THE leader of the Progressive Democrats, Ms Mary Harney, has appointed Mr Tom Coughlan, the party's candidate for Cork South Central, to spearhead the development of the PDs' enterprise strategy for the forthcoming general election.
A self employed engineer, Mr Coughlan (29) will formulate proposals for the party's election manifesto with the assistance of finance spokesman, Mr Michael McDowell, and policy specialist, Dr Maurice Roche. Ms Harney said she selected Mr Coughlan for the role because of his experience and successes in risk taking and enterprise in the Cork area.
Dick Hogan writes from Cork:
The selection of Mr Coughlan as a candidate has led to Mr Derry Canty - a founding member of the PDs - leaving the party. This creates a serious problem for the PDs in the Cork South Central constituency.
Mr Canty failed by two votes to be selected during a convention last weekend, when Mr Coughlan, a former member of the Fianna Fail executive, won the nomination.
A member of Cork County Council for the past six years, Mr Canty, based in Ballincollig on the outskirts of Cork, has been a notable success as a art worker and is regarded as one of the PDs' most popular figures in the city.
At a news conference yesterday in Cork to announce his resignation, Mr Canty said he was unhappy about the manner in which the selection convention, was run and said that in his opinion Mr Coughlan had been "parachuted" in as a candidate.
He added that he was also unhappy about the fact that the PD leadership had apparently held talks in secret with, the former, Fianna Fail executive member and that his nomination appeared to have been a foregone conclusion.
Mr Canty, who is in his 40s, said he believed that "ageism" had been a factor in the PD hierarchy's decision to find a new candidate. He said he had worked hard for the party since its foundation 11 years ago but that he now felt he was being sidelined for a younger man.