TAOISEACH ENDA Kenny has rejected suggestions he looked “disappointed” when the nomination of Gay Mitchell MEP as Fine Gael’s presidential candidate was announced at a selection convention in Dublin at the weekend.
He said Mr Mitchell had “all of the credentials to make an outstanding president” and that his candidacy “will have the 100 per cent support of the entire Fine Gael party”.
Mr Mitchell defeated his MEP colleague Mairéad McGuinness by an estimated 54 per cent-46 per cent majority on the second count at the convention in a north Dublin hotel. Former European Parliament president Pat Cox was eliminated after the first count.
When it was put to him that he “did look disappointed when the result was announced”, Mr Kenny replied: “Am I supposed to be going around all the time, grinning like a Cheshire cat, for everything?”
He said the electoral college in the party had made its decision “without any direction or imprimatur from me”.
“I am very happy that it has been very clear and we get on now with 100 per cent support for our candidate, Gay Mitchell, and I expect him to win,” Mr Kenny said.
Mr Mitchell said: “I want now to broaden out my appeal to the whole of the community. The president of Ireland has to be a president for all of the people.
“I want to spend the coming weeks – if you don’t mind, Taoiseach, I have booked one week’s holidays for myself and Norma, we might keep to that – outside of that I want to spend the rest of the time around the country, meeting people.”
Congratulating the Mitchells, the Taoiseach said: “Gay Mitchell has within him all of the credentials to make an outstanding president, if the people decide to elect him.”
Wishing him well in his campaign, Mr Kenny told Mr Mitchell: “You will have the 100 per cent support of the entire Fine Gael party in what you do.”
He added: “Take your week’s holidays and be anonymous and enjoy it, because, believe you me, when you come back, you’d better be ready for one hell of a campaign.”
Asked of reports that elements of the party hierarchy opposed his candidacy, Mr Mitchell said: “We are the hierarchy – the parliamentary party, executive council and the councillors – and they have re-established themselves today and made a very firm point [to] who makes the decisions.”
Fianna Fáil environment spokesman Niall Collins said in a statement that the announcement of October 21st as the date for the election at a Fine Gael party event was wholly inappropriate “and confirms Fine Gael’s growing arrogance in government”.
A spokeswoman for the Department of the Environment said last night: “It wasn’t an official announcement; the Minister will announce the date in due course and he hasn’t done so yet.”
In Limerick yesterday, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan questioned the existence of a party poll which reportedly indicated Gay Mitchell as the least favourite candidate.
“I am not sure if there was such a poll. Around convention time and selection of candidates, there are facts and there are rumours and I am not sure which this was. I hadn’t seen any poll anyway.”
Mr Noonan, who admitted he nominated Mr Cox because of the Limerick connection, refused to reveal how he voted at the convention.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said in Co Cork the party had not yet decided on its strategy for the election: “We’ve decided to cogitate on it over the summer – we’re taking it fairly easy – maybe come back with a decision in September.”
The Young Fine Gael Summer School, meeting in Galway city, unanimously endorsed the selection of Mr Mitchell as candidate for president.