Labour set to endorse McNamara

THE Labour Party is pinning its hopes on regaining a Dáil seat in Clare with a man who was a late entry to the European Parliament elections in 2009.
Scariff barrister Michael McNamara has formally declared his intentions to become a candidate in the four-seater constituency and the part-time beef farmer is expected to be ratified at Labour’s selection convention this Friday night in Ennis.
Despite his late entry into the European elections as an independent candidate, Mr McNamara performed well, securing a very credible 12,744 first preferences.
Mr McNamara will be bidding to secure a seat for the party for the first time since 1992 when South African doctor Moosajee Bhamjee shocked the political establishment.
Mr McNamara’s arrival will add some political spice to the Clare General Election campaign. The consensus among local political analysts suggests that Mr McNamara will damage the re-election prospects of Fianna Fáil’s Timmy Dooley because the two of them will be fighting for a large slice of the East Clare vote.
Defence Minister Tony Killeen (FF) is expected to hold on to his seat, while outgoing Fine Gael TDs Pat Breen and Joe Carey will be fancied to benefit from the Government backlash and retain their seats.
At this stage, it seems as if there will be a major dogfight for the last seat involving Independent candidate James Breen, Deputy Dooley and Mr McNamara, with the eliminated candidate from this trio deciding the eventual outcome.
Independent candidate Jim Connolly will have to battle hard to gain votes beyond his base in Loop Head, which is sparsely populated, while Green Party Councillor Brian Meaney could suffer from the anti-Government feeling.
Mr McNamara declared for Labour because he believes their policies are the best to get the country back on the road to economic recovery following the Government’s mishandling of the banking crisis.
“I believe that we need radical change and I think the Labour Party is the best placed party to deliver that change,” he said.