THE DIRECTOR OF the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN), Tiernan Brady, is seeking the Fianna Fáil nomination in Dublin for next year’s European elections as the race to be the party’s candidate heats up.
Brady is to officially launch his campaign for the Fianna Fáil nomination in Dublin tomorrow evening and will be seeking to convince some thousands of party members in Dublin to give him their support at a selection convention to be held in January.
Brady, a former staffer with current MEP Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher, is likely to face competition from a number of other interested candidates, including senator Averil Power and former minister Mary Hanafin, both of whom are known to be interested.
Former senator Geraldine Feeney has also declared her interest in seeking the nomination, while mortgage-holders advocate David Hall has also been speculated about though it is unlikely at this stage that he will be the nominee.
The party’s switch to one member-one vote in recent years is likely to mean a more open contest than was the case before.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie last night, Brady said this will be a crucial difference to previous selection contests.
“This is the first time we’ve ever done the one member-one vote system,” he said. “It’s a really exciting process as we get to go and talk to people who have never been asked for their opinion before. It can only improve not only our political party, but politics in general.”
Elsewhere, it is now increasingly likely that junior finance minister Brian Hayes will be the Fine Gael nominee in Dublin to replace the outgoing Gay Mitchell.
Hayes has remained coy about whether or not he will run, only confirming his interest, however a number of sources have indicated he will seek the nomination and is likely to be the party’s candidate in the capital.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say