Exclusive: A FORMER Fine Gael election candidate has rocked the party by declaring his support for an independent in the battle for County House
John Gibbons, who stood for Fine Gael at the last council elections, says he is “proud” to be the new Campaign Manager for Independent Candidate Frank McBrearty.
“I am proud to be unveiled as Frank McBrearty’s new campaign manager, and I wish to put it openly on record that I strongly endorse Councillor McBrearty’s candidacy in the forthcoming local elections,” said Mr Gibbons last night.
John Gibbons, who is a farmer living in Letterkenny, has been an active member of the IFA for the past thirty years, and despite not being a constituent of the Finn Valley Electoral Area, where Cllr McBrearty is standing in these elections, he says he has “admired McBrearty’s policy of representing everyone – irrespective of where in the county they are from.”
He went on: “What struck me when I met Frank McBrearty for the first time, which I did in order to seek his help regarding various local concerns I had had, was his willingness to help anyone who came to him for assistance, even if they weren’t one of his own constituents – that to me is not only admirable, but also is the trait of a great politician.”
John Gibbons said he believes that the “fact Frank McBrearty is a non-aligned, independent candidate, is something which ensures that the people of Donegal have an independent voice representing them and their interests, not simply one representing the interests of a political party.”
He went on: “Huge numbers of the electorate have lost faith in party politics; people have become so disillusioned by political parties and the many mindless and gagged ‘yes men’ which they contain.
“It’s my view that roughly forty per cent of the Irish electorate are not voting for parties anymore, and this figure – I have no reluctance in saying – is much higher among the electorate of Donegal.
“The legacy of party politics is clear to be seen in this country. The previous Fianna Fáil/Green party led government left this country in ruin, created a golden circle of people with vested interests, and walked away from the mess with their tails between their legs.
“Since then, all that the current government of Fine Gael and Labour has done is added to that mess; the rich have become richer and the poor have become irrelevant.”
Criticising the government parties – one of which he was a member of – Mr. Gibbons says that there remains a lot of anger amongst the Irish people because of how the current administration have handled the crisis to date, saying that this government’s greatest legacy will be the hundreds of thousands of Irish citizens who have left this country in search of a better life.
“In recent weeks, we have been inundated with government ministers boasting about the economy showing signs of economic recovery and that so many people are now returning to work who had previously been made unemployed; this is all a smoke screen. The fact that more than 400,000 people were forced to emigrate from this country over the past five years is not something which any government could possibly be proud of,” he said.
“The growth in the number of people choosing to vote for independent candidates is something which I hope will change the political landscape in this country for the better, by voting for independent candidates such as Frank McBrearty, people can ensure that their interests will be safeguarded and protected in the years ahead.
“We have an exciting few weeks of campaigning ahead both Frank and I, and I very much look forward to these elections. I have nothing but absolute confidence in Cllr McBrearty’s abilities, I fully support his candidacy and I wish him all the best in the upcoming local elections this May.”
This year’s local elections take place on Friday, May 23rd 2014.
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