'Completely daft': This TD doesn't think much of Renua Ireland...

Jerry Buttimer has given the first Fine Gael reaction to Lucinda Creighton’s new party.

THERE HAS BEEN little in the way of reaction from the other political parties to the launch of Renua Ireland exactly a week ago.

This is perhaps understandable given most ministers are out of the country on St Patrick’s Day business and other TDs are taking care of the all-important constituency work.

However, we did get a chance to talk to Jerry Buttimer about what his former party colleagues are up to when he visited TheJournal.ie yesterday.

Renua is led by former Fine Gael minister Lucinda Creighton with ex-FGers Billy Timmins and Terence Flanagan also involved. Flanagan had a particularly nightmarish interview with RTÉ’s Drivetime last Friday.

Buttimer said he “felt sorry” for his former party colleague, noting it’s not easy in those one-on-one interview situations.

But he’s not a fan of at least one of Renua’s stated policies:

Video: Michelle Hennessy / TheJournal.ie

Read: Here’s everything we know about Renua Ireland (and its policies)

Broken promise? Councillor defends joining Renua… despite telling voters he’d stay independent

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More