This article is from page 14 of the 2011-09-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
FINE Gael presidential election hopeful Gay Mitchell has pledged to do everything in his power to mobilise the party’s troops in the county to ensure he wins the vote in the Clare constituency in the November 27 poll.
Speaking to The Clare People during his whistle stop tour of the three biggest centres in the county – Ennis, Shannon and Kilrush – said the key to his objective was enlisting the services of members of the Fine Gael election machine within the county at a time when the party is the dominant player in Clare politics at local and national level for the first time in its history.
“It’s very important that I get strong support across the board everywhere. I’m in Clare because I want to build on the support that I have in the county.
“I really need that support,” Mr Mitchell told The Clare People .
Clare Fine Gael have an unprecedented four Oireachtas members in Deputies Pat Breen and Joe Carey and Senators Martin Conway and Tony Mulcahy; there are 26 councillors between Clare County Council and Town Councils in Ennis, Shannon, Kilrush and Kilkee, while party also holds the mayoral chains of of- fice in three of the four town councils.
“I’m out here with the Oireachtas members in Clare and the organisation in Clare is fully behind me,” said Mr Mitchell.
“We are one of the few organisations with people in every corner of the country and I need that organisation out behind me.
“We had a two-day meeting of the Fine Gael Parliamentary and we gave a good part of the meeting to stretegy and getting the vote out in each county – getting the vote out in every corner of Clare. I think that’s very important.”
Mr Mitchell secured the Fine Gael party nomination to contest the presidency on July 9 when winning a three-way contest that also involved Pat Cox, who originally hails from Shannon and fellow MEP, Máiréad McGuinness.
Mr Cox, a former TD, MEP and president of the European Parliament, was eliminated on the first count, while Mr Mitchell received 54 per cent of the vote, as against Ms McGuinness 46 per cent in the second count.
“I wouldn’t have sought the nomination if I didn’t think I could win and win the presidential election,” Mr Mitchell told The Clare People . “I believe I can win. The polls will show that in October.
“The reality is that if a story breaks in New York the farmer on a tractor in Clare will hear at the same time as someone in Dublin.
“Society is changing. Ireland is a small country and I think that I can get the vote out. I will be in every corner of Ireland that I can be. I will be back in Clare several times,” added Mr Mitchell.