over Brexit interventions being made by Mr Hogan. Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin claimed comments from Mr Hogan were a “coded partisan intervention”, but this was rejected by Mr Hogan and Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe.
Ahead of Britain’s formal departure from the EU last Friday, Mr Hogan said he was “very concerned” with what he saw in Ireland regarding Brexit, urging people to “come out of their slumber” and saying a “crash out” Brexit is still a possibility at the end of the year.
A transition period will still see the UK remain in the European single market and customs union, but Mr Hogan said: “I’m very concerned at what I see in Ireland the moment. There’s a lot of complacency in the system. Commentators and the media and the public generally don’t seem to realise we’re starting the most difficult part of the negotiations.”
Mr Martin responded by saying: “I think Phil Hogan should stay out of domestic Irish politics now for the next week. That was to me a coded partisan intervention.”
Mr Hogan then said had never intervened in domestic politics, and Mr Donohoe said Mr Hogan was only “outlining the reality of where our country faces”.
