TAOISEACH RALLIES TROOPS, FENDS THE FLAK IN SUNNY MONAGHAN WALKABOUT!

By MICHAEL McDONNELL
michael@northern-standard.ie

IF THE election outcomes for Fine Gael in these parts turn out as benign as the weather that blessed Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his disciples during their Monaghan town walkabout on Tuesday evening it will be deemed a good hour’s work indeed by all the factions of the party faithful!

While the national opinion polls have portrayed the party’s prospects in a rather more overcast light, Mr Kenny was having none of it when he told the Northern Standard that they were fielding a strong list of candidates at both European and local level.

All of them could point to the Government’s achievements to date in tackling its mandate to sort the public finances and create jobs, he said.

Councillors elected to the new local authorities will have more power than ever before, Enda assure us, and will have to draw up regional development plans that attract investment and jobs, making it important to elect able candidates.

Fine Gael’s European contenders in the Midlands–North West, Mairead McGuinness and Jim Higgins were …