Taoiseach backs Higgins’ bid for re-election

Taoiseach ‘absolutely behind’ Jim Higgins’s bid for re-election to European Parliament


Áine Ryan

TAOISEACH Enda Kenny is ‘absolutely behind’ Jim Higgins’s candidacy in the upcoming European Elections, The Mayo News can reveal. Speaking in Castlebar yesterday, Mr Kenny said he expected ‘both Mr Higgins and Mairead McGuinness to be front-runners’ in the fight for seats in the newly expanded Midlands-North-West constituency.   
Quashing media speculation that John O’Mahony TD was the preferred party candidate, Mr Kenny said: “I don’t see any circumstances where Jim Higgins would be taken off the ticket.” he said that of course there would be discussion among the party candidates, after the upcoming convention in Athlone on February 9 next.  
Fine Gael’s Secretary General, Tom Curran met Jim Higgins MEP last week to discuss electoral strategy for the upcoming European elections, the Ballyhaunis-based politician confirmed to The Mayo News he was ‘in fighting form’ and planned to retain his seat in the newly expanded constituency of the Midlands-North-West.  
He rubbished claims in national newspapers that there were attempts to push him aside in favour of Deputy John O’Mahony, adding that nobody from within the party had claimed he was polling badly in initial polls.
“Nobody within the party has given out such information which is nothing other than contrivance. I will be insisting that the constituency is divided fairly because to leave it open would be crass stupidity and counter-productive in every way. Indeed, it would lead to vast tracts of the constituency - which is the largest geographically in the EU – being left un-canvassed,” Jim Higgins said.
“I have stood in 14 elections and, thankfully, have won the majority of them and if Fine Gael manages this well both Mairéad McGuinness and myself will be returned,” he added.
He predicted that Ms McGuinness will top the poll, followed by Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher, whose base is Donegal, and that it will then be a dogfight between himself, Independent Marian Harkin and Sinn Féin’s Matt McCarthy for the last two seats.  
McGuinness advantage
A RECENT  report in The  Irish Times stated the party was ‘unlikely to divide up the vast Midlands-North-West constituency between its two candidates’ leaving sitting MEP Mairead McGuinness at a clear advantage over Mr Higgins.
Ms McGuinness’s base in Co Meath, and her former role as an RTE broadcaster, means she has a clear geographical and recognisability advantage over Jim Higgins.
The Midlands-North-West constituency is comprised of  Cavan, Donegal, Galway, Kildare, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath.
Over recent months, Mr Higgins, a former Mayo TD and county councillor, has remained insistent he would contest the elections despite reported party pressure for him to give way to Deputy John O’Mahony.
Some insiders believe that John O’Mahony’s strong GAA connections would ensure he had a broader platform to win a seat. He told The Irish Times last week that he was not under pressure to stand aside.   
“There never was any pressure – good, bad or indifferent,” Jim Higgins said last week.
While this vast constituency is seen as too large to be canvassed in its entirety, Mairead McGuinness has already started canvassing in Donegal and Sligo, far outside her natural base.
According to The Sunday Independent preliminary party polls shows Ms McGuinness easily taking the first seat, followed by Fianna Fail MEP Pat ‘the Cope’ Gallagher and Sinn Fein’s Matt Carthy. This leaves Independent MEP Marian Harkin and Mr Higgins fighting for the last seat.
“We have come to accept it will be Jim. The question for the party is do we let Mairead run all over the place and get Jim in on the surplus or do we do a constituency divide. We haven’t decided one way or another yet,” a senior Fine Gael source told the Sunday Independent.
One possible option would be to contain Ms McGuinness within the seven counties in Leinster and give Mr Higgins the eight counties of Connaught and Ulster.