THE Chairman of Fianna Fail's Dail Ceanntair in Donegal North East has called on party headquarters to back their call for a three candidate strategy in next year's general election.
As tensions between the local Fianna Fail organisation and party headquarters deepened in the row over the strategy to be adopted following the merger with Independent Fianna Fail, Mr Hughie McDaid, called on the three candidate strategy to be approved 'in the interests of unity and the Fianna Fail organisation' in Donegal.
Following a meeting of up to 200 delegates in the Mount Errigal Hotel, Letterkenny, on Sunday night the Dail Ceanntair has written to headquarters warning that unless Jimmy McDaid, Cecilia Keaveney and Niall Blaney are selected to contest the election, there will be a boycott of all future amalgamation meetings. A series of those were planned across the constituency for last night (Thursday).
Speaking to the Donegal News on Tuesday the Dail Cenntair Chairman said the party had gone "as far as it could go" locally and the decision was now one solely for headquarters.
"The delegates endorsed a motion that no further amalgamation talks take place until such times as headquarters informed the Dail Ceanntair of the number of candidates. There was a proposal from the floor that the three sitting TDs, James McDaid, Cecilia Keaveney and Niall Blaney would run without a selection convention and this was unanimously agreed," he said.
"We have faxed headquarters and they know our position," he said.
A Fianna Fail spokesman in Dublin confirmed the letter had been received and was being considered. He said the planned meetings for last night (Thursday) would go ahead as planned.
Dr McDaid has claimed that the move to merge the IFF and Fianna Fail cumanns in advance of a selection convention was an attempt to 'load cumann with Blaney supporters' to ensure he was not selected to contest the election.
A well placed party source confirmed there was overwhelming agreement among members that the meetings must be boycotted unless party headquarters agree to run Dr James McDaid as an election candidate.
The increasingly bitter row over candiate selection escalated last week as Deputy Cecilia Keaveney backed the idea of a three candidate strategy.
Up to 40 cumann meetings were planned for last night with a view to registering new members from Independent Fianna Fail and to elect new officer boards.
The election of new branch officers at the meetings is supposed to allow delegates for a selection convention to be chosen.
Meanwhile, Fianna Fail TD Niall Blaney has asked headquarters' representatives to meet with him to discuss his concerns about the constituency ticket. Deputy Blaney stated several weeks ago that he would never have joined Fianna Fail had McDaid not announced his retirement in April six months after his conviction for drink driving and dangerous driving.
Dr McDaid confirmed again this week that he is seeking to be a candidate in general election. The delay in holding the selection convention is widely seen as being due to Fianna Fail headquarters' opposition over a triple-candidacy.
