Fianna Fáil European candidate hopeful and former TD Niall Blaney, has hit out at party hierarchy for discriminating against the members of the Midlands/Northwest constituency and accused them of a “stitch-up.”
The party’s convention has been arranged for Friday 15th March, with voting from 2pm until 8pm.
The former Deputy said that the proposal to hold their European party convention on a Friday afternoon, in Longford, on a bank holiday weekend is completely unreasonable and stinks of a stitch up for their chosen candidate.
He fumed “True republicans don’t discriminate and this effort is showing blatant disregard for the Fianna Fáil membership. Members from all counties on the periphery of the constituency will not get the opportunity to cast their vote.
“How do we expect members who we depend on to fundraise, canvass, and attend party meetings, to keep paying €20 for a vote that’s impossible to get to.
“Giving members the message that they are not important and not wanted or valued for one election is counterproductive when you later ask them to go out and knock on doors.
“I have spoken to Micheal Martin and he is aware of the concerns and I appeal now that the Fianna Fáil party have it in them to do the right thing on behalf of its Midlands/Northwest membership, the same way they looked after the Kerry members, who had two box locations for their General Election convention.”