THE GOVERNMENT sustained another serious blow last night with the loss of a Fianna Fáil seat in Donegal. Sinn Féin candidate Senator Pearse Doherty’s byelection victory in Donegal South West reduces the Government’s majority to two votes and leaves it even more reliant on Independents Jackie Healy-Rae and Michael Lowry.
In his victory speech, Mr Doherty claimed the voters had also endorsed Sinn Féin’s policy of refusing to “hand over sovereignty” to the International Monetary Fund. “This is the election this Government never wanted to happen, and maybe the result will tell you why,” Mr Doherty said, saying the clear message to Brian Cowen was: “Get out of office now.”
Fianna Fáil candidate Senator Brian Ó Dómhnaill came second on first preferences but was passed out by Fine Gael councillor Barry O’Neill on the fourth count. Sinn Féin’s vote went up from 21 per cent in 2007 to just below 40 per cent as the Fianna Fáil share declined from 51 per cent to 21 per cent. Fine Gael’s vote fell from 23 per cent to 19 per cent but Labour’s increased from 3 per cent to just below 10 per cent.
Tánaiste Mary Coughlan laid some of the blame for her party’s defeat at the door of the Greens for distracting Fianna Fáil activists and supporters with their declaration to withdraw from Government.
Independent TD for Dublin North-Central Finian McGrath said he had received a call from Sinn Féin last night on the possibility of setting up a technical group of seven TDs in the Dail including Dublin Central Independent Deputy Maureen O’Sullivan. It would also mean that Sinn Féin’s motion of no confidence in the Taoiseach could be put to the House.