Fianna Fail embroiled in row over David Norris Aras bid

Two local Fianna Fail councillors have blasted criticisms of their decision to back Senator David Norris' presidential bid, saying that they did not try to "foist" anyone on the party. Fianna Fail Councillors Tommy Reilly and Shane Cassells backed the independent senator's bid to run for the presidency at a recent meeting of Meath County Council but say that senior party members and at least one Oireachtas member had cleared the way for the move. "We had a whips' meeting where councillors and one member of the Oireachtas, Senator Thomas Byrne, were present. "That was about three days before the county council meeting and support was on the agenda, there was no opposition to Senator Norris because we had no candidate," said Cllr Reilly. The two councillors were responding to criticism levelled at him by Ashbourne man and chairman of Fianna Fáil's Meath East Comhairle Dáil Ceanntair, Bosco O'Farrell, who wrote on his Facebook page and was recently quoted in a local newspaper as saying the move on Cllr Reilly's part was "dangerous". After the county council meeting, Mr O'Farrell reportedly wrote on his page: "Many of you are unhappy that Cllr Tommy Reilly tried to push through a Meath County Council presidential nomination for Senator David Norris. It just goes to show the danger of allowing a free vote on an issue like this." Later he was quoted as saying: "Cllr Reilly has, off his own bat without any reference to the party, foisted David Norris upon the party. "We had hoped we would have our own candidate to vote for, or at least a discussion, but Tommy has decided to choose the candidate." Mr O'Farrell said that the problem stemmed from party leader Micheál Martin's permission for a free vote. "That is the problem," he said. Mr O'Farrell said his "sole and core objection" to the move by Cllrs Cassells and Reilly was that it was "undemocratic". He said: "It doesn't make any difference if it was discussed at a whips' meeting," he said. "It's a matter for the whole party and not up to two councillors or eight people in a room. The membership has to be consulted, especially when Fianna Fail are talking about new beginnings. "What should have happened, firstly, was at parliamentary party level, and the membership would have input into that through their representatives. But there was no decision at all. "Micheal Martin said he didn't want any nomination blocked but that doesn't mean we start proposing and endorsing nominations. It hasn't happened anywhere else (in any other county council meeting). My objection to Senator Norris is that he has never been a supporter of Fianna Fail and, in political terms, we have nothing in common. He claimed it was unacceptable and at the next few meetings, over the coming weeks, "we will be letting Tommy Reilly and the other councillors know about that in no uncertain terms," he said. In a response, Cllr Cassells said: "As whip of this party in Meath, I am not about to take a lecture on my duty from a person who canvassed the councillors of Meath with a rival candidate to our own county man Thomas Byrne, during the recent Senate elections. "It is amazing that we are being accused of being undemocratic when in fact what we were doing was the very essence of democracy - allowing somebody to contest an election. "Senator Norris came before the 29 councillors of Meath simply asking to be allowed to run for the Presidency of Ireland. Allowing him the chance to get on the ballot paper does not mean we are backing his campaign against somebody from Fianna Fail. "I want us to run a candidate for the highest office in this land and I will be telling Micheál Martin that at our National Executive meeting tomorrow night (Thursday)." Cllr Cassells went on: "If Bosco Farrell really wants a new beginning in Fianna Fail, then it starts with having a new attitude to how politics is conducted in Meath. "The only thing that should be discussed at meetings of Fianna Fail at the moment is how we can best serve the people and not who we canscrew."