The Government is set to block Fine Gael's move to call the Meath by-election before St Patrick's Day, it has emerged. Arthur Beesley reports.
Informed sources in Fianna Fáil and the PDs said the two parties were very likely to exercise their Dáil majority to oppose the writ which will be moved in the Dáil tomorrow by the Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny.
"If Fine Gael insist on going alone on this, it's likely that the Government will oppose it. There are precedents for governments opposing oppositions moving a writ," said a senior Government source.
The Meath seat has been vacant since November when former taoiseach Mr John Bruton became EU ambassador to the US. The seat in north Kildare has been vacant since the autumn, when Mr Charlie McCreevy went to the EU Commission.
Mr Kenny's manoeuvre will prompt a confrontation over the timing of both by-elections, following claims by Mr Ahern that a post-Easter poll on the same day was preferable because of the Dáil debate on the Finance and Social Welfare Bills.
The Fine Gael leader last night dismissed the Taoiseach's remarks as "absolute nonsense" and said the Government had a duty to call the Meath poll between March 8th and 16th.
He said there were precedents in the last Dáil to holding by-elections in March and added that the "constitutional" matter of filling the seat should override anything said by the Taoiseach. However, the Government chief whip, Mr Tom Kitt, indicated very clearly that the Coalition was prepared to use its Dáil majority to vote down the Fine Gael writ. "Ideally I would like us to come up with an agreed timing with Fine Gael, but, as far as far as I'm concerned, I think the arguments are strongly stacked in favour of holding both some time after Easter," he said.
"The Taoiseach has outlined his preference and stated his reasons and his preference for holding both by-elections after Easter. I think in the interests of efficiency, it would be neater and tidier to have both together and would be more cost-effective."
With Labour set to start its campaigns today, a Coalition move to block the Fine Gael writ would lead to renewed claims from that party that Fianna Fáil was running scared of the electorate. Fianna Fáil has yet to select a candidate in Kildare North and its campaign in Meath was thrown into disarray by the withdrawal of its original candidate, Cllr Tommy Reilly, who was subsequently replaced.
While no Government candidate has won a by-election since 1982, some politicians believe the Coalition wants both polls on the same day to avoid two separate setbacks if they fail to take either of the seats.
Separately, the Minister for Transport, Mr Cullen, will learn tonight whether the State's ethics watchdog will conduct a full investigation into official contracts secured by one of his associates, Ms Monica Leech. The Standards in Public Office Commission will meet at 5.30 p.m. today to consider the case.