Martin targets two ff seats for 2016

Paul Neilan

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin says the party is targeting two seats in Cavan-Monaghan for the next General Election.
The Corkman was in the Hotel Kilmore on Thursday evening addressing a conference on the consequences of a possible 2017 British exit from the EU and spoke to the Celt on how the party is shaping up in the constituency ahead of selection conventions.
Confirmed in Cavan as putting their names forward for selection are sitting TD and foreign affairs spokesperson Brendan Smith and local election poll-topper Cllr Niamh Smyth. The odds are longer on the Bailieborough woman being selected, however, with a one candidate per county policy being most likely in Cavan-Monaghan and there are already several interested parties who have declared their intent in Monaghan.
“The convention has obviously not been held yet but we’d be targeting two seats in Cavan-Monaghan,” he said, referring to the mooted April 2016 General Election.
He said he was “very pleased” with the showing in the May 2014 local elections, and complimented Brendan Smith for the campaign.
Possible convention rival Bailieborough’s Cllr Smyth topped that poll, which was highlighted by the Celt. “Niamh is a very good councillor,” he said, “excellent but I’m not attempting to influence the national or local selection conventions”.
Regarding the 30 per cent gender equality ruling, Martin says that they won’t have an issue with fulfilling quota, adding that remaining 10 Fianna Fáil conventions would most likely be in September.
Against Thursday’s ‘Brexit’ conference backdrop, Martin said that a “cross-border North-South agenda” was needed, as was a streamlining of bodies “take food safety, for example, there are three bodies over that on the island at the moment when there could be one”.
He said he was “very disappointed” with the recently-announced Liberty redundancies and stressed that a “serious effort” was needed in the Border counties on jobs, roads and indigenous business, saying that the region had been “neglected” and that there was a “lack of urgency” to bring North-South bodies together on health, agriculture and education, citing commonalities of language and history as an obvious area where “commonality” of qualifications should be achieved.
Asked what three major issues will be fought by whomever is selected to run he cited a much stronger “agri-food” policy, a new deal on childcare and a development of an “economic corridor” for the region.

See this week's Anglo-Celt newspaper for more.