I’ve been keeping all election literature pushed through my door to send it on to the Irish Election Literature Blog, which I think is a great resource. When I found this one earlier on however, I was pretty tempted to rip it to shreds.
Confused? Have a look over at politico.ie here.
Colm McGrath: Colm McGrath had left Fianna Fáil by the time of the party’s inquiry in 2000, and did not participate. Frank Dunlop told the Tribunal he paid Colm McGrath £1,000 in connection with the Ballycullen rezoning in 1992, as well as other payments. Colm McGrath denied receiving the Ballycullen payment, and said other payments were political donations. Christopher Jones told the Tribunal he gave Colm McGrath £1,700 at fundraising functions between 1992 and 1999. Colm McGrath said he had no detailed records of these, but said he had received some support from Christopher Jones.
Click on the book for more.
Click on the book for more.
There’s a surreal touch to his departure from FF.
A senior party figure was appointed to identify candidates for the 1999 local elections. Colm McGrath, a sitting FF councillor in his second term, was not allowed to go forward for nomination, on the basis of doubts about his integrity.
The senior party figure who made that recommendation/decision was Liam Lawlor.
FF selected a former councillor to run: the same Liam Lawlor, along with a first-timer called John Curran.
You couldn’t make it up.
(Curran won a seat, Lawlor didn’t, and he didn’t show up at the count either.)
Oh, and McGrath was the first elected in 1999, and the only candidate to exceed the quota by the time the count finished.
I just hope the electorate in Clondalkin gets to know about this SOB
With a 14-candidate ballot paper, I took some satisfaction in giving John Curran no. 13 and leaving a blank against the on-remand Colm McGrath.