Standing Room Only At Fine Gael Convention In Thurles, As Crowd Applaud.
An impressive crowd of more than 400 delegates turned out in force in the Anner Hotel, Thurles, last Friday night to select Deputy Noel Coonan as the sole Fine Gael candidate to contest the next General Election and represent the people of the Tipperary North/South Offaly constituency. The local TD thanked one and all, for their support, their encouragement and confidence conveyed on the night and vowed to continue to do the job entrusted to him, by the people of the constituency.
Party Leader Enda Kenny made a special effort to attend the important convention and reinforce his conviction and faith in the work being done by Deputy Coonan. Earlier on Friday evening, Deputy Kenny officially opened Noel’s new office on Main Street, Roscrea.
Commending the work of Deputy Coonan, Enda Kenny addressing the large gathering stated:
Standing room only at Fine Gael convention
“It has been 28 years since Fine Gael won a general election at the polls but I am here tonight to tell you that we are going to win the next election and it is your responsibility to re-elect Noel Coonan to Dáil Eireann as part of cleaning up the streets. Make him a piece of the jigsaw of the next Government. I am proud of the work that Deputy Coonan is doing and I greatly value his view of Ireland’s position on Common Agricultural Policy reform. There will be major changes in this area post 2013 and Noel will be defending the Fine Gael position at home and in Europe. This election is on and it’s on now. Fianna Fáil are finished; it’s over for them. Labour might be flavour of the month but people look to Fine Gael for real solutions and leadership. We recognise it’s about harnessing the abilities of experts in various fields and we will not turn away from this economic crisis, we have to turn and face it and we are not afraid to do exactly that. We will put an end to cronyism and open up the Government books to the public and show them how this country is being run. People have been asked to bear the brunt of the Fianna Fáils, Greens and Independents in Government. In contrast, Fine Gael’s signpost points to comfort, assistance and security.”
Deputy Coonan was recently appointed Fine Gael’s Deputy Agriculture Spokesperson with special responsibility for CAP Reform.
Deputy Coonan thanked Mae Quinn who proposed him and Gerry O’Connell who seconded the move. The local TD expressed gratitude to all branches who nominated him and gave special recognition to Fine Gael Councillors who unanimously agreed he should be the sole candidate in the best interests of pushing the party forwards. The meeting was chaired by Fine Gael Chief Whip Paul Kehoe TD. Also present were Tom Hayes TD, all Fine Gael Councillors from North and South Tipperary County Councils along with Cllr. Percy Clendennen from South Offaly.
The crowd cheered the Tipperary North TD when he took the microphone, stating:
“It took us 10 years to win this seat and we are not going to lie down and give it away now. I look forward to the day when Enda Kenny is the next Taoiseach and the next time there is a convention here, Enda will be Taoiseach and he will say to me, you were right Minister Coonan. My message to this Government is that your time has come. It’s time Fine Gael lifted us out of gloom and Ireland is recognised as a prosperous international destination once again. I am proud to be part of a party that practices old values such as courage, integrity and decency. These traits will always be relevant in politics, but this Government has let us down through strokes and gimmicks and they are still unable to tell the truth regarding the state of our nation. A lot has changed since our last convention here in Thurles five years ago. The economy is collapsing around us. The banks and construction sector have collapsed, and the only thing growing apart from the pastures is the visible queue of unemployed people.“
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