Norris gets the vote from the Waterford City Council… So that’s Fingal, Laois and now Waterford… Interesting point to note that two of the councils (South Dublin and Carlow) who rejected him both did so on the casting vote of the Chairman…
Given this is only for entry to another election, is this an indication of worries inside Fine Gael (Labour, who appear to be allowing individual discretion) the poor showing of their candidate, nominating what’s recognised as the weaker candidate instead?
Dana has three more bites to get her remaining one nomination, and Norris has to wait for Dublin this evening at 6.45…
Adds: Derek Mooney had this to say before a single vote was cast in anger:
Expect the Fine Gael and Labour Councillors to weight this possible outcome carefully when they consider how they will vote today, particularly when it comes to backing Norris. The outcomes will depend on how these considerations are balanced against the fear of a backlash against those who kept Norris out of the race.
Not that Higgins and Mitchell are the only ones affected by an expansion of the field. The entrance of Norris and Dana to the race could see Mary Davis lose up to a third of her support, Sean Gallagher lose about one quarter of his and Martin McGuinness lose about a fifth.
In the case of these three, their capacity to influence the outcomes today will not be anywhere as great as for the two main parties. Plus their supporters will also want to size up if the damage done to the FG and lab candidates outweighs the impact on theirs.
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
