A solicitor who was suspended from membership of Fianna Fail for two years for the use of "unparliamentary language" yesterday secured a High Court order to prevent a meeting going ahead last night to select candidates for Cork County Council elections in June.
Mr Justice McCracken granted the temporary order to Mr John Hussey, Duntahane Park, Fermoy, who has been a member of Fianna Fail since he joined Fermoy cumann in 1991 and an elected member of Fermoy Urban District Council since 1994.
The order is against a number of Fianna Fail national officers as well as officers of Fermoy Comhairle Ceanntair of Fianna Fail.
At a meeting of Fermoy Fianna Fail cumann on September 5th last, he became involved in a heated discussion with the chairman, during which they used unparliamentary language, Mr Hussey said in an affidavit. At a special meeting of the Fermoy cumann on September 21st last, he was suspended from membership of Fianna Fail for two years, the maximum period of suspension which could be imposed, he said. Despite his misgivings about the manner in which the meeting to suspend him was handled, he decided to appeal the decision to the next-highest level of the party, Fermoy Comhairle Ceanntair.
Mr Hussey said he received a letter from Fermoy Comhairle Ceanntair dated December 15th last asking him to attend a meeting on December 22nd. He had replied that he was unable to attend a meeting during Christmas week.
He had received a further letter dated January 5th last inviting him to attend a meeting at the Grand Hotel, Fermoy, on January 14th and that he would be invited to address delegates. He attended the hotel on January 14th with another Fermoy Fianna Fail member about 9 p.m. and waited in the bar to be invited into the meeting.
The meeting ended about 10 p.m. and the delegates eventually all came out. It was apparent he was not going to be allowed address the delegates. He was handed a letter informing him the Comhairle Ceanntair had decided not to deal with his appeal, but had referred it to the organisation's next level, the Dail Ceanntair.
Mr Hussey said that as a result of the decision of the Comhairle Ceanntair not to deal with his appeal, he would not be able to attend last night's proposed convention or be proposed as a candidate. A number of people who were willing to nominate him as a candidate had approached him. He had expected the appeal to be dealt with prior to the convention for the local elections.
He had phoned the Fianna Fail national secretary, Mr Sean Sherwin, to discuss the matter. Mr Sherwin had informed him he would ensure the appeal was heard before the convention. The injunction runs until Monday next when the case is to come before the court again.