Eddie Haughey most have the most extraordinary parliamentary career of any on these islands. One of Northern Ireland’s most successful entrepreneurs (according to, ahem, wikipedia, he is Haughey is the 2nd richest person in Northern Ireland behind Seán Quinn), this CBS educated, Dundalk man began his political life in Seanad Éireann as a Senator for Fianna Fáil, then being elevated to the British House of Lords for the Ulster Unionists. Slugger can confirm that he has now made his ‘final’ move to the Tories, a party to which he has given generously in the past.It’s a story that was trailed on Sunday by Liam Clarke, who quoted Ballyedmond:
“I have been a supporter of the Conservatives for a verylong time. In the past I made a substantial donation to them, and I think the country needs the Conservatives at the moment. Their policies are the right ones and I wish to support that.” The Ballyedmond donation to the Tories was made during the leadership of William Hague between 1997 and 2001. The peer, who owns Corby Castle in Cumbria, has also lent his helicopter to the Conservatives during election campaigns.
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty