This article is from page 14 of the 2012-05-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
WITH just two years until the local elections, Fianna Fáil leader Michéal Martin believes his party in still strong in Clare.
Traditionally a Fianna Fáil stronghold the party’s vote in Clare fell by 32 per cent during the last local election in 2009, while it was reduced to just one Dáil seat after the General Election in 2011.
As Fianna Fáil had no candidate in the Presidential election last November, the leader of the party made his first canvass of Clare on Friday last as he campaigned for a yes vote in the Stability Treaty.
During his visit he said, “I am under no illusion as to where people are. People are very, very upset with the turn of events.”
“I don’t expect transformation in attitude overnight so what we have to do as a party is renew and regain trust for people by honest politics, by changing the way we behave and the way we act as politicians. That is a big challenge for us and that is what we have to do. And actions speak louder than words and in many ways our stance on the treaty reflects that.
“Over time we will regain trust but also we want to bring new people into the party and younger people into the party in addition to what we have already. And what I have detected around the country is that people are offering themselves. We are witnessing people who are coming forward who want to stand and who want to contest the local election. That is encouraging and that is very reassuring and we need more women and we need more younger people and that is the key.”
“We have already appointed area representatives in areas we don’t have councillors and these people are already beavering away meeting with local organisations and community groups and working on the ground,” he said.